The Party Line a Myrtle Crumb Mystery Prequel

PARTY

  LINE

  A Myrtle Crumb Mystery Prequel

  by

  Gayle Trent

  PARTY LINE

  A Myrtle Crumb Novella

  by Gayle Trent

  Published 2003, 2015

  Published by Grace Abraham Publishing, Bristol, VA 24202.

  Copyright 2003, 2015 Gayle Trent.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America.

  Lookin’ Back

  Mercy goodness! I just found a journal from way back when Sunny was just a baby. Sunny is my granddaughter, you know, and her given name is Crimson. I’ve never been able to figure out why my daughter Faye hung that name on the child, though. I’m guessing her Daddy gave it to her, and Faye just went along with him to keep the peace. But, gracious, they weren’t celebrities who could get away with naming their young ‘uns things like Moon Unit and Apple, for goodness’ sake. Anyhow, I call my grandbaby Sunny because ever since she came into my life, she’s been my sunshine.

  Back when I was keeping this journal, Sunny was only around three years old. Her daddy had died in an accident when she was about eighteen months old, and Crandall passed not too awfully long after that. I imagine I was still hurting too badly from the loss of Crandall to realize how hard his death must’ve hit Faye practically on the heels of losing her husband Steve.

  When you read this, you’ll realize that it took Backwater quite a while to come on up into the modern world. We still had party lines back then. If you’re as young as you look, you don’t have a clue as to what’s a party line. Well, back in the day, there weren’t enough wires or something to give every phone their own private line. I don’t know why, but several people in a community shared a phone line. If you picked up at the right time, you could hear what your neighbors were talking about to each other, the grocer, the bank…whoever they were talking to. And, by the same token, they could eavesdrop on you too.

  Everybody whines these days about the government listening in on their calls. Back then, we all did it. And we all knew we did it. We didn’t particularly like it—having our own calls listened to anyway—but it’s all we had.

  The story I’m getting ready to tell you is about my first case. This is really before I even officially became a detective. It’s not like I have my license now or anything like that, but I do have a reputation…a reputation for getting to the bottom of things.

  So sit back and put your feet up and let me tell you how I kept Tansie Miller’s daughter out of jail.

  Movin' In

  Ada's back. Forty-two years old and movin' back in with her Mama. I saw it all from my picture window in the living room. Didn't even have to leave my rocker-recliner. Didn't have to turn down "The Young and The Restless" either. It wouldn't have done me any good—I couldn’t have heard anything anyway. I’ll wait to get the real scoop on the party line.

  Oh, yes, we here in Backwater still have a party line. We're probably the only people left in the country—heck, the world!—who has one, but we have one; and frankly, I like it that way. It keeps me connected. You know…a party line. Where you share a telephone line with your neighbors. Now, I'm not saying I'm nosy or anything, but I think it's good to know what's goin' on around you. Don't you?

  Who am I? Well, I'm Myrtle Crumb. Been livin' in Backwater all my life. My dear Crandall died about ten years ago, but I have a beautiful daughter, Faye. Unlike Tansie's daughter, Ava, she doesn't live with me anymore. She's a good girl. Has a good life…far as I know.

  I'm anxious to see what's brought Ava home. She's married to a man who owns a construction business. I guess she's still married; but if she's movin' back home with her Mama, well, it looks like there's trouble in paradise, don't you think? Anyway, they had it real good, from what I hear. Nice house, two nice cars… Ava always looks like she just stepped out of a bandbox. Not that she looks all that great today. Hair looks like a hooraw's nest….

  [Click, click, click.]

  Ah, there's the phone. Let me mute my program. Be real quiet now.

  "Ava?"

  "No, Bill, this is Tansie."

  "Tansie, lemme speak to Ava."

  "I'm not so sure she wants to talk to you right now, Bill."

  "Well, I wanna talk to her. If you don't put her on the phone right now, I'm comin' over there."

  "Hold on a minute."

  This oughta be good. Shhhh!

  "Bill, don't you be callin' over here threatening my Mama."

  "I did not threaten your Mama, Ava. I simply told her that if you didn't come to the phone, I was comin' over there."

  "And you don't call that a threat?"

  "No, I sure don't. Now, let's stop all this nonsense. Come on back home."

  "Home to what? Your lies…your gamblin'? You'd rather be out partyin' with your friends than home with me."

  "Sugar, you know that ain't so."

  "It is so, and don't you call me Sugar."

  "What do I need to do to show you I care?"

  "I don't know.” She sighed. “Just let me spend a day or two with Mama…. I just need to figure everything out."

  "All right. I love you, Ava."

  "Love you, Bill."

  [Click.]

  Well, there you go. Bill's been out cattin' around, and Ava's sick of it. Notice how he said, "I love you, Ava," but she said, "Love you, Bill" like she didn't really mean it?

  Maybe she thinks it's time to take ol' Bill to the cleaners and kick him out of that fancy house. Maybe move somebody else in. Maybe somebody younger. Women are doin' that these days. Used to always be the men who would cash in their older wives for a younger one, but women are doin' it these days, too. They figure what's good for the goose is good for the gander, I reckon. Why that Anita Hodges hooked up with that J.T., and him not but nineteen years old. Now that's on "The Young and The Restless," of course, but you know, these daytime drama series—that's what they're called on the Emmy awards—they mirror real life.

  [Click, click, click.]

  Let's see who that is.

  "Hello?"

  "Hello, Tansie?"

  "Hi, Melvia. How are you today?"

  "I'm fine. It's you and Ava I'm worried about."

  "Why's that?"

  "Well, I saw Ava come in over there with her suitcase."

  "She's just stayin' with me a few days is all," Tansie said.

  "Are you sick or something?"

  "No. I'm fine."

  "Are Ava and Bill havin' trouble?"

  "Well, why would you think that? He called her just a minute ago…probably to make sure she got here all right."

  "Did he? Well…. If there's anything you all need, just let me know."

  "We, will, Melvia. Thank you for callin'. Bye."

  [Click.]

  Melvia and Tansie are sisters, but that don't mean that Tansie wants her to know everything. Or vice versa. In fact, they're pretty competitive; and each one wants the other one to think that her life is just peachy keen. You oughta hear them at Christmas—tellin' each other what they got from who, who said they looked nice, who said that their bread puddin' was better than anybody’s. Naturally, the other sister is the "anybody" whose bread puddin' don't measure up.

  [Click, click, click.]

  "Hello, you have reached Reverend Jeff and Elizabeth Parris. We can't come to the phone right now, but please leave a message at the sound of the beep."

  "Preacher Jeff,
this is Melvia Hobson. I'm calling about my niece Ava. I want you to put her on the prayer list because I believe she and her husband are having marital problems. Thank you, and God bless you, Preacher."

  [Click.]

  Oh, ho, ho! That Melvia is a sight. She'd better call back and put herself on the prayer list; because when Tansie gets wind of this, all heck's gonna break loose.

  Fallin' Out

  I want you to know Tansie was livid that Melvia put Ada and Bill on the prayer list. I started to say you should've been here to hear that conversation, but on second thought, no, you shouldn't have. Tansie had to go back to church Sunday night just to repent for all the names she called Melvia…and I expect she'll have to repent some more at Bible study on Wednesday.

  You remember how Bill had called Ada beggin' that girl to come home? Well, now he's singin' a different tune. I don't know whether he got the idea off a talk show or what—sounds awful much like Dr. Phil to me, but the last call he made to Ada was to tell her to either come back home or to tell him she didn't want him anymore so he could get on with his life.

  "So I can get on with my life—" Those were his very words.

  [Click, click, click.]

  Let me mute my television.

  "Tansie? You ain't gonna believe this."

  "I'm not in the mood, Melvia. I'm still not over what you told the preacher about—"

  "Well, then, you'd better get in the mood because Doris May Culpepper is about to steal Ada's man right away from her."

  "Doris May Culpepper? What're you talkin' about?"

  "Hazel Thompson saw Doris May hittin' on Bill down at the diner."

  "So? Them Culpeppers always have been the biggest flirts you ever saw."

  "Well, yeah, but Hazel heard him swallow the bait right up," Melvia said.

  "Huh?"

  "Bill made a date with Doris