Almost Home

by Caroline Clemmons

  Nothing so far linked her to the dead DEA man except the field in which her body was found and the fact that Coy found both victims. The drugs found in her body possibly linked to those traced by the agent. Link and Eddy poured over the paperwork from both deaths, looking for the common threads they were convinced existed.

  Goddard clamped his jaw and glared at the two men. "The family wants to know when they can have the graveside service. So far, I've stalled them. We've got to release the body pretty damn soon."

  He pushed a report across the desk. "Autopsy indicated heart failure due to cocaine overdose. Needle marks on right arm. Trauma to the base of the skull. Could be from a fall but probably a blow to the head. Methamphetamine in her system. Presence of semen indicated she had sex not long before she died, no sign of forced penetration."

  "Wow." Eddy said. "Mixing Methamphetamine and cocaine. She played with fire, didn't she?"

  “But we still don't know what company she kept, that's the problem.” Link picked up the autopsy report.

  Goddard glared at him. “Nothing there I didn’t already tell you.”

  Link lay the report back on the desk.

  Eddy slid the sheet of paper into its folder on the table. "I swear, Link, we have to be overlooking something somewhere."

  "Maybe this guy will show up at Papa Jack's. Maybe he's the key between the two cases, though right now I don't see how he could be."

  "You guys going to Papa Jack's tonight?" Goddard asked.

  "Yeah." Link explained and let Goddard digest it a few seconds before continuing, "There's not as much action on a Thursday, but I can ask around about him and about Mitzi." He picked up the photo of Mitzi loaned by her aunt. He felt as though he had shown it to hundreds of people already. "You coming with me, Eddy?"

  "Might as well."

  Goddard's jaw worked again, so Link knew the man had something else to say. Goddard stood and pointed his finger at Link. "Listen, you two hot shots stay out of trouble. Remember that place is out of Spencer County, so don't go flashing badges and wearing your guns. Got that? I better not hear any reports of an officer involved in a dispute at a bar." With that, Goddard turned and left the room.

  Eddy stood with his hands on his hips. "Whew, another rousing vote of confidence. What time you want to go?"

  "I have to check up on some kids and see if they replaced the mailboxes they damaged, then come home and do another repair job. I promised the guy who rents my garage apartment I'd fix the toilet. Shouldn't take long--just a flush valve."

  Eddy nodded, as if he tried to hide a smile. "I see. So now you're making repairs on your house and an apartment? You're a glutton for punishment."

  "Yeah, but the income from the apartment really helps out. Old houses are unbelievable money pits." He calculated times in his head and added, "Why don't you come by my place about eight?"

  * * *

  Link felt fortunate to have a quiet and undemanding renter like Grey Fancher. Although they seldom even saw one another, Grey was friendly when they met. The minor repair at Grey's apartment took only a few minutes, even for Link. He was washing up when Eddy rang the bell.

  Maggie answered the door and asked the deputy into the parlor. Jason, already bathed and in his pajamas, raced down the stairs in front of Link, eager to see their visitor.

  Eddy looked around in awe. "Wow. This is the first time I've been in one of these old houses that was anywhere close to vintage."

  "Well, if you're interested, I'll give you a quick tour before we leave."

  "You bet I'm interested. I've wanted to see this place since the first time I drove by. Looks like it's even nicer inside than I imagined."

  Link's pleasure at showing Eddy the house was compounded by the admiration Eddy expressed throughout the tour. Jason accompanied them, beaming with pride at Eddy's comments and insisting on showing off the turret.

  "It's bed time for you, son. Come on, you've already had your story, so say your prayers and hit the sack."

  “Let’s take my truck,” Eddy volunteered. “That is, unless you want to go in separate vehicles so you’re free to take home a woman.”

  “No chance. To tell the truth, I haven’t been on the singles scene in so long I’m not sure I know how to act.”

  Eddy chuckled. “Just follow my lead. You may be the hotshot detective, but I’m The Man tonight.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  The huge neon sign at Papa Jack's country and western club flashed red and blue on the cars and pickup trucks that lined the parking lot. Eddy eased his truck in between two other pickups fifty yards from the honky tonk’s front doors.

  On the way to the main entrance, he reminded Eddy, "Remember, our story. You're taking me out here to cheer me up over the death of an old high school friend."

  "Hell, speak for yourself. I’m here to pick up babes."

  Inside, the crowd was boisterous for a Thursday night. Small spotlights rotated across the dance floor. The rest of the place was a haze of tobacco smoke and shadows.

  Eddy knew a couple seated near the dance floor. "Hey, how's it going? Martha and Bill Hodges, this is Link Dixon, a friend from work."

  Link greeted the couple. Bill had a face that belonged under a John Deere cap and the scuffmarks on his boots proved they were not just for show. Smile lines on Martha's face hinted at her good nature. Her billowing skirt looked like one she'd worn to a square dance competition.

  Bill gestured to the two empty chairs. "Why don't you two join us."

  Link and Eddy sat down and Link watched couples on the dance floor. The din of music and partiers made chatting with the couple difficult. Link tried to stay tuned to the polite phrases being exchanged, but his attention wandered about the room.

  The music was passable and he found his toe tapping to the rhythm. He spotted two blondes a few tables over. He leaned toward Eddy and shouted over the noise.

  "Think we should ask some of these cowgirls to dance?"

  "You got one picked out yet?"

  "Yeah, there's a couple of blondes who look ready to boot scoot. Hey, here they come now."

  To Link's surprise, the girls asked him and Eddy to dance. As he whirled his partner across the floor, his eye caught a wall of photographs from what looked to be dance contests. By the end of the dance, he had maneuvered his partner to them.

  "Are these recent photos?" Link asked her as she smoothed her lavender Wranglers. If not for the nice leg creases front and back left by the dry cleaner's press, Link would have sworn the jeans were glued to her body. Personally, he felt if you could see the creases, the jeans weren't tight enough.

  "Yeah, the latest ones are at the other end. There's a dance contest every Friday night and they always take lots of pictures."

  She led as Link eased himself through the throng toward more recent photos.

  "See, here are the ones from last Friday." The picture she pointed to was of Mitzi decked out in colorful red print western shirt and tight blue jeans over red boots. She stood next to a man matching the description given by Billie Faye.

  "Hey, would you look--there's Mitzi. But I can't remember her partner's name. Let's see, is it Ricky--?"

  "Ricky Martinez. He comes here every Friday. Man, he is some dancer." She gave Link a closer look. "You knew Mitzi? I heard she died a few days ago."

  "Yeah, too bad about her. We went to high school together. You know her?" Link stared at the photograph. It hit him suddenly--the guy in the photo was--Medium--from the compound, all dressed up. He glanced over the girl's shoulder. Eddy's eyes met his and Link gave a slight movement of his head to signal Eddy to come over.

  She caught the interchange and a wary look came across her face. "No, I didn't really know her. I've seen her here plenty of times lately, but I don't know her at all." The girl edged away.

  Link wanted to talk to her some more. "Hey, want to dance this one too."

  "Uh, no, I have to go to the little girl's room." The girl turned and hurried away just as Eddy
made his way to Link's side. Eddy's partner followed her friend toward the ladies' room.

  Link turned to Eddy in disgust and spoke quietly, "Damn. Scared her off." He nodded toward the photo. "Look at that photo from last week's dance contest."

  Eddy inspected the photo. "Wow, that’s Mitzi Dunaway."

  "And with the guy that fits the description I got from the Williams girl."

  "Did Miss Tight Jeans know either of them?"

  "She knew both of them. Something about me scared her off."

  Eddy laughed. "What did you say to her, you old stud?"

  "Not much, but it must have been the wrong thing. Did you find out anything about her friend?"

  "She's a Scorpio, loves to dance, comes here several times a week, and they're sisters. Oh, and she just loves big, tall cowboys with blond hair and blue eyes like mine."

  Eddy gave Link an embarrassed grin. "Her name's Dorothy Passons and the sister you danced with is Patsy."

  Link shook his head and stood with his hands on his hips. "Man, you did better than I did with information. Sorry if I scared away your honey."

  "She acted pretty taken with me, but it’s no big deal if she wasn’t."

  Link nudged Eddy. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your love life.”

  “What about yours? Sounds to me like you need to get out more.”

  "Well, it's different with me. I was married over seven years. I have a son and the responsibilities of Akridge House."

  "That won't snuggle up and keep you warm on a cold night, partner. Don't you wish for a, um, sweet honey in your life too?"

  Link shook his head. "No, guess I quit looking for the happy ending years ago."

  "Not me. I still believe in happily-ever-after."

  “Glad someone does. Look, let's act like we're having a good time and dance with some of these babes. Maybe Little Miss Tight Jeans Patsy will dance with me again and I can find out a little more about Mitzi and the Martinez guy."

  Link looked around. Eddy's title of Miss Tight Jeans would fit most of the women in the room—in fact, all those not dressed in a skirt.

  Eddy tapped his arm. "Say, there's the girls now. They're looking our way and talking, like they're talking about us."

  "Fine, just wave real friendly-like, and ask some other hottie to dance. I'll do the same." Link placed his hand on Eddy's arm. "Hey, try to remember why we're here."

  Eddy grinned. "I know why we’re here. Remember? You need to get out more."

  Link managed to end his third dance near Miss Tight Jeans Patsy. He thanked his partner for the dance and turned, pretending to be surprised when he saw Patsy.

  "Well, hello, again. Say, I'm dying of thirst. Buy you a drink?"

  Patsy looked hesitant, but agreed and walked with him to the bar. She asked for a Tequila Sunrise. Link asked for ginger ale in a beer glass.

  The bartender glared at him, but complied. Link took Patsy's elbow and guided her toward an empty table. "Care to sit down for a while?"

  He introduced himself and said, "Nice crowd here tonight."

  "Friday's the big night--the dance contest is then, and it's more of a date night." She looked up and down his long frame. Apparently she found what she saw at least passable. "You've never been here before, have you?"

  "No. Just moved back. Grew up in Cartersville, but I left before this place was built. You come here often?"

  She nodded and took a sip of her drink. "It's one of the few places a girl can dance without a date. There's always lots of singles here for dancing and fun, not just people trying to hook up for a one-night stand. My sister and I come two or three times a week."

  Link attempted to steer the conversation. "I guess that's why my old friend Mitzi came here. She always did love to dance."

  "Yeah, she was a real good dancer." Patsy gave him a glance from under her lashes. "You know her real well?"

  "I lost touch with her after she married. She was a cheerleader in high school and I was on the basketball and football teams." Link flashed her what he hoped was his most charming smile. "Mostly I played basketball, and sat on the bench in football."

  His expression sobered and he added, "I didn't even know Mitzi was getting divorced and living back here until I heard the news about her on the radio. Damn, it's hard to imagine her being dead. She was such a fun-loving person, but sort of attracted to the wild life."

  "I know what you mean. Like Ricky Martinez. He's a great dancer, but kind of scary."

  He kept it light and casual. "I don't believe I know him. Is he from around here?"

  "I don't know. No one knows much about him. He shows up most Friday nights, though."

  "You think Mitzi was dating him or just dancing?"

  Patsy looked hesitant again, "No, once when we were in the ladies room, she told me that she just came here to dance 'cause her boyfriend never took her out."

  "Hmm. That's odd. She was a pretty girl and lots of fun. You'd think he'd want to take her out, wouldn't you?"

  Patsy cocked an eyebrow at him. "Not if he was married, he wouldn't, especially to a place with so many people. That's the impression I got. She said he was someone she knew from when she lived here before, someone she went to school with." She clasped her hands in front of her and asked, "Could that be you?"

  His charming smile flashed again. "No, ma'am. I am very definitely unattached." He held up his left hand and wiggled his bare ring finger.

  His gut told him he lied. In spite of the months since Terri's death, he couldn't deal with dating yet. He didn't feel unattached, and certainly not carefree. He wondered if he ever would.

  Patsy shook her head. "I saw you weren't wearing a wedding band, but a girl can't go by that. Some guys take their ring off when they cheat on their wives."

  "Well, my wife died several months ago. We got married when I was in college and couldn't afford a ring for me. Never got around to getting one later on." He stood up and held out his hand. "So, I'm single and I like to dance. Would you like to try scootin' our boots to this one?"

  Chapter Twenty Four

  The alarm jolted Link awake. He rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Scrunching his eyes to focus, he scrutinized the clock face. Damn, it really read six o'clock. With a groan, Link tried to stand and found he still sat on the side of the bed. Apparently dancing used a lot of muscles he didn't use walking.

  A hot shower improved his outlook on life and he hummed a tune from the night before as he sat down for breakfast.

  Jason and Maggie were already in place. As soon as the blessing ended, Jason blurted, "Dad, can I sleep in my tree house tonight?"

  "No, Son. Supposed to rain tonight, at least that's the weather forecast. Maybe another time."

  "Can I bring my friend Anna over to see my tree house after school?"

  "I suppose so, if it's all right with her parents."

  Jason hit the table with his hand and hooted a laugh. When Link shot Maggie a quizzical expression, she raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She was about to speak when Jason explained.

  "Anna is a grown lady, Dad. A real pretty lady, not a kid like me. I make her pictures and she likes them."

  "You know, Lincoln, Professor Bennett and his wife are on sabbatical from the college. This young lady is house-sitting for them while they're away. It’s her first year to teach here, though I believe she taught at a university in Dallas for several years."

  Link felt a net closing in on him. "Would this be the Anna who works with your Aunt Kathy, by any chance?" he asked his son.

  "Yeah, uh, yes, sir. She knows Aunt Kathy. She's really a neat lady.” Jason gave Link’s sleeve several tugs. “Dad, she's learning me German. Listen, Wie geht es Ihnen?"

  "Teaching me, not learning me, son." Link wondered if his sisters were behind this chance meeting of his son and the same unmarried woman Gwen had mentioned. "So, Professor Anna asked to see your tree house, eh?"

  "Well, no. But I know she'd like to. I told her all about it. And she said it sou
nds special. She said she always wanted a tree house when she was a girl, so I thought she'd like to see mine."

  With a resigned sigh Link said, "Sure, Jason. If you want to invite guests to look at your tree house, that's fine with me as long as Maggie says yes, too. Maybe it would be best to do that sort of thing when I'm not home, though." No need to encourage the rampant matchmaking plaguing his family.

  Maggie spoke up, "Now I don't want you to think I've been letting this young sprout run wild over the neighborhood, Lincoln. You know I'm supposed to walk every day for my blood pressure and weight. Right after you moved here Jason and I went walking one evening while Miss Zimmermann worked in the Bennett's front flowerbed.”

  Jason interrupted, “We talked to her about her roses, and ours.”

  Maggie nodded, “Yes, that's how Jason got acquainted with her. She seems very nice."

  "Dad, she said I could come by anytime." Jason held up his hand to mimic a woman's gesture, "That's how she said it, real ladylike...'Come by for a visit any time, if it's all right with your father and Mrs. Sparkman.' Kind of like a fairy queen."

  Link couldn't help smiling at his son. Damn, but it was wonderful to see him so animated after the dark days before their move.

  "Well, don't make a pest of yourself, Jason. People sometimes say things like that to be polite. And you know not to go into anyone's house unless Maggie or I are with you."

  "We sit on the front porch swing and talk. Sometimes I help her with the weeds. She has a porch with a screen around it in the back and sometimes she gives me lemonade there for helping her." Jason gave Link's sleeve another tug. "Dad, she put the pictures I drew her on her ‘frigerator. She let me look through the window and see them. Honest, she really likes me."

  "She mentioned it to me, too, Lincoln," Maggie added looking at the boy fondly. "Apparently Jason charmed her just as he does everyone."

  Link pushed his chair back and stood. "Well, I've got to try charming Moses Goddard." Dropping a kiss on the top of Jason's head, he called, "Good breakfast, Maggie. See you two tonight."