Rubbed Out (A Memphis BBQ Mystery)

by Riley Adams

  “Y’all must think that all I do is cry,” she said. She noticed the bag that Lulu was carrying. “What’s this?”

  “Oh, I just thought you might not feel much like cooking,” said Lulu. “So here’s something you can have for supper tonight. Or it’ll keep, if you’d rather have it another night.”

  Apparently, this small kindness was enough to make Sharon start crying again. Sharon looked like someone who was trying to hold it all together, but was failing miserably. Sometimes when you start crying, you can’t ever seem to turn it off. Sharon scrubbed impatiently at her eyes. “Let’s go in the kitchen,” she said in a muffled voice.

  Sharon led them toward the back of the house. They passed through a living room that still had a couple of boxes in one corner. The house had a lot of nice features—hardwood floors, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances—but it didn’t feel particularly homey. In fact, it didn’t even seem like they’d personalized it at all, to make it their own. The exception was the kitchen, which was a cheerful room. “I love gingham in kitchens,” said Lulu with a satisfied sigh as she saw the curtains and kitchen towels.

  Sharon smiled at her as she put the barbeque into the refrigerator. “I do, too. That’s as far as I’ve really gotten with the decorating. It looks like we just moved in last week instead of months ago. But between one thing and another, I haven’t gotten around to it. And I’ve soured on home improvement projects in the last week,” she said with a short laugh.

  Cherry snorted. “I bet. This morning must have scared the living daylights out of you.”

  Lulu added, “But we know you might not want to relive what happened, sweetie. We wanted to let you know that we were thinking of you and to see if there was anything we could do—run to the store for you, or something like that. When you’ve had a shock like you’ve had, it’s hard to go back to doing regular, everyday errands.”

  “With a shock like this,” said Sharon, “I actually want to talk about it. If I talk about it, maybe it won’t seem as scary anymore or as real.” She gave them a weak smile. “Next time I’ll listen to y’all when you give me advice. I never should have gone to John’s house to talk to him. Or I should have taken somebody with me, at least. I never thought it was going to end up like this.”

  “When did you go to John’s house?” asked Lulu. “It must have been pretty early.”

  “It was,” said Sharon. “I figured it would be easier to catch him when he was on his way to work.”

  This sounded familiar.

  “But I wasn’t sure if he had to be at work at eight or nine, so I showed up at seven thirty and waited. I painted my nails in the car, read a magazine, and still didn’t see him. I knew he was short on money and I was surprised he wasn’t heading out to work when it was past nine. That, of course, was when I should have given up and gone back home and tried to get Reuben’s lawyer to talk to him or something. But instead, I went to John’s door to see if I could get him to come out.”

  “I take it he didn’t answer,” said Cherry dryly.

  “No, he sure didn’t. I banged pretty hard on the door and rang the doorbell a few times and no one came. That was when I tried the door,” said Sharon. “It was unlocked, so I walked in, calling his name. I knew right away that something was wrong. All the lights were on and it was a bright morning. Then I saw…him.” She swallowed and tried to regain some control.

  “That’s really when I should have walked back out that door and dialed 911,” she continued. “Thinking back on it now—well, I don’t know where my head was.”

  “You were focused on what you were going to say to John when you saw him,” said Lulu. “So…instead of leaving, you walked farther in?”

  “I did. I don’t think I really realized that John was dead…I was stunned. I wanted to get closer and see if I could help him. But when I got over to him, I saw that he was past needing help.” Sharon took a deep breath.

  Lulu was ready to jump in with some comforting words, but Sharon was determined to go on. “John’s head was crushed on the back—I couldn’t tell by what. And he was lying on his face. There was a knife in his back, too.” She shivered.

  Lulu reached out and gave Sharon a hug. “You must have been petrified! You went back out to your car then, didn’t you?”

  Cherry made a face. “I hope so. That would have been too creepy. I mean, I know none of us really knew John, but hanging out with a body?”

  “That was finally what it took for me to come to my senses and go back to my car to call the police,” said Sharon.

  “Did they ask you a million questions?” said Cherry. “What kinds of things did they ask you about?”

  Sharon said miserably, “I think they thought that I had something to do with it. Just from the questions they were asking me.”

  “Pooh!” said Lulu. “Why would they think a thing like that? You were there to try to patch things up with John and give him money.”

  “The police gave me the impression that they thought I might be making that part up,” said Sharon. “They pointed out that it would be very convenient for John to be gone because Brody and I would end up with more money.”

  Brody walked in the kitchen. He looked like he’d had a full day and it was still early. His tone was belligerent. “That’s true, but there were other people who stood to gain, too. I don’t know why the cops are so focused on us. What about Reuben’s ex-wife? She wasn’t able to get any money out of him when he was alive, so why wouldn’t she try to see what she could get out of him when he was dead?”

  Cherry frowned. “Yeah, but I thought that he’d changed his will—”

  “Sure,” interrupted Brody, “but would Dawn know that? Somehow I don’t think she knew that Reuben had been that organized. As far as she knew, Reuben either had an old will that named her as the beneficiary, or else it would go through probate court and either she or Finn would end up with something. And if Finn got some money, she’d likely be in control of it.”

  They all thought this over for a minute. Then Sharon added, “Maybe it’s not even the money that would motivate Dawn. Maybe she was ready to take revenge on Reuben. He’d made her life pretty miserable lately, after all. She’s clearly been unhappy since the divorce, too—she’s gained a lot of weight and has all these health problems now.”

  “Taking revenge on Reuben would be one way of relieving frustration, I guess,” said Cherry.

  Lulu said, “I was wondering if y’all knew someone who works for me at the restaurant. It seems that he’s connected somehow to Reuben. Or that he was.” Lulu described the waiter, Tim, to Brody and Sharon.

  Brody seemed to instantly know whom they were talk-ing about. “Oh, sure. He used to be a friend of Reuben’s. Reuben would share pictures online that showed them at different stuff together. Their wives were friends first—maybe they worked together. Then Reuben and him got to be buddies. I think he was Reuben’s best friend…locally anyway. I was real close to Reuben, but I didn’t live in Memphis most of the time that I knew him.”

  “Do you think that he could have had something to do with Reuben’s death?” asked Sharon. She sounded hopeful, but who could blame her, considering that she was a suspect herself.

  Cherry said, “But why would he be? That’s what I don’t understand. Why would a friend of his be considered a suspect? It’s not like he was in the will or anything, right?”

  “Were they still friends?” asked Lulu. “Were Reuben and Tim still going out and doing things together?”

  Brody said, “Since I’ve moved to Memphis, I’ve not seen Tim around Reuben at all. Not a single time.”

  “So, what’s the next step, Sherlock?” asked Cherry as they finally got back in the car.

  Lulu sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, I need to be talking to Tim. I don’t know what the connection between Tim and Reuben was, but there had to be one. Whatever their relationship was, it apparently went sour. I’d sure like to know why.”

  “You’r
e going back to Aunt Pat’s then?” asked Cherry.

  “I sure am. You want to hang out at the restaurant today? I’m planning on making some lemonade pie and you can share it with me,” said Lulu.

  “You know I’d love to…especially with that pie. I guess you’ll have to share it with the twins or Derrick instead, though—I’ve got to spend time at my other hangout today,” said Cherry with a grin.

  “You’re a docent at Graceland today?” asked Lulu. “I tell you, I’ve slap lost track of the days lately.”

  “Murder has a way of making that happen,” said Cherry breezily. “But yes, it’s my day to docent and you know I wouldn’t miss it. I never can get enough of Graceland.”

  “Are you going dressed up in your Rock and Ribs Elvis costume?” asked Lulu innocently.

  “No way!” said Cherry, shaking her head vehemently. “Between those shoes and that wig, I was hot and tired at all times. Nope, I’m wearing my old lady shoes with the comfy insoles and my hair pulled back in a ponytail. Comfort all the way!”

  Lulu dropped Cherry off at her house and then headed to Aunt Pat’s. The lunchtime crowd was dying down and it was nearly time for the kids to arrive from school. She spotted Tim, who dropped his gaze as soon as he saw her glancing his way.

  Lulu walked over to him and said in a quiet voice, “Tim? I wanted to talk to you for a while. Is now a good time?”

  Tim’s pale face got even whiter, making a stark contrast to his too-dark hair. “Now? No, not right now. I’ve still got a couple of tables I’m waiting on.”

  “Okay,” said Lulu. “What’s your schedule like today? Will you still be here for the supper shift?”

  Tim nodded, still avoiding Lulu’s gaze.

  Lulu repressed a sigh. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Tim off before she could even talk to him. “All right, so you’ll be here for a while, then. If you don’t mind, could you come and find me after your tables leave? I’m going to be on the front porch…and we can talk in the office when you’re ready.”

  Tim nodded again, mumbled something about needing to get an order to a table, and hurried off.

  Lulu watched him go. Was he shy? Tired? Anxious? Or did he have something to hide?

  True to her word, she grabbed a pitcher of sweet tea and headed to the front porch. Her feet were hurting her just the slightest bit, and she thought back on how much she’d been standing up lately. Especially at the festival. She must have walked for miles to get to the Graces’ booth and back—and then there were the times she walked the twins around, too.

  As soon as she plopped down in a rocking chair and poured herself a glass of tea, she saw Morty coming onto the porch. “Oh good!” she said, smiling at him. “I was hoping a friend could come by and talk with me. I need to be distracted. My feet are bothering me today.”

  Morty said, “Welcome to the club. I must have ruined mine from years with the blues band.” He settled down in the rocker next to hers and stretched out his legs with a sigh. They both rocked quietly for a minute, enjoying the sound of the ceiling fan and the murmur of voices from Beale Street.

  Morty said, “Anything new?”

  Lulu gave a short laugh. “That’s right—you wouldn’t know. Oh, mercy, Morty. It’s been such a day.” She filled him in on what had happened to John.

  Morty gave a low whistle. “This sure sounds like trouble, Lulu. Don’t you think you better back off? Seems like whoever the murderer is might be going after people who know too much.”

  “That might be. After all, John had hinted that we should be investigating elsewhere,” said Lulu. “Maybe he was murdered because of what he knew.”

  “Somebody is desperate, I’ll bet,” said Morty. “That’s when all kinds of bad things start happening. They’ve got to be bound and determined to keep anybody from knowing what they’ve done.”

  Lulu looked behind her and said in a soft voice, “You spend a lot of time here, Morty. What’s your opinion of our waiter, Tim?”

  “He’s a good guy,” said Morty with a nod. “Always remembers my name. He even knows what I usually order. And I’ve seen him play with the twins before—that’s not in his job description, but it’s only because he’s being nice. Why? Are y’all having problems with him?”

  Lulu shook her head. “Not really. But he somehow might be connected to some of what’s going on.”

  Morty said, “I did notice one thing recently, though. He was on the phone here at the restaurant—the one in the break room, you know. I was on my way past the break room to the restroom and I happened to see him. He was real anxious. In fact, I thought he was fixing to cry.”

  “When was that, Morty? Can you recollect?” asked Lulu.

  “I want to say that it was a couple of weeks ago,” said Morty. “I don’t have any clue who he was talking to, of course. In fact, when I saw how upset he was, I wanted to hurry past as fast as I could so that he wouldn’t think I was trying to be nosy.”

  Could Tim have been talking to Reuben then? What was the problem between the two men?

  Morty glanced at his watch. “Isn’t it about time for Derrick to come back from school? Today was the day he was bringing his new friend, Finn, with him for me to show him tips for playing the trumpet.”

  “Was that today? I’m so messed up with time lately. Yes, he should be in any minute—” She broke off as they heard voices approaching the restaurant. “That’s likely him now.”

  A moment later, Derrick came onto the porch with Finn. Finn smiled at them, but shifted from one foot to the other as if he felt uncomfortable. It must have been catching, because Derrick suddenly seemed uncomfortable, too. Discomfort was definitely a teenage affliction, but Lulu knew a pretty good cure. “Y’all want some bread pudding? I made some last night.”

  Their hopeful faces gave her the answer and she scooted off to the kitchen to warm the pudding and serve it with vanilla ice cream. When she got back, Morty was making small talk with Finn as if the boy were an accomplished professional musician and they were swapping trade secrets. And Finn was eating it up as fast as he ate up the bread pudding. Morty was holding his trumpet like an old friend and playing it intermittently while Finn tried mimicking him. This went on for nearly an hour until Morty started looking worn out—still happy, though. Lulu could tell that he thrived on sharing his love of music with an aspiring musician.

  She was about to gently interrupt and redirect Finn when Derrick said casually, “Granny Lulu, you seem like you need to put your feet up for a while. Have you had a long day?”

  The question had the effect of stopping her in her tracks. She hadn’t planned on mentioning the murder to the boys, but the innocent inquiry threw her off track. Her eyes widened helplessly at Morty.

  Morty was apparently not in the mood to tread lightly. “There was a man named John who was at the festival and hung out in the Graces’ booth some. Unfortunately, he just died.”

  Derrick’s brows knit. “Just died? What happened to him?”

  “Well, he was murdered,” said Morty. “And Sharon from the tent next to the Graces? She discovered him.”

  Derrick said something along the lines of what a crazy couple of weeks it had been…but Lulu’s eyes were on Finn. His face was white and his fingers gripped the arms of the rocking chair he was sitting in.

  While Derrick asked Morty more questions, Lulu leaned over to speak quietly to Finn. “You okay? Did you know John?”

  He quickly shook his head, looking away. “I didn’t really know him, but I did know who he was. I’d seen him around at the festival, that’s all.”

  Lulu could swear for some reason that she saw anger in Finn’s eyes.

  Morty noticed the stress on the young musician’s face and said, “Okay! Let’s get back to the music, Finn. Want to play a few more minutes? Then I’m probably going to have to take a break until next time.”

  Finn’s face lit up at the mention of a next time. “Sure. I was sounding better, wasn’t I?”

  “
I’ll say. If you want to try this again after school later this week, I’m game.”

  Finn tried to act nonchalant, but couldn’t pull it off. “Okay. That’d be great!”

  Sara stuck her head out the door from the dining room. “Lulu, I hate to bother you, but could you step in and help me wait on the tables for a while?”

  “Of course.” Lulu stood up and smiled at Morty and the boys. “Y’all have fun out here.” She followed Sara inside. “We’re low on help this afternoon?”

  “Well—we weren’t. It’s a funny thing. One of our waiters apparently left before his shift was over.”

  Lulu stopped walking and Sara turned to face her. “Which waiter?”

  “Tim.”

  By suppertime, they’d gotten another waiter to fill in for them. Lulu was actually relieved to leave the restaurant—an unusual thing. But when your feet were already hurting, waiting tables wasn’t exactly the best thing for them.

  Back home, Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Her little home was almost as comforting to her as the restaurant…and today, it was even more so. The rooms were cozy with dark hardwoods and old wooden furniture, cheerful scatter rugs, and puffy white curtains. Tonight, though, it was her oversized sofa that was the coziest. She’d managed to grab a bite to eat in between tables at the restaurant, so now all she wanted to do was lie back on the sofa. She wasn’t usually too much of a TV person, but tonight she had this urge to find the most mindless show on the air and watch it until she fell asleep. Which, the way she was feeling right now, wouldn’t take very long.

  Lulu took off her lace-up shoes, stretched out on the sofa, pulled a crocheted blue-and-white blanket over her legs, and fumbled with the remote as she looked for a likely candidate for mindless viewing. Just her luck—every single one of the shows was mindless tonight. She settled for a reality show where the participants all seemed to be competing for the opportunity to travel around the world for a year. She felt her eyelids growing heavy.