Under the Gun

by Kelsey Browning

  Before they could return to Maggie, Teague came striding toward Lil and Sera like a man used to people heeding his authority. And sure enough, all those celebrities and gawkers stepped to the side. He called out, “Okay, everyone, we apologize that it’s warm in here, but we’re trying to move as quickly as possible.”

  Then in a lowered voice, he said to Lil, “Come with me.”

  At the familiar sight of her local sheriff, the tight feeling directly behind her breastbone eased slightly, but she was still having a hard time catching her breath.

  “I demand you arrest that woman.” Jessie’s cousin pointed a long-nailed finger at Lil as if she wanted to stab her with the ruby-red dagger.

  Teague stopped in front of her and put his hands on his hips, his fingers brushing his gun. “Ma’am, I’d take it very kindly if you allowed the trained law enforcement professionals to handle this situation.”

  “But…but…”

  Sera smiled at Jessie’s cousin, but Lil could tell the expression was fake. Still, Sera took the other woman’s arm and said, “This has all been so traumatic today. Why don’t we find a quiet place and—”

  “And who are you?”

  “Marcus Johanneson’s wife.”

  That shut Jessie’s cousin up right quick, and she flashed a simpering smile toward Sera. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  As Sera led the woman away, Teague said to the Pitts County deputy, “Why don’t you take the group of costumed folks while I’ll work through this group?”

  The deputy tugged on his hat and headed for the group of sparkling fringe-wearing women.

  When Teague turned to Lil, his face was grim, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. “Ma’am, if you’ll peaceably come with me, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  Maggie came rushing up. “You know she didn’t do a darn thing—”

  Lil grabbed hold of Maggie’s arm to stop the tide of words coming from her mouth. She had a feeling Teague didn’t want anyone around them catch on to the fact that they all knew one another. “Let’s do as the officer requested.”

  Maggie’s mouth tightened like a mule being pulled over the side of a canyon, but she gave a sharp nod.

  With a gentle hand, Teague took Lil’s elbow and led her through the crowd with Maggie a step behind. His face was an expressionless mask. Boy, he was good at this playacting thing. Maybe he should be on one of those cop reality shows.

  Leaving the throng of people yelling over one another behind them, Teague steered them out the chapel door.

  “We left Sera back there,” Lil told him.

  “She’ll be fine. Don’t say another word, Miss Lillian. We don’t want anything to be overheard or recorded by those hyena reporters.”

  “Oh.” Goodness, this being famous thing was fraught with complications, wasn’t it?

  Teague inclined his head toward the security guard as they passed the building’s entry. “Can you direct me to a private area?”

  The security guard was preoccupied, ogling one of the starlets who’d already been questioned. Never making eye contact with Teague, the guy said, “Every place around here is pretty quiet, but if you’re looking to be alone, you might want to try the break room on the basement level.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  Always the gentleman, Teague directed Lil toward an elevator.

  “Teague,” Maggie said. “I want to know what in the world you think—”

  “Hush, Mags,” Lil warned. “I trust Teague and you should too.”

  “Fine,” she huffed, crossing her arms under her bust.

  Once they were on the bottom level, Teague didn’t hesitate, just stepped off the elevator and hooked a right.

  “Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters is that you always look like you know where you’re going and what you’re doing.”

  Yes, that piece of wisdom had helped Lil bluster her way through a few situations in prison camp. They found the break room behind the second door to their left, and it was mercifully empty. Teague handed Lil into a chair. “Would you like some water?”

  “Oh, goodness, yes.” If her nerves sucking every last bit of moisture out of her mouth wasn’t bad enough, the lingering smell of reheated leftovers in the microwave overlaid with pine-scented floor cleaner was making her stomach spin.

  Teague went to the water cooler and poured cups for both Maggie and her. Once they were all situated at the small café table, Teague leaned back in his chair. “Want to tell me what that was all about out there?”

  “I…I don’t completely know. One minute, Maggie and I were watching those boys squirt caulk on panels and crawl around in the crypt, and the next, that woman was screaming.”

  “She said you were handling the gauntlets.”

  “No. I wasn’t. Well, not in there. I did touch them while we were outside.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re lovely.” And now she knew why. Because they were worth a fortune. She should’ve known it from the get-go because paste never had the luster of the real thing. “I was straightening them. It’s not like I put them on or something.”

  He sighed and leaned forward. “Miss Lillian, you don’t need to be in the middle of a big scandal, you know that, right?”

  She shot him a disgruntled schoolteacher look. “I am not a ninny. I’m more than aware that I need to stay away from any sort of misdeed. It wasn’t as if I went courting trouble.”

  His eyebrows rose, and one side of his mouth quirked up. “Strangely enough, I do believe trouble is courting you.”

  Lordy, she hoped not. “You don’t think I actually stole those fancy gloves, do you?”

  “You were just saying how much you liked that outfit.” Maggie chuckled and patted the table in time with her hilarity.

  “With friends like you, Margaret Rawls, a body doesn’t need enemies.”

  Leaning over, Maggie gave her a one-armed hug. “You know I’m joshing you.”

  “I wouldn’t joke like that in earshot of anyone,” Teague warned her.

  “I did not take those gauntlets.” Lil leaped to her feet and twisted at the waist. “There’s nowhere to hide those things. I simply scooched the one that was all cockadoodled to line it up with the other, and I could feel how heavy it was.” She opened her small satin clutch. “If you don’t believe me, check my bag. Frisk me. Do a strip search.”

  Teague clamped his eyes shut. “That will not be necessary.” He blew out a slow breath and reopened his eyes. “Now, did either of you happen to see anything that looked out of place?”

  “This mausoleum is crawling with people who look out of place in our neck of the woods. Hollywood types, reporters, photographers, those Jessie Wyatt lookalikes. Who would know?” Lil said.

  Maggie’s forehead wrinkled. “Lil’s right. Nothing in particular caught my attention.”

  “Did you notice if the gloves were on the casket spray when they rolled it inside?”

  “No. This is terrible,” Lil said. “No doubt the disappearance will get some big airtime if this isn’t resolved quickly.”

  Teague’s expression softened. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll be working closely with the Pitts County boys on this, and there’s a team pulling the casket back out now. And believe me, deputies from both sheriff’s departments are out there questioning everyone.”

  “I promise I didn’t take them, Teague.”

  “Of all the things I could imagine you stealing, Miss Lillian, a sexy cowgirl outfit is the last thing on my list.”

  Well, sake’s alive, she should probably be offended by his assessment. “I’ll have you know I made a very attractive flapper that year the Junior League hosted a ’20s speakeasy night.”

  Teague just shook his head.

  “Sure wish I’d seen something,” she grumbled and slid back into her chair. “I would’ve taken that perp down with one flying leap.”

  “Perp?” Maggie’s eyes we
nt wide, and then she smiled. “Lil, you’re getting the lingo.”

  Lil sat taller. That comment made her feel more like one of the gang. It was no fun being the last one to the party after Maggie, Sera, and Abby Ruth had spent a year playing private detective without her.

  “Listen, you two, I want you to promise to stay out of this whole thing. Nothing good can come of you sticking your nose in a situation the Pitts County Sheriff’s Department will head up. Do you hear me?”

  “Of course we do, dear.” After all, Lil wasn’t in need of a hearing aid. “If you don’t mind, I think Maggie and I will rest a spell right here. You know, calm down from all the excitement.”

  Pushing back his chair and standing, he looked down at them. “I mean what I said.”

  “We understand perfectly.”

  As soon as he cleared the door and turned the corner, Maggie leaned on the table. “We have no intention of keeping our noses out of this, do we?”

  “Absolutely none.”

  Chapter 4

  After everyone was released from the mausoleum, Lil and Maggie slid into the fancy backseat of Marcus’s rented Maserati with him at the wheel and Sera riding shotgun.

  “We’ve been invited to a private gathering in Jessie’s honor with friends from Hollywood,” Sera said. “Most of the folks headed straight over after the service. It’s probably in full swing now. Would you like to join us?”

  “I’m beat,” Lil said. All she wanted after the missing gauntlet fiasco was to go home and crawl in bed.

  Sera turned and sat up on her knees in the passenger seat to face Maggie and Lil. “It’ll be fun. Come on.” She mouthed, Please. I need you.

  Lil wondered if Sera was always this uptight when she was with Marcus or if her behavior was a result of the stress of the funeral and the loss of her friend. She hadn’t been her old self since she and Marcus had arrived in Summer Shoals. Maybe she needed Lil and Maggie to provide a social buffer.

  Besides, skipping the party might make Lil look as if she had something to hide. Because what small-town person would pass up the chance to go to a Hollywood gathering?

  “Thank you for inviting us. You’re sure we’re not intruding?” Lil asked Sera, who smiled a thank-you.

  Marcus chimed in, “Of course not. We’d love you to come.”

  And so she and Maggie did. They partied with the rich and famous. Sipped Krug, Jessie’s favorite champagne. Chatted with people they’d only seen on movie screens. Lil even danced with Mr. Hogan, who was much lighter on his feet than he appeared.

  It was evening by the time they returned home, and Lil was worn to the bone. But the excitement of talking to the likes of Sam Elliott and Sylvester Stallone as if they were old friends had been worth it. Such sweet men.

  She collapsed into one of the six rocking chairs on Summer Haven’s broad front porch. Lord have mercy, she’d thought prison was exhausting, but a party filled with those Hollywood types was almost more than she could handle.

  Now, her worry about the missing Jessie Wyatt gear was making her darn near sick to her stomach. How could those fancy fringy gauntlets have disappeared when she and Maggie were standing right there? And why the heck had she felt the need to adjust the dad-burned things?

  “What’s wrong, Lil?” Maggie asked.

  “I can’t stop thinking about those gauntlets. Why would someone take them? Grab them in plain sight?”

  “It was a bold move.”

  “We have to find them.” Weary tears welled behind Lil’s eyes. “We need a plan. I can’t go back to prison camp.”

  “You didn’t do anything and you won’t go back.” Maggie came to Lil’s side and leaned over to hug her. “Don’t worry.”

  “A lot of women in prison swore they were innocent.”

  “Well, you really are. If the Pitts County boys don’t get a quick lead, we’ll jump right on the case,” Maggie reassured her. “After all, we’re getting dang good at solving crimes.”

  “But it seems like it’s just the two of us now, what with Abby Ruth off somewhere and Sera…well, I don’t rightly know what Sera’s status is.” Sera and her husband had still been chatting it up when Lil and Maggie accepted Sam Elliott’s offer to have his limo driver bring them home. “I still can’t picture Sera in that glitzy environment, even after seeing her among them tonight. Her face looks like our Sera’s, but her clothes look like someone famous body-snatched her.”

  “We knew all along she was from California.”

  “Well, there’s California and then there’s Hollywood.”

  Maggie slumped against the front porch column, and her mouth mimicked the movement. “Do you think she’ll leave Summer Shoals for good? It is slightly less glamorous.”

  “Slightly?” Lil scanned the property she’d lived on all her life. In her mind, it was still as grand as it had been when her momma and daddy were still alive. But even with her waning eyesight, she could see that Summer Haven needed a fresh coat of white paint, and it seemed like every other week the old Georgian-style house needed some attention. And attention cost money. “I looked Sera’s husband up on Wikipedia.”

  “And?”

  “You’re telling me you haven’t checked him out?”

  “I didn’t want to intrude.”

  Although no one was around, Lil hunched forward and whispered, “The man is worth in the neighborhood of $900 million. Do you know how close that is to a billion dollars?”

  Maggie snorted a laugh. “About a hundred million.”

  “Still, what reason would Sera have to stay here when she has all that to go home to?”

  Maggie reached over and grasped her hand. “Maybe because this is where she really feels at home. We’ve become her family.”

  “A woman’s husband is her family first and foremost.”

  “Did you forget Marcus filed for divorce?”

  “And did you see the way he looked at her during the funeral? That man is still in love with her.” And who could blame him? Sera was the best looking fifty-something woman Lil had ever set eyes on. Yoga kept her in tiptop physical shape, and apparently all that clean eating she went on and on about had merit if it kept her buns that tight.

  Lil yearned for the days of her youth—heck, her middle age—again. Getting old was hell. Everything creaking and aching. “Her van sitting next to the creek has started to look like part of the scenery these days. I guess if she decides to stay with Marcus, she’ll take that too.”

  “Probably. It’s been kind of comforting that she’d left it behind. Like she might actually come back.”

  “I wish she’d stay, but I doubt there’s much chance of that.” Lil sighed and rocked, wondering if this was how an empty-nester felt when her kids left for good.

  “I think we could both use some cheering up.” Maggie hauled herself up from her chair and headed for the front door. “Maggie’s special tea coming up in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

  She had no sooner closed the door behind her than a Waltz Blue 1940s sedan came rumbling up Summer Haven’s driveway. And only one person in Summer Shoals drove the car that had once been Lil’s daddy’s.

  Angelina Broussard.

  Lord, Lil would need a handful of ibuprofen on top of the bourbon Maggie generously mixed into her tea. Still, she raised her hand in a polite wave when Angelina climbed out of the Tucker and marched toward her dressed, as usual, in a pair of sparkly jeans, a shiny silk blouse, and boots with heels as tall as the Baptist church’s steeple.

  “Good evening, Angelina.”

  She stomped up the front steps with so much force Lil was surprised her heels didn’t leave dents in the wood planks. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to drive over here?” With a dramatic sigh, she flung herself into the rocking chair next to Lil’s.

  Since Lil was certain Angelina meant that as a rhetorical question, she simply smiled and cocked her head in a halfway curious motion.

  “Thirty-five. Three. Five. You would not believe what Main
Street looks like. Cars lined up nose to tail, one after another. And not your run-of-the-mill rental cars. Limousines, Lamborghinis, and some other Italian ones.”

  Hmm. Lil would’ve expected Angelina to be completely up-to-date on every make and model of fancy car ever manufactured. But by her awed tone, this was the first time she’d laid eyes on some of them. “You don’t say.”

  “You probably can’t see them all from here.” With a sweep of her silk-covered arm, Angelina gestured toward the trees that partially concealed Summer Haven’s view of Main Street.

  A wicked temptation came over Lil. She set a demure and innocent half-smile on her face, then rolled her comment on out like a hand grenade. “Actually, I spotted a few of them in the parking lot earlier.”

  Angelina’s smug rocking came to an abrupt halt. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “What parking lot?”

  “Why the one over at Holy Innocence Mausoleum, of course. And the gathering afterward. More a party if you ask me. Jessie’s family went Hollywood instead of hometown on this funeral.”

  “Party?” Angelina’s voice hit a note Lil thought only opera singers could reach.

  “Well, certainly no fine lady from Georgia would’ve wanted that kind of shindig. But then that’s my opinion.”

  Angelina’s mouth dropped as wide as that hole they’d shoved Jessie’s casket into. “You crashed Jessie Wyatt’s burial?”

  “We certainly did not.”

  “You were pulling my leg. I should’ve known.”

  “No. I’m saying Maggie and I were invited.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Angelina’s grip was so tight on the rocking chair arms that her fingers were ghostly white.

  Lil’s momma had always instilled Southern manners in her only daughter, but darned if Lil didn’t want to say something a tad snarky to Angelina about now. Lil might’ve privately received her comeuppance for past crimes, but the Summers were the founding family of this town. Why wouldn’t she be invited to such a big event? “I’m afraid not, dear.”

  Angelina’s lips pursed up like a llama ready to spit.