Wedding Belles

by Beth Albright

  “That will get her fired. I think she must be in a panic over her job.”

  “She is. That’s what I was trying to tell you. The TV station thinks they know about us splitting up and they are pushing her to get the story. I think if you call her yourself, maybe even have Dan get ahold of her, you might be able to talk some sense into her. Tell her we will call her boss and we will pursue legal action against her and the station. I’m sure she knows she’s gone too far and her job would be over before any of the proceedings got started.”

  “I will take care of this,” Harry assured me.

  “I hope so,” I said, my voice cracking. I was starting to break down.

  “Blake, I’m so sorry. I guess we’re both screwing up.”

  Typical Harry. Never, ever able to accept the blame for himself. “Speak for yourself,” I screeched, then hung up and parked my car in Meridee’s driveway.

  27

  I sat in the car and checked my watch. I needed to get to Sonny. We had an appointment in half an hour with Cal, yet I’d wound up at Meridee’s, where I always seem to find myself during a crisis. I called Sonny and told him I’d meet him at the university.

  I got out of the car and ambled for the house in an emotional daze. My only thought was to sit at that table and tell Meridee what was going on. I just wanted to hear her voice and be near her. She could always make the world go away, and I needed that more than anything right this minute. That, and the comfort of her treat corner in the kitchen.

  I scooted up the redbrick steps and onto the back porch. I heard laughing as I stepped up into the house, but the kitchen where everyone usually gathered was empty. I moved near the hallway leading to the bedrooms. There it was again. But this time it was a man’s rolling chuckle.

  Was Meridee with a man? Please, dear Lord, no more bedroom surprises today. I decided to take off my high heels and tiptoe down the hall. I felt like a burglar. Meridee’s door was cracked open. I peeked in, but her room was dark except for the sunlight slipping through the widow curtains and splashing across the walls of the small room.

  But the giggling continued.

  I moved slowly, treading quietly along the tapestry carpet. I arrived at the door to Kitty’s childhood bedroom. Door cracked slightly, the sounds were definitely coming from here. There had been another car outside, but it wasn’t Kitty’s. I steadied my breathing and peeked inside.

  I almost passed out right there in the hall. There was my mother in her childhood bed with the mayor! I gasped at the awful sight, at which point Kitty immediately looked up and caught my eyeball peering in on her afternoon delight. I felt nauseous. Mayor Charlie and his big white rear end rolling all over my chubette mother, and both of them laughing out loud. Well, at least they were having a good time.

  I ran back up the hall into the kitchen, thinking I either needed to throw up or have a stiff drink. No one wants to see their mother naked with anyone! What the hell is with everyone today? I thought. Everybody is having a nooner except me!

  “Blake!” I heard Kitty screaming from down the hall. “Come back.”

  “No, Mother, I wouldn’t come back down that hall for all the diamonds at Tiffany’s! I have seen enough today to keep me up for a month of Sundays.”

  I ran straight to the snack corner of Meridee’s kitchen and shoved a stale Krispy Kreme into my mouth, chasing it with a swig of Jack Daniel’s straight from the bottle that was sitting on the counter. Where in the heck was Meridee? And why in the world would Kitty come here for her afternoon conference—as she liked to call these visits—with the mayor?

  Kitty entered the kitchen a bit disheveled and saw me downing another swig of Jack.

  “Blake, I am sorry you had to see that, but my God, girl, why would you sneak in like that?”

  “Mother, excuse me, but I was looking for Meridee ’cause, you know, she lives here,” I said.

  “I know, darlin’, but Meridee had some errands to run and we thought we’d take our opportunity while we could. We figured no one would recognize the mayor’s car here, and he surely couldn’t come to my house in the middle of the day. What would my neighbors say? I’m supposed to be out sellin’ houses. I missed our weekly caravan for this deliciousness.”

  She was smiling and obviously just coming out of a state of euphoria.

  “So we came here thinking we’d get some time alone.”

  “Why in the world would you ever think that, Mother? Everybody drops by Meridee’s. It’s like Grand Central most of the time. Why not just go to his house?” I asked, thinking this was an obvious question.

  “Oh, Blake, don’t be silly. The mayor’s supposed to be at work, too. He can’t be seen home in the middle of the day.” She laughed as if I were the stupid one.

  “So are you telling me that Meridee’s place is your, um, humping grounds?”

  “You got it, and I don’t see why it has to be a problem for anyone. Meridee is not even here and so no one has to know.”

  “Well, Mother, I do know, and please, for the love of God, do not elaborate.” I shoved the last bite of the doughnut into my mouth.

  “What are you doing here anyway?” Kitty asked. “I thought you had a meeting about that case you’re working on.”

  “I do. I was on my way there when I thought I would drop by and talk to Meridee.”

  “Well, talk to Momma, baby. I’m here.” I could tell she was genuinely concerned for me. I guess, in a pinch, she would have to do.

  “I ran by my house and found Harry and Jane just finishing up.”

  “Finishing up what, baby?”

  “You know. Seems like you and Harry were both on the, uh—same page this afternoon.”

  “Oh, darlin’. I am so sorry. That must’ve been awful to walk in on.”

  “You’re tellin’ me. And that’s not even the worst part.”

  “You mean it gets worse? It’s a fact then, you are totally over him.”

  “Yeah. I caught Dallas on the trellis with her camera in the window.”

  “Oh, sweet Jesus! That is over the top! Even for her.”

  “I told her about our rights to privacy and all of that. I’m not sure how much she got on tape, but I do know she can’t use any of it or we can sue the entire station. Harry said he would call and threaten her.”

  “Oh, wow, the preppy SOB has finally decided to be your partner in something. Well, wonders never cease.” She smiled.

  Maybe Kitty was just what I needed. I took a deep breath and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Maybe they weren’t really doing anything. Maybe they just lie there in bed and puff each other up.” We both burst out laughing. It occurred to me right then that that’s how we belles deal with trouble. We are sarcastic as hell and use laughter—and some good Krispy Kremes—to solve all our problems. Okay, and maybe a good splash of Jack. And Kitty was right. I was more concerned about the big picture than about the fact that my husband had just had sex with another woman. That proved I was over Harry.

  As she spoke, Mayor Charlie meandered down the hall, smoothing his hair, and stopped right behind Kitty in the hallway door frame. He had been there all of a second when Meridee arrived back home and stepped up into the kitchen from the back porch.

  “Hey, y’all, what’s ever’body doing here? My God, Kitty, you look a fright! Your clothes aren’t even on straight. And...Mayor Charlie, what are you doing here? Oh, my, my, my...” She set her purse on the table and walked over to the fridge. “Anybody want a Coke?” she asked. “Or possibly a cigarette?” She smiled, knowing Kitty had been selling more than houses to the good leader of our fair city.

  “Yes,” I said, “actually, I could use a Coke about right now.” Kitty turned and kissed Charlie on the cheek as he finished tucking in his shirt.

  “None for me, Miss Meridee, I have
to get back to the office,” Mayor Charlie said. “Somebody might miss me.” He laughed a deep, hardy giggle. He was cute, I had to admit. Tall and big all over, longish gray hair and a big belly. He was a likable guy and I was actually happy for Kitty, though still a tad nauseated. Maybe this one would stick. I hoped so, for her sake. I knew Kitty was looking for love. At her age, I admired her for still believing in it after four tries at marriage.

  Just then her cell phone rang from her oversized Michael Kors bag. She fumbled through it, setting things on the table as she searched for the ringing device. I was sure she was gonna pull a toaster out before she found the phone.

  “Hey, darlin’,” she finally answered. Kitty answered that way for everyone, so it could be Charlie, a client or even one of her ex-husbands.

  “Oh, precious, I know y’all are so nervous, but it’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

  I still had no idea.

  “Okay, baby, now no more tears, everything will turn out just fine, I promise. I’ll see y’all in a few. Okay, bye, darlin’.” And she hung up.

  “Lord have mercy, these first-time buyers—they need so much hand-holdin’. I hate to have to run, but somebody needs me even more than you two do. That poor girl is pure ol’ dee falling apart. The closing is this afternoon. I gotta go calm her down.”

  “Mother, where is your car?” I asked. “I didn’t see it in the driveway.”

  “Oh, honey, I parked it across the street in Ms. Collins’s driveway. I knew she was out of town because Meridee asked me to grab her mail for her the other day. No one needs to know any more than we want them to, you know? That’s a lesson for you, Blake.”

  She smiled and headed down the stairs to the driveway. Why did I always feel like she was the one outsmarting me? I decided I had a lot to learn from her.

  I checked my watch and realized I was late to see Cal and Sonny. I got up and kissed Meridee on the cheek, then left right behind Kitty. Maybe following in her footsteps wasn’t all that bad.

  28

  Sonny and Bonita were still sitting in his squad car in the parking lot of the computer sciences building when I pulled in. I kept thinking about meeting T at the nightclub and her late-night admission that she was, in fact, Tressa Hartman. It was a relief to have half of the mystery solved, but one question still lingered: Was Tonia/Tressa also Tamlyn Hartman? From the cell phone picture I saw, it might very well be possible. But then, T also admitted to having work done, so maybe it was just that plastic-looking similarity I was noticing. Or perhaps Tonia/Tressa and Tamlyn were related somehow...though that would be a pretty wild coincidence at this point. Regardless, something was brewing, and I was hoping Cal could help us figure it out.

  Cal was eager to get right to it when we arrived in his office. “Hey, y’all,” he greeted us with a precious Southern accent, from the upper crust. His family had been Alabama alumni forever. Cal had only recently come back home. He had been getting his master’s and doctorate and then taught for a while at Georgia. Lewis was so glad to have his best buddy back in town. And just in time, too. Cal would be one of the groomsmen at the wedding.

  “So, there are issues with this Tamlyn Hartman y’all asked me to check on.”

  Sonny sat up in his chair. “Like what kind of issues?”

  “Like...she’s dead, for one.”

  I was dumbfounded. Bonita frowned. “But she is the sole benefactor of Walter Aaron’s estate.”

  “That’s quite a trick then, since Miss Tamlyn died at age six in a car accident with her mother. She and her sister were born to Tonia Hartman in Tennessee. They were twins. I found their birth records and Tamlyn’s death record, too.”

  “Tonia! Oh, Lord, now I see. And what’s the sister’s name?” I asked, though I think we all knew already.

  “Tressa Mae Hartman,” Cal said. “Both sisters’ identities and social security numbers have been used off and on over the past few years. Tamlyn’s name is the one with the money socked away and the nice high-rent apartment.”

  Sonny shook his head. “So Tressa has slipped into her sister’s identity from time to time, most likely for some wicked purposes.”

  There was our wicked witch.

  “And not only that,” I added. “The woman I met at the club yesterday? She goes by T for Tonia, which she said was her mother’s name. So not only does Tressa borrow her dead sister’s identity, but she also hides behind her mother’s!”

  “Sounds like a black widow,” Sonny said.

  “Yep,” Bonita said with a smirk, “and he ain’t talking about the spider with eight legs, either. So what do we think? Tressa/Tamlyn comes in, marries someone rich, then knocks ’em off?”

  “Or has someone else knock him off,” Sonny added.

  “So, y’all think she married Walter Aaron, then had him killed for his inheritance?” I asked them.

  “It’s a possibility,” Sonny said, “but we still have a lot of unanswered questions. Like who’s the person working with her? And has she done this before?”

  “This must be why Tressa wouldn’t sign the annulment papers right away. She says she wants to see Lewis again before she agrees to do anything. Maybe she thinks Lewis could be her next victim? She wouldn’t even need to trick him into marrying her, since he already did. All she’d have to do now is figure out a way to...” I couldn’t even finish the thought.

  Sonny scowled. “She must know exactly who Lewis is—and what he’s worth.”

  My stomach churned. “Sonny, Tressa is coming here tonight to meet Lewis. What are we gonna do? If he dies right now, she would inherit everything. In the eyes of the law, they have been legally married for thirteen years.”

  “Oh, my Lord,” Bonita said. “This woman sounds dangerous. We need to pull together enough proof to arrest her as soon as possible.”

  “We can talk about that after we leave,” Sonny said. “Cal, document everything you can, and I’ll get official copies of any legal forms. If you find anything else that connects to this woman, let us know.”

  “Will do,” Cal said. As he walked us out, he said to me, “Tell that redheaded friend of yours to take care of my buddy. Lewis was my best friend during our football days out here. I love him like a brother. I’ll see you at the wedding, if not before.” That was now one day I couldn’t wait to see coming.

  He turned to Sonny. “If you need more backup, just let me know. This woman has pissed me off.”

  “Best thing you could do, Cal, is nail her at this end,” Sonny said. “The sooner, the better, so we can pull her off the streets.”

  I followed Sonny and Bonita back to the police station, and we made plans for the meeting with Tressa that night. By this point, I felt like part of the team. I had come up with quite a few leads on my own.

  “I think we need to take this slow and careful,” Sonny said. “We don’t know how far this woman will go. Everything is just speculation right now and we need solid proof.”

  “Right. I think a wire might be a good idea. If we can get her to admit something, we’ll be a lot closer to building a solid case.” Bonita was always thinking.

  I sat, listening to them go through the details. It was time for me to prioritize things. Chaos was all around me. I had so much to do for Vivi’s shower, which was now just a week away, and I had another appointment with the Aarons in a few days. I had promised them we could get to the bottom of this and, well, all I really wanted to do right now was run away from all of this with Sonny. While I was thinking, my phone jingled from a text message.

  “Hey, y’all,” I interrupted them. “It’s Tressa. She says she wants this meeting tonight to be at that park near the mall. Snow Hinton Park at 7:00 p.m.”

  “Perfect. We’ll wire Lewis and see if we can get a hint about what this girl is up to,” Sonny said. “Honestly, if we’re right about this and Tressa a
nd Tamlyn are the same woman, we need to make sure Lewis is ready for anything.”

  “Yes, I think it’s time to get Vivi and Lewis up-to-date,” I said.

  The mood was frantic now. The sooner we got tonight over with, the sooner we could go back to the wedding-related chaos that I had come to welcome. Meeting with the Fru Frus was a piece of cake compared to this stress.

  I called Vivi and told her she needed to come down to the police station. “Bring Lewis and tell him we need to talk about Tressa. I’ll be here waiting.”

  I sat with Sonny in his office, his eyes showed me his concern.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “Just want this to end. I mean really, who does this Tressa think she is? I don’t think she realizes who she’s messin’ with.” I smiled at him, but I knew he could see right through me.

  He reached for me and pulled me into him, hugging me tightly.

  “And, no, in case you were wondering, I don’t really give a damn who sees this,” he said.

  I hugged him back, resting for a minute in his arms. I didn’t kiss him, though I wanted to. The smell of him, and the feel of his face touching mine was such a comfort. I almost let down and had a good cry. It was all just too much.

  Lewis and Vivi must have arrived, because I could hear Vivi’s voice coming from the lobby. I knew she would flip out once she found out Lewis was possibly in danger. But we had no time to dwell on it. Tressa would be ready to meet us in just a few short hours and we all needed to be ready.

  29

  By 6:15 p.m. we had Lewis wired. It was almost showtime. Both Sonny and Bonita were ready to go, the tape recorders running between them in the squad car.

  “I’m gonna park across the street at Arby’s. We’ll do a test first and make sure we can get everything,” Bonita said. “If I need to move, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Here we go.” I walked away to my car and slid into the front seat.