by Tegan Maher
I bit the inside of my jaw to keep from smiling. There were some things you just didn't mess with, and a little old lady’s stories were one of them.
Hunter looked properly chastised. "We’re real sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we need to ask you about your neighbors. I’m Sheriff Woods.”
She drew her scant eyebrows down. “I know who you are. I’m old, not senile, and it’s about time. I’m Margaret Dawdy, and I’ve called the law on those no-good party animals a dozen times if I called them once, and ain't nobody ever come out to check on ‘em.”
I raised a brow. Surely, she wasn't talking about Curtis and Val. From all accounts, they weren't exactly the party animal type people. "I think we might be missing each other. We’re here to ask you about your next door neighbors, Curtis and Val."
Her wrinkled face shifted from angry into blasé. "Oh, them. Whatcha wanna know? There ain't much to tell. They keep to themselves, they put their trash out only when you're supposed to, and they even use them recycle bins that the county sent out to us. I don't never hear a peep from ‘em, ‘ceptin’ when they bring my paper in for me."
Hunter shifted his weight. "To begin with, we'd like to know if you've seen Val in the last day."
I opened my mind to try to get a peek into hers, but all that came through was mild irritation and flickering images of what I assumed was a soap opera.
Ms. Margaret worked her mouth for a minute like she was chewing something. "Can't say as I have. In fact, I ain't seen either one of them for the last few days. They did stop and tell me they was rentin’ a cabin on the other side of town for a few days, though." She narrowed her rheumy brown eyes at him. “What ain’t you sayin’? Gotta be more to this than just curiosity. They’re good kids, so I can’t imagine you’re here to arrest either of ‘em.”
Hunter paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. "You’re right. They did rent the cabin, and I’m not here to arrest either of them.”
He relaxed his posture some, and his expression became compassionate. "There's no real easy way to tell you this, but Curtis was murdered yesterday. We can't seem to find Valerie, even though her car is missing. We were hoping she would be home, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
Ms. Margaret pressed her lips together, and her weathered chin almost touched her nose. "That's a damn shame there. He was a good kid, and you don't see very many of those anymore. Always brought in my paper for me, and any time I needed somethin’ from the store, he was glad to pick it up while he was out. I reckon you're here to ask me if I have any idea about who might've done it."
Her eyes teared up, and she tightened her face in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. She really cared about the kids, and I hated we were the ones to bring her the news. Also, she wasn’t setting off my internal lie detector, and the grief was almost palpable. I didn’t need to get into her head to feel it.
I nodded. "I'm sorry to say we are. Right now, Val is nowhere to be found, and it's not looking good for her." Rather than put any ideas into her head I decided to keep my opinions about Val’s innocence to myself.
She pulled in a deep breath and released it, and I could tell she was thinking about it. "Now that you mention it, there was a boy here. Well, I guess he looked like a boy to me, but he was probably in his late 20s, round about the same age as they are. He about pounded their door down knocking, and when Curtis opened the door, the feller threw a punch. Val rushed to the door and helped poor Curtis off the floor. Then she began yelling at the man. From what I could gather he was an ex, and he wasn't pleased that she just got married. Val lit into him good.”
Hunter rocked back on his heels, thinking. "When was that? And do you have any idea who he was?"
"About a week or so ago, I reckon, and no, I don’t know who he was. He didn’t come back, and the kids didn’t say anything to me about it. I wish I could tell you exactly when it was, but time sorta has a way of slipping away from me. I guess that comes with gettin’ old, but it sure does beat the alternative, don't it?"
I smiled at her. "It sure does. Is there anything else you can think of that might be helpful?"
“Not right now, but I'll think on it some. If I come up with anything else, I'll give you a call. What's the best way to get a hold of you? Should I just call Peggy Sue?"
Hunter pulled his business card from his pocket and handed it to her. "You should be able to get me anytime at the number on the bottom. If not, go ahead and call Peggy Sue. She’ll get the message to me."
She nodded, setting her pink curlers wobbling. "Will do Sheriff. And I just gotta say, this town's a whole lot better off with you running it. My husband passed six years ago, and I ended up losing our house because I couldn't pay the taxes Hank set up for us, and I had to move into this dump. Convenient for him and his cronies cuz they got my house, then squeezed me for rent. You came along too late to help me, but you sure did help my kids. Because of you, they been able to buy a house without worrying about paying double what they should have."
I tilted my head at her. It was odd that she was living down here in what used to be the slums while her kids had a house. "I gotta ask, why are you living here instead of with your kids?"
One side of her mouth curled up in a smile. "To be honest, sometimes I ask myself the same thing. But then I go visit, and as much as I love my grandbabies, I love being able to come home to a quiet house even more. Now mind you, if Marybeth hadn’t taken over this building, I probably would've had to. The maintenance just wouldn't get done, and I only had one burner workin’ on the stove. The heat only worked half the time, and the air conditioner never worked. Thankfully though, she's fixed all that, and has promised me one of them slick new glass stoves on top of it."
I smiled. "I'm glad everything worked out for you then. Can you think of anybody else in this building that might be able to tell us anything?"
She thought for a minute. "Well, there's that boy down at the end. He gives Val a ride to work sometimes when she's workin’ the opposite shift from Curtis. They work together. He might know better about who they hang out with or what problems they might've been having than me. His name's Charles."
Hunter gave a brisk nod. "Thanks again for your time Mrs. Dawdy. We’ll go talk to him now, and we really appreciate what you told us."
"Anytime, sheriff. I just hope you find her and she's okay."
I gave her a sympathetic smile. “Us too, Ms. Margaret. Enjoy your stories."
After she swung the door shut, I glanced at Hunter. "Did Peggy Sue tell you anything about this Charles?"
He shook his head as we moved in the direction Mrs. Dawdy had indicated. "Nah, she didn't have time to do a deep dive. All she managed to get me was the names of the folks who lived here. That might not be bad though, because we’ll be able to get an unbiased first impression."
While he rang the doorbell, I took a step back so that it was obvious who was in charge. It took two rings to get the guy to answer the door, but when he did, he was dressed and smiling. Like Ms. Margaret had said, he looked to be in his late twenties, tall, with friendly blue eyes bright behind dark-framed glasses and black hair slicked over to the side in a way that made me think he was more into books than the outdoors. I was glad to see we hadn't woken him up because I remember how that used to feel after I'd worked a late shift at Bobbie Sue's. Not that many people had bothered me, but I was cranky if I didn't get my beauty sleep.
He gave us a warm but polite smile. "Hi. What can I do for you?"
Hunter held his hand out. "Hi. I'm Sheriff Woods. We’re here to ask you a little bit about your neighbors. Do you know Valerie and Curtis?"
I noticed that he didn't mention that Ms. Margaret had already told us about their acquaintance. Probably a good call on his part because then the guy would either admit to it or we’d give him enough rope to hang himself with. Since we had no idea who it was that had killed Curtis or why, somebody shooting him because he walked to loudly past his door or talked in the hallway were as good
as any other motive we had at this point.
"Charles Nichols," he said, shaking Hunter's hand. "I know them both. What would you like to know about them? Is everything okay?”
Charles glanced at me, his expression curious. He turned his attention back to Hunter and waited for him to answer.
"Actually, no, everything isn't okay. Curtis was killed yesterday, and Valerie’s missing."
A few emotions flickered across the guys face: surprise, then concern, then landed on anger. "What do you mean Val’s missing? And what happened to Curtis?"
Hunter glanced at me his brow raised. Curious that he’d ask about Curtis almost as an afterthought. "Curtis was shot while they were on vacation at a cabin over on the other side of keyhole Lake. Val hasn't been seen since, and her car is missing."
The guy frowned. "That's awful. I knew they were going away for the week. She asked me to water her plants while she was gone. You don't think something happened to her too, do you?"
I kept my expression neutral. “So, you guys were friends?"
His lips curled up in a wry smile. "Val and I were friends. Curtis and I, not so much. We didn't have much in common, and I didn't particularly care for the way he talked to Val sometimes."
I raised a brow. "And how exactly was that?"
He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. It's not like he abuses her or anything, but sometimes I just got the feeling that he didn't think she was as smart as he was."
Though Charles probably didn't notice, Hunter quirked a brow. It was faint and quick, and the only reason I caught it was because I know him so well. I sent out feelers to see what he was thinking, but all I got was some irritation, which would suit the situation.
Hunter paused, gathering his thoughts. “So, you and Curtis didn't like each other?"
Charles held up a hand. "I didn't say that. I just said that we weren't friends. At least not like Val and me are. To be honest we didn't interact socially much. Sometimes Val needed a ride to work when Curtis was working, and he always took the car. Since we work the same shift, it only made sense for her to ride with me."
“And did she ever mention how they got along?"
He shook his head. "She didn't talk about them much. I did get the feeling sometimes that they argued, but we kept it mostly about work and superficial stuff.”
Hunter nodded. “I’m sure you would've mentioned it, but I have to ask. Have you seen Val or their car around since yesterday?"
It was Charles's turn to shake his head. "No, but I worked evening shift. I didn't get home until 11, and I was so dog tired that I didn’t pay much attention to the cars. I do know she didn't stop to let me know she was home, and she usually lets me know as soon as they get back." One side of his mouth curved up into a smile. "I guess it would be awkward if I walked in to water her plants while she was watching TV in her pajamas."
"Did she happen to mention anybody that Curtis wasn't getting along with? Or maybe somebody that had something against her?"
"Oh, no," he exclaimed. "I can't think of a single soul that doesn't love Val. She's bright and bubbly and never has a mean thing to say about anybody. Or to anybody."
"What about Curtis?" I asked.
He lifted one shoulder and shoved his glasses up his nose. "Like I said, Curtis and I don't hang out, and we’re not exactly bosom buddies. She's never mentioned anything specific, though, and I think she would have."
"What about her mama?" I asked. "I've heard she didn't exactly care for Curtis. Did she ever come around?" He rolled his eyes. "That woman's a hot mess. I have no idea how or why Val puts up with her, and to be fair, she was mean to Curtis too. She did come here, but it was only when she wanted something and Val wasn't returning her calls."
Hunter raised a brow. "What sorts of things did she want? Was she borrowing money?"
"No, that's not usually what she was here for, at least from what I overheard. That woman squealed like a stuck pig when she didn’t get her way, and from what I could hear, that was most of the time." He sighed. "Though not always. I did pass her and Val in the hallways a couple times, and the only thing worse than the smug look on her mama's face was the defeated look on Val’s."
I was beginning to think we were going to have to talk to Clara. Right now, she was looking like the best suspect to me, aside from Val of course.
Hunter took a moment to consider that. "Did you ever hear Clara fighting with Curtis?"
He nodded like a bobble head doll. "Oh yeah. Those two went at it like cats in an alley sometimes. I do have to say I admire Curtis for standing up to her like he did, but I felt kind of bad for Val afterwards. Though I'm sure he had the best of intentions, it tended to make things worse for her."
"Worse how?" I asked. He huffed. "Worse because the old bat learned to wait ’til Curtis was at work. Then she swooped down on Val and pecked at her like an old hen. It got so bad a couple times that I almost stepped in, but it wasn't really my place."
Hunter shook his head, his expression just a tad disgusted. "I guess that just goes to show that you can't pick your family. Another of your neighbors mentioned that a guy about your age came a week or so ago, and that he and Curtis had a run-in. Do you know anything about that?”
Charles shook his head. “I’ve been pickin’ up extra shifts, so if it happened in the afternoon, I probably wasn’t here.”
“Okay, then. If you can't think of anything else, we’ll go ahead and let you get back to your day." Hunter handed him a business card. "If you think of anything else or Val shows up, could you please give me a call? My cell number is the one on the bottom."
"Sure will, Sheriff. And if you need anything else from me, I’ll be home all day. My car’s in the shop, so I’m sorta stuck. It's a real shame about Curtis, and I hope you find Val." His brow furrowed with worry. "She's a good person. You don't think anything happened to her, too, do you?"
Hunter shrugged and sighed. "At this point I don't know what to think. All I know is that we need to talk to her, and fast."
We said our goodbyes, and Charles shut the door. We rang the bells on the other apartments, but nobody else answered. If we didn't find Val by the end of the day, Hunter or one of his guys would have to come out and check again later.
Once we were back in the truck, Hunter laid his head back on the seat, and I reached over and squeezed his hand. "This isn't my ball game, but it seems to me like maybe it's time to pay a visit to Mama Clara."
"Indeed it does," he said, glancing over at me as he started the truck. "And it's not a conversation I'm looking forward to."
I had to agree. If she was anything like what she sounded, goin’ a few rounds with a grizzly would be the better option. But like Bobbie Sue always said, if you wanted to make an omelet, you had to break a few eggs, and if there was one thing I was used to, it was dealing with cranky old biddies. If the woman thought I would be as much of a pushover as her daughter was, she had another thing coming. I grinned.
Hunter gave me a look that said he was questioning my sanity. “You know you're wearing your terrifying smile again, right?"
"I know," I replied feeling a little more energetic. "I've got a lot of frustration pent up, and if somebody that mean wants to go a round with me, I'll be happy to take her down a peg or two. I was gonna have you drop me off at Penny’s dress shop, but I think I’ll be the better one to handle this.” Hunter laughed and shook his head as we pulled out of the parking lot. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're on my side."
11
Hunter called Peggy Sue to get Clara's address. She rattled it off over speakerphone, but then said, “You won't find her there though. Today's the weekly meeting for the auxiliary club. She’ll be over at the community center until at least six. They’re plannin’ the fall festival."
I sighed. I could take on one old biddy no problem, but I wasn't going to go into a whole room full of old hens and stir the pot. That was just asking for a beat down. Know your strengths.
"Okay, thanks Peggy
Sue,” Hunter replied. “Have we got anything back on Val's credit card yet?"
"Nope, but I did just call and give them another nudge. They said give them another thirty minutes, and they’ll probably have something."
I glanced at Hunter after he thanked her and ended the call. "That means we have no choice but to cool our heels for the next half hour or so. I'm not going to march into the community center and try to question Clara, and neither should you. Those women are a force of nature, and if she's popular with them, you'll get nothing but the runaround."
He shot me a cocky grin. "Shoot, I've got those women wrapped around my little finger."
I raised a brow at him. "Yeah, you go sticking your finger in there, and you're liable to get it broke or bit clear off. My advice is to hold off and catch her when she's by herself."
He slowed down as we crossed the tracks. “Yeah, you're probably right. Besides, I want to be able to catch her off guard, and if she's in front of her friends, she'll have a little more bravado. Also, on the off chance that she decides to come clean with me, she won't be as prone to do that if she has her reputation to worry about."
He had a point, and I nodded. “That’s definitely a thing. She knows every word she says in front of them will make the rounds faster than you can get back to the courthouse.”
"That leaves me time to go back to the office and make some phone calls," he said. "Is there anything you need to do today? I know you'd planned to be at the cabin until tomorrow, but maybe you can get a jumpstart on this weekend and check some stuff off your list.”
I thought for a minute as he turned onto Main Street. "I could go over to the bridal shop and see how Penny’s coming with the final alterations on the dresses. I'm sure it's fine, but maybe I'll take a look around to see if she's gotten anything new in."
"You really should talk to her about making you a dress," he said. "I know you’re determined not to spend a lot of money on the wedding, but this is your big day. Isn't a wedding something a little girl dreams about all of her life?"