by V. M. Burns
“In front of witnesses,” David added.
“In front of a lot of witnesses, but . . . well, she was angry, and Naomi Keller was a horrid woman.” I leaned forward. “You know she disqualified Dixie’s entire class simply because she was angry at her . . . oh my.” This was just getting worse and worse.
David nodded. “Because they had a history.”
I tried to think, but my thoughts were racing in every direction. “But, surely, Red couldn’t possibly—”
He shook his head. “Red absolutely does not believe Aunt Dixie murdered her, but . . . well . . .”
I read his thoughts, which were written all over his face. “But they think Red is biased because of me.”
He nodded slowly.
“But Naomi Keller was a terrible person. There were tons of people who probably wanted to kill her.” I ticked the names off one by one. “Her stepdaughter staged a protest and threw syrup on her. She was having an affair with June Vannover’s husband, and June had threatened her. Plus, her husband was there and, well, if he didn’t know his wife was having an affair before, he absolutely knew about it after June finished.”
“I know, and Madison said Red mentioned all of that to his bosses at the TBI, but . . . they were concerned about his objectivity because . . .”
“Because of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
I stared at my son and realized none of this was his fault. In fact, if he hadn’t told me, I doubt that Red would have. “Honey, I really do appreciate you telling me. I know it had to be hard for you.” I patted his hand. “At least now I know what I have to do.”
“What?”
“Whether I liked her or not, I have to figure out who murdered Naomi Keller.”
Chapter 8
David and I finished lunch and headed home. Dixie’s Lexus was in the driveway when we arrived. I had arranged for Dixie, Monica Jill, and B.J. to come by later in the afternoon for dinner and to help plan the housewarming. I glanced at my watch, even though I knew it was too early for dinner. One look at Dixie’s face told me she was upset.
“What happened?” I stared at my friend, who was normally well coifed, with meticulous makeup. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing makeup.
“I totally forgot that David was coming today.” She hugged him. “I was so upset, I just got in the car and drove.”
“It’s okay, but let’s go inside.” I glanced around, but thankfully none of the neighbors were watching.
David took his backpack into the guest room he’d used during his last visit. After giving instructions for him to let Aggie and Rex out, Dixie and I went to the back deck. I grabbed a bottle of wine and three glasses on my way.
Outside, I poured the wine and waited.
Dixie sipped hers and took several deep breaths.
David opened the back door, and Aggie rushed out and greeted Dixie and me before running down, squatting, and taking care of business. Like a small shadow, Rex followed her from person to person and then went down to the grass and hiked his leg near a tree before rushing back up to the deck.
David scooped him up and gave him a scratch. He glanced over at Dixie. “I can go back inside if you two want privacy.”
Dixie waved away his protests. She took another sip of wine. “It’s perfectly fine. You’ll find out soon enough.”
David and I exchanged concerned looks but waited for Dixie to collect herself enough to talk.
Eventually, she took a deep breath and said, “I think they’re going to arrest me for murdering Naomi Keller.”
I glanced at David out of the corner of my eye before turning to my friend. “What makes you think that?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Neither of you seem surprised by this. Did Red tell you that he suspected me?”
“Red hasn’t said anything to me,” I hurriedly reassured her. “In fact, I’m sure he doesn’t suspect you. He knows you. He knows you couldn’t have killed anyone.” I turned to David and silently asked for permission to share his secret.
He sighed and then quickly shared what he’d learned from Madison.
“I should have trusted Red.” She leaned across and patted my hand. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, but what makes you think you’d be arrested? Surely, Red didn’t say—”
“No, it wasn’t Red. It was some pencil-necked troll named Officer Martin. He came by the house at the break of dawn and asked a ton of questions. He insinuated that I killed Naomi Keller. I was so angry, I told him to get out and come back when he was ready to arrest me. He told me not to leave town. Can you believe that? In my own house . . . It was just too much. Beau’s out of town on business, and it took everything in me not to call him to come home this instant.”
“Oh, Dixie. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. And I know it isn’t Red’s fault either. I’m just so angry and . . . well, embarrassed.”
“What do you have to be embarrassed about?”
“I behaved so badly yesterday. I argued with her. I threatened her, and I actually struck her.” She shook her head. “It’s no wonder they think I killed her.”
“Well, you weren’t the only person who threatened her or the only person who attacked her. My goodness, in the short time that Naomi Keller was at the dog club, she managed to tick off a lot of people.”
David got up and went inside. When he came back, he placed a notepad and pen on the table. “Okay, we better get this investigation underway.” He grinned. “Who else had a reason to kill Naomi Keller?”
I looked at Dixie. “You knew her better than me.”
She thought for a moment. “Well, there’s her stepdaughter, Brittney.”
“Why did she hate her stepmother so much?”
“The gossip around town is that Brittney never forgave Naomi for ruining her parents’ marriage.”
“Wait, so Naomi had an affair with—”
“Warren Keller.”
“So Dixon Vannover isn’t the first married man she’s gone after?”
Dixie shook her head. “Sadly, no. The joke around town is that Naomi Keller built her husband’s fortune by ruining marriages.” David and I must have looked confused because she added, “Warren is a divorce attorney.”
“Wow.”
David tapped his pen. “Who is that guy you mentioned . . . Dixon Vannover?”
Dixie poured more wine into her glass and leaned back in her chair. “A local politician with aspirations of being in the White House.”
I stared at Dixie as recognition finally hit me. “He’s on the board of the museum. And I’ve seen his political ads on television. He’s young, super tanned, with perfect hair and dazzling white teeth.” I thought for a moment. “Isn’t he the one that wants Chattanooga to secede from the state of Tennessee?”
“That’s him. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
I shuddered. “He seems like such a joke. I can’t believe anyone would take him seriously.”
“His father was a well-respected judge and senator. So he’s got name recognition, looks, money, and a political machine that will most likely get him to Washington.”
“Even if people find out he was having an affair with Naomi Keller?”
Dixie pondered that for several moments. “I don’t know. Folks here in the Bible Belt can be very conservative about things like adultery. It would definitely hurt if the affair became public knowledge.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I had heard rumors about Naomi for years. In fact, I had heard she was involved with Dixon Vannover. He’s a real sleazeball. Honestly, he’s just so snooty. I hate the way he’s always looking down on people, like he’s so much smarter. I worked on the board of the Chattanooga Council of the Arts, and he was so obnoxious, no one w
anted to work with him.”
“How long ago was it that you’d heard he and Naomi were . . . involved?”
Dixie thought for a few moments. “It wasn’t that long, maybe a couple weeks.”
“Let’s put his name on the list,” David said. “What about the injured spouses?”
“June Vannover and Warren Keller,” Dixie said.
“June was furious at Naomi Keller,” I said. “She threatened her too. Red heard her. Although, while I was furious at my husband, Albert, when I first found out he had been having an affair, I didn’t kill him.”
“What about Warren Keller?” David asked. “How would he feel about his wife fooling around with another man?”
Dixie shrugged.
I looked at my friend. “You don’t like him.”
“I don’t. He’s always struck me as a rather cold fish. I guess I don’t like people who profit off other people’s unhappiness.” She thought for a minute. “It’s not just that he’s a lawyer who specializes in divorce; it’s that he . . . seems to enjoy it too much. That’s probably not fair. I’m just biased because I’ve known some couples that were going through rough times. I thought with time and support, they could have worked through it, but then Warren Keller got involved, and that was it.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I think if Warren found out that his wife was having an affair, he’d probably volunteer to represent June and then take Dixon and Naomi for every penny they had.”
We talked through our suspects but didn’t have any other names that we could add to the list. That’s when the doorbell rang.
David volunteered to get it, and he wasn’t gone long when he came back with Monica Jill and B.J.
“How are you doing?” I asked Monica Jill.
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you very much, although some people,” she tilted her head in B.J.’s direction, “don’t believe me.”
B.J. flopped down in a seat. “Nope. Some people sure don’t believe it, and some people ain’t taking no chances. You better be thankful I picked you up.”
Monica Jill mumbled, “Prison guard.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Monica Jill said, smiling.
B.J. went inside to take advantage of the facilities, and Monica Jill leaned forward. “Seriously, she is worse than a prison guard. You two have got to help me.”
I chuckled. “Frankly, I don’t see why you couldn’t just stand up to her and tell her that you’re an adult and you’ll drive yourself.”
“I tried, but when she took me home yesterday, she not only told my husband, but my mom was there, and do you know she actually told my mother?” Monica Jill stared from Dixie to me. “I could have convinced Zach that I was perfectly okay to drive, but I couldn’t go up against all three of them.”
“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t just . . . well, slip out.”
She sighed. “Zach confiscated my keys.”
We tried to hold it in, but eventually we all burst out laughing.
“I’m glad y’all think this so funny,” Monica Jill said, giving us a hard stare. “The only thing that kept my husband from taking me to the emergency room was my promise to take it easy and not drive.”
B.J. rejoined us. “And I plan on helping you keep that promise.”
Monica Jill stuck out her tongue.
B.J. glanced at the notepad David had opened. “That looks like a suspect list to me.” She turned to Monica Jill. “I told you Lilly wouldn’t be able to resist finding a murderer. Housewarming or no housewarming.”
Monica Jill clapped and gave me a big smile. “I’m so happy for you. Meeting his family is the first step. Next thing you know . . .” She held up her left hand and pointed at her ring finger.
I didn’t need a mirror to know that I was blushing. I glanced over at David, who was also grinning. “Let’s not count our eggs before they’re hatched.”
Red came around the side of the house.
B.J. mumbled, “Here comes the rooster now.”
I kicked her under the table and turned to greet Red.
He gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“Nope,” David said. “We were just talking about our next steps.” He smoothly turned over his notepad as he stood and shook hands with Red. The gesture was subtle, but I knew from experience that little escaped Red’s notice.
Red glanced around the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you all were investigating something.”
“Actually, we were planning a housewarming party,” Dixie said. She scooted over so Red could sit next to me. “Now, am I to understand you have five sisters?”
“Yep. I’m the youngest.”
“Tell us about them. What do they do?”
Red didn’t like being grilled and squirmed a bit. “My oldest sister is Mary. She’s an ob/gyn. Then there’s Sarah.”
“She’s the lawyer, right?” I asked.
“Yep. She has her own law firm in town.” He took a deep breath. “Next is Catherine. She’s a high school English teacher. Barbara is a real estate investor, and Amy—”
“Wait, your sister isn’t Barbara Westfield, is she?” Monica Jill said, leaning forward.
“Westfield’s her married name.”
“Oh my God. I know her. She’s the person that bought up all those rundown buildings in downtown Chattanooga and has been renovating them.”
“Her husband owns Westfield Construction.”
Monica Jill turned to Dixie. “That’s who owns the building I told you would be perfect for your doggie day care, boarding, and grooming business.”
Red looked confused. “I didn’t know you were planning to start a business.”
Dixie sipped her wine. “Neither did I.”
Monica Jill huffed. “I think it would be perfect. People who work downtown could drop their dogs off on their way to work and pick them up afterward.” She got more excited and animated as she spoke. “And the building is right across the street from the Choo-Choo Hotel, which doesn’t take pets, but if Dixie had a day care and boarding facility, then tourists could just drop their dogs off.” She stared at Red. “I’ve been trying to talk to your sister, but we keep playing phone tag. Is she going to be at the housewarming?”
Red nodded.
Monica Jill leaned back in her chair. “Fantastic.”
“You have one more sister,” I said. “That’s only four.”
“Amy is my youngest sister. She owns a hair salon.”
“They’re all so accomplished.” I tried to sound confident, but I suspect the terror came through because Red reached under the table and squeezed my hand.
“They’ll love you.” He smiled. “They’ll pump you like a flat tire, but they will love you.” He leaned across and kissed me.
“What’s not to love?” Dixie said. She smiled and sipped her wine.
“This is going to be great,” Monica Jill said. “I can hardly wait. Now, what are we going to serve? And speaking of food, I’m starving.”
“What is that delicious aroma?” B.J. asked.
I got up. “I put a roast in the crockpot. There was a sale on them at the Fresh Market, buy one, get one. I made French dip sandwiches with one and I thought I’d make a Mississippi pot roast with the other one. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll bring it out.”
“Want some help?” Red asked.
Red loved to cook, so I let him shred the meat and peppers and put it all on a platter while I made a salad and grabbed a couple more bottles of wine.
“You don’t need to be nervous,” Red said. “My family already thinks you’re pretty special.”
I stopped tossing the salad. “How can they? They’ve never met me.”
“Apparently, you’ve done wonders for my ‘surly disposition,’ according to Mary,
my oldest sister.”
“How can they tell?”
“Very funny.” He pulled me into an embrace and kissed me. “Actually, I can tell a difference. I feel happier.”
I smiled. “Maybe you’ve found your happy place too.”
He kissed me again. “I think I have.”
Dixie came in the kitchen. “Sorry to break up this love fest, but the natives are hungry and getting restless.”
Red took the platter outside. I directed Dixie to get more wineglasses and the bottles of wine, and I took the salad outside.
Mississippi pot roast was one of my favorite easy meals, and everyone enjoyed it. When we finished eating, David’s phone rang, and I saw Madison’s picture pop up on the screen before he grabbed it and excused himself. He wasn’t gone long.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Madison to come over.”
“Of course, I don’t mind.” I smiled. “I’m surprised you didn’t invite her sooner.”
“She said she had to work. The TBI is understaffed, and she volunteered for overtime. She’s got some crazy idea about buying into a doggie day care business.” He glanced from Dixie to Monica Jill.
Dixie was momentarily shocked, and Monica Jill was looking everywhere except at David and Dixie. When she wasn’t able to avoid their gazes any longer, she said, “Okay, I might have mentioned something about the doggie day care being a great investment. And I may even have mentioned that I thought it would be a great business opportunity and that, if we all kicked in, we could go into this together.” She looked sheepishly at Dixie. “I might even have mentioned that maybe Dixie could hire her to work nights and weekends.”
Dixie’s eyes got wide as a half-dollar. “Dixie could hire her? How am I supposed to hire anyone? I just mentioned that I had thought about opening a doggie day care. I never said I was absolutely going to do it.”
Monica Jill’s shoulder’s slumped, and she looked up at Dixie with sad, puppy-dog eyes. “I know, but it was a really good idea.”
Dixie sighed. “It’s okay. It was . . . is a good idea. I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about it.”
Monica Jill sat up and clapped. “I knew it.” She whipped out her cell phone. After a few swipes, she found what she was looking for and held the phone out so we could see.