A/N: Thanks Jad
Chapter 241: Tangers XXIII—What Does He Want?
The problem was too much for me to handle alone. I knew that much now. I couldn’t just sit around with it on my mind and hope to get anything solved. I needed a second opinion. Of course I couldn’t talk to any of my teammates about it or anyone else who would just laugh and tell the first person who would listen. I needed someone with security.
Of course that would mean my second Mama. Michele. She seemed to have a large capacity for handling delicate situations and also for not talking too much about them. I could write an entire book on the things that I have discussed with her and she has helped me with. I won’t bother you with those things though; I need to stay to my story yes?
I had some free time on Tuesday and I decided I could go and talk to Michele because she did the laundry on Tuesdays, and well, she did it so well that I usually dropped off my laundry for her. Don’t think too badly of me because I wouldn’t have her do it if she didn’t offer first and… Oh nevermind!
Anyway, I was eager to go see Michele because of all the things that had happened in the past two days. First I wanted to hear about what she thought of Patty’s goal and also, I wanted to hear about what happened at the museum. Danny had said something about Jonathan destroying the mummy. I needed to get all the facts!
As I was
carrying my basket of laundry up to the
What was he doing here?
It was Danny’s grin that burned me more than anything. I remembered everything Jonathan had said about Danny and there was that video Jonathan had made. I didn’t think there was anything really and truly going on between Michele and Danny but, well that didn’t mean that Danny didn’t want it to happen.
“Hey Danny,” I said as calmly as I could. “What you up to?”
“Hey,” Danny said and he reddened. A guilty signal if I ever saw one! “What are you doing here?”
I held up my basket. “Laundry,” I said. “Michele helps me out.”
“Aw, she’s so nice,” Danny said with a goofy grin. Mmhmm, he was smitten! But he already had a girlfriend! “I was just ah… just here… keeping her company. Actually I was looking for Patty I couldn’t..”
“Save it,” I said, “Look, I know Michele so I know you guys weren’t really up to anything. She wouldn’t let it happen.”
Danny raised his eyebrows, and his face went pale. Yup, very guilty.
“No, Tangs!” he said, “It’s not like that!”
“Oof!” I replied. “Just know that I’m watching you.”
Danny grimaced. “Sure,” he said. And then he made a hasty retreat to his car.
Humph, I thought. The nerve of him. Just when I thought he was beginning to lose his adopt Patty’s family fantasies. I shook my head as I continued to the front door and rung the bell. I heard Gigi’s frantic barking and I smiled.
Michele answered the door. She smiled. “Hello Alex,” she said. “Come on in.”
“Hey, Michele,” I said as I entered the house. “You busy?”
She lifted an eyebrow and turned around; I followed her to the laundry room.
“Not particularly,” she said, “Just laundry. Is something on your mind?”
“Actually, it is,” I said. As soon as I said it though, I suddenly felt nervous as if I shouldn’t speak about it. What sort of taboo would I really be breaking? How serious could it be? But Michele knew the same rules that I did; she would know the importance of being discreet.
Still, something caught my tongue. I put the basket down and cleared my throat, not knowing what to do.
She gave me a kind of knowing look, like an amused cat. That look always made me feel more helpless so I cleared my throat again. “Hey what’s Danny doing here?” I asked. She smiled.
“He wanted to talk,” she said.
I swallowed. “He wasn’t looking for Patrick?” I asked.
“No,” she replied and her smile got bigger. “Is that what he told you?”
I nodded. “Michele I don’t trust him and I don’t think you should either.”
Michele laughed and she patted my arm, it made me feel silly. “I’m serious!” I said. “He has ideas, I know it.”
Michele shook her head. “No he’s just a puppy, like you. Like a little boy.”
“And Jonathan knows it too,” I added for emphasis, “It’s making him stressed out.”
Michele’s face paled, and I actually saw fear on her face. I didn’t know what to make of it and I felt like an idiot. I bowed my head and apologized.
“The boy?” she said. “What has he said?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t mean it. I mean it was just that one last time, Jonathan was thinking that Danny was.. you know, trying to get close to you like that.”
Michele frowned. “Thank you for telling me,” she said in a serious voice. “It was something important to know.”
I swallowed. I had to change the subject now, “Um.. so.. so what did you think of Patty’s goal?”
Michele raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. “How unfortunate!” she said. “That’s what I think of it.”
I widened my eyes. “Unfortunate?” I exclaimed. “Michele!”
She giggled. “Yes, now he has his goal, he beat a goalie to do it, and oh how full of himself he is now, like a peacock! Feathers all on display and the children are eating it up. It’s insufferable!”
I laughed. “Yeah, I can see that,” I replied. “And the children? I heard a little bit about what we’re not supposed to be talking about, I mean the mummy.”
Michele rolled her eyes and pressed her face into her hands. “My God Alex what a mess that is! The poor Mummy, but… but oh I will not discuss that. Perhaps it is wrong of me to keep it from the police but I will not have my children and Debbie’s son involved in a scandal like that. It’s just museum articles no one was killed so let’s leave it at that.”
“No security cameras?” I asked.
Michele shrugged. “Yes there were cameras of course. But apparently whoever the museum thieves were, they had them shorted out so nothing was recorded. So sad. Now, that said Alex, what were you originally here to tell me?”
I wrinkled my nose. Of course I couldn’t hide anything from her. “Oo,” I huffed.
She patted my cheek. “Come on, tell me,” she said. “Is it a personal problem?”
“No,” I said.
“Oo a problem with a teammate?”
“Well..” I said. “No.”
Michele squeaked. “Oo! It is a teammate! What is the problem? Alex is he making your life hard for you? If he is then I will make sure that he regrets the day he was born, I assure you.”
I grinned. Somehow, I didn’t doubt that was true. “No, it’s more like I’m worried about him you know?’
She tilted her head to one side. “Worried?”
I nodded. “See.” I thought about it, well I didn’t have to disclose everything about Modano. “He’s lonely, and I like him a lot. He’s a really nice guy you know so, I don’t like seeing him sad.”
Michele lifted an eyebrow. “Are you talking about yourself?”
“No,” I said quickly and then it occurred to me, I was lonely! How depressing. “No I’m talking about, well not me.”
Michele frowned. “And you can’t bring this up to anyone else on the team, they can’t help him find a nice girl?”
I gulped. “That’s the problem.”
Michele’s eyes widened. “Oh I see.” She smiled. “Who are you talking about then?”
I shook my head.
She closed one eye. “Come on, baby boy, tell me. Who is it?”
“No!” I said. “I promised him I wouldn’t.”
She laughed. “I think I know who it is, confirm it for me.”
“Nope,” I replied.
Then she got that evil glitter in her eye, the one I had seen on her before when she tortured the kids. She reached out her finger, and I squeaked in horror. She was going to tickle me!
“No!” I cried and I turned to run away from her. Too late! I felt her fingers in my ribs, digging, tickling, and abusing me. I couldn’t hold back my laugh and I lost my balance and fell forward. “Oof!”
“No mercy!” She cried and I rolled over trying to push her away but that little woman packs a lot of strength for her weight. I was helpless with laughter and she sat on my waist and continued to tickle me.
“No! Michele!” I gasped. And then blessfully, she stopped, and I was left to gasp for air. But she didn’t get off me. I saw her serious face and she leaned forward, pressing her hands into the floor at each side of my face.
“Who is it?” she whispered.
“What is going on?”
My heart stopped and I saw Michele’s face blanch. Now I was really gonna get it.
“Patrick,” Michele gasped. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
I craned my neck to see him, and I was met with the terrifying sight of his sparking eyes and frown. “Honest,” I said. “Patty I wasn’t doing anything.”
Patrick lifted an eyebrow. “I think,” he said and then he squatted down next to me. “This is exactly what it looks like.”
“Eep!” I gasped. And then he grabbed me, his strong grip pinned me down so that I couldn’t move and I knew that it was curtains for me.
“It looks like you’re tickling him for information,” he exclaimed. “Get him Mimi I’ll hold him down!”
Michele laughed and there it was again, her evil fingers digging and abusing my ribs. I laughed in agony and I couldn’t fight of Patty’s grip and I couldn’t kick to defend myself because what if I injured Michele!
“Come on,” Patty barked. “Tell her! Tell Mimi! Spit it out!”
“Noooo!” I howled. “Nooo! Stop I’m gonna tinkle!”
It wasn’t true but it worked. Within the instant Patty let go of me and Michele jumped up, trying desperately to avoid the disaster she thought was coming.
“Just kidding!” I gloated as I jumped to my feet and tore out of the laundry room, up the stairs and out of the house to my freedom!
At home I had some time to think to myself. I was to be the only one to tackle the problem of Mike Modano. The answer had to be there, staring me in the face. I sighed and pulled my wallet out from my jeans pocket. I looked through it and pulled out my extra money and that’s when the slip of card fell out. I picked it up and saw the message on it.
“Hope we can have another beautiful night sweets, Phil.”
I frowned. Phil Keating. Was he attracted to hockey players then? I frowned. His phone number was on the card. He wanted me to call him. Hmmm, well he couldn’t have me, but would he be more interested in a star, studly, mature hockey player in Mike Modano? Was this answer staring me in the face?
I placed the card on a coffee table and stared at it. I didn’t think I had the courage to do it now; I needed to think on it. But the more I thought about it, the better it sounded. It was almost too good to pass up.
I smiled to myself. Things were going to work out just fine.
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