Joanna glanced at the backside of that lettering and then back to Rusty. She took a big slurp of Dr Pepper.
“A short time ago, your husband walked through that very door and then we sat down. He sat in that very chair you are sitting. He told me he had grabbled a two hundred fourteen pound catfish.”
“Yes, he had. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“He said he had that catfish hauled to Elk River, so he could grabble it at the annual Catfish Rodeo and claim a world’s record for biggest catfish ever grabbled unassisted.”
“Well, he said he had a surprise for me. I didn’t know about that.” Joanna King shook her head.
“But somebody stole that catfish from him. He paid me a five thousand dollar advance, to retain me to find out who stole his catfish. I told him I’d see what I could do. He got a page or a cell phone call or something and had to leave. He said he would come back on Friday and give me all the details. I came back Friday and waited for him to show up.”
“But he was dead.”
“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t find out until that Sunday.”
“And then Dr. Compton was murdered?”
“Yes, ma’am. And I was arrested for that. And if it weren’t for the kind heartedness of one Gloria Davenport I would still be in jail and the killer would still be at large.”
“Bless her soul.”
“Yes, bless her soul. And then I knew that two people, both from Winston County, both the same age, both murdered was…”
“More than coincidence.”
“Exactly. And it was from there I based my investigation. And had it not been for the Vargas Preston…”
“The President of Dolopia College.”
“Yes, had it not been for him, I’d never found the missing piece of the puzzle.”
“You don’t know how much relief finding the murderer has given me, Rusty,” Joanna said and then grabbed her purse and plopped it right in front of her.
She took a big gulp of Dr Pepper, maybe even finishing it off, and then started digging around in her purse. She came out with a check book and a fancy gold pen. “So, this advance Elmore gave you?”
“Yes, I am prepared to refund it to you,” Rusty said.
“Are you crazy?”
“Yes, ma’am. I may be crazy.” Rusty said, before he realized what he was admitting to.
“You are crazy. You got an advance. You found the killer. You did your job. How much more is the total fee?”
“No ma’am. That’s not what I called you here for.”
“I know it’s not. How much?”
“Please, Joanna.”
“Never let it be said that Joanna King does not fulfill her obligations.”
Unlike her late husband Elmore Katfish King. Joanna fulfilling her obligations was probably all that kept Elmore alive so long.
“I’m writing a check for five thousand dollars, Rusty, and I’m afraid I must insist that you take it and the cash so that I can rest my head easy at night.”
Her hand was rather plump, but it was also rather agile. She wrote out a check very slowly and then signed it with an ornate signature, tore it out and pushed it over toward Rusty. Rusty politely just let it sit there.
“Begging your pardon, Joanna, I did find his killer, but what your husband hired me to do was to find who stole his catfish.”
“I think that is beside the point now, Rusty.”
“No, ma’am. Al Bolton stole your husband’s catfish.”
Joanna was looking right at Rusty and her eyes went wide like somebody had just
shoved a cane pole up her butt hole.
“Yes,” Rusty said and told her the rest of the story.
After he was through, Joanna King hugged Rusty and walked out a few thousand dollars poorer but still a very rich widow with a whole new life ahead of her.
He escorted her all the way down to the street and opened the door for her to her big-ass brand new Cadillac SUV. When she closed the door, the tinted window cocooned her into her own little world.
Rusty walked back up to his office. The spot right along the wall near the door looked as good spot as any for his Lifetime Achievement plaque. He picked up a nail and his hammer and at about eye level tapped the nail into the wall.
He stopped tapping, but the tapping sound continued. The hammer in his hand was not moving. Rusty thought he had finally flipped out.
Tap, tap, tap. It got louder and changed into a click, click, click. No mistaking that sound. Gloria’s footsteps were unique.
He opened the door. Gloria appeared in the doorway, wearing a tangerine dress that came just below her knees, tangerine high heels, and a smile on her face. A big tangerine purse, hanging from a shoulder strap, rested against her hip.
She marched on in and said, “I had to come into town for some last minute shopping before our big date. Saw your car parked down there, thought I would come up and say hello.”
“Glad you did. Hello back at you.” He put the hammer down and hung the plaque on the nail.
Gloria leaned over, read it. “Lifetime Achievement Award. To Russell “Rusty” Clay. The National Catfish Grabbling Association. For his unequalled contributions to Grabbling.”
She looked at the plaque, like that was concrete proof Rusty was a redneck. But she didn’t say a word like that.
She reached over into her tangerine purse and pulled out an 8x10 photo from a manila envelope. “I had this blown up for you.” She handed it to Rusty.
It was a glossy reproduction of the picture that hung near her cash register. A ten year old Rusty Clay beside a strung up catfish that weighed more than he.
Gloria took the picture from him, stepped over and laid it on the roll-top desk. She walked to the door and held out her hand toward Rusty.
“It’s time for you to pay up that date you owe me. Let’s get down to that play in Mobile and then frolic on the sands of the Redneck Riviera. And I need to grabble me single handedly a Rusty Clay who’s greater than my own body weight.”
“You might just win you a lifetime achievement award if you do it just right, Gloria.”
“That’s what I’m aiming for.”
They stepped out onto the landing. Rusty closed and locked the door. And before he told her, “Let’s go,” he took one last look at his door. There was something about it he sort of liked.
The End
The Redneck Detective Agency (The Redneck Detective Agency Mystery Series Book 1) Page 21