The Labyrinth of Blue Towers: The Disappearance of Jack Arneson: Chapter One

 

The Labyrinth of Blue Towers:

The Disappearance of Jack Arneson

(A Sewing Box Mystery)

Chapter 1: Friday, June 10, 2011, 7:21 pm

Missy was in the midst of tackling the grout around her tub with a toothbrush and a spray bottle of watered-down bleach when her cell phone rang. She contemplated letting it go to voicemail, but it was Friday night. Who knew? Maybe it was one of her friends or an ex­-boyfriend inviting her out to dinner. But no, it was her mother, who was vacationing in Mexico - again.

Her mother, Dorie, was such a wild one; a party girl a few generations before being one was actually thought socially acceptable or celebrated. However, like it or not, that’s exactly what she was, even at this late date and at her age. Granted, Dorie still had the body to pull it off, but it was a pity that being a mother was never part of that package.

Bracing herself. Missy picked up the call. “Hi, Mom. What’s wrong”

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line, immediately followed by an exasperated exhalation of air. “What do you mean, ‘What's wrong'? Can’t I call my only daughter just to chat?” The conversation was off to a typically short-circuited start and Missy was already wishing she was still hard at work on that grout.

“Sorry Of course. How are you? Having fun?”

Another silence. Hopefully Missy’s concession to the fundamentals of normal conversation would appease her mother long enough to find out what the hell she wanted. It did. “That’s better. I'm great. Ari and I are having a wonderful time. The water has never been bluer and I have never been so tan.” Ari was Dorie’s new boyfriend. Missy hadn't met him yet, and really didn't expect to; her mother's men friends rarely stuck around more than seven weeks, and, by Missy’s calculations, Ari was just past the three-week mark.

“Well, I hope you’re using sunblock. A woman your age can’t afford skin damage."

“I’m well aware of the effects of the sun, Missy. So can it. I didn't call you to get a lecture on AV rays."

“UV rays.” It was out of her mouth before she could catch herself. “You mean UV rays. Mom. AV rays would be... audio visual rays, and I don’t think there are such things.” Missy knew better. Her mother hated being corrected. As Dorie launched into one of her usual defensive diatribes, Missy tried to imagine just what an audio visual ray might look like. After several failed attempts, she came back to reality and yet another silence on the other end of the phone.

“Are you still there?” Her mother’s voice was now steely and more than a tiny bit perturbed.

It was time to play nice so Missy could end the conversation and get back to her toothbrush and bleach-water, a surprisingly more joyful alternative. “Sure am. So, what’s up?”

“Your Aunt Jeanette just called me. Even though I’ve asked them not to, they’re going ahead and emptying out the condo tomorrow morning.”

“I thought they were going to change the date.”

“So did I, but apparently I misunderstood.” Dorie’s voice dripped with contempt. In a fashion that never ceased to amaze members of her family, in the world-according-to-Dorie, Dorie was not irresponsible, willful, forgetful, selfish, or inconsiderate; she was simply ‘misunderstood'. She continued, “Well, there’s no way I can get back in time. Would you be a dear and go in my place? I have this vision of my brother and sisters tearing through that place like monkeys on a cupcake and your Grandma Jean would hate that.”

Grandma Jean. Missy's chest suddenly hurt; a pang that resurfaced whenever Grandma Jean's name came up. Her grandmother had passed away a month ago, but it was still too new a reality for Missy’s heart.

“So will you do this for me? Just this once?”

Missy knew it was futile to point out that Mexico and Minnesota weren't that far apart and that if her mother took a red-eye she could be back in time. She wasn’t even going to ask Dorie if she'd bothered looking into getting such a flight, because Missy was pretty sure she knew what the answer would be.

“Sure, I'll be there. No problem.” It wasn’t as if she had anything planned for the morning anyway; except her usual trip to Einstein Brother’s Bagels for a toasted ‘Everything’ topped with some mouthwatering veggie cream cheese and a large skim latte with a half a shot of caramel. It was part of her Saturday morning ritual. She’d spend at least an hour marveling at all the hipsters in Uptown as they floated through on their way to something more exciting. Despite having lived her entire life in Minneapolis, she still felt like a tourist in Uptown.

“Is there anything in particular you wanted? Some keepsake? Something special I can put aside for you?”

“No. It’s junk. I don’t need any of her stuff. I just... I just don’t want people acting all greedy. You know how self-absorbed and unaware my family can be. It's like Oprah never happened.”

“Well, don't worry, I will be there to make sure that everyone is on their best behavior, honoring Grandma and respecting her... stuff."

“Oh, thank you, Missy. Whatever would I do without you?” Missy had heard these same words more times than she could remember and still? She had no answer. Determined to make good on her initial promise to herself, she made nice for the rest of the conversation, and once Dorie's ego had convinced itself that staying in Mexico with a man she'd only known for three weeks made more sense than being with her family as they attempted to dismantle the life and parse out the remaining possessions of a woman who had only thought of others for 81 years, successfully managed to get her mother off the phone.

In the void that immediately consumed her tiny apartment once off the phone, only one thought remained for Missy; Grandma Jean.

Grandma Jean had been Missy’s lifeline: her haven, her provider, her guide. A world without her was not something Missy had been prepared for, despite her grandmother’s lingering illness which had given her ample time to get used to the idea. When the end came... it simply did. Bingo. End of story. The nothingness that remained in the wake of Grandma Jean’s passing felt immense. It overwhelmed Missy for an entire week, up until she was able to push it into a back corner of her mind, where from time to time, with the mere mention of her grandmother’s name or the playing of a certain song, it would rush back, landing with a crushing thud right in the middle of the space occupied by her heart.

Growing up in North Minneapolis had been a happy time for Missy. It was only after she was older, and in junior high, that she realized that not everyone lived with their Grandmother and that not everyone’s mother took off on a moment’s notice in pursuit of ‘finding herself.' Dorie found herself all right; on the back of a Harley, on the copper- filled rocks of the Arizona dessert lost in meditation, backpacking through parts of Europe and Mexico, hiking along the ancient aqua duct system of Hawaii. Dorie seemed to find herself everywhere but home, where Missy had grown up without her under the loving gaze of her Grandma Jean. So it’s not that Missy grew up feeling unloved; merely ignored and more than a bit annoyed.

And disappointed. In fact, it became something of a running joke between Missy and her high school friends. When asked what Missy was going to get for Christmas, year after year, the answer was always the same: 'disappointed'. Because as sure as reindeer poop on your roof Christmas night, Dorie could be counted on to come up with an excuse as to why coming home for the holidays simply wasn’t going to be in the cards that year. In fact, by the time Missy graduated from college and Dorie announced she would be unable to make it to the ceremony due to her life coach's decision that it was not a good time for her to be around family members, Missy didn’t bat an eye or waste a single tear.

No, it was Grandma Jean who had always been there for her. She offered Missy a stability and consistency that had never even appeared on Dorie’s radar—not once.

Heading back into the bathroom Missy paused to pick up the toothbrush she'd been using to scrub the grout. As she did, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

Yep, she definitely had Dorie's hair; a dark auburn with a healthy sheen and a slight wave to it. However, her face and all its features were those of Grandma Jean. Maybe that’s why Dorie had such a hard time being around her for any length of time. Missy thought her face looked a bit heavy, so she forced a cheesy, hard smile. The whiteness of her teeth helped break up the weight she was feeling, both emotionally and physically, and after a deep breath, she began to feel better.

“Well, this is one hell of way to spend a Friday night.” With the false smile still in place, she turned her attention back to the tiled walls of her tub. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized she was actually looking forward to going to the condo tomorrow; a welcome change of pace... though she'd have to get up a bit early if she wanted to stop by Einstein Brothers and pick up her usual rations.

Rituals are important.

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That's all for now.

Next Week: Chapter Two

Thanks for reading.

Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers