No Way Out - Fern Michaels Page 0,63
eggs and coated the chicken with the flavored breadcrumbs and placed it in the hot oil. After several minutes, she turned the cutlets. While they were cooking, she pulled out a bag of mixed greens: arugula, radicchio, and endive. She then cut an orange and squeezed some juice into the large, stainless-steel salad bowl, then a little more olive oil.
She’d wait until the last minute to toss in the greens, which she would then place on top of the chicken cutlets.
Ellie was so engrossed in her meal preparations that she jumped when Jackson hit the bell to be let out. She walked over to the intercom. “Good night, Jackson!” she called and hit the gate lock button.
“Thanks, Ms. Bowman! Something sure smells good!”
Ellie laughed. “It’s chicken Milanese.”
“Chicken what?”
“It’s kinda like Italian fried chicken.” That was the best way to describe the taste. “With some salad on top.”
“I like fried chicken. Salad, not so much.” Jackson waved toward the window from which the fine aroma was coming. “Bye!”
Ellie hit the lock button after Jackson exited, and Buddy came galloping through the laundry room and kitchen.
“Oh, now you want to be my friend?” Ellie fixed Buddy’s bowl. He wagged his tail in agreement as she set it on the floor.
Ellie tossed the salad, removed the chicken from the pan, and topped it with the greens. Jackson was right. It sure smelled good.
Ellie pulled a stool from under the counter, plopped herself in her usual position, and continued to watch TV. Sometimes, the news was so dreadful that she would channel-surf, looking for something uplifting. She stumbled upon The Andy Griffith Show and remembered Hector’s description of Hibbing. “It’s like Mayberry.” And that was fine with her.
Chapter Twenty-five
Colleen was relieved that Frank and Jeanne had returned. She felt safer with them next door. The big issue was going to be the new neighbors across the street. She was concerned about Randy Gaynor, the twelve-year-old delinquent. She thought again about asking Officer Bob Pedone for information. Instead, she figured she would simply mention it and see if he could offer any information or thoughts. The last thing she needed was for a new kid to be a bad influence on Jackson.
Mitchel’s court date was coming up, and Colleen thought that would be a good excuse to call the policeman. She walked over to the bulletin board, picked up the phone, and nervously dialed the number.
“Pedone,” he answered.
Colleen hesitated, then cleared her throat. “Hello. It’s Colleen Haywood. How are you?”
“Well, hello, Colleen Haywood.” Pedone wasn’t sure if he should be informal and call her by her first name. “How are you? Everything all right?”
“Yes, fine, thank you.” Colleen felt like a schoolgirl talking to this man.
“What can I do for you today? You haven’t had to use that Taser, I hope.”
Colleen could sense he was smiling. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Mitchel’s court date is coming up, and I was checking to see if you were going to be there.”
“Yes, since I was the arresting officer and filed the report,” he explained.
“Oh, good. I thought that was the case, but I wanted to be sure.” Colleen hesitated. “Do you think you could stop by some time for coffee? I want to run a few things past you.” There. I said it.
“Anything serious?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“What do you mean?” he prodded.
“I’d rather discuss it in person, if that’s OK with you.” She winced, waiting for his response.
“Sure. No problem. When do you want to meet?”
“I’ll be finished with school around three-thirty today. We have a meeting. I should be home by four, if that’s not too late. Or early.”
“Not a problem. Will Jackson be staying with you at school?” Pedone asked, recalling Colleen’s telling him about Mitchel hanging around.
“No. My neighbor Frank will meet him and walk him home. He’ll sit with him until he finishes his homework. Then Jackson will most likely go down the block to Ellie Bowman’s.”
“That’s good. Is Mitchel still hanging around at the end of the block?”
“He wasn’t there yesterday. Morning or afternoon. And I don’t see his car right now.”
“Maybe he’s behaving himself,” Pedone added.
“He and Jackson had a good visit on Saturday. I’m hoping that’s a step in the right direction.”
“There is something to be said for a good father/son relationship.”
“I agree. Mitchel’s dad died when he was only ten, so he never really had much of an opportunity to bond with him. Do you have any kids?” Colleen asked. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No problem. I