The Bag Lady War
by
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That was when it hit her: the plan that would solve everything. She bolted out of her chair, electrified with insight. "Mabel!" she gasped. "That's the answer! Imagine life in a totally secure place, where you're fed three meals a day and probably even snacks in between! You could watch TV, play cards, and read all you want to! She stared, unseeing, over Mabel's head, entranced by the images playing in her head. "It wouldn't be much different from those senior developments you were talking about, except you wouldn't get bused anywhere. If you become ill, you'd be taken care of! Your laundry is done for you, and your clothing provided ..." She grew more animated by the moment as a bewildered Mabel looked on. "On top of that," she continued, shaking her finger in Mabel's startled face, "we could do our country the favor of getting rid of a bunch of costly crooks. We already live behind locks and bars to be safe, so being locked up wouldn't be so bad, now, would it? Just think - we'd have no worries and could finally relax!" Cheeks flushed and eyes dancing, she held her breath,waiting for Mabel's response. The TV chattered on in the momentary silence. Mabel was aghast, her face grown comically slack. "Josie," she said slowly, hardly trusting herself to speak, "are you talking about living in prison? With all those murderers and thieves? You must be joking!" But shocked as she was, a seed had been planted, and of its own accord, the seed began to germinate as she sat gaping at her friend. Josie threw herself into her chair, scattering Mabel's protestations with the look of resolve on her face. A sudden bright shaft of sunlight flooded the room, highlighting Josie's small figure. She hurried on. "Don't you remember the program we saw about prisons on TV? How, with the ACLU monitoring them, they've become more like country clubs? Old folks aren't asked to do anything too hard, and if their needs aren't met, why, lawyers jump right on it. That's where we should be, Mabel. Really! At least there are young people there. It wouldn't be like a nursing home where everyone is old and ill and just waiting to die." Josie could almost see the wheels and gears cranking in Mabel's head. Earl had usually done the thinking for both of them, and now Mabel's mouth worked wordlessly as she struggled to process this information all by herself. They looked at each other in stunned silence, their thoughts welded into a single, revolutionary concept.
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About the Book
Tired of fending off street thugs and worried about the day they can no longer take care of themselves, three elderly widows, Josie, Mabel and Mil, concoct the perfect plan for ensuring their safety, which will also guarantee them free room and board for life. As grocery bag-covered bodies begin turning up in Southern California, police and the media are stumped. Detectives assigned to the case, Paige Turner and Mark Wisneski, wonder what weird new serial killer is on the loose. The victims are mostly drug addicts and small-time crooks, but why the grocery bags? The bodies pile up until the widows invite Turner and Wisneski to tea, where they tell all. What they reveal shocks the world and could lead to the widows' master plan seriously backfiring. Life on the streets and in prison will never be the same.
About the Author
Writing “The Bag Lady War” was a labor of necessity. After repeatedly hearing that the Social Security system was doomed, I wondered if anyone remembered that the fund was compromised when President Lyndon Johnson dumped it into the General Fund to pay for the Vietnam War. From then on it has been used to pay for many other things. Add the worry of losing your Social Security, the inflation that has eroded old folks’ savings, as well as the advent of drugs and gangs – then throw in the ACLU’s decree that the mentally ill be released to fend for themselves on the streets – and you have created a perfect storm through which today’s elders must maneuver. There seemed to be no answer to this problem until the Bag Ladies popped into my head with their solution. I lived in Santa Ana, CA, when I started the book and did my research there. The Department of Corrections at the California Institution for Women in Corona, CA, and the Santa Ana Police Department were of great help. Satire, where anything can happen, seemed the best way to approach the topic. I grew to love my characters as they defined themselves, and couldn’t let them go. They are with me in their next adventure, “Lightly Dusted Crow,” a work in progress. I have helped care for aging family members and came to know their concerns. Where I was able to be a buffer for my loved ones, many, many other old folks have no one. I am a native Oregonian,and now live in Ashland, Oregon, with my husband, Jack.