The Thief: Grandmother Jennifer's Perspective

Hey honey. I hope you had a fun day. Me and Olive got along great, we just finished the most fun little tea party. Who do you want to know about? Rick? Give me a sec to think about it. Let’s see, Rick… Rick… Oh, right the lurker. I mean, yeah, I saw him around once or twice, but he really kept to himself, just travelling between the bar and, well, you Alex. What exactly do you want to know about this guy? Come, let’s give Alex some time with little Olive, we can chat in the other room. Have fun, Aleksandr. If she falls asleep, try to keep it that way. Come on.

So, Rick was just another guy at the bar. Rumor has it that he was sleeping with Linda, but that’s true about just about everybody. You know she slept with Alex. Right, of course you know, you’re best friends with the second biggest gossip in this whole dang town and essentially drinking buddies with the woman into which all gossip, and people, flows. Sorry, that was rude of me. Oh, and Anton told your dad that he thinks she slept with Liv too, but that would be weird, I don’t know, right? So, that rumor, the Rick sleeping with Linda one, not the Liv one, was all but confirmed one night, when your dad came back from the bar laughing about how Anton was super jealous of the guy and almost got into a fistfight for his lady’s honor. Anyway, that’s all I really remember of the guy while he was here.

Oh wait, right, so, somebody did call around Thanksgiving time, you know, when you were SUPPOSED to be back. That was right before if I remember correctly, Rick showed up in town. I’m not your dad or you or Liv, I don’t go to Jim’s more than once a week. You know, my friend Tina told Paola from across the road that Jim also spent a couple months only going to the bar like once a week. Not that I’m going to spread rumors, because we both know I’d never do that, but there was a rumor going around he was getting his freak on. Not that Jim isn’t entitled to a bit of fun, he’s been divorced long enough. Or widowered? You know, he doesn’t talk about Linda’s mother that much, you realize that? At least, not with me. Maybe someone could get Pete to give up the details? Not that I care. Because I’m no gossip. But maybe I should ask Tina to ask Irene to ask him.

Oh oops, I got off track. So, we got a call from New York around thanksgiving time, asking for you. Well, no duh it was Jo. I think he wanted to hear little Olive’s voice. Or yours. I still don’t really understand you two’s whole thing. Not the relationship, I saw that coming a mile and a half away. But why give up on your friendship after the romance died away. Unless. In any case, I’d picked up the phone and he asked me, “Hey, Mrs. Olivier, can I talk to Alex? Is she back from DC, yet?” Always so formal your Jo. I mean, Jo, not your Jo. I’m not implying anything or anything.

I was curt but kind in my response. “I’m so sorry, Jo,” I told him, “Alexis didn’t tell you? She decided not to come home this year. Something about meetings and space and budgets.” I didn’t fully get what you were doing, but I knew that Jo should know where his daughter was, you know? I know I want to know where you are every moment of every day. If I could get you a GPS tracker I would. Especially when you were little Olive’s age. I mean, before you met Liv, you’d just wander around town alone. Got lost all the time, too. And in DC, everyone doesn’t know where a toddler is supposed to be like here. It’s not right.

So, after I told him, he did that thing where he starts to wheeze because he really really doesn’t want to cry, but he needs to. I’m sure you understand. Then, he cleared his throat. “I was hoping to talk about something. Do you know how they are?” he asked.

“We spoke last week, and she seemed okay. Stressed, but okay,” I answered honestly. This caused a small chuckle through the tears.

“Of course, she’s overworking herself,” he mused aloud to me. That’s what caused me to call you that next week and make sure you weren’t putting too much on your plate. No, he didn’t ask me too. He definitely didn’t tell me to tell you and not to mention it was him, because that would be weird for someone to ask.

Anyways, he said he’d call up Alex about the thing, then. Not you, Alexis, but Alex. And Then this Rick guy comes in and starts chatting with Alex everyday? Suspicious, right. SO, I got to talking with Tina about him. I told Tina, “You know anything about this Rick character? He’s been talking to Alex a whole lot.”

Tina made a sort of unenthusiastically uncertain click breathing in, then said, “I don’t really know much about the guy.” This was before she heard that rumor about him doing the dirty with Linda, so she was being honest. “You know who you should talk to? Cynthia,” she added, just to be helpful.

You remember Cynthia. Back when you and your friends were budding alcoholics, she was one of the regulars you probably saw all the time. Well, ever since her boyfriend left her for that hot blonde who stopped here for a couple weeks while you were in college, her drinking problem’s only gotten worse. Not that you heard that from me, of course. But she was a constant figure in Jim’s which meant she’d have all the dirt. I needed to make sure everything was alright for my daughter’s friends, so I had a moral obligation to talk to her. It wasn’t gossiping, it was protecting my family. You’re a mom, you get it.

So, I went to her Salon and asked for Cynthia specifically. I made sure to do it after noontime, so she’d be somewhat functional, but before three, so she’d be somewhat sober. The kid went into the back and got his boss, and Cynthia started to get to work on my hair. “What’s going on, Jen?” she asked me, opening up the floor for questions.

I sighed. “Nothing much,” I replied, “You know anything about this new guy, though?”

“Why?” she asked, somewhat suspicious.

“Well,” I began, “He’s been talking with Alex a bunch, which means if he’s bad news, it might, you know, spill over to my little Alexis.” Then, for good measure, I put all of the blame on Tina, “And when I asked Tina, she said you might know more. I was due for a haircut anyways, so here I am.” I smiled into the mirror, clearly directing it towards her.

She noticed and moved my chin back down so she could get to work. “Well,” she said, “I don’t know why anyone would think I know more. Sorry.” She sighed as she pulled started combing up my hair. Suddenly she decided to add, “Though I did overhear him talking with Linda once. He mentioned New York City. You know who else was from New York?”

I sighed. “My daughter. And my daughter’s, well, whatever the hell he is to her,” I replied.

“I mean sure, and also that blonde bitch, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Remember mister suspicious-face from seven years ago?”

“He was from New York?” I asked.

Cynthia laughed. “I overheard him chatting with Pete about it once.” See, she thought that it was Mikey, but knowing the call and the Alex and this new New York information, I was thinking more and more that Jo was behind it all.

“Just, don’t tell Anton about it,” I told Cynthia.

She once again laughed. “I don’t want to die,” she said, “I mean, if he knew suspicious-face is still thinking about this place, I think Anton’ld leave here to hunt him down and murder his face off. Or something like that.” Then, seeing her employee was listening in on their chat, she added loudly, “Not that I’m implying our good sheriff is a psychotic killer or at all a jealous person where Linda is concerned.” The kid laughed at that, because everybody knows about Anton.

I left after my haircut, but something was still tickling the back of my mind. See, I was, at this point, pretty certain JO had sent this Rick guy here. I needed to figure out why. And my primary concern, being a mom, is that he was here to spy on you. Since he was only really talking to Alex at that point, I did something not the nicest. One afternoon, I waited for the rick guy to leave Alex’s side, and walked up to Alex. Alex said, “Hey there, Mrs. Olivier. What’s the matter?”

“Alex,” I told him in my mean voice, “What are you and this guy talking about?”

He looked at me innocently. “Just random stuff, word about town. Idle chitchat,” Alex insisted.

I didn’t believe him, so I told him, “I don’t believe you.” When he looked shocked and somewhat worried, I alleviated some of that fear. “Let me be clear. I don’t really care about most of your weird conversation topics with Creepster Mc-Definitely-A-Jo-Plant, but don’t you dare talk to him about my little Alexis. Or Olive, for that matter. Okay?”

He wasn’t actually scared of me, but since he worked on your dad’s construction crew, replied, “Alright. Sure,” then added, “Why are you so concerned about that?”

I sighed deeply, because I didn’t really know, but I answered to the best of my ability. “Well, circumstances made me think he works for Jo,” I said, “And while I don’t pretend to even partially understand what’s going on between Jo and my daughter, I want to make sure this isn’t some spy mission against Alexis.” To be fair, I don’t understand what the heck is up with you two. I mean, you don’t talk but every time I bring him up, you give the ground a look like someone just murdered your favorite puppy.

Alex then did me a favor and alleviated some of my fear. “Nah,” he said to me, “From what we talk about, he’s mostly just trying to lay low and keep his head down.”

I nodded, then told him, “IN that case, you should warn him about talking too close to Cynthia. You and I both know she’s a terrible gossip.” And that’s not gossiping, it’s just being helpful and neighborly.

He nodded and smiled. “What’d she hear?”

“Not much, just that he’s from New York,” I answered.

Then he looked at his watch and told me he had to run. I went back to Tina and told her that talking to Cynthia was a good call, and it helped figure things out. So, Tina went and talked to Cynthia.

But, why ask me about it? I mean, Alex definitely knows more than me. And Liv probably does too, because we both know Alex can’t keep a secret from Liv. Or, you know, you could make a call to Jo and get all of the information. I know, I know, you don’t want to talk to him. I don’t understand, but I know. You really ought to tell someone that story. Not me, I don’t want to get in the middle of that whole whatever, but somebody. Maybe Liv? Aww, look at little Olive. Good work putting her to sleep there, Alex. I didn’t believe in you for a second. She looks so peaceful down there, Alexis. You’re going to wake her up, aren’t you? Because Liv wants some time with the kid. Oh, and Linda. If you’re bringing her to Jim’s, make sure you keep her far away from the alcohol. I mean, with you and Jo’s habits in that regard, just, watch out, okay? Okay. Let me give my little granddaughter a kiss before you steal her away again. Bye bye, baby. Bye honey. Be back for dinner, alright, I’ve got a chicken cooking. Yes, you’re welcome to come, Alex. And invite Liv, too, okay. It’ll be like a mini high school reunion.