Divas Are Forever

by Virginia Brown

  “Ah,” said Gaynelle. “Synchronicity. It seems likely that it’s Skip Whalen. I don’t see who else it could be. Maybe now the police will investigate.”

  “Jackson Lee said he’s calling Catfish, so maybe that will help,” I said, but I didn’t really think it would. “There has to be probable cause, evidence, some reason other than suspicion to arrest him. He has to know Bitty has proof he bought her father’s rifle, and it’s the murder weapon. Or we’ll have proof if Tammy can find the receipt.”

  We sat at the same table we’d sat at earlier. The pitcher of lemonade was still there and our unfinished glasses. I peered into mine. A fly did the backstroke, so I didn’t drink any.

  “I’ll go get ice and more glasses,” Rayna said and got up and went inside.

  I looked over at Gaynelle. “Do you really think he kidnapped her?”

  “I can’t imagine what he thinks he’ll do with her. He’ll have to either kill her or get her to agree not to tell the police what she knows, neither of which is a guarantee he’ll get away with it. The police may be hindered by rules, but they’re certainly not stupid. They may already know more than we do and just be gathering evidence.”

  I put my face in my palms and pressed fingers into my eyes. My head hurt. I didn’t know where Bitty could be or if she was even still alive. After all, Whalen had killed once. After that, it might be easy for him to kill again.

  When I lifted my head, my vision was blurred. For an instant, I thought I saw a familiar dog trotting down the sidewalk outside the railroad depot. I blinked, then looked more closely.

  “Chen Ling,” I said, and Gaynelle nodded.

  “She’s so upset, poor little thing.”

  “No,” I said and pointed. “There she is.”

  Gaynelle turned; Rayna came out with a tray of ice and glasses and set it down as she saw her, too.

  “I’ll get her,” said Rayna, and I went with her while Gaynelle called Jackson Lee to tell him the dog had come visiting again.

  I called over my shoulder, “Tell him I’ll bring her home shortly,” as I followed Rayna out the garden gate and across the street.

  It had gotten late, and the light was waning as we reached the depot. It was quiet. Phillips closes at four in the afternoon, and no one comes down to the depot unless there’s a function. Apparently, there were no weddings or celebrations planned, for the depot was dark on this side except for a few outside lights. Chen Ling trotted right past the dining room and white screen door leading to a small office and went around the front of the depot as if she had a destination in mind.

  “Is she looking for Gwen’s dog again?” I wondered aloud as we picked up speed. “She sure seems to know where she’s going.”

  “Well, I know Bitty’s brought her down here during the Tracks of the Generals tours and crafts fairs, so maybe she’s looking for her here.”

  “They postponed it because of the murder this year,” I said, and Rayna nodded.

  “Apparently, Chen Ling has a long memory.”

  I thought about that while I tried to keep up with Rayna. It seemed unusual for even Chitling to do something as inexplicable as follow a memory.

  “She’s fast for a bow-legged old dog,” I muttered as we got to the front of the depot. Long shadows stretched across the old bricks and pavers, and the planters of flowers and tall bushes screened the tracks from the depot. I didn’t see any sign of the little dog. “Where did she go?”

  Rayna stopped. “I don’t know. She couldn’t have gotten all the way to the end this fast. Wait—is that door open?”

  We moved closer and saw that the door to the old baggage room was ajar. No lights were on, and it seemed unoccupied, but we moved closer to check as it was unusual for the depot to be left open. The long windows were uncovered and let in faint light from the street lamps that lined the tracks.

  As soon as I stepped inside, I felt as if we’d walked into trouble. I stood still for a moment, and Rayna paused next to an old table set up across the small room. To the left is the old waiting room, and a bathroom has been added recently. The old floors have been repaired but were left much as they were a hundred years ago, creaking slightly with every step. I heard the familiar clickety-click of dog toenails on the boards, and Rayna whispered, “I hear her.”

  It sounded as if Chen Ling had gone into the waiting room. I looked for a light switch, but couldn’t find it in the murky shadows and hazy light that didn’t penetrate very far through the windows and open door. Rayna whistled for the dog, but she didn’t respond.

  “Can you see anything?” I asked as we made our way into the waiting room. It was pitch black, no windows or open door to allow in light. I felt my way along, fingers tracing wood panels and brick walls. My voice seemed to echo in the high-ceilinged room. Rayna made her way to the bathroom and found a light switch.

  Light spread across the floor, and I saw the folding chairs stacked against the wall along with long utility tables used in presentations. Chitling was nowhere to be found. I looked at Rayna and said, “I don’t think Gwen will appreciate us rambling around in her depot without permission. Maybe I should go tell her we’re looking for the dog again.”

  “Drat. I left my cell phone. I’ll do that, if you want to stay here and try to catch Chen Ling. Don’t let her get back out again, or we may never catch her.”

  “Be careful,” I said and pulled one of the folding chairs away from the wall and unfolded it to sit down. I placed it right in front of the door so Chen Ling couldn’t get past without me seeing her. I was grateful for the light. It was really kind of spooky being in there alone.

  It might take a Rayna a few minutes to alert Gwen to our intrusion. She’d have to walk out and around to the back of the depot that was a personal residence now. Three big new garage doors had been installed, and I was sure Gwen kept the gate to the garden locked. I would.

  So I settled in and waited for Chen Ling to finish her prowling, although I couldn’t imagine what the dog wanted here. The back garden, I could understand. Gwen had dogs. What on earth would she want inside the empty train depot? Honestly, I was rather grateful for this distraction. Worrying about Bitty but being unable to do anything to find her was frustrating. At least now I had a purpose.

  A clicking sound on the other side of the room caught my attention. Aha! I stood up. The door on the far side creaked, and I realized that somehow the dog had gotten it open or found it open. I thought I recalled a small office on the other side and a staircase that led to what used to be rooms for rent. I don’t think they’d been used since the late 1920s when the depot closed and still looked as if they were ready to receive guests; beds were made up with antique linens, and old wash stands with towels.

  If Chen Ling got up those stairs, I may never find her. So I crossed the room and pushed open the door. I caught a glimpse of a curly tail in the hazy light that came through a small window, and I moved toward her. I had to get her before she went up those stairs.

  “Come here, you little varmint,” I said, and Chen Ling looked at me and growled. That did not deter me. It wasn’t the first time she’d expressed displeasure with me. Fur bristled along her back, and I could tell she was really angry when she let out a shrill bark.

  I lunged for her, and she evaded me, skittering to the side into deeper shadows. I wasn’t sure what lay beyond, except the dining room, but it was closed. The staircase would be her only escape. I tried to put myself between her and the stairs, but that left the way clear to the waiting room and the open door beyond. So I tried coaxing her. She kept growling.

  “What is wrong with you,” I muttered and moved forward to back her into an alcove between the wall and some file cabinets. Then I heard Rayna behind me and said, “Here, help me catch this dog. She’s not at all cooperative.”

  When Rayna didn’t answer, I half-turned, and then lig
hts exploded in my brain and I hit the ground, dazed but still conscious. Had I hit my head? Had Rayna hit me?

  Chen Ling barked fiercely, and I tried to sit up, groggy and saying words that weren’t even spray painted on my car. Then a shadow detached, and I knew it wasn’t Rayna and tried to duck, but couldn’t get out of the way in time. Starbursts of light exploded again.

  Everything went black.

  Chapter 18

  THIS WASN’T THE first time I’d been hit in the head. You’d think I’d have had some sense knocked into me, but apparently I’m too thickheaded. Don’t go into dark places, I told myself as I lay there blinking. It hadn’t yet occurred to me that such advice would have been more useful before I’d gone into dark places. But I lay there, trying to get my bearings, realizing that I’d been immobilized somehow. I wasn’t yet sure how. Or why. Or who. Or even where, because I didn’t seem to be in the same place.

  I tentatively tested my limits. Arms behind me, wrists bound together, ankles tied. I felt like the goat in a goat roping competition. I rather gingerly moved my head and found that if I tilted it back, I could see gray light. It seeped in from somewhere. I blinked again to focus my eyes. It was mostly black shadows and thin gray blurs. I didn’t know if I’d gone blind or was locked in a closet. It could go either way.

  “Dammit,” I muttered and then heard a soft, “Trinket? Are you awake?”

  “Bitty?”

  A sob answered me. I knew it was Bitty.

  “Where are you?” I asked, all of a sudden so glad to know she was alive and okay that I momentarily forgot we weren’t okay.

  “Propped up against a post at the moment. How did you find me?”

  “I didn’t.” I squirmed around a little, trying to find her in the dark. “Chitling found you. Is she with you?”

  “Oh, my poor precious. She took off somewhere, and that monster chased her—I hope she gets away.”

  Oddly, so did I. Chen Ling may not be the most lovable dog in the world, but her loyalty and love for Bitty can’t be matched.

  “Rayna is with me. She’ll be looking for us soon. What does he intend to do with us?” I asked to distract her, as she’d started sobbing again. She sniffled.

  “He who?”

  “Skip Whalen. That’s who has us, isn’t it?”

  “No. I’m not sure who it is. She looks vaguely familiar, though. I’m sure I’ve seen her. If I could just remember. I should never have thought she was nice, but then she zapped that poor girl with a stun gun and made me leave with her. She must have nerves of steel, because it all happened in broad daylight. Not that anyone was out to see it.”

  “It’s not Skip Whalen?” I repeated stupidly, and Bitty sounded irritated.

  “Just how hard did she hit you in the head? No, it’s not Skip Whalen. You were wrong about him.”

  “I’d say you were wrong about him too, but you’ve named almost everyone in town as a suspect except Jackson Lee, so I’ll just say you’re wrong, period.” I wasn’t in a great mood either.

  Bitty sounded indignant when she said, “I have not named everyone, just those who fit the profile.”

  “How CSI of you. Never mind. We need to think about how to get out of here instead of argue over who’s right. Are you tied up?”

  “If I wasn’t, would I still be sitting here?”

  “Good point. Can you scoot toward me?”

  “I can, but I’ll have to bring the entire bed with me. I’m tied to it.”

  “Bed?” I echoed. “Are we upstairs in the depot?”

  “From what I can tell, we are. She zapped me too once we got here. Whoever she is, she works out. She’s got arms like Jerry Lawler.”

  “Maybe she’s a female wrestler. She apparently got me upstairs on her own.”

  “Did she zap you too?” Bitty asked, but I didn’t know.

  “I don’t think so. It felt more like she hit me in the head with something. Okay. Let me see what I can figure out here . . . yeah, she has me tied to something, too. I wonder if there’s a way to wiggle loose.”

  I wasted a few minutes and the top layer of my skin trying to twist out of the ties that held me to something pretty solid. It wasn’t going to happen. I leaned my head back, but it was empty space. Maybe I was tied to something short. I pulled my feet up under me, which wasn’t easy when they were tied at the ankles, and the ties were scraping against my already bruised skin, so I was pretty sure I’d end up bleeding into my sandals before long. Still, I persisted. It took a few tries before I finally managed to wiggle one foot free of the ties and got my body in a crouch, but whatever held me, it was too heavy to go with me. I ended up flopping back down.

  “And to think I polished my toenails for this,” I said into the dark, a completely irrelevant comment that earned an interested response.

  “What color?”

  I briefly closed my eyes. “Murder by Mango.”

  Silence greeted that, and I understood. It did seem appropriate for the moment. If I survived, I decided I would throw that bottle away the instant I got home.

  “I think I got one hand free—wait. I hear someone coming,” Bitty said. “Play dead!”

  We both went into possum mode, and the footsteps got close. Then a circle of light bobbed, and I squinted before the flashlight could catch me.

  “Still here,” said a female voice. Blue light illuminated a cheek and ear. A cell phone?

  A male voice said loud enough for me to hear, “Did you kill them?”

  “Not yet.”

  I tried not to shudder. Whoever the “she” was, she sounded determined. I wondered if Chen Ling had gotten away and if Rayna had noticed yet that I was missing.

  “I’m almost there,” said the male. “I’ve been looking for Jenna.”

  “Stop it. I need you now before someone starts looking for these two.”

  “Two? I thought it was just the rich bitch.”

  Sounding irritated, the female replied, “Sasquatch showed up with the dog. I can’t find the dog, but I’ve got them both tied. And I found the rifle up in the attic. We need to get out of here now.”

  “I’m at the curb. I’ll be right up.”

  The blue light clicked off, and the flashlight flipped up. I closed my eyes real quick again just in case. I heard her moving around, then the unmistakable sound of a cell phone vibrating.

  “Yeah?” she answered. A pause, then a different male voice asked if she was through yet. “No, Skip just got here. Did you take care of the other guy?”

  My mind went momentarily blank before I thought, What other guy? The male voice rumbled indistinctly.

  “Good. He knew too much. We might have to go down to Jackson, too. No, the woman. This has turned into a nightmare. It should have been easy, but these two idiots and that Fish guy have made it complicated. Yes, we’ll need to leave town. Not too soon, though. I talked Darlene into inviting us up to her place. No, me either, but just until they convict the Caldwell kid.”

  Darlene? The fish guy had to be Catfish. I got queasy thinking he might be kidnapped too. Or worse.

  “Gotta go,” she said. “He just got here. It’s about time.”

  “I don’t like this,” said the male, breathing noisily, and I recognized Skip Whalen. It sounded like him, petulant and whiny.

  “Shut up. I did it for you. The least you can do is help me get rid of them.”

  “This ain’t like the other. Someone’s gonna look for these two. That bail bonds lady was with the tall one earlier. She’ll be back.”

  “We got what we came for. Now we just have to get these two out of here so it takes a while to find them. Come on. I’ll take the crazy one, you get the mouthy one.”

  I had no idea which one was supposed to be me. I wavered between playing possum and biting. Those were
the only options I had available at the moment.

  “What about the dog?” Skip asked.

  “It can’t talk. That rich bitch can and will, though. Her sister-in-law said she’s looking for the receipt on that rifle I bought you. She called and told me to mail her a copy.”

  Skip laughed. “Pretty stupid.”

  “Aren’t they. Think money will get them everything they want. We’ve got to get rid of all the evidence. Police can suspect all they want, but without evidence, they can’t touch us.”

  “Well, I still say you shouldn’t have done it, Ma. I could have handled Royal on my own. You didn’t need to try and shoot him.”

  His mother made a rude noise. “He broke your nose. Even that wimpy kid beat you up, and you’re twice his size.”

  “Clay caught me off-guard.” He sounded defensive. “I had a plan to get him back.”

  “Get her up, and let’s get going before that bonds lady and the depot woman figure out what’s going on. I’ve got the rifle downstairs already. We just have to get these two and get out of here.”

  If they took us off, we were dead. I knew that. Screaming in this part of the depot would be a waste and probably get me zapped or hit in the head again, or at the least, gagged. So I waited, hoping Bitty wouldn’t scream or make noise until we got outside where someone was likely to hear us. Gwen and her family live in the opposite side of the depot so would never hear us here. It was too risky to hope that Rayna was back, although I wondered what was taking her so long. I did my part, pretending to be unconscious, and therefore a dead weight.

  Skip got me unfastened from my post and hefted me up to sling me over his shoulder like I was a side of beef. He may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but he was definitely strong. I imagined Sally Whalen was strong, too. Well, Kit had said they were a sporting family. He must have meant Sally as well. I’d never dreamed a woman had shot Walter. I can be so sexist.