Tangled Up in Tinsel

by Tonya Kappes

  “My mom will kill me, but I know that you think she’s a suspect. Far from it.” He looked down at his feet and pushed around some dirt with the toe of his boot. “Truth is, my mom has Crohn’s and she’s not getting better. She only wanted what’s best for us. Since Manuel is the oldest, he took it upon himself not to go to college and work, so he can provide.”

  He bit back the emotions I could see swelling up inside of him.

  “Mom was mad and blamed Leighann for it. But in reality, it’s her sickness that kept him here,” his voice cracked.

  One after the other, little town secrets were coming to light. First, Sean Graves being an abuser and now Juanita Liberty’s illness. Now I wasn’t so sure she didn’t kill Leighann.

  “Where were you the night of Leighann’s murder?” I asked him.

  “At home. Mom had a little set back that day. I had to take care of the kids while Manuel went to meet Leighann at the dance. When he got home around eleven, he said I could go on out, but I was slap worn out. Mom had finally fallen asleep.” He shoved his hands in his pocket. “I’m no cop or nothing, but I know Leighann didn’t get along with Sean at all.”

  “Thanks. I might stop by and talk to your other brothers.” I gave him a little warning just in case I wanted to check out all the stories. “And another thing, your brother looks up to you and gun slinging is no way to teach him a lesson.”

  “That’s what my mom said. She was fit to be tied after Sean Graves called her. All the business about ‘we are better than them’ and all that.” He looked over at his mom. “She’s a good woman. She’s done the best she could with us unruly boys. Leighann was strong like Mom, but Mom was upset about Manuel’s decision and I think it was easier for her to blame Leighann and not herself. She didn’t want the world to know she was sick. Just her and Dr. Shively.”

  “If there’s anything you boys need, or even your mama, you can always call me.” I wanted him to know that I was there to help in any way.

  He simply nodded and walked away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “She’s got Crohn’s?” Finn hung the silver tinsel around the back side of the tree and I took it from him to carry it around to the front, then back again. “That doesn’t make her innocent.”

  “I think that if she’s in pain and in bed like Jonathon said, then she couldn’t physically have taken all the steps and moved Leighann around like a rag doll.”

  “I bet deep down she knew that Manuel stayed because of her.” Finn made a good point.

  We did the tinsel wrap around the small tree until there was none left.

  “Why didn’t Leighann tell her parents that’s why he stayed?” I asked.

  “True. Maybe they’d been more sympathetic to the situation.” Finn shrugged.

  “I also talked to Rachel Palmer, Leighann’s best friend. She claimed she had a curfew and was at home that night, but I’d talked to her mom before I talked to her. She too confirmed Rachel was home.”

  “What was their deal the other night?” He asked and walked out from behind the tree.

  “It seemed all like immature teenage angst junk that just escalated. Rachel and Leighann were best friends. When Leighann and Manuel started dating, it appeared the friendship started to go south. Leighann stopped hanging around her friends.” I opened the ornament box and started to hang the ornaments on the tree. “Then Leighann had skipped out on them going away to college together and even rooming together. Rachel still harbors bad feelings of betrayal.”

  “Oh no.” Finn bent down and looked over the ornaments. “Are you and your friends hanging out less because of us?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” I pushed him on the ground and snuggled up to him while we looked at all the colored lights we’d put on the tree first.

  Duke bounced around us. He gave a few woofs thinking we were playing with him when I was trying to break the sudden mood from happily putting up a Christmas tree to talking about the murder.

  “My Poppa used to put his tree in this same spot.” I rested on my elbow and hip. “He would love it. All these colored lights.”

  “It’s beautiful, just like you.” Finn reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “You aren’t even looking at the tree,” I said.

  “I’m looking at you. Tell me something else about your Christmas past.” His encouraging me only opened up the flood gates.

  “Well, when I as a little girl and we did get all this snow every year, he would get a real sled and some of his friends’ horses to pull us in sleigh rides.” The memories were so vivid in my head, just like it was yesterday. “He’d have hot chocolate on the sled and warm quilt blankets. He’d have them take us down to the courthouse lawn where they had the big Christmas tree. This was way before the fairgrounds had the tree lighting event.”

  “That was one time only?” Finn asked and snuggled up close behind me, resting his chin in-between my ear and shoulder.

  “It was a couple of times but then the weather started to get warmer and warmer, so we would just drive down to the tree lighting.” I tried to swallow the big lump in my throat because talking about it made me realize that this was the first year that I’d not been here when they did light up the tree. “Just like this year with me going with you. Things change.”

  “Are you trying to convince me that you’re not going to miss out on the tradition or convince yourself that it’s going to be okay?” He asked. “Because if you aren’t okay with it, I don’t mind going to Chicago by myself. You can meet my parents anytime.”

  “No.” I jiggled my body around to face him. “Don’t be ridiculous. This just can’t be a take and no give relationship.” Though I suddenly wanted to burst into tears. I had to get up and stop talking about it. “And if I don’t want my friends to dump me, then I’ve got to get to Euchre.”

  “I’ll clean up here, feed Duke and head on home.” He reached up and extended his hand for me to help him up, only his real ploy was to tug me down into his arms for some more snuggles before I really had to go.

  This week’s Euchre night was at Tibbie Bells’s house. We had decided she had the best house out of all of us and she didn’t have a boyfriend, children or pets to worry with.

  Tibbie lived right off Main Street on what we referred to as the Town Branch. There was a small water brook, or branch, that ran the length of the street. Every house had a small concrete bridge that gapped the street to the driveway. The houses were old like most of the houses in Cottonwood and so were the bridges. Most of the time the small creek was dried up and not much water flowed these days, but it was still some history and part of my childhood that made Cottonwood the cozy, Southern town all of us loved.

  The room on the left was where Tibbie had all the tables for the Sweet Adelines to put their food. I’d like to say it was the best part of the night, but it wasn’t. The best part was the hissy fits and fights that the Euchre tournament brought out in everyone. This was especially good since there’d be a lot of talk about Leighann’s death. This was when Poppa always told me to keep my ear to the ground because somewhere in all that gossip there was some truth.

  Still, I grabbed a plate at the end of one table and perused all the finger foods that I’d call my supper.

  “Good gracious, didn’t I see you in that outfit today?” Betty asked as she slid up to the right side of me.

  “What was all this nonsense I heard down at the jewelry store that you were using Sterling as a deputy?” Viola White eyeballed me as she came up on the left of me. “Now, I might be old and halfway senile, but I do know that my good earned tax dollars do not pay for Sterling.”

  “You got two things right,” Mama said and snuck up behind me. “You are old and senile.”

  “Oh shut up, Viv. You ain’t too far behind and with zero grandchildren I might add.” Viola’s eye drew up and down me. “If yo
u don’t get that baby factory kicked in gear, you’ll have to shut down production.”

  “My production is just fine, thank you. Ain’t that right, Camille?” I asked Camille Shively, the only doctor in Cottonwood when she walked into the room.

  “I’m pleading the fifth. I knew not to come tonight. Nothing ever goes well at these events.” Camille picked up a meatball and popped it into her mouth. “Mmmm, good.”

  “It’s a shame about that Graves girl.” Myrna Savage walked in with a big container of poinsettias. “That’s for you, honey. Merry Christmas,” she said to Tibbie and handed them to her.

  “Why thank you. They are lovely.” Tibbie took a few cheery steps across the room and replaced the Dixon Foodtown flowers with the poinsettias, though I didn’t know why she just didn’t put them somewhere else since Myrna Savage also supplied the grocer with fresh flowers from her greenhouse.

  “Anyways, about that Graves girl.” Myrna sashayed though the crowd of beady little eyes that suddenly focused on me. “You know anything yet?”

  “Now, now, Myrna,” I wagged a finger. “You know I can’t give out any official details.”

  I moved on down the line and filled my plate with Christmas bark, fancy holiday cookies and a couple of slices of pie, skipping the hanky-panky and any sort of meat dish that might be healthier than the sweet treats I’d opted for.

  “The Christmas Cantata turned out nice.” I saddled up to Tibbie in the other room where she was finishing setting up the four-person-each card tables where we’d start our Euchre games. “You did another fine job.”

  “Thanks.” Her hazel eyes had a twinkle in them. “I really enjoy my job,” she said and referred to her event planning occupation. Her long brown hair was normally parted down the middle, but tonight she wore it in a deep side part and fishtail braid down the side of her head. “Are you all ready for your big trip?”

  “I am. That doesn’t mean I won’t miss y’all.” I reached over and squeezed her arm.

  I had to throw it in there since I was going to miss our annual movie night that Jolee had already scolded me for, but I certainly didn’t want me and my friends to end up like Leighann and Rachel. Though I’d hoped we were much wiser since we were older.

  “This is exciting though.” Her shoulders rose up with excitement. “You’re going to go to Chicago for the first time and it’s going to be so romantic. What if the snowstorm hits there instead and when you wake up on Christmas, it’ll be a white one just like the movie.”

  “If it is, I sure don’t see Finn singing ‘Snow’.” I laughed.

  “You could sing ‘White Christmas’.” She laughed. “But knowing Finn, I don’t think so.”

  “Are you going to Leighann’s memorial tomorrow afternoon?” Tibbie asked.

  “Tomorrow?” I halted with shock.

  Neither myself nor Max had cleared Leighann’s body to be handed over to the family.

  “By the way you are acting, I’d take it as a no.” She peered at me. “You seem a little shocked.”

  “I’d not heard about it and since I’ve not cleared her body to the family, it’s a bit shocking.” I wondered what’d transpired.

  “It’s a memorial. They said they weren’t having a body. The church phone line is abuzz with food for it.” Tibbie nodded. “I have no idea how I got in charge of the phone line, but now I wished I’d turned it down. But you know if I’d done that, my mom would’ve died of embarrassment.” She nudged me. “You know we good Southern daughters always make our mamas proud.” She winked.

  The phone line was technically a gossip hot line. In between there was some sort of organization on who was bringing what to a funeral or memorial or even the birth of a baby.

  “They are going to bury her in a private funeral later.” Tibbie’s brow rose as her chin lifted up and then down.

  “Very interesting,” I muttered and walked into the other room to join the other card players.

  The room had started to fill with the girls and they were already taking their seats with their partners. Jolee and I had to play Mama and Viola White, which was going to be interesting to say the least since they had this little competition thing going with Snow Queen. Sometimes it drove me nuts how competitive Mama really was.

  Camille Shively had walked into the room and while Tibbie continued to set multiple card decks down along with pens and paper, I took the moment to see exactly what the good doctor knew.

  “Kenni, you know that I can’t tell you what’s in a patient’s file.” She always used the client privilege law on me.

  “I just want to know how long Sean Graves has been on Ambien. And what stage of Crohn’s disease Juanita Liberty is in. That’s all. Don’t make me go to a judge and get a subpoena when you can just tell me.” It was a little dance she and I did that made things so interesting between us.

  It wasn’t like Camille and I were best friends or even good friends when we were growing up. She was the young pretty girl with beautiful black hair that only movie stars could afford, only hers was real and not from a bottle down at Tiny Tina’s. She had the perfect skin and black eyes. She was like a real-life Snow White.

  She was real smart too. She’d decided to become a doctor and move back to Cottonwood because our doctor at the time was knocking on death’s door and she knew eventually she’d have the market, kinda like Max Bogus in the death industry.

  “Why don’t you stop by my office tomorrow and bring me the filled-out paper work that you’d submit to the judge. It’s a lot more private there.” She twisted her head around. “Everyone will suddenly know everything if we talk here.”

  “I’ll be by around lunch,” I told her because I had to go talk to Angela Durst, the Graves’ secretary.

  The games got underway and Mama was the dealer.

  “Cut the cards?” She asked, holding the deck out. I knocked on it to pass. The knocking was an enduring Euchre term.

  “I’m not cutting my luck. I need all the luck I can get,” I said.

  “Speaking of luck, how unlucky was it that poor Leighann got luck of the draw with Sean?” Viola snarled over the cards. “I’d like to beat that man.”

  “You and the rest of Cottonwood,” Mama nodded and dealt two cards to everyone and then three to finish out, so we could start the hand. “I remember when they signed the adoption papers.”

  “Adoption papers?” My head jerked up.

  “Don’t you know?” Mama asked and all of us passed on the trump card she’d flipped over on the throwaway deck. All of us passed again before she called hearts as trump. “I’ll go it alone,” she proclaimed and shoved the throwaway deck over to Viola.

  “I hope you play this hand better than you’re playing your cards at the pageant,” Viola whispered under her voice. “But I trust my partner.”

  Mama eyed Viola before she slid her gaze to the cards fanned in her hands. She led with the Jack of Hearts as she drew out the hearts in mine and Jolee’s hands.

  “I don’t know what, Mama? Concentrate,” I encouraged her.

  “I am concentrating,” she snipped back.

  “I mean on the story.” My last nerve was tickling my anger that I felt welling up in me. “Don’t I know what?” I asked again.

  “Leighann isn’t Sean’s daughter. He adopted her when he and Jilly got married. She was just a tiny tot and cute as a button,” Mama dragged off topic.

  Jolee and I threw our cards in the middle when we realized that Mama was going to take every card trick with her hearts and win four points.

  “You’re telling me that Sean Graves isn’t Leighann Graves biological father?” I sat there dumbfounded.

  “That’s probably why he felt like it was okay to be mean to the girl,” Viola said with a stern-faced expression.

  I didn’t know how I made it through the rest of the Euchre tournament. We’d even turne
d out the nightly winner. With this new information that’d come to light about Leighann being adopted, it put the desperate father, Sean Graves, in a completely different light.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How did you not know about this and live here all your life?” Finn asked over a cup of steaming coffee as both of us stared across the diner table at each other the next morning.

  “I was a kid myself when this happened.” I really had tried to think back to when I was a kid to remember. “I would’ve been around twelve years old when that happened. I was riding around with Poppa and playing records, not wondering what was going on with people I went to church with. It wasn’t like they just showed up in Cottonwood one day. They both lived here.”

  “Who is the dad?” Finn asked.

  “I have no idea. I even asked around at Euchre and Mama said that was one of the biggest mysteries in Cottonwood.” I held the cup of coffee up to my lips and took a sip. “Now that I think back in the investigation since her death, he’s never called Leighann his daughter.”

  “What about before she was killed and all those times he’d called about Manuel?” He eased back and let Ben put a biscuits and gravy plate down in front of him and one in front of me.

  “Are you talking about the Graves?” Ben sat down in the empty seat next to me. “I was going to tell you that something strange happened the week before Leighann died.”

  “What?” I asked. Then I put my hand up. “Is this on record?”

  “Sure.” He nodded.

  “What happened?” I asked and pinched off a piece of my biscuit, giving it to Duke.

  “That local slimeball lawyer, Wally Lamb, was in here with Jilly Graves. They were sitting right over there in that corner table away from everyone.” He pointed to the far corner opposite us next to the kitchen. “I offered them a table up front since the kitchen can be loud.”

  “They didn’t want anyone to hear them.” Poppa ghosted in the seat next to Finn. My lashes lowered, and I glared at him. “Oh, ding, ding.” He winked.