Missing Pet Notice

The garbage needed to go out. It was Tuesday evening. Sheila looked out to the curb and there was no trash can. Ted obviously didn’t get that chore completed. He truly hated fighting the can through the narrow walkway, plus Elinda’s flowers took up half the path.

She would need to get it out regardless. She gave herself a once-over glance. Yoga pants, Halloween T-shirt, and no bra. She shrugged her shoulders. Slipping on her bright green Crocs, she twisted her hair up into a yellow clip. She hoped no one was out this late. It would only take her a minute to run the single can out. As she stepped out, the crisp air with a hint of burning leaves hit her. She loved the scents of fall.

On the way to the curb, as she rolled the trash bin down the narrow walk between their houses, she noticed the low lights on in Elinda’s kitchen. A half-opened window allowed a whiff of pumpkin spice to mix with the other fall scents. She never considered herself a nosy neighbor, but sheesh, how could she ignore this? Elinda was hitting her kitchen counter with a rolling pin.

“The kids can never find out about this,” Sheila overheard her say.

What couldn’t the kids know about? Sheila was afraid Elinda would hear the trash bin and quickly continued to the curb.

On her way back past the window, she glimpsed several small brown mounds under the rolling pin. The counter was covered in a red liquid. Oh my God. Sheila placed her hand over her mouth. Those were hamsters!

Sheila ducked below the window when Elinda lifted her head.

“Damn things, what a waste of money you ended up being!”

Sheila slowly raised her head so she could peek above the windowsill. Sheila started shaking. What was she thinking? Elinda was beating Megan’s hamsters to a bloody pulp. Not everyone loved animals. Her mom would never let her have rodents when she was growing up.

She watched as Elinda used her hands to sweep the mess into the trash bin.

“I can’t believe the mess this has made.”

Sheila’s eyes widened as she watched Elinda grab a towel and proceed to wipe her hands clean of the evidence. The kitchen towel turned red as she wiped. Sheila ducked down again and then crept back to her house. Her chest was tight, and there was a chill making its way up her spine. Oh, dear Lord, why would she do that? Those poor little hamsters. And what about Megan? Elinda was a murderer!

The next day Sheila ran into Nancy, the head of the PTO, at the gym.

“Sheila!” Nancy almost sang. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Hey, Nancy.” Sheila snapped her head in the direction of the all-too-happy voice. She had been lost in thought and hadn’t noticed Nancy walk up. There was little sleep to be had last night. She tossed and turned endlessly. She knew it showed on her face. There were dark circles under her eyes this morning, and her face had a dull, ashen look. She thought the gym would help her work through what she saw, but she didn’t have the energy to even walk on the treadmill this morning.

“Are you okay?” Nancy’s brows were furrowed and her lips pressed tightly together. “You look terrible.”

“I am not sure if I am okay or not, Nancy.” Sheila stopped her treadmill and stepped off. “I am not sure I can even talk about it.”

“About what?” Nancy wrapped her arm around Sheila’s waist and guided her toward the locker rooms.

“Last night,” Sheila paused and whispered. “I saw something that shook me to the core. I am having the hardest time processing it.”

“Oh, honey!” Nancy moved her hand to pat Sheila’s back. “What could you have seen that flustered you so badly?”

“I would prefer not to go into it here.” Sheila shuddered. “Do you want to go grab a coffee?”

“Sure. How about I meet you at The Brew Moose?”

“Are you sure you have the time?”

“Of course, I will make time for you.” Nancy gave her a small smile. “Just let me grab my bag.”

Sheila watched as Nancy disappeared into the locker room.

When Nancy came back out, they headed to their cars.

Once inside the Brew Moose, they put their orders in. Their names were called, they both grabbed their coffees and headed to a back table.

“Okay, spill the beans,” Nancy said. She gracefully lowered herself into one of the mango lounge chairs. “What did you see that made you so rattled?” Taking a cautious sip of her coffee, she raised her eyebrows.

“Well…” Sheila started as she made herself comfortable in the adjacent mango lounge chair. “You know Elinda?”

“Of course, everyone knows her.” Nancy’s brows pulled together and her face scrunched. “She is an amazing baker. I just love her cookies.” Nancy waved her hand. “Sorry, go on.” She sat forward intently.

“I saw Elinda do something last night that was very upsetting.” Sheila took a sip of her coffee before continuing. “A few days ago Jozie came home from playing with Megan, Elinda’s daughter.”

“Yes, I know who you are talking about. She plays with my Hannah,” Nancy stated matter-of-factly.

“Well, she mentioned that Megan’s hamsters had gone missing. They were worried they were loose in the house. Jozie wanted me to keep an eye out for them in case they got out.” Sheila laughed nervously. “She thought they might come over to our house and she didn’t want her dad to think they were mice.”

“I saw a flyer Megan hung up in the neighborhood. I don’t get why Megan losing her hamsters would have you so rattled?”

“Not that her hamsters were missing.” Sheila pushed a short breath out of her nose. “Last night, when I was taking out our garbage, I saw Elinda smashing the hamsters with her rolling pin in her kitchen!”

“What?” Nancy’s eyes were huge. “You can’t be serious?”

“Of course I am!” Sheila’s voice was tense. “I overheard her talking to herself, saying that the kids could never find out about this.”

“Sheila, hun, Elinda would never do something like that.” Nancy patted Sheila’s hand before she took another sip of her coffee.

“I am telling you, I know what I saw.” Sheila reached for her own coffee. She had gotten a decaf. She figured she didn’t need any more reasons to be shaking. “Her hands and counter were covered in blood!”

“If what you say is true, that is terrible.” Nancy sat back and crossed one leg over the other. “Dear Lord! That poor child. Why would a mother do that?”

“I am telling you the truth. I saw it with my own eyes.” Her voice was strained. “I don’t think I can ever look at Elinda the same!”

Nancy started drumming her fingernails against her paper coffee cup. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I have no idea.” Sheila sat forward in her chair and leaned her elbows on her knees. “I know I can’t let Jozie go back over there.”

Nancy nodded. “Of course, I completely understand. I probably shouldn’t let Hannah go over for a while myself.”

Sheila shook her head and then rubbed her temples with her fingers. “I have to think on this before I say anything.”

“I sure would.” Nancy set her cup down and reached over for Sheila’s hand. “If you need to talk, you know where I am. Just give me a call.”

Sheila nodded, and both women sat in silence for a few minutes before saying their goodbyes.

Sheila didn’t sleep well that night either. She needed to talk to someone she trusted and who would give her sound advice. She ran through a list of names in her head. Nancy had not been much help. She had believed her, but she had not offered any advice on what to do with what she knew.

The only people who would get hurt if Sheila said something were Elinda’s own children. Still, that was animal abuse and that was a crime. Right? She just didn’t know.

Maybe Ted would have a different perspective on this. She had not mentioned it to her husband yet. Maybe a male perspective would be helpful.

When Ted pulled in, Sheila greeted him in the garage. She didn’t want Jozie and Andrew to overhear her.

“Hi, honey.” She tried to sound cheerful.

Ted stepped out of his truck. “What happened?” Before she could answer, he asked, “What did you hit?”

Sheila’s eyes clouded and her face grew hot. “I didn’t hit anything, dammit! Why do you always think it’s something I did?”

Ted smiled. “Because it usually is, but okay, what happened that has you greeting me out here?”

Sheila shook her head. This was not a good idea. Ted would not listen with an open ear. Even if he did, he would blow it off and tell her to mind her own business. No, there was no sense telling him.

“Never mind.” Sheila approached him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It is not important enough to bother you with.”

“Okay.” Ted shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his lunch cooler off the truck seat. “Sheila, if you need to say something, I am right here, though.”

Sheila just shook her head and headed back into the house. Her eyes filled with tears that she was fighting to control. Ted always dismissed her or had a way of making her feel like everything was somehow her fault. That was not what she needed right now.

“Nope,” Sheila said over her shoulder. She was thankful her voice had held steady. “Everything is peachy.”

But it wasn’t peachy. This was eating her up inside. Elinda had always been a little different. Like Nancy said, she was a great baker. The kids loved whenever there was a holiday and Elinda brought in her fancy treats. Jozie really liked her cookies. Still, she had harmed animals, not to mention her daughter’s pets. Sheila just could not get past that.

When Sheila got in the kitchen, she decided she needed her mom.

Her mother’s soft voice answered on the second ring, and she unloaded her story while pacing the kitchen.

“Well…” There was a pause while her mother collected her thoughts. “I personally would go over and just ask Elinda about what you saw. You were not eavesdropping. You have a real reason for concern since Jozie plays over there. Then you can put the whole thing to rest.”

Sheila nodded as her mom talked, offering short answers when warranted.

“You will not rest until you confront Elinda and state your concerns to her about her animal abuse.” The line went silent for a few seconds. “Sheila, if there is proof of what she has done, there could be criminal charges. People frown on animal abuse, even if it was only hamsters. From what you described, she was very brutal. I don’t feel it’s safe if you confront her alone.”

That thought had not crossed her mind, but Elinda would not attack her like she did the hamsters. Surely that was an isolated incident. Or was it?

“She’s lived next to us for over five years. I have never even heard her raise her voice before.”

“Call one of your friends to go with you, honey. I would feel better.” Her mom’s voice dropped in tone. “Take Ted if you have to, just don’t go alone.”

“No, Ted is not the right choice.” Sheila let out a small, nervous sound that hitched in her throat, masquerading as a laugh before she cleared her throat. She thanked her mom and said, “I love you,” before disconnecting.

Sheila could hear the TV from the living room. Ted had settled into some sporting game or another.

Tomorrow was her book club. She would talk to her bestie Melissa. There was no reason to call her tonight to unload. She would see her tomorrow. Still, she typed up a quick text asking if Melissa wanted to grab lunch after book club. Melissa was way bolder than Sheila ever dared to be.

Not two minutes had passed when Sheila’s phone chirped. A text from Melissa stated, of course, she would have lunch with her tomorrow. Then another text popped through. This one asked if Sheila was okay and if she needed to talk. Melissa was like a mind reader sometimes. Sheila’s response was not fast enough, and her phone rang.

She tapped accept and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, lady, how’s it going?” Sheila giggled out of a nervous habit.

“Well, you tell me!” There was a series of thuds from Melissa’s end and then silence. “Sorry, I had to get to a quiet spot. So tell me what is going on?”

“What makes you think there is something going on?” Sheila knew this was not worth her effort, but she played the game anyway.

“Neither of us has time for this nonsense.” Melissa laughed out loud. “You text out of the blue asking about lunch. I know something happened or you have something on your mind. Spill it so we will both be able to sleep tonight.”

Sheila heard the distant creak of springs and a soft, muffled “Oof!” from Melissa as she apparently dropped herself onto a couch.

“I am all settled in, talk!” Melissa said, her voice sounding a little closer to the mic now.

Sheila truly loved this woman. “You are right, of course, as usual.”

“A burden is better carried by two than alone.”

Sheila shared what she had witnessed Elinda do. She gave as many details as she could. She answered the questions Melissa asked. When she was done, she was exhausted and felt as if even her brain cells were spent.

“What the hell!” was the first thing out of Melissa’s mouth. “How dare she hurt innocent little animals!”

Sheila had forgotten how much of an animal rights activist Melissa had been in her youth. She had slowed down considerably because of work and her children, but those feelings never died.

“Maybe I should not have told you this.”

“No, I am glad you did.” Sheila could hear Melissa steadying her breathing. “Are you absolutely sure you saw hamsters on the counter?”

“Yes, there were small brown mounds there. With what Jozie said about the hamsters missing, the dots connected. I also know that they have not found the lost hamsters.”

“Have you talked to Elinda?”

“No, but Megan was out hanging signs up in our neighborhood with pictures of her three missing hamsters.”

“Oh, that is so heartbreaking.” There was a sharp intake of breath from Melissa. “Elinda just allowed her daughter to continue looking for something she killed. That is sick!”

Sheila knew Melissa was getting worked up about this. That had not been her goal. Maybe Melissa wasn’t the right person to accompany her to confront Elinda after all. She did, however, agree with Sheila and what she had seen.

“I am so sorry. I did not mean to upset you before bed.” This had backfired.

“No, it’s okay. I am okay. It is hard for me to hear this, but I understand why you were losing sleep.”

“Let’s table this until tomorrow after book club when we get lunch. Okay?”

“Okay, and Sheila, you should have called me. That was a horrible thing to witness, and it would have given me nightmares to see it in person. I am sorry for you.”

“Tomorrow we will work it out between the two of us.”

They said their goodbyes, and Sheila stood there with her phone in her hand wondering if that had helped her at all.

She went to the window and looked out at Elinda’s house. The kitchen lights were on again. She could see Elinda in there with her rolling pin. Shivers ran down Sheila’s spine. What else was she smashing over there?

Sheila focused her attention on the counter. Elinda was rolling dough out. She then grabbed a cookie cutter and began cutting cookies from the dough. She was just baking cookies.

Sheila’s stomach turned, and she felt bile rise in her throat. After what she had seen on that counter, she would never be able to eat anything that woman ever made again. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she made a mad dash for the bathroom. Her stomach rejected anything that was left in there. She wiped her mouth and then ran cold water to wash the sweat from her face. It was going to be another long night for her. She just knew it.

The next day she attended book club at Stacey’s house. Melissa was already there and was waiting at the door for her when she walked up the steps.

“Sheila!” Melissa stepped out and wrapped her arms around her. “How did you sleep last night?”

“I managed a few hours.”

“I understand. After I spoke with you, I didn’t sleep well myself.”

Of course Melissa was going to make this about her.

“Come on, I have already told the other girls about what you saw.”

“Melissa!” Sheila’s face heated up. “What gave you the right to do that?”

“I thought you would want their support.”

“You should have asked me first. I really didn’t want anyone else to know besides you.” Sheila’s fingers curled up until they turned white. Her breathing was coming in short and quick.

“I am sorry, Sheila. I truly didn’t think you would mind. There are only three others here. We can go ask them to keep it to themselves.” Melissa’s eyes were glassy and tears were gathering in the corners.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Let’s go talk to them. They do need to keep it to themselves, but let’s see what they have to say.”

She joined the rest of the group, and instead of discussing the book that week, they discussed Elinda and what Sheila had witnessed. There was unanimous agreement that she just needed to confront Elinda about this and be done with it.

Sheila would have a chance tomorrow, as the girls’ grade was hosting a bake sale and all the mothers were donating goodies to help fund the classes’ field trips that year.

Sheila had spent the afternoon making brownie bites and bagging them in half-dozen packages. When she got to the school, she ran right into Elinda.

“Elinda, how are you?” Keeping her voice steady was a challenge.

“Oh, Sheila, I am fine, and how about you?”

“Have Megan’s hamsters shown up?” She knew she was baiting Elinda, but she needed to know how she answered the question.

“Yes, they did.” Elinda giggled. “They came running out of her closet three nights ago. She was able to catch all three.”

“Really? She found all three?”

“Yep, she was so happy.” Elinda looked at Sheila’s hands. “Oooh, you made brownie bites. Those will sell really well. I hope my gingerbread cookies sell. I might be a little early with them.”

Sheila didn’t respond right off. She glanced at the packages that were in Elinda’s bag. Inside were a couple dozen gingerbread maple leaves. They were packaged in threes. Each bag had one red, one yellow, and one orange leaf in it.

“Those look amazing. I am sure the kids will gobble them up, as well as the parents.”

“I made way too many, I am sure.” Elinda glanced at the table that was filling up fast. “If they don’t sell, I am sure my kids will devour them.”

Elinda’s hands were wrapped around the handles of the bag she was carrying, but they had a slight pink hue to them. They were mottled a darker red around her fingernails. Sheila sucked in a deep breath.

“Elinda, were you making cookies three nights ago?”

“I was.” Elinda blushed.

Heat rose in Sheila’s cheeks.

“I hope the smell didn’t get to your house. The kitchen had filled with smoke for a few seconds.”

“Smell?”

“Yes, I burnt the first two pans.” She giggled. “I honestly didn’t think I would have time to make more.”

Sheila fixed her eyes on Elinda’s hands. That had to have been food coloring.

Elinda noticed when Sheila’s gaze dropped to her hands. Redness rushed up Elinda’s face. “On top of burning the first two pans, I managed to spill the red food dye. My hands look like I murdered someone.” She laughed out loud.

“Oh my!” Sheila shrunk back. “That had to have been a huge mess.”

“It really was a giant mess!” Elinda rubbed her hand down her pant leg. “I was afraid the kids—or worse, Jim—would come in before I had a chance to clean it up. I was lucky my counter wasn’t dyed red. I smashed up the burnt cookies to use as pie crust, but what a waste of time and energy.”

“Megan would have thought you had murdered her hamsters. Lucky she found them before that.”

Elinda smiled at Sheila. “I would hope that my daughter or anyone else who knows me would not think that I am capable of doing such a terrible thing.”

“Of course not. Anyone who knows you knows you would never hurt a fly,” Sheila offered.

Sheila’s brain went into overdrive. How many people had been told? She had been discreet. She had only told Nancy and Melissa. Her mom didn’t count. She wouldn’t tell anyone. But Melissa had told the book club, and she had no idea who they had told. Or if Melissa had told anyone else. Her head was spinning and her heart racing. What had she started?

She caught sight of Melissa quickly headed their way.

“Please excuse me, I need to speak to Melissa.”

“Sure, I hope your brownies do well.” Elinda smiled and walked toward the bake sale table.

“Melissa!” Sheila almost yelled. “Hey, we need to talk.”

Melissa was headed for Elinda and did an abrupt turn. “What? I thought you wanted me to help you.”

“I did, but step over here with me for a minute.” Sheila’s face was getting hotter. Her lips were pressed in a thin line. “Melissa, I have to tell you.” Sheila broke off. She let out a long, slow breath.

“Have to tell me what?” Melissa was tapping her foot on the hardwood floor. She was antsy to confront Elinda.