Southern Sass and Killer Cravings

by Kate Young

  Felton had just put something in a little plastic bag. I tried to lean around and see, but the detective moved to block my view.

  “I’d advise you to answer my question.”

  “I have been answering your questions,” I huffed. “She told me how absurd she found the notion that my sister was guilty. She said Rainey Lane agreed with her.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “They talk. Rainey Lane is . . . was her best friend.” I wiped off the condensation from the bottle with my fingers. “Then she told me Tally Waters was meeting Carl some nights. She heard his car pull up at around two in the morning and then he brought her back around four.” I didn’t say anything about her raging jealousy. “She was upset.”

  “Why?”

  “It seemed to bother her that Carl was seeing Tally.” I didn’t have proof that Judy and Carl were having an affair. And I wouldn’t speak ill of the dead.

  “How would she know they were meeting?”

  “Her bedroom window is there.” I pointed to the large window at the front of the inn. “The lights woke her, I guess.”

  “Why were they meeting?”

  “She thought they were having an affair.”

  “Why is that?”

  The tediousness of the questioning agitated me. “What else could they be doing in the middle of the night, Detective?” My tone became shrill. “I’m sorry.” Recollection of the horrific sight caused the tears to freely flow. “This is just a little too much to cope with.”

  Eddie abruptly intervened. “Detective Thornton, I’m taking my daughter home now. She’s had a shock. You can speak to her again tomorrow if you feel it necessary. Although, we both know it won’t be.”

  The two men stood less than a foot from each other, locking horns in a battle of wills.

  In the end, the detective relented, his boots crunching hard against the gravel as he retreated.

  I learned two things on the ride home. One, Eddie’s struggle with emotional ties to me and the critical detecting his job required drained him. Two, he hated that I kept witnessing violent crime scenes. He desperately wanted to protect his only daughter from the gruesome side of his job.

  The warmth of the mug in my hands was my only comfort as I stared from the couch toward Eddie. He’d been debating how to approach me. I could tell from the way he kept furrowing his brow.

  He finally blurted, “What’s going on with you and that reporter?”

  “Nothing.”

  His tone upset me.

  His lids nearly closed to slits. “He was sitting mighty close to you and holding your hand when I first arrived.”

  “I was distraught. He was just being nice.”

  Eddie sat on the couch next to me. Apparently, he wasn’t moving until he got answers. “I don’t want to upset you further, pumpkin, but I need to know what’s going on here.”

  He probably already knew about the issue Calhoun had with the detective.

  “He has a beef with the detective. He believes his brother was falsely charged and was on the path to proving it when his brother was murdered in prison. He also believes the detective is crooked.” I sighed. “He has no motive that I can see.”

  “Other than to complicate life for the detective.”

  There was that. “I can think of a hundred other ways to hurt the detective. Killing Judy isn’t one of them.” I sniffed.

  “I can’t see that either.” Eddie almost sounded regretful. “But stranger things have happened.”

  “If he wants to hurt Detective Thornton, getting arrested for murder isn’t going to fit that bill.”

  “Most murderers don’t have plans to get caught. But you’re right. There are more effective ways of inflicting pain. That doesn’t mean you can trust him.” Eddie also appeared relieved that I had confided in him.

  My mind went back to the whole reason I’d gone to my sister’s in the first place. “Obviously I can’t trust you either. You didn’t tell me about Jena Lynn spending a week in the hospital!” My heart ached with the rawness of the wounds I carried deep within.

  Eddie shoved both his hands through his hair, his face weary. “She made me promise not to. She didn’t want you to worry. I thought it was in your best interest not to know.”

  “Like not telling me you were my father was in my best interest?”

  He blew out a breath. “How many times do I need to apologize for that mistake?”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I need to let that one go. But this situation was completely different. She’s my sister!”

  “No one knew but Zach and me.”

  “And Alex!”

  “Alex was told weeks later, after the diner reopened. He overhead my conversation with Zach when he came by my office. I certainly didn’t go into specifics. It was a rough time for your sister, but, in the end, it was her decision. I had to respect that.” He sounded agitated.

  “I’m tired.” I was done with this conversation.

  He stood. “I’ll go.”

  We were both irritated.

  “It’s been a long day. I have an island in turmoil. I don’t need you on my case about something I have apologized for profusely or for keeping confidences.”

  As the door closed, I rolled onto my side and cried myself to sleep.

  Chapter 21

  My brother was there when I woke. He was in the kitchen, wearing one of my aprons over his jeans and a Metallica T-shirt, frying diner-style hamburgers as I stumbled in.

  “What time is it?”

  “Eight thirty. The sun is about to go down. Have a seat. These are almost ready.”

  There was a pack of buns on the table, along with ketchup and mustard, cheese, and two bags of chips. And a pitcher of iced tea. “Betsy called about a dozen times.”

  “I didn’t hear the phone.”

  He plated the burgers and brought them over to the table. “I took your phone. I thought you needed to sleep.” He pulled my cell from his pocket and slid it on the table next to me. I had fifteen missed calls. Two from Alex, one from Jena Lynn, two from Yvonne, and the rest from Betsy.

  Sam made me a plate and put it in front of me.

  “Thank you.” I gazed into his eyes.

  “It was pretty awful, huh?”

  “Yeah, it was.” I poured myself some tea.

  He sat down and filled his plate with two bacon cheeseburgers and a mound of chips. “She left a note,” Sam said around a giant bite of burger.

  “She did?” That had to be what Felton had in that little bag.

  “Felton told me.”

  He better be careful telling Sam police business.

  “The good news is the note exonerates Jena Lynn.”

  “What?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

  “She wrote something like, she was the one responsible for old man Ledbetter’s murder. She switched out the sugar.”

  “Why would Judy do that?” That made no sense whatsoever.

  “She was in love with Carl. Obsessed. When he wouldn’t have anything to do with her, she lashed out. She wanted to hurt him. I don’t think she thought about what might happen to the diner or Jena Lynn.”

  “She put all that in the note?”

  “That’s what Felton said. That and ‘I’m sorry’ to Jena Lynn. The guilt ate her up, I guess.” Sam polished off his burger, while I tried to process all of this.

  Judy had been upset about Tally and Carl, but I didn’t think anyone saw her around the diner that day.

  “Are they sure she wrote the letter?” I asked and Sam stopped mid-chew.

  “They have ways of validating that. This is a good thing, Marygene. Judy was always an odd bird. I know it must have been terrible finding her. But at least she did the right thing by confessing before she checked out. The case against Jena Lynn will be dropped, and we can all finally get back to work. Which is a good thing, ’cause I’m about slap broke.” Sam refilled his tea glass. “You should really try and eat.”

  Not wanting to seem like an ingrate, I dutifully picked
up the burger and took a small bite. How long would it be before the charges were dropped? Would Detective Thornton buy this unfathomable coincidence? A letter admitting to the crime was mighty convenient. Plus, I just didn’t see Judy killing Joseph Ledbetter. If she was so enraged, wouldn’t that be a crime of passion? And that crime would have been enacted on Carl, not his dad.

  “Are you listening to me?” Sam interrupted my thoughts.

  “Sorry. What were you saying?” I focused on my brother’s face.

  “I was saying that now all we have to do is concentrate on getting those investors off our island.”

  I put the chip that I held between my fingers back on the plate. “That reminds me.” I wiped my hands on the paper napkin. “You and that Tally Waters?”

  He avoided eye contact. “It was dumb.”

  “She thought you had a stake in The Peach, right? That you could convince Jena Lynn to sell?”

  He gave a quick nod of admission.

  “You weren’t using your head, or not the right one, anyway.”

  “I know.” He got up and went to the fridge. He popped his head inside. “You don’t have any beer.” He grunted before closing the door.

  “She’s kind of scary looking, if you ask me. Plus, she threatened Jena Lynn.”

  “I thought she had an exotic look. She’s not so bad.” He leaned against the counter. “I think she was just trying to stand her ground with Jena Lynn. Show-no-fear kind of thing.”

  “I don’t trust her. Judy told me she was seeing Carl.”

  Sam whistled. “Rainey Lane is going to be pissed.” He glanced at his watch. “You all right here on your own? I mean, I’ll stay if you want me to. Sleep on the couch or in your old room.”

  I stood and began clearing the table. “No. You go on. I appreciate you coming by and checking on me.” I was sure Eddie put him up to it.

  Sam deserved thanks anyway.

  He took off the apron and gave me a swift kiss on the cheek. “Call if you need anything.”

  After Sam left, I added Judy to the evidence board and referenced the suicide. I also erased Ms. Brooks. Then I returned Betsy’s call. According to her, news had spread all over the island about Judy’s suicide. The note had as well. I bet the detective was bursting a blood vessel. He already hated small towns. If it got back to the department that Felton had been running his mouth, Eddie might take his badge.

  “Seriously, though,” Betsy went on, “this might be just the bad publicity the investors need to clear out. Who’s going to vacation on an island that had a murder and suicide so close together? Hey, maybe we should leak about ghosts lurking too. You get your mama to destroy some houses. Oh, we could make a list of our enemies. Scare the crap out of them in the process.” She laughed. “That would be so fun!”

  Only Betsy would say something like that.

  “Bets, I’m not so sure Judy killed herself.” I’d been mulling this over in my head since Eddie left. “And I certainly don’t believe she killed Mr. Ledbetter.”

  “Why?” That’s what I loved about Betsy. She never judged me. Never shouted what a nut I was for questioning the status quo.

  “Well, for one thing, her fingernails were broken. When I saw her at Jena Lynn’s, she had a beautiful manicure. But when I saw her in the—” I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “Her index fingernail and pinky nail were jagged.”

  “You think someone killed her and made it look like a suicide? Maybe the same killer that took out Ledbetter? She was a snooper and ran her mouth a lot.” Betsy went silent for a minute. “You shouldn’t say anything about her nails.”

  “Because that would be bad for Jena Lynn.” I finished her thought. “But surely they will take note of the state of the nails in the autopsy report. That should give them pause in ruling the death a suicide.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” I hated to think the killer was still out there. That none of us were safe.

  We both settled into a worried silence. It appeared neither of us could come up with what to say next.

  “I’ll call you in the morning,” I said.

  “Okay, bye.”

  After my shower, the creaking of the old porch swing chains comforted me. The insects were loud tonight, but the breeze was nice. Sleep had eluded me and my mind was overloaded. How did Calhoun handle his questioning? I glanced at my phone. Did he come to the same conclusion I had? Would he leave the island if the case was closed? Surely, he would. His vendetta was against Detective Thornton. Understandably so. The detective would be assigned to another case, and Calhoun would probably follow. He definitely wasn’t the one I should be discussing my theories with. Still, I debated calling him.

  It was late. Too late. I called Alex instead.

  He answered on the second ring. “What’s wrong?” Alex sounded both alarmed and groggy.

  “Oh, you were asleep. I’ll let you go.”

  “No.” There was a rustling of bedsheets. Was he alone? I regretted the call now. “It’s okay. How are you?”

  I let out an exaggerated sigh. “I can’t even bake.”

  “That bad?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Not to sound mean or anything, but you and Judy didn’t exactly get along so well.”

  “She was still my second cousin. There was so much blood. Gruesome is what it was.” I’d nearly shrieked when I uttered the last word.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound callous. I know it was traumatic for you.”

  We settled into an awkward silence.

  Then I asked, “Who interviewed Calhoun?”

  “Detective Thornton.” Silence. “You got a thing for that guy?” He sounded jealous.

  “No.”

  “You sure were cozied up next to him.”

  “I was upset. Is it being ruled a suicide?” I was met with more silence. “Still under investigation then, huh? It’s all over the island. Betsy called and knew about everything except the note. That I got from Sam.”

  “Detective Thornton is pissed about it too.” Confirmation. “I heard him and Eddie going at each other in Eddie’s office. I’ll be so glad when this case is closed and things get back to normal.”

  “Me too. Detective Thornton said something to me the other day that I haven’t been able to get out of my head.”

  “What was it?” He sounded interested.

  “He seemed to believe that not everyone in the department thought Jena Lynn was innocent.”

  “He was probably just antagonizing you. It’s a tactic to see what you’ll divulge when you’re angry. People get careless when they’re riled.”

  I supposed that was true. “Sorry I woke you. Night.”

  “Night. I’m glad I’m the one you called.”

  Chapter 22

  The charges against my sister were dismissed. The lawyer Eddie had hired was on the ball, filing a motion with the court. The new evidence was sufficient for the judge to rule. The state could still pursue the case; however, they would need new evidence to present. Jena Lynn’s lawyer said he wasn’t concerned. A huge relief for all of us, especially for my sister.

  The detective had been waiting for me outside the diner last week with an unpleasant gleam in his eye. “Something is off about you,” he’d said when I asked what I could do for him. “I can’t put my finger on it.” The way he’d studied me as if I was some exotic caged animal had made my skin crawl.

  I’d scrounged up all the bravado within me. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Isn’t that what they say?” I’d left him to chew on that.

  He’d called after me, “You haven’t seen the last of me, Ms. Brown.”

  I didn’t even acknowledge it. Dissatisfied with my reaction, he’d peeled away from the curb.

  The diner was scheduled to open again early next week. We needed time to place our orders with vendors. Almost everything that the forensic team didn’t take had to be thrown out. It would be good for people to see us cleaning house, so to speak.

  Cha
rlie’s son, Levi, applied for the new janitorial position. Jena Lynn hired him on the spot, despite my reservations.

  “You sure that’s such a good idea?” I asked after he left.

  Jena Lynn continued wiping down the long counter. “Why would I penalize Levi because his dad died of a heart attack at an inopportune time?” She sighed. “Listen. I just want to put this whole ordeal behind me. The Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department made a formal statement to the local paper citing my innocence. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  They hadn’t exactly cited her innocence. Eddie had simply stated the charges were dropped. Then he followed with how devastated the community was by the loss of a lifelong resident, who had tragically taken her own life, he added.

  I hadn’t mentioned the nails. It wasn’t that Judy didn’t deserve justice. She could have broken them some other way than a struggle for her life.

  “Okay. We’ll leave it at that,” I said.

  Jena Lynn smiled and dropped the rag into the bucket of bleach solution. “I saw you and Alex coming out of the movies the other night.”

  I smiled. “We’re just friends. You know, hanging out.”

  “Whatever you say. Hey, I’ve got a doctor’s appointment.” She glanced over at all the menus that needed washing and sugar packets that needed to be unboxed.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Just a checkup with Doc Tatum.” Guess she was still on the meds.

  “You go on. I can finish up here.”

  “You sure?” She began untying her apron.

  “Of course. I can refill all the salt and pepper shakers and unbox the condiments too.” We usually married all the condiments at the end of the night. Since we were starting over, we’d need to stock the shelves under the counter with what we’d need for the week. The rest of them would remain in cases back in the stockroom.

  “Thanks. We’ll need to be back in on Friday to receive the shipments and then again on Sunday to start making dough. Other than that,” she glanced around the lit diner, “we’re ready.” She smiled and waved bye on her way out the front door. “Oh, one more thing,” she paused. “I couldn’t get ahold of Heather about her work schedule. I left messages, leaving your cell number as a backup if she couldn’t get me.”