Murder Over Easy (A Trailer Park Mystery Book 2)

by Jimmie Ruth Evans

  Cell phone in hand, she went around the back of the house and cut through the backyard to the other street. Once she was safely in her car again, she considered her next move.

  With a sudden grin, she punched in the number of the sheriff’s department. When the dispatcher answered, she gave her name and asked for Elmer Lee.

  After a few moments on hold, Elmer Lee came on the line. “What do you want now, Wanda Nell?”

  “I got some information for you, Elmer Lee,” she said. “You wanna hear it?”

  Sighing loudly into the phone, Elmer Lee said, “No, but I guess I’m going to anyway. What is it?”

  Quickly Wanda Nell told him what had happened at Fayetta’s house after he and Mrs. Vance left Elmer Lee groaned into the phone. “I can’t believe I left that window open. Damn! Who was she? Any idea?”

  “I’ve seen her somewhere before,” Wanda Nell said. “I’d say she was over fifty, but she looked older, her skin was tanned like cowhide. Big blonde hair, poofed out like you wouldn’t believe, and lots of jewelry. And a little shorter than me.”

  Elmer Lee didn’t say anything.

  “Who is she, Elmer Lee?” Wanda Nell said.

  “You need to keep your nose out of this,” Elmer Lee said. “Trust me on this.”

  “Come on, now, tell me who she is,” Wanda Nell said. “You know I’ll find out sooner or later.” She paused a moment, then laughed. “Besides, you don’t want anybody there knowing you went off and left a window unlocked.”

  Elmer Lee said something vulgar in a low tone, but Wanda Nell ignored it. She waited.

  “All right damn it! It sounds like Retha Eccles, Billy Joe Eccles’s wife.”

  “Thanks, Elmer Lee,” she said. “Now, I gotta run, but if I come up with anything else, I’ll let you know.” Eventually, she added silently. She ended the call.

  Dropping her cell phone in her purse, she eyed the menu again. She’d give it to Elmer Lee, but first she wanted Tuck Tucker to see it.

  She headed for downtown Tullahoma, where Tuck had his office in one of the old buildings on the square. The drive took only a few minutes, and soon she was passing by the memorial to the Confederate war dead. She parked across the street from it and entered the building. Waiting for the elevator, she clutched her purse and the menu close to her, feeling nervous about what she was doing.

  On the second floor, she walked down the hall to Tuck’s office and opened the door. She passed through the waiting room and opened a second door. At her desk Blanche Tillman, Tuck’s secretary, was busy tapping the keys of her computer and listening to country music on the local radio station. She looked up as Wanda Nell opened the door.

  “Hey, girl,” she said, her face lighting up with a big smile. “What you doing here? You need to see Tuck?”

  “Is he here?” Wanda Nell asked. “I’ve got something he needs to see.”

  “He’s over at the courthouse right now. He oughta be back in half an hour or so. You wanna wait?”

  Wanda Nell shook her head. “No, I can’t. But maybe I could leave something for him?”

  “Sure,” Blanche said.

  “Can you make some copies of something for me?”

  “Sure,” Blanche repeated. She got up from her desk and walked to the door that led to the inner chambers of the office. “Come on back here with me.”

  Wanda Nell followed her through the door and down a short hallway to a small room at the end of the hall. A copier stood in one corner of the room, while shelves of supplies and books occupied the rest of the space.

  Blanche flipped a switch. “It’s gotta warm up. Takes a few seconds. What do you need to copy?” She held out her hand.

  Wanda Nell hesitated a moment, but then she decided it didn’t matter if Blanche saw what was on the backs of the menus. She was Tuck’s secretary, after all, and there probably wasn’t much that went on in this office that she didn’t know about. “The backs of these menus,” Wanda Nell said.

  Blanche glanced at them as she took them from Wanda Nell. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She placed the first one face down on the copier and pressed a button. A moment later a copy snaked out of the machine.

  “Can you make a couple of copies of each page?” Wanda Nell asked suddenly.

  “Sure,” Blanche said. She pressed the button again, waited a moment then switched the pages on the copier. She punched a different button, then hit the copy button. Two pages came out.

  Blanche handed Wanda Nell the originals, then pulled the copies from the tray. Wanda Nell stuck the first two pages back into the menu, then looked at the copies. She handed a set to Blanche and stuck the other set into the menu. “Give these to Tuck when he gets back from the courthouse, please. And ask him to call me. I’ll be at home, and tell him I’ll explain then. I’ve got to drop something off at the sheriff’s department first, but then I’m going straight home.”

  “All right, honey,” Blanche said. She led the way back to the reception area. “I’ll make sure he sees this first thing.”

  “Thanks, Blanche,” Wanda Nell said. “I appreciate it.”

  As she left, Blanche was tucking the two pages into a drawer in her desk. Wanda Nell gave her a little wave before shutting the door behind her.

  In her car again, she stared at the menu. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the copy Blanche had made out of the menu, folded the pages, and stuck them in her purse. She put the original pages back in the menu, but she put them in backward, so that Fayetta’s lists were visible.

  The sheriff’s department was just across the square, on a side street heading north with the county courthouse across from it, facing the square. Wanda Nell drove her car to the sheriff’s department and parked outside. She wanted to drop off the menu inside and make a quick getaway. She didn’t really want to talk to Elmer Lee right now.

  As she got out of her car, she glanced across the street. TJ.’s truck was parked on the side street by the courthouse, but she didn’t see him. He was probably in the courthouse somewhere with Tuck.

  Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked slowly to the front door of the sheriff’s department. Inside, she waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. She went to the desk and handed the menu to the deputy on duty.

  “Could you see that Elmer Lee Johnson gets this?” she said. “He’ll know what it’s for.”

  The deputy, a black man with grizzled, close-cropped hair, glanced down at the menu. “Sure, ma’am. You wanna wait and give it to him yourself?”

  “No, thanks,” Wanda Nell said, starting to back away. “He’ll know who it’s from, and he knows how to get in touch with me.”

  Shrugging, the deputy placed the menu on the desk beside his phone. “Sure thing, ma’am. Have a nice day.”

  “Thank you,” Wanda Nell said. She turned and hurried out the door.

  The bright sunlight struck her right in the eyes. She stopped for a moment and shaded her eyes with her right hand.

  Across the street, she caught a flash of movement. The driver’s door to TJ.’s truck had just shut. Tuck Tucker stood beside it, talking to TJ. Wanda Nell could see the back of her son’s head through the rear window of the truck.

  Wanda Nell started to call out, but the words died in her throat.

  Tuck had stuck his head into TJ.’s truck, and it looked like he and TJ. were kissing.

  Chapter 15

  Without really thinking about what she was doing, Wanda Nell stumbled back inside the sheriff's department building. She stood blinking, her back against the door.

  Dimly she became aware that someone was talking to her.

  “Ma’am, are you all right? Ma’am?” The black deputy had left his desk and was approaching her.

  “I’m fine,” Wanda Nell said. “I, uh, I thought I dropped something on the way out.” Pretending to scan the floor, she dipped her head. She took a couple of deep breaths. “It’s not here, I guess.” She looked up at the deputy and offe
red him a weak smile.

  The deputy eyed her for a moment, then shrugged and turned away. “Have a good day.”

  “Thanks,” Wanda Nell said. Her hand faltered on the door. Then, feeling more resolute, she pulled the door open and walked outside again.

  She squinted into the light TJ.’s truck was gone, and there was no sign of Tuck. She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked to her car and opened the door.

  Sinking into the driver’s seat, she closed the door and just sat there.

  Had she really seen her son kissing another man? Her hands trembled as she gripped the stirring wheel.

  It had all happened so quickly, maybe she hadn’t seen what she thought she’d seen. Maybe Tuck had stuck his head in the truck to be sure no one could overhear what he was saying.

  Yes, that could be it.

  But no one was anywhere nearby. Except for me, she told herself. And I couldn’t hear anything from across the street. They didn’t even know I was there.

  So TJ. really had been kissing another man. His boss.

  Wanda Nell’s hands gripped the steering wheel even harder. What if Tuck was trying to force himself on TJ.?

  She willed her hands to relax. She knew better than that. T.J. would have got out of the truck and beat the crap out of Tuck if that were the case. No, TJ. had been a willing participant; she realized that now.

  She cranked the car and backed out of her parking space. She drove slowly around the square and back down Main Street on her way home.

  As she drove, she felt almost dizzy from the speed of her thoughts. If TJ. liked men, that would explain a few things lately. Like him not wanting his grandmother pushing him off on all those girls she wanted him to meet.

  And all the time he’d been spending with Tuck. The way he’d smile and his eyes would light up when he talked about Tuck.

  She stared blindly at a traffic signal. Then there was the night he’d spent at Tuck’s place, saying he’d had too much to drink and didn’t want to drive home.

  The light changed, and she pressed the accelerator too hard. Her car jumped forward into the intersection. She drove on auto-pilot.

  On the rest of the short drive home, she searched her memory for other clues. Had it been there all the time, and she just hadn’t seen it? Or hadn’t she wanted to see it?

  TJ. had never brought a girl home to meet her. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember any time he’d mentioned a girl he really cared about. There’d been a couple of women he’d hung around with when he was seventeen or eighteen, but mostly he was running around with one of his buddies, like as not getting into trouble. He had been a wild teenager, and nothing she could say or do had seemed to get through to him. And his daddy sure hadn’t been any help.

  She could just imagine what Bobby Ray would’ve thought about this. She remembered some of the remarks he’d made about one of their high school classmates that everybody had said was queer. And the way they’d taunted an older man who ran a florist’s shop.

  Oh, Lord, was that what would happen to TJ. if people found out? Would some of his former buddies try to beat him up?

  She felt like vomiting. She’d read about hate crimes, as they called them, and heard them talked about on the news. She didn’t want her son to be the victim of one.

  Vaguely she realized where she was. She had reached the turnoff from the highway to the lake road. She waited for a truck to pass, then turned.

  TJ. had been saying he had something he needed to talk to her about. Wanda Nell had a feeling this was it.

  What should she do? Call him and ask him to come over right now?

  Or wait and let him tell her when he was ready?

  What was she going to say to him?

  She pulled her car into the driveway beside the trailer and switched off the engine. Before she could gather her wits enough to get out of the car, Miranda burst out the door and ran to the car.

  “Mama, is it still okay for me to have the car for a couple hours?” She offered her mother a pleading smile.

  Wanda Nell stared at her like she’d never seen her before.

  “Mama? What is it? Is something wrong?”

  Wanda Nell forced herself to smile and respond. “No, honey, I’m fine. Just thinking about something.” She glanced at her watch—just about ten-forty-five. “Yeah, you can have the car for a while. Just make sure you’re back here no later than one o’clock. Okay?”

  “I promise, Mama,” Miranda said. “And the bathrooms are clean, and I did some laundry, too. Juliet said she wouldn’t mind watching Lavon while I’m gone.”

  “Thanks for doing all that, Miranda.” Wanda Nell clutched her purse and got out of the car. “Drive carefully.”

  Miranda hopped into the car as soon as her mother was out of the way. “I will.” She cranked the car and started backing out before Wanda Nell could get around the car and into the trailer.

  Wanda Nell stared after her a moment What would Miranda say about TJ.? Would Juliet still idolize her big brother?

  She glanced at her neighbor’s trailer. And Mayrene? How would Mayrene feel about T.J.?

  Thinking about Mayrene reminded her suddenly of something else. What would Mayrene say if she told her that Hector Padget’s name was on Fayetta’s list?

  Suddenly feeling bone tired, Wanda Nell climbed the steps to her door and opened it.

  She found Juliet in the kitchen with Lavon, having a mid-morning snack. She said hello and wandered to the refrigerator. Maybe some cold Coke would help her clear her head a little.

  Wanda Nell pulled the two-liter bottle of Coke from the shelf and turned around to extract a glass from the cabinet.

  “Mama, are you okay?”

  “Hmm... yes, honey, I’m okay,” Wanda Nell said as she finished filling her glass. She left the bottle of Coke on the counter and sat down at the table across from Juliet.

  “Mama,” Juliet said.

  “Yes?”

  “You put your purse in the fridge.” Juliet frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay, Mama?”

  “I’m fine, honey. Just got a lot on my mind right now, what with the restaurant and everything,” Wanda Nell said. She retrieved her purse and set it on the counter. Then she stood there, lost in thought.

  She very badly wanted someone to talk to, but Juliet wasn’t the one. Times like this she wished her own mama were still living. Her mama had been wise and kind, always thinking carefully before she spoke.

  Her mama had never wavered in her love for her children, no matter what stupid or foolish things they did. Just the way she loved TJ., no matter what. The rest she’d have to figure out as it came.

  With that realization, she felt calm. Time would sort everything out, one way or another. When TJ. finally talked to her about it, she’d do her best to understand.

  Time to get on with some housework. She left Juliet with Lavon and checked on Miranda’s cleaning efforts in the bathrooms. She was pleased with what she saw. Miranda had done a really good job.

  She had also washed and dried Lavon’s diapers and his clothes, but she hadn’t folded them or put them away. Wanda Nell sighed as she began to fold. At least Miranda had taken a step or two forward.

  By the time Miranda returned at seven minutes past one, Wanda Nell had fixed some lunch, changed clothes, and freshened her makeup. She was ready to go to work the minute Miranda returned the car.

  “Y’all have a nice quiet evening planned?”

  “Yes, Mama,” Juliet said. ‘TJ. might come over later and take us to visit Grandma Culpepper awhile.” She didn’t sound too excited about the prospect. Miranda just rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

  “It’s good for you to get to know her,” Wanda Nell said gently. “She’s an old woman, and you may not have much time to spend with her.”

  “We know, Mama,” Miranda said. “And she’s getting better. At least she calls us by the right names now. And she likes to hold Lavon in her lap.” She brightened. “Maybe she’ll leave him something i
n her will, and us, too.”

  That sounded exactly like something her daddy would’ve said. Wanda Nell shook her head and said she’d see them later.

  Getting into her car, she glanced over at Mayrene’s trailer. She’d had a lot of time to think about Fayetta’s murder while she was doing housework, and she knew she was going to have to dig a bit deeper to be able to help Melvin get out of jail. They had to find somebody with a more compelling motive to murder Fayetta. Someone who had hated her enough to kill so savagely.

  Should she tell Mayrene about Fayetta’s list? How would Mayrene react? They’d been friends a long time, but Mayrene was funny when it came to her men. She didn’t like anybody messing with them, or her.

  Wanda Nell mulled over the problem on the way to work. As she parked at the Kountry Kitchen, she decided she had to tell Mayrene. If she was dating a man who was a possible suspect in Fayetta’s murder, she ought to know that.

  The lunch crowd had thinned out, but Ovie reported they’d had a busy morning when she and Wanda Nell conferred.

  “I need to run to the bank to make a deposit, Ovie,” Wanda Nell said. “Can you hang on here another half hour?”

  “Sure thing, honey,” Ovie said. “Take your time.”

  It took Wanda Nell about fifteen minutes to check the morning’s receipts, recheck those from the previous day that she had stuffed in Melvin’s office safe overnight, and prepare the deposit. With the bank bag tucked securely under her arm, she waved to Ovie and left the restaurant.

  A little nervous over the amount of cash she had in the bag, Wanda Nell scurried to her car. The sooner she had it in the bank, the happier she’d be.

  The bank was only a couple blocks away, and Wanda Nell pulled into the drive-through lane. Just one car ahead of her, she was relieved to see.

  When her turn came, she handed over everything to the teller, a woman named Paulette Morgan whom she had gone to high school with.

  Paulette didn’t say a word about the murder, and Wanda Nell was grateful. They chatted about their kids, and then Paulette put the deposit slip in the drawer and Wanda Nell retrieved it.

  Back at the restaurant, she met Katie Ann in the parking lot.