With His Dying Breath

by Nancy Hogue

  * * *

  “Pay dirt!” Jasper exclaimed when it saw the Prius. Hilda immediately called the station and ordered an enclosed truck. Jasper suggested leaving the tarp in place to preserve any fingerprints besides it was pouring rain. While waiting on the car carrier, they found the hidden key. The .38 revolver was on the front seat

  Per the warrant, Hilda obtained all paperwork associated with the locker. She noticed a contact phone number on the second line.

  Two hours later, the truck unloaded the Prius in the enclosed county impound facility. Crime scene investigators dusted the push button starter for fingerprints, seat adjustment controls and all other solid surfaces that could tell who last drove the vehicle. The revolver tested positively to the bullet lodged in Blake Brockton’s heart. No fingerprints were found on the weapon.

  Chapter 24

  Friday, March 23

  “TGIF!” JJ sang loudly as she pulled into the school parking lot. This has been a long week, she said to Sara as they met up outside the school.

  “You and Chip going out tonight?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m not sure what we’re doing. Might just sit home and watch TV.”

  “Sit at home?”

  “Sure, I don’t care what we do to tell you the truth. I’m just glad to see him. Do you have a date?”

  “No,” Sara said. “Think I’ll go out to the airport and hang out.”

  “Are you going flying?”

  “No, I doubt it, probably more weather moving through and it’s still too windy for me.”

  “I don’t like flying when it’s real bumpy either.” JJ said realizing she would have to deal with turbulence to be a pilot.

  “Me either, but lots of the bigger planes and jets arrive on Friday. Mom’s working till eight so I’ll just hang out with her.” They walked past Mr. Grumman’s office, and he was at his desk. Wanda was sitting on the front row showing too much leg, JJ noticed and did not like it. She stopped at his door.

  “Maybe we could ride out there, too, and you could meet Chip! I’ll ask him.”

  “That would be great. I’d like to meet him.”

  “Sara, do you know that girl talking to Mr. Grumman? Her first name is Wanda.”

  Sara stepped closer for a peek inside the classroom. “No, not really. I don’t have any classes with her. Why?”

  “She asked me if Mr. Grumman and I were dating. Can you believe that? Acted as if she was going to report us. Report us! For what? She’s trying to start something and get him fired.”

  “But why? Why would she want him fired?”

  “I don’t know, probably just being a troublemaker, I guess. She craves attention—good or bad. Look how she’s sitting!”

  “Pretty raunchy,” Sara said.

  But I’ll set her straight if she tries anything.” JJ was fired up to think about it. She turned on her heels and went into Mr. Grumman’s classroom.

  “Mr. Grumman, how’re you doing today?” Wanda turned and frowned at her.

  “Hi, Miss Matthews. Do you need to see me?”

  “I do, in fact, privately. But I can come back if you’re busy,” she said turning to Wanda.

  “No. I’ve got time before class.” He asked Wanda to step out for a moment. Talk about adding fuel to the fire.

  Wanda hung out by the door, but JJ whispered so only he could hear.

  “Mr. Grumman, Wanda is up to something. She asked me if you and I were dating. Can you believe that? I just want you to know to be careful what you might say to her.”

  “JJ, that’s ludicrous. What gave her that idea?”

  “Mr. Grumman, every girl in this school has a crush on you.” He blushed. “See how you blush so easily! Girls love that!” She pointed to his face.

  “You’re kidding me, I know. But thanks for the compliment.”

  “No, I’m not kidding. You be careful.”

  He smiled, and her heart fluttered. She was deeply infatuated with Chip, but her crush on Mr. Grumman would last forever.

  Wanda lurked outside Dr. Early’s office in an attempt to scare JJ. But it didn’t work. JJ simply walked to her locker, got her English and math books and walked into her first period class hoping to get some studying in before the fourth period test.

  “Yes, Dr. Early,” the math teacher answered the intercom. “Yes, she is… yes sir.”

  “Miss Matthews, Dr. Early needs to see you for a moment.”

  “See me?” Maybe Wanda followed through with her threat.

  Timidly knocking on the assistant principal’s door, JJ asked, “Dr. Early, you need to see me?”

  “Yes, Miss Matthews, please come in, and close the door.” Mr. Grumman was not in the office.

  * * *

  Hilda called the telephone number listed on the storage locker application. A female voice answered.

  “Brockton Real Estate.”

  Brockton Real Estate consisted of a downtown office where most of the commercial real estate contracts were negotiated and six branch offices in the central Georgia area for residential sales and listings contracts.

  “Hello, does this number belong to a particular agent?” Hilda asked.

  “No ma’am, but I can connect you. Who would you like to speak with?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “What office is this?”

  “This is the switchboard for Brockton Real Estate in downtown Macon. I can transfer you to an agent in any of our six branches.”

  “How many agents do you have?

  “We have twenty in this office and about fifty in our other offices. Is there anyone in particular you would like to speak with?”

  “What about the one in River Town?”

  “That office has a managing broker, an office assistant, and ten agents. Would you like me to connect you?”

  “No, thank you. I’m sorry to bother you.” Hilda disconnected.

  Another dead end. Hilda thought. Guess it was absurd to hope the number would ring on the perp’s desk. She ran the questions through her head. How did that car get to Perry? Was it driven or towed or are there two people involved? Her questions had no answers, none that she could answer yet. Whoever Jonas Attaway is has certainly covered his tracks.

  * * *

  JJ was riding an emotional high. She aced her English test, correctly solved an algebra equation in front of the class and received a B+ on her science notebook. Now I get to stare at Mr. Grumman for an hour, smiling to classmates she passed in the hallway. She entered his classroom and took her seat just as the bell rang.

  “Okay, class. Open up to chapter eight. I hope you’ve read it JJ slumped in her seat since she had not read the assignment.

  He noticed her withdrawal but continued, “We’ve looked at Asia’s influence on the Western world in areas of economy, popular culture, and politics which we learned began through discovery. A curiosity or the voyage of discovery is what leads us to exploits and colonization. This curiosity is what settled the Western world and why Columbus crossed the Atlantic.”

  JJ could not help it as she wrote ‘boring’ in her notebook.

  “Today, we’ll look at something some of you will consider controversial but it’s in the book so we have to cover it. Chapter Eight covers religion and mythology in Asian nations and the influence on the Western world. In some nations the cow is sacred or in another, it could be swine.”

  The class snickered.

  “We’re not going to debate these beliefs, okay? First, we’ll look at reptiles, animals, or other creatures as symbols in both religious and mythical beliefs. We’re going to run through this pretty quickly. First we’ll look at the turtle.”

  JJ perked up.

  Mr. Grumman continued lecturing, “The Chinese traditionally see the tortoise as supporting the weight of the world. In the photo on page eight zero four, you see the four elephants standing on a turtle’s back? Each elephant represents the four corners of the earth. She looked at the picture and knew she had seen it somewhere before.
r />   “Turtles represent strength, longevity and even immortality.” JJ listened intently.

  “As the voyage of discovery moved west, so did this symbolism. However, early Christians did not like turtles. They viewed them as symbols of evil forces, those people desiring to harm you.”

  To harm you? Turtle? Evil?

  Mr. Grumman’s voice waned as once again JJ’s mind raced to recall what he had said making notes as fast as she could write. Gumdrop’s friend is a turtle. A turtle is an evil force, lives forever – supporting four elephants – symbols. So who is Gumdrop, who is the turtle and who are the elephants? Solving this riddle will solve the case, I’m sure of it and Sammi will be found innocent.

  She looked up at Mr. Grumman and smiled a big thank you just as the bell sounded the end of the school day.

  “Okay, class, that’s all for today. Pop test on Monday, so you might want to read Chapter ….,” he said to an empty classroom. “eight.”

  JJ hurried out of class, and Sara caught up with her in the school parking lot. “JJ, the whole school is talking about your meeting with Dr. Early. What’s going on?”

  “Oh, absolutely nothing,” JJ confessed. “He’s a little concerned that I’m helping my dad and the police with Mr. Brockton’s murder investigation.”

  “How did he even know?” she asked. JJ continued walking to her car.

  “Well, you know Jenny down at the salon, right?”

  “Just when I see her there.”

  “I went to see her yesterday. She has quit her job. I think she’s dealing with some personal problems and we got to talking about the investigation.” She reached her VW, opened the door and tossed her books in.

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “Oh, well, I’m getting to that. Like I said, it’s no big deal. Dr. Early is Jenny’s uncle. He visits her and checks on her every day and she mentioned to him about my visit. That’s it.”

  “Oh.”

  “He’s just concerned, doesn’t want me to bring the investigation to school, you know, talk about it, get students worked up and all. And, I agreed with him.”

  “So, nothing about Wanda or Mr. Grumman.”

  “Oh, gosh no. Wanda’s just blowing smoke. Well, Sara, I gotta hurry to work.”

  “We still on for tonight?”

  “Haven’t talked to Chip yet. I’ll text you, okay? Something’s come up and I want to work on it right away.”

  “Okay, Jays, hope you make it!” JJ smiled at her friend and drove away and Sara walked back to catch the school bus.

  “Oh, the car tag,” JJ said and pulled out her paper where she scribbled 61BA8. She rode slowly through the student parking lot. Nothing. Then she drove through the faculty parking lot. Nothing.

  Well, probably already left. I’ll look again tomorrow. Preoccupied with the comic strip, she did not notice the red sports car at the traffic light when she pulled into the highway.

  She needed to look at those comic strips again and called her dad. The call went to voice mail, “Dad I’ve got something very, very important to tell you.”

  * * *

  Anne dropped her purse at her station and walked into Evelyn’s office. Normally she did not work on Friday but Alan was spending the weekend with her sister in Atlanta. It was her first day to work since her collapse in the parking lot following Blake Brockton’s murder.

  She fell back into the wing chair. “Evelyn, did you know Madelyn very well?”

  “Yes, yes, I knew her very well. I’ve been doing her hair for about ten years or so. She used to come to my house. She’s really the one who encouraged me to get my license.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Evelyn.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Not for getting your license,” they laughed.

  JJ walked in to the shop, speaking to everyone and started gathering up towels. She saw Anne in Mrs. Young’s office. “Hi Anne. Hi Mrs. Young.”

  “Hey there” was said in unison.

  “What are y’all laughing at?” she asked.

  “Anne just said she’s sorry I got my cosmetology license.”

  “I did not.” Anne retorted. “JJ, I meant I was sorry her friend died. Did you know Madelyn Sommers, JJ?”

  “I know what you meant and thank you. I’ll miss her.” Evelyn said.

  “I’ve seen her in here. She’s always very nice, brought me a recipe book the real estate company put out. You know how I’m learning to cook. And I…”

  “You can cook? I wish I could,” Anne interrupted.

  “Oh, Anne,” Evelyn said, “anyone can follow a recipe. Go on, JJ.”

  “Well, I, uh, I think she and my parents were friends. Daddy introduced me one time. Mrs. Young, I’m sorry, too.”

  “Thank you, hon. Y’all, I’m scared of what’s happening in this town. River Town used to be a nice, friendly place. I just don’t understand what’s going on. My grandmother used to tell me stories of the old days. She said she and her friends used to spend the afternoons at the river on dates. Back then, big barges and steamships used to come up the river.”

  “I saw a photo of one down at Mulgie’s the other night,” JJ said.

  “They’d watch the big boats come in with cotton, tobacco, sugar—all those goods. They’d sit down on the bank with all the flowers blooming and flirt with the guys unloading.”

  “How romantic!” JJ said.

  “She’d tell me stories about her mother talking to her about falling in love, how intoxicating it was to be in love and watch your kids play in the water and watch your fellow catch your supper.”

  Aw, Anne and JJ said in unison

  “People from all over would ride the boats in. Then they’d get on the train and go to Atlanta or New York or wherever. Wasn’t that an exciting time?”

  “Yeah, but no Internet, cell phones, or microwaves,” JJ said. They all laughed.

  “I wish it would just change back to the way it was a few weeks ago.”

  “Me, too, Anne,” JJ said, “I’ve been held up by funerals for a week now. Everywhere you go in Macon a funeral possession is moving across town. I feel so sorry for all those families.”

  “It may change in that we won’t have a murder every week, but I don’t think it will ever get back to the way it was. You know, we used to have to run into Macon for everything, milk, bread, clothes, gas, just everything. Then Blake built this shopping center.”

  “This one?” Anne asked.

  “Yes ma’am. Blake started clearing this land and you’d thought he was going to build a prison.” JJ’s ears perked up.

  “Mrs. Young, who owned all this land before Mr. Brockton built the shopping center?”

  “Seems like some of Jenny’s folks owned it come to think about it. I know her dad owned a lot of the property over by the river. It used to be a big, beautiful open space right on the river. You know over there where the big new grocery store is. Not where the new park is.”

  “Really!” Anne exclaimed.

  JJ added, “I remember it, Mrs. Young. I remember when I was little we used to go there and play on the swings and merry go round.” She smiled thinking about such nice memories.

  ‘Yoo hoo’ was heard from the front. ‘Yoo hoo.’

  “Oops, gotta go, that’s my four o’clock.”

  “I gotta get busy, too,” JJ said.

  Evelyn pulled a tattered newspaper photo from the back of her desk drawer, which showed five teenagers enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the river’s edge. Three of the girls who posed for the photographer were Evelyn and her two best friends, Madelyn and JJ’s mom. Yes, I remember it, too.

  * * *

  It was a chance meeting at a local card shop when Wylene and Sammi saw each other again.

  “Wylene,” Sammi spoke first. “I’m glad to see you. I didn’t know you were still in town.”

  Her surprise was evident as she asked, “My friend’s daughter just had twins. Why are you glad to see me?”

  “Since the funeral, I’v
e wanted to talk to you. You know, Wylene, two weeks ago I would have hidden on another aisle rather than speak to you. But I think we have something to talk about.”

  “Yes, I feel the same. There’s a coffee shop next door. I could use some caffeine and a sandwich. How about you?”

  “Sounds great,” Sammi said thinking this might just work out.

  Neither woman noticed a crippled man follow them into the coffee shop.

  Wylene was about ten years older than Sammi but still very attractive. Her pronounced features indicated she might have had a face-lift. Her very short red hair softened her face and her emerald green eyes were probably enhanced with colored contact lenses. She wore practically no jewelry except for large loops, a three-carat diamond ring and a wide platinum band. She was dressed in blue jeans and a soft pink sweater.

  The two ladies took their espresso to a corner table. Wylene broke the ice. “May I call you Sammi?”

  “Yes, please.” Sammi added a little cream to her drink.

  “Sammi, I’ve seen the scandal sheets and heard the rumors about Blake’s bigamy, not getting divorced and other infidelities. And to tell you the truth I just don’t believe it, the part about the bigamy especially.”

  “You don’t?” she said with a surprised expression.

  “No, Blake’s a, or was a smart man. Why would he risk going to jail or his wealth on a piece of paper. A piece of paper that’s so easy to get. That’s all a divorce amounts to. Sure, he may lose property or some of his money, but he had means to get it back and make twice as much more. I know for a fact we were legally divorced.”

  “Wylene, are you sure?”

  “Of course, I am. I have signed papers, and we knew the judge who signed them. So, I’m positive we are divorced. Sammi, I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  “Me either, Wylene. I was going to tell you that you were the happy widow, but I guess that’s not the case.”

  “Well, no. I know our divorce was legal, and I know my current marriage is legal.”

  “Well, I’m glad for you. A bigamist is really the last thing I would have suspected. Blake told me he had acted hastily after the third wife. But, what about his second wife? Did you know her?”