Till Dirt Do Us Part

by Teresa Trent

  She continued to rant on until I interrupted her. “What’s your name?”

  “Lainey. What does it matter to you? You already have my phone number, and you’re probably parked at my curb watching me talk on the phone to you. Wade’s not dead. You just want me to think that.”

  “Listen, Lainey. I’m Betsy, and I don’t have anything to do with Wade Atwood other than finding his body. I can understand how this might sound crazy, but if you want to verify what I’m saying, you can go online and look up the Pecan Bayou Gazette. There is an article there about Wade’s death. I’m so sorry for your loss. Once you finish reading, you can call me back at this number.” I clicked off the phone. My sense of frustration was being buried in sadness. It just wasn’t fair to any one of them. With the many things I’d heard about Wade in the last month, I had one more to add. Wade was selfish. Sometimes you have to realize that even though you have a buffet before you, you only get one plate.

  A few minutes later, the phone rang. Lainey’s voice was softer now, as if she had been crying. “I’m sorry about before. You were telling the truth.”

  “I was, and I am not the person who called you the first time. Can you describe her voice?”

  “No. It just sounded like a woman.” She took in a breath. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Wade’s dead.”

  “If I can ask a delicate question—you aren’t pregnant, are you?”

  “No. We talked about having kids, though. Wade wanted a whole house full of them. I guess he’ll never have children now. He would have been a terrific father.”

  “He was.”

  After talking to potential wife number four, I called my dad.

  “You mean there was another one out there?”

  “Sure was, and she told me I was the second woman who called asking about Wade. You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “The killer is a woman?”

  “You got it.”

  “Let me look into this. Good snooping, Betsy.”

  “I was taught by the master.”

  “Glad to know something is finally going my way. Elaina called in, and she’s taking more time off. I’m thinking she might not be coming back. By the way, Boyle has been putting in some extra hours in the logbook, and he put down an interview with you. Would you know anything about that?”

  This was a perfect opportunity for me to complain to my dad about our late-night questioning, but if I did, it would only prove Lionel Boyle’s point. I did have unfettered access to the police. I could do anything in this town and not be charged for it. I decided to let it lie.

  “Not much. He was just following up on the details of Wade Atwood’s death. He might have been trying to look good for you.”

  “Yeah, that must be it. The guy moved here to take care of his mother, but I don’t think he’s too happy about it. I guess I shouldn’t complain about someone who takes care of their parent. Might be you someday.”

  When the phone rang twenty minutes later, I had to hope Lainey hadn’t gone out and bought a pregnancy test. Her answer was a little wobbly when I asked her if she might be pregnant. Instead, it was Emmie Atwood on the other end of the line.

  “I wanted to ask a favor. I heard that both Daisy and Susie are now living in Pecan Bayou. Daisy said there will be a memorial ceremony just for the families there. I had one with Wade’s mama here, and I thought it would only be right if I came to the ceremony in Pecan Bayou as well. Would you consider hosting one more dinner for us? I know we could and should do it at Daisy’s house, but I just feel like your home puts us all in neutral territory.”

  “Sure, but why?”

  “Let’s just say I have some things I would like to sort out with these women.” As Emmie hung up the phone, her voice sounded ominous. Something was going down with Wade Atwood’s women, and they wanted to do it at my house.

  Checking through the handout that was given to me at the first garden meeting, I was happy to see a meeting today at the community center to discuss details before the final judging. Even though I had been excused from the rest of the contest events, given the information recently acquired, I decided to attend anyway.

  When I walked in the door, Glory McGiver was speaking much like she had been in the first meeting. So much had happened since then. She seemed a little nervous at my entrance near the back of the room. She paused slightly and gave me a no-nonsense smile.

  “And so, gardeners, this is our last trip through your delightful and inspiring gardens. We have just been pleased and amazed by your efforts.”

  Rocky then stood up, “And I would like to add, this has been such a success that we’ve decided to have the gardening contest yearly and featured in the Pecan Bayou Gazette.”

  “Isn’t that wonderful!” Glory said, and a polite clap went up from the remaining gardeners. Enid, who had been paying attention up front, suddenly froze as if sensing my presence like a rat smelling the cheese. She turned around suddenly, her shoulders rigid. Enid’s insect-like shiny eyes bore into mine. She thought she had been rid of me, hadn’t she? Glory droned on about the wonders of planting and good mental health, but her audience had stopped listening as the rest of the members of the garden competition spotted the impending showdown. Finally, unable to ignore the situation, the moderator spoke directly to me.

  “It’s good to see you, Betsy. We didn’t expect you here today. Members of the competition, can we have a round of applause? Betsy is showing us what honor and sportsmanship are all about.” The polite sound of clapping filled the room, but I held up my hand to stop them. I wasn’t here to take a bow.

  “How many of you loved the Pecan Bayou Gazette gardening contest and plan to do it again next year?” Rocky beamed as the hands shot up around the room.

  I was about to replace that look on his face. “I came here for a reason, ladies and gentlemen. As you may well know, I was disqualified from your little contest because my garden did not contain one of the required crops ... tomatoes. The thing was, I had a healthy set of tomato plants in the ground the day before the contest, but then when the judges came around, my tomatoes had been yanked out of the ground and stomped upon. This immediately disqualified me and put me out of the competition.”

  Enid whispered, “Everyone knows it’s that two-year-old monster of a daughter she has. I heard she’s been sent home from Chickadee’s for biting.” She thought her words were heard only by a few around her, but the whole the room heard it, including me.

  “My monster of a daughter, as you say, did not do this deed. That I can assure you.”

  “Oh yeah? And how are you going to prove that?”

  “Believe it or not, I just did. You see, when my tomatoes were destroyed, it was nighttime. I have to make a full confession that I had ignored some of the weeds in my garden. I know that may shock you, but like some of you have enjoyed reminding me, I’m a beginner. I was just lucky to get plants to stay alive more than a day.”

  “This is highly irregular,” Delta Haney said, backing up her buddy Enid. I should have known they would stick together against whatever pest was out there, be it insect or human.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I find this whole thing intriguing,” Glory piped up. “I know this is very out of the ordinary, but let’s listen to Betsy. I know we’ve all felt terribly sorry about her being taken out of the contest. Sometimes you just have to let a little sprout grow on its own. Let us be Betsy’s sunshine and warm spring rain.”

  With that vote of approval, I continued. “I’m not big on knowing what different plants are. I think my Aunt Maggie is a little embarrassed at how little I know sometimes. The thing is, one of my weeds was actually poison ivy. Poison ivy that was wrapping itself around my tomato plants. I couldn’t recognize it in broad daylight, and I think the person who pulled out and stomped my tomatoes didn’t recognize it in the dark.”

  “And what is it you’re trying to prove? That you’re not only a bad gardener but a lazy one?” Enid snarled.r />
  “We are going to see proof that it was not my two-year-old that trampled my tomatoes.”

  “Then it must be that beast of a dog you have.”

  Granted, Butch was a big dog, but he was well behaved. Most of the time. “I never would have known about this, but my lovely husband cleared out the stomped tomato plants to make me feel better. It ended up being much more of a problem than he thought.”

  Enid chortled. “Of course.”

  I ignored her. “But, to our great surprise, Leo’s hands became infected with poison ivy. So, can I see that show of hands one more time?”

  This is utterly ridiculous. I’m leaving,” Delta Haney said, rising.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, Delta, dear, but would you show us your hands on the way out?” Glory asked.

  “I most certainly will not.”

  Glory reasoned with her. “Why not? It couldn’t have been you. You have some of the finest tomatoes in the county. Why would you want to do something like that?”

  Delta forced a little laugh, trying to make light of the situation. “Of course, I do. Why would I need to do something like that? Everybody knows I grow the best tomatoes in the county. This is all ridiculous, and who knows where a person’s rash comes from. Maybe I’m allergic to amateur detectives.”

  At that point, Enid gasped. “Show them your hands, Delta. Let’s shut that ...”

  “Ladies!” Glory scolded before the next word came out. Pastor Green rose and planted his feet solidly blocking the door. Judgment day had come for the tomato stomper. Others began to stand with him. It seemed I had not been the only one to feel the sharp tongues of Enid and Delta.

  Glory spoke quietly, but firmly. “Everybody, would you please sit back down again?”

  Rocky stepped toward me. “Do you have any commentary about Delta’s destruction of your garden and chances of winning the contest?”

  Seriously? He was taking this moment to get an interview for the newspaper? The guy was a machine. “No comment.”

  “Delta, come here and let me see your hands,” Glory said, raising her finger and pointing to an empty chair. Delta obeyed, and several people gathered around to see the angry red rash she had been hiding by pulling down the sleeves of her blouse.

  “In light of the new evidence that has come forward, thanks to Betsy’s husband and his identifying of Toxicodendron radicans, or poison ivy, I feel that we must eliminate another gardener from our contest. One of the items stressed to me when Betsy was disqualified was that rules were rules, and once again, I must follow that. Delta, you have broken the rules. Anybody who deliberately destroys others plants should not be a part of our contest. You are officially disqualified.”

  Delta, now free to scratch, began to work on a nasty red patch on her right hand. The first annual Pecan Bayou Gardening Contest had been Delta’s undoing. From now on, she would not be remembered for her prize-winning tomatoes but for the time she was marked for cheating by poison ivy.

  CHAPTER 25

  “Thank you so much for helping me with this, Aunt Maggie,” I said as she pulled a pan of au gratin potatoes out of the oven. When Emmie had asked me to do this, I was happy to help, but having Aunt Maggie in my back pocket made it easier to be gracious. Family can be like that. Aunt Maggie had managed more than her share of big family dinners, and tonight her efforts shined.

  “Oh, no problem. I love having people to cook for. When I told Ruby what was happening, she volunteered to bring a dish, too.”

  “Of course, she did.” Ruby’s kindnesses could be transparent, and I was sure she would love to be a fly on the wall tonight. What was it that Emmie wanted to share with the other two brides of Wade Atwood? Did she have an idea who the killer might be? Better yet, was she planning to confess? No, it would never be that easy, I thought. Why would she confess when she had so much to gain from the insurance settlement? It put it all in perspective, though. She received the money, but Susie and Daisy had been blessed with children. It was not an even distribution of wealth. Children will always be worth more than any dollar amount.

  “So now who all’s on the guest list?”

  “We have Daisy, Anna, and Naomi. And then we have Susie and little Elizabeth, Emmie, of course, my family, you, and Danny.”

  “What about Judd?”

  “I thought about inviting him, but with the investigation still open, I wasn’t sure if they would feel comfortable having an investigating officer at the table.” Maybe I should have invited Lionel Boyle over just to prove to him my own innocence? That guy was living up to his last name.

  “He’s got the three most important suspects of Wade’s murder gathered in one room. It could cramp the conversation.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him showing up anyway, or even his so-called partner. He’ll come up with some reason to be knocking on the door.”

  “Collecting for the policeman’s ball?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You don’t sound like you like your daddy’s new partner.”

  “What’s not to love?” I answered. I couldn’t tell her about his questioning my motives. The minute I did, she would be calling my dad, and he had to work with the guy. No, I would keep it to myself for now.

  An hour later, we were all once again gathered around my dining room table. When we first moved into this house with its formal dining room, I wasn’t sure if we would ever use it except for holidays. Then I met Wade Atwood in my dirt pile. Nothing like a murder to bring a family together, even if it isn’t yours.

  We all oohed and awed over the new baby, and Coco was thoroughly delighted to have Anna to run around with all night. It almost felt like we were a family. They say that crisis can bond complete strangers together for life. That was exactly what had happened with these women. Would they have passed one another in the grocery store for years and never known they shared a husband?

  Even with the family holiday atmosphere, a feeling of anticipation hung over the room. Eyes were on Emmie as we waited for the reason she had reunited the three women who called Wade Atwood their husband. Finally, as we served dessert, Emmie stood up at her place at the table.

  “If I could have everybody’s attention, please. As you know, I asked Betsy if we could meet here one more time. I would like to thank Betsy and her aunt for helping us out.” She nodded toward Aunt Maggie and me. “Oh, and Ruby Green too. Thank you for bringing that extra dessert.” She should have said unneeded desert, but Ruby just nodded and smiled, her gossip ears tuned for her customers the next day. Her hair was dyed a deep brown today, which contrasted with the sparkly black lace scarf she had pinned into it.

  “Mom, can we go?” Zach whispered. I nodded, and the boys left. Leo also rose.

  “I’ll let you ladies talk. Coco, Anna? Let’s go watch some cartoons.”

  Once they left, she continued talking to the other wives, Aunt Maggie, me, and of course, Ruby. “After Wade died, we all came to some shocking realizations about him. I had been almost certain that Wade was seeing someone else. I can’t deny that. He was just gone too much for a typical husband, even for a truck driver. Still, though, I was comfortable in our relationship and didn’t pursue the matter. Wade and I always wanted to have children, but sadly I was unable to get pregnant. It was a big blow to me, and now I’m finding out it was even more of a tragedy to Wade. He loved children, and when I saw Elizabeth and Anna, I could see him in them.”

  Susie reached over and stroked Elizabeth’s hair as she lay in her baby carrier.

  “Wade always talked about the insurance that he had taken out to take care of me if he were to pass. After he died, I remembered he had always said that money was for the ones he loved. At the time, I thought I was the only one he spoke of. I didn’t realize then that he was speaking of all of you. When I first found out about Daisy and then Susie, I was angry.”

  As she continued speaking, I wondered if I should mention my phone call with Lainey, potential wife number four? Maybe it would be
tter to bring it up later. It sounded like Emmie had come to terms with being one of many. One more would throw more confusion into the situation.

  “So, with that in mind, I’ve decided it would be better and more to Wade’s wishes if I split the insurance settlement three ways. I think it’s what Wade would have wanted.”

  Most people, on finding out that they had just come into a significant amount of money, would be jumping up and down. Everyone sat in a stunned silence, overwhelmed by Emmie’s gesture of good will.

  Finally, Aunt Maggie broke the moment. “I think that’s just wonderful. God bless you for that.”

  Naomi spoke next. “You have a good heart, my dear. This will help Daisy so much. We can’t thank you enough.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank Wade.”

  “Coffee, anyone?” I said as I stood up. Hands went up around the table.

  “Let me help you, darlin’,” Aunt Maggie said pushing back her chair.

  “I can help too,” Naomi said, also rising. When we went to the kitchen, I pulled out a tray and started putting coffee cups and spoons on it.

  “Just amazing news, isn’t it?” Naomi said.

  “And just in the nick of time,” Aunt Maggie added.

  “You’ve got that right. It’s just lucky that all Wade had was three official wives,” Naomi remarked.

  I again thought of my phone call with Lainey. How would Daisy’s mother react to hearing of another out there.

  “What if, let’s say, hypothetically, there was a fourth woman involved? Not married, just out there.”

  Naomi’s eyes flashed. “Well, then I’d guess she’d just be out of luck. A fiancée is not the same thing as a wife. Every court in the land will tell you that.”

  I knew she was right. Bringing up Lainey would do nothing but harm Wade Atwood’s wives one more time.

  “Why do you ask? Don’t tell me that nose of yours has sniffed up a fourth woman? I thought you wrote a helpful hints column, not murder mysteries. Whoever she is, she had just better forget about Wade. He is off the delivery route.”