by Melissa Rees
"All right, he was a bum." Otis said, trying to pacify his partner.
Wagner, trying to fight back his bad humor, took deep breaths. "Look, why don't we go out and eat? We could use some time to relax."
Otis nodded his acceptance and left to change his clothes and wash his hands. No matter how many times he washed them, they still felt sticky.
After watching Otis disappear upstairs, Wagner walked over to the window and looked out. The sun was shinning, the trees beautiful and he was rid of Warren Jones.
**
Eli Rawls studied the paperwork in front of him. His earnings were up at the club by a good twenty-five percent. He wasn't surprised. Since Katrina wiped out most of New Orleans and it was still rebuilding, Savannah was reaping the benefits of more tourists. It still made him sick when he thought of all the beautiful old homes and businesses the hurricane had destroyed.
Deep in thought, he barely registered the telephone ringing. Picking up the receiver absentmindedly, he said hello.
"Eli, it's your favorite cousin." A deep voice greeted Eli, his tone cheerful.
Eli grinned and leaned back into his chair. "Your voice is changing, Barbara. You sound much more masculine than normal."
"Barbara is your favorite cousin, Eli? Now you've gone and hurt my feelings."
"When Barbara calls, she just wants to talk. You on the other hand, usually want me to do something for you."
"You are hurting my feelings, you know."
"Don't try and bluff me, Caleb. You don't have any feelings."
"All kidding aside, Eli, did you have a chance to call Wagner and Keel?"
"I didn't get a hold of them personally but I left a message on their voice mail."
“I’m sure they will call back as soon as they receive your message. You are exactly the type of business owner they want to cultivate." Caleb responded.
Eli propped his feet up on his desk and twirled a pencil in his fingers. "You think?"
"I know. You're rich, you're well known and you have a lot of antiques."
"See, you must be my cousin. You know flattery always works on me." Eli drawled.
"When they get back to you, be sure and call me right away."
"So, you and Jess think those boys are onto something?" Eli inquired.
"They have a lot of money leaving the country, at least that's what the treasury boys tell us."
"You all think it has to do with the show?"
"We don't know. We sure hope not."
"All right, I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear from them."
“Thanks, Eli. We appreciate it. By the way, is Barbara really your favorite cousin?"
Eli laughed and put the receiver back on its hook.
Chapter 17
Billie June pulled the door closed, then tried the handle a second time to make sure it was locked. With Lynn and Loraine both being at the hospital, it had fallen to her to take charge.
She walked to her bright red Toyota SUV and climbed in. Adjusting the air-conditioning, she waited until a cool stream of air was blowing before shifting the truck into drive. She was headed home, anxious to tell her husband about being in charge for a third day.
She could do Lynn's job with one hand tied behind her back, she decided. Of course, Lynn had showed up and worked that morning. But she had left around ten in the morning and put Billie June in charge.
Her husband was impressed, she could see that. He was always joking about how dumb women were. Of course, to be fair to Teddy, the majority of men in the south that she knew were predisposed to that belief. She was even bringing paperwork home in Lynn's old briefcase to work on tonight. Not that she needed to, just to show him she was smarter that he thought. Maybe he would finally give her the respect she deserved.
She turned her truck in the direction of the supermarket. She was thinking about buying TV dinners to serve her family tonight. Teddy would be furious but her boys would love it. She could plead exhaustion. She been married to Teddy for ten-years and had never gotten away with serving TV dinners.
She would do it. She would serve him a TV dinner. Pulling into an empty space, she shifted into park and looked around the lot.
It was already full. Since it was after five, she was not surprised. Hopping out, she walked towards the store thinking about her husband's face when she served him TV dinners.
She grabbed a cart and headed down the frozen aisle. She paused to gaze around the dozens of glass freezer doors when she spotted Lynn, looking in the frozen juice section. She walked up and lightly bumped Lynn's cart. "How’s Loraine?"
Lynn grinned at her friend. "Grouchy as a bear. How did everything go?"
"Good." Billie June assured her. "I used your briefcase to bring some work home."
Lynn stared at Billie June confused. "There's no work to bring home.
" Billie June's face turned a bright red. "I know. I just wanted to impress Teddy."
Lynn grinned at the other woman. "That's funny, Billie June."
"You don’t think it’s wrong. God says pride goes before a fall." Billie June asked anxiously.
“I’m sure God did not have Teddy in mind when he said that. What are you doing in this section anyway? I thought Teddy wouldn't eat frozen food."
"Well, I'm giving him TV dinners tonight." Billie June declared, reaching in for a man's size meat loaf dinner.
Lynn patted Billie June on the back. "You're getting independent sugar. Teddy will hardly recognize you."
"What are you looking for?"
"I've got to pick up some frozen orange juice. Edgar likes to make his own juice."
"At least your man cooks." Billie June said enviously.
"Edgar does love to cook but I keep reminding you that Edgar grew up in Michigan. His mom is a devoted woman's libber."
Billie June placed her foot on the bottom of the basket and looked at her boss. "So, do you think Loraine leaned a lesson?"
"About investigating the murder?"
"Yes."
"Nooo, she's more determined then ever to find out who killed Warren Jones."
"The sheriff will probably arrest her then." Billie June said hopefully.
"Don't bet on it, my dear. I've always thought that Dwight has a soft spot in his heart for Loraine."
Billie June gasped and stared at Lynn. "He's married."
"So." Lynn said, and then glanced at her friend. "I forget how naive you are."
Billie June chewed her lip. "I’ll pray for his soul."
"You do that and while you're at it, pray for mine." Lynn chuckled.
Tears welled up in Billie June's eyes as she looked at Lynn. "You don't think he'll go to hell. The sheriff, I mean?"
Lynn walked over and gave her a hug. "Don't worry so much about other people, Billie June. Buy your husband a frozen dinner and I’ll see you in the morning."
Chapter 18
Billie June unlocked the door to her split-level, bright yellow wood shingled house. She left the bag of groceries on the kitchen table and walked through her home looking around.
She had redecorated the house in pink and grays the year before and was pleased with the results. She thought it looked stylish with silk flowers grouped in cluster on the walls and in vases. The new light maple furniture she had purchased, in her opinion, looked very fashionable.
Her husband, Teddy, of course, hated it, absolutely hated it. He said it made him feel gay, which only made her like the decorations more. He might control the money and the garage. But she was the boss of her house.
She walked into the boy's room and gazed about. Sighing, she bent down, gathered their toys in her arms, and dumped them in the toy box. They were like their father. Thought that cleaning up after themselves was unnecessary because they were males. She had tried and fought a losing battle with them about the role young men played in today's society.
But there was not much she could do with a father like Teddy around. His whole family and hers were stuck in 1950's where men never
cooked or cleaned.
She made their beds and wondered why she bothered. They would come in their room and jump on the beds right away. She supposed it was a matter of pride. Someday, maybe they would remember that she tried to keep a clean house and be a good mother to them. She glanced down at her watch and sighed. It was time to pick the boys up.
Teddy's mother kept them after school and on Saturdays when she worked. She had been trying to get Teddy to watch the boys on Saturdays so his mother could have a break but he absolutely refused. He told her he wasn't no babysitter and he only had two days off a week and he wasn't going to be babysitting no kids. She had explained to him time and again, that it wouldn't be babysitting because the boys were his, but he just got mad and stomped out into the garage.
Her very own mother sided with him. Her mother was raised that the husband was always right and that's what she believed.
She walked back into the kitchen, took the TV dinners, in their colorful flat packages, out of the grocery bags, and gazed at them longingly.
Teddy would just have a hissy fit if she served them. Sighing, she stuck them in the freezer and grabbed a package of pork chops. She placed them in the sink until she returned with the boys, and then gazed around the kitchen. It was loaded down with knickknacks and baskets of pink silk geraniums.
She glanced at Teddy's chair and decided she might need to get bright pink chair covers. Teddy would really hate that.
She straightened her back and grabbed her car keys from the table. Plastering a smile on her face, she headed to her mother-in-laws.
Chapter 19
"Remind me why we have to do this at night?" Lynn asked, pointing her flashlight at the ground.
"Because Dwight will arrest me if he finds me snooping around out here during the day." Miss Pettybone explained, for the fourth time that night.
"It’s hotter than heck out here. You'd think it would cool down at night." Lynn complained, wiping sweat from her eyes, as she watched fireflies dart in and out of the beams of the flashlight.
"You'd think." Miss Pettybone agreed, absently flashing the light around the dry dusty yard.
"You all know that this is crazy, don't you?" Billie June snapped, still standing by the Lexus, her arms folded across her chest. "There's been one murder and one attempted murder already out here."
"I said you didn't have to come." Miss Pettybone pointed out.
"Someone has to watch you two. Otherwise, only our God in Heaven knows what kind of trouble you would get into."
"And we appreciate it, Billie June." Lynn called back, walking towards the back yard.
"Why can't we search the back yard during the day instead of at night?" Billie June sniffed, brushing the bugs out of her face.
"Because the sheriff has people patrolling out here during the day."
"So?"
"So, we won't be able to search the yard without being seen, so we need to it at night." Miss Pettybone explained.
"What are you looking for anyway?" Billie June snapped, swatting a mosquito out of her face.
"Anything, anything that belonged to him."
When she heard Lynn yell, Miss Pettybone jogged towards the backyard, her flashlight bobbing up and down. "What did you find?"
"Look here." Lynn said bending down beside a small area, which was burned, the grass brown and flaky. "There's some burnt paper scattered around."
Miss Pettybone sank down on her knees and raked what remained of the paper up with her fingers.
She gathered them together and laid them in a single pile.
"Anything?" Billie June asked, coming up behind them.
"Yeah, this is what I've been looking for." Miss Pettybone sighed happily.
"You think it belonged to him?" Lynn asked.
"Must have. The last person that rented this place before Warren Jones was lastfall. This paper wouldn't have survived that long."
"Okay, Miss Detective, what now?" Lynn asked, sitting back on her heels, her blonde hair sticking through the back of a baseball cap, sweat running down her face.
"Now we go home and see if we find any information on these tiny bits of paper."
***
Miss Pettybone and Lynn bent over and sorted the small pieces of paper on the top of the farm table, curious to see what they had found.
"There's more here than I thought." Lynn said, moving one with a manicured finger.
"I wonder why the sheriff didn't find them." Billie June asked, as she poured tea in three glasses of ice.
"Probably because he was concentrating on the inside of the house. Or perhaps they were burnt after the murder was committed and no one thought they were of interest. How am I supposed to know?" Miss Pettybone asked, and then said. "Hang on, I’ll be right back. I have a magnifying glass in my office."
She returned with the magnifying glass and went through the papers, piece-by-piece.
"Look here." Lynn said, pushing a small cream-colored bit of paper in front of her friend.
Miss Pettybone moved the magnifying glass over the writing and frowned. "This looks like an address."
"Can you read it?" Lynn asked, moving closer.
"Yeah, it says, 1114 Street of the Americans, New York, New York."
"That's a Bingo." Lynn said, reaching for her glass of iced tea.
"What does it say?" Billie June asked, trying to look over their shoulder.
Miss Pettybone scooped the small pieces of paper together. "I don't think it's too important. It looks like an address of some kind."
Billie June was bored with the whole Warren Jones drama. She was not very interested in who or why he was murdered. She figured he was more than likely not a Christian and people who were killed in this fashion usually did something awful to deserve it. In any case, he was not anyone that she would care to ever know in real life.
She decided it was much more interesting to nose around Loraine's house while they were preoccupied. She sipped her tea and looked around the kitchen. It was so plain, she thought. No silk flowers, no knickknacks. Nothing but old furniture and a couple of paintings.
She shook her head at her friend's lack of decorating skills and thought about what she would do if she owned the farmhouse.
The first thing to go would be the furniture. All of it. Especially the kitchen table. She ran her hand over the wood and felt the dents and dink of one hundred years of eating on its surface.
Surely, Loraine could afford something better. If it were her, she would buy a white table and chairs, with that country blue tile on top. It would better than the old Harvest table. It would also look smart with a different color walls and cabinets.
She walked into the living room and shook her head sadly at the graceful antique sofa and chairs. Outdated, she thought, wondering how Loraine could look at the old stuff everyday and not want to throw up.
The fireplace was nice, with its oak mantle, but the rest of the furniture she would unload on a resale shop. She pitied Loraine having to live with all this junk.
She strolled back into the kitchen and grabbed her purse and keys from the kitchen counter. "Since you two are done with your detecting, I'm going home."
"Okay, Billie June, we'll see you at work tomorrow." Lynn said, looking up, giving Billie June a grin. "We appreciate you coming with us."
Billie June stared at Loraine, until Lynn looked over and nudged her best friend. "Loraine, Billie June's leaving. Say good-by."
Miss Pettybone looked up, her eyes tired from staring at the bits of paper. "Sorry Billie June, have a nice night."
"You too." Billie June said, mollified from being acknowledged.
Miss Pettybone bent back to try to piece the papers together when Billie June ambled out of the back door.
Lynn narrowed her eyes, as she watched Billie June walk out. Sometimes Billie June so prissy, she thought. But at least she left happy.
***
After going through the papers again, Miss Pettybone yawned and leaned back against the ch
air. The others had gone home hours ago and this was the umpteenth time she had sorted through the tiny bits of papers.
Most of the paper had numbers on them. The only clear writing was the address.
Exhausted, she gathered up the papers and put them in a clear baggie. Walking upstairs to her bedroom, she stashed them in her underwear drawer. She had to be at work early and it was already past midnight.
She went into the bathroom and washed her face, showered, then pulled her pajamas on. Reaching for her night cream, she gently rubbed it into her face.
Flipping off the light, she walked back in to her bedroom. Miss Pettybone slipped into bed, laced her hands behind her head and thought about her case. Because now Warren Jones was her case, and no one could make her stop investigating the murder. Not now, when she had found her first clue.
Chapter 20
The early morning light was just peeking out of the east when she backed out of the garage and headed to work. Slowing down at the intersection of Willow and Fourth, she looked for Lenny.
Miss Pettybone saw him lying in the street, his shirt barely covering his belly. She stopped her car and slid out. Walking over to him, she bent down and shook his shoulders.
"Lenny, get up. Come on, I don't want to be late for work again."
"Go away." Lenny muttered, trying to cover his eyes with his arm.
"You know if I have to do this many more times, I'm going to start charging you." She warned, grabbing him under the arms and half dragging him to sidewalk.
"Don't call the sheriff." He pleaded, pushing himself to a sitting position.
Miss Pettybone looked down at him and wondered how long Nora was going to stay mad at him. "Stay here and I’ll call Nora." She promised about to walk away.
"No." He shouted, panicked.
"You don't want me to call Nora?"
"No! You know what she did? She threw all my clothes out in the yard last night." He whined.
"She threw your clothes out in the yard." Miss Pettybone repeated. "Why would she do that?" She asked, bending to straighten his shirt, pulling it down so it would cover his stomach.