“Here, let me see that.” Jack peered into the bag and sniffed. “Tuna fish? Oh, Marilee!”
“I like tuna fish.”
“Why eat tuna when you can have chateaubriand? Follow me.”
“Jack, I don’t think—” Marilee paused just inside his office. Once again, an elaborate dinner for two had been set up. The man had obviously gone to a lot of trouble.
“Won’t you join me?” he asked, pulling out a chair for her.
Marilee was speechless. She finally found her tongue. “Jack, I appreciate all of this, but I don’t feel comfortable receiving special treatment. I’m worried the other employees will resent me.”
“Nonsense. Now, sit down. I can’t have my star singer eating tuna fish, for heaven’s sake.”
Marilee took the seat he offered. The smells coming from her plate were indeed tempting, despite her not having much of an appetite these days. Winnie claimed she was nothing but skin and bones. She looked up and found Jack watching her curiously.
“I’m due to begin my set in fifteen minutes,” she said.
He shrugged. “That’s the advantage of dining with the boss. You start when I say you start.” At her look of surprise, he went on, “I didn’t mean to sound harsh. Surely you know what your presence here has meant to me. I like you, Marilee. You’ve only been here a short time, but I trust you. I feel I can tell you anything. A friendship like that doesn’t come around often.”
She was touched by his honesty and gratitude. “Thank you. But this has been a two-way street, you know. You’ve listened to my problems as well.”
“That’s what friends are for. Are you sure you won’t have a small toast?” He held up a bottle of red wine.
“No, thank you.”
“Well, dig in, Marilee, before the food gets cold.”
Once she had eaten her fill, Marilee thanked him and excused herself, heading to the ladies’ room so she could wash up before taking her place at the piano. Gertie hurried in after her, nodded curtly, checked her hair and washed her hands, then left before Marilee got a chance to speak to her. She shook her head. If it had been a long day, the night was going to be even longer. She was thankful it was her early night.
Luckily, the evening passed quickly, but by the time Marilee clocked out at shortly after ten, she was dragging.
Winnie was already in bed when Marilee arrived home. She went about turning off the lights, when the phone suddenly rang. She answered before it could ring a second time. Irby spoke from the other end.
“Marilee, I’ve got a big problem and I need your help,” he blurted.
“Is it Debbie?” she asked.
“No, no. Debbie and the kids are fine. Something has come up. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
The next sound Marilee heard was a dial tone. She stood there for a moment, wondering what could possibly be wrong that Irby had to see her at that hour. After she made a cup of instant coffee, she sat and waited. Time passed and she paced the floor, then decided to wait for Irby on the front porch. Flipping on the porch light, it flickered once and died. Well, she didn’t have time to change the bulb right now. She hurried to the driveway when Irby pulled in.
“I need you to take a ride with me,” he said without preamble.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s an emergency, Marilee.” He frowned suddenly. “Why are you wearing that wig? And that sparkly dress?”
Marilee had forgotten how she was dressed. She blushed. “It’s a long story.” When Irby continued to stare, she went on impatiently. “I play the piano in a supper club in Pickford,” she said.
“In a nightclub?”
“Sort of. And if you so much as breathe a word of it, I’ll never speak to you again.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you say. Just get in the truck, okay? I’ll explain on the way.”
“Give me a second to lock up.” Marilee raced to the house, grabbed her purse and keys, debated whether to leave a note for Winnie, but decided against it. Hopefully she’d be right back. “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked, the minute she climbed into Irby’s truck.
“Tom Bramley suffered what appeared to be a heart attack tonight,” Irby said. “He passed away about an hour ago.”
“Mayor Bramley? Oh, I’m so sorry. He was a close friend, wasn’t he?” She wondered if that’s why he’d come by and insisted she take a ride with him, so he could talk. He and Debbie weren’t doing much of that lately.
Irby looked sad. “Yeah. Tom and I go way back.” He smiled fondly. “You know, he’s the one who dared me to eat that goldfish. Bet me his favorite fishing pole. Anyway, we’ve been best friends ever since. ‘Cept, now he’s dead, so I’m fresh out of best friends.”
“I’m sorry, Irby,” she repeated. “Is there anything I can do?”
“That’s why I came by. I need a big favor, Marilee. Can I trust you?”
“Of course.”
He swerved close to the yellow line in the road. “Irby, watch where you’re going!” she said. “Have you been drinking?”
“I had a couple of beers at the morticians’ banquet, but I’m okay.”
“Look, you shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car right now.”
“I’m fine, Marilee. Just upset.”
“You’re intoxicated.”
“Hell, Marilee, my best friend just died. What do you expect from me? Grab me a beer from the paper bag on the back floorboard, would you?”
Her mouth fell open. “I most certainly will not! Now, I suggest you turn this truck around and take me home. I’ll make you a sandwich and a cup of coffee, and we can talk.”
“Can’t do it, Marilee. We got a job to do.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tom was having an affair. I only found out a couple of weeks ago when we met for lunch. He promised to cut it off, but—” Irby paused, his expression forlorn. “Well, I guess he didn’t follow through.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he died in his girlfriend’s arms tonight. While they were, you know. Doing it.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Marilee asked.
“I can’t let his wife, Sheila, find out. She’s been seriously depressed for a couple of years now. She has some kind of chemical imbalance, and has been seeing a psychiatrist. Then, six months ago, Tom suffered his first heart attack. The woman is a mess, Marilee.”
“I’m sorry to hear it, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
He turned to her. “What I’m about to ask from you is…well, it’s against the law.”
Marilee blinked several times. “You mean I could be arrested?”
“If we got caught. But we’re not going to get caught.”
Marilee had lost her patience. “Irby, stop beating around the bush and tell me why I’m here.”
“I want you to help me get Tom’s body out of his girl-friend’s house.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MARILEE GAPED AT HIM. “Are you out of your mind!” A chill crept up her spine, like a big, ugly spider climbing up her backbone, its hairy feet touching each vertebra as it went. She shuddered. “You don’t mean—” She swallowed. “You’re not asking me to actually…to…touch…a…body?”
“I’ve got it all figured out, Marilee,” he said quickly. “We’ll put Tom in his car and drive him out toward his house, then leave the car on the side of the road so folks’ll think he had the heart attack on the way home. If we hurry, we can have it over and done with in an hour.” He waited. “Please say you’ll help.”
Marilee realized she was holding her breath. She released it, and a gush of hot air escaped her lungs. “No way, Irby. I absolutely refuse to go along with this insane plan of yours. Now, take me home this instant!”
“Marilee, please—”
“No!” she shouted. “This is not part of my job description, and I’m not going to risk jail time because your friend couldn’t keep his pants zipped.”
&nb
sp; “You’re not going to jail. If we get caught, I’ll take the rap.”
“You’ve lost it, Irby! You need to seek help. Tonight. Right now.”
“Then you give Tom’s wife the news, Marilee. Tell her the man she loved died in the process of nailing his mistress.”
“Don’t try to make me feel guilty, Irby Denton! I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Yes, but you know the pain and humiliation of having the whole town find out your husband is cheating on you like a dog with a younger woman.”
“LaFonda isn’t that much younger than me,” she cut in.
“Do you want Tom’s wife to have to live through the shame you’ve lived with? To have old women gossiping about her business over lemonade and tea cakes?”
“They are?” Marilee bristled at the thought.
“And have folks snickering behind her back that she wasn’t woman enough to please her husband or he wouldn’t have been out looking in the first place?”
Marilee felt her cheeks burn with indignation. “It’s always the wife’s fault, isn’t it? Well, maybe I was too much woman for Grady, has anyone considered that?”
“You, of all people, should sympathize with Tom’s wife, Marilee.”
“I don’t want to hear any more, Irby,” she said, on the verge of tears. “And I refuse to be a part of this crazy scheme. Just call that man who assists you on jobs like this.”
“He left earlier this evening to drive that traffic fatality up north.”
“Why didn’t Tom Bramley’s girlfriend call an ambulance, for heaven’s sake?” Marilee vaguely realized she was shouting.
“Tom told her to call me. Those were his last words, Marilee. He obviously knew he was about to die.” Irby paused. “He also knew I wouldn’t give him up.”
Marilee covered her face with her hands. “I can’t do this, Irby. It’s too much, and I’m already on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In fact, I think I’m having it right now.”
“I need you, Marilee,” he said.
“Irby—” A sob escaped her. She was trembling all over. “You don’t understand. I’m scared of dead people.”
Irby stared at her. “What?”
“It’s a terrible fear I have. A phobia. I just can’t touch a dead body.” There, she’d told him. Let the man fire her. She no longer cared. All she wanted to do was climb beneath the bedcovers and lie in a fetal position. Isn’t that what people did when they had a breakdown?
He looked incredulous. “But how can that be? Your husband was a minister. I would think you’ve seen your share of dead people.”
“Yes, but I’ve only touched one, and it frightened me so much I almost threw up in the church parking lot. Ask Clara Goolesby, she’ll tell you.” She shook her head as fresh tears overtook her. “I can’t do it. Go ahead and fire me if you like. I won’t need my job, anyway, once I’m committed.” Poor Josh would have to live with the knowledge his mother was insane. “Oh, Lord,” she cried. “My life is S-H-I-T.”
“You’re not having a breakdown, Marilee, and you can’t back out on me. I’ve got no one else.”
She was still crying when they pulled into a neat little subdivision and parked in front of a modest brick house. They sat there for a moment. Finally, Irby reached into the paper sack in the back seat. He opened a beer and handed it to her, then opened one for himself.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Drink it. Fast.”
“I don’t drink.”
He pushed the can to her lips. “You do now.”
Marilee had never touched alcohol in her life. But then, she’d never lost a husband and a son in one day, never been responsible for a young pregnant girl, never worked two jobs to make ends meet, never looked at a man like she did Sam Brewer and she was tired from having to do too many things she’d never done. “I can’t take any more, Irby.”
“Drink the beer, Marilee. It’ll calm your nerves.” As if to show her how to do it, Irby took a hefty swig of his.
Marilee looked at the can. What did it matter at this point? If they were going to drag her away in a straitjacket, she may as well be drunk. Her hands trembled as she put the can to her lips and sipped. She almost gagged. “This tastes like horse urine!”
“Drink it quickly—that way you won’t have time to taste it. It’ll stop you from shaking, Marilee.”
She took a huge gulp and shuddered.
Irby upended his can and sucked the beer down in a matter of seconds. He crumpled the can in his hand and belched loudly.
Marilee could barely raise the beer she held to her lips, due to her trembling, which had moved from her hands to the rest of her body. She held the can with both hands as she drained it, belching just as loudly as Irby when she finished. “I’m still shaking,” she said.
“You’re a wreck, Marilee. Probably take a couple of beers to calm you down.” He opened another one and handed it to her.
By the time they’d polished off the second beer, Marilee was feeling woozy. “I need to go home, Irby,” she said. “I have to pee.”
“Not just yet, Marilee,” he said, stifling a belch. “We’ve got to take care of business.”
She looked at him. “I’ve already told you I’m not doing it.”
He ignored her as he opened the door, climbed from the truck and came around to Marilee’s side. Her door was locked.
“Open the door, Marilee,” he said.
“I’m not going inside that house.”
Irby took the key from his pocket, unlocked the door and reached for her. She hiccuped and scooted away. He grabbed her wrist and tugged. “Stop acting like a sissy.”
“Let me go!” she cried.
He dragged her, kicking and screaming, from the truck. “Would you be quiet?” he said. “You want to wake the whole neighborhood?”
Marilee opened her mouth to scream, and he clamped a hand over it. She bit him.
“Ouch!” Irby jerked his hand away and looked stunned. “You bit me! How could you do that?”
“I’m not going in there!” she hissed. “You can’t make me.”
“Look at my hand, Marilee. You left teeth marks. How am I going to explain that to Debbie?”
The front door to the house swung open, and a petite brunette in a fuzzy pink bathrobe stepped out. “I thought you’d never get here,” she said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Marilee stopped struggling with Irby and looked at the woman. She’d obviously been crying a long time; her eyes were almost swollen shut. “He’s in the bedroom,” she told Irby.
“Let’s go, Marilee,” Irby said.
“I’m outta here.” Marilee turned in the opposite direction.
Irby grasped Marilee around the waist, lifted her slightly and tried to carry her through the front door, but she blocked their entrance, gripping the door frame with both hands. The brunette drew back, a horrified look on her face.
Irby smiled calmly at the woman. “This is my assistant,” he said evenly. “It’s her first body removal, and she’s a little nervous.”
“Let me go!” Marilee demanded. “I need to be hospitalized immediately.”
Irby managed to get her inside the house. “Which way?” he asked the woman.
“Down the hall. Last door on the left. I, uh, managed to dress him, like you told me to.”
“Thank you,” Irby said, pulling Marilee toward the hall.
Marilee grabbed an overstuffed chair, thinking it would surely hold, but it wasn’t as heavy as it looked. As Irby dragged her, she dragged the chair. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t make it through the doorway and finally she had to let go.
In the bedroom, Irby set her down and closed the bedroom door behind them, locking it securely. He was wet with sweat. “Okay, Marilee, I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Here’s the deal. You’re going to help me or I’m going to tell everybody in town you’re playing the piano in a beer joint.”
Her jaw dropped. She closed it, and her eyes became narrow slits. “You would
n’t dare.” She hiccuped again.
“Yes, I would.”
“And risk having me lose my son forever?” she accused, her fear suddenly overcome by anger. “That’s low, Irby. Real low.”
“Tom was the brother I never had, Marilee.”
Marilee gazed past him, trying to make out Tom Bramley’s body, but her vision was screwy because of the two beers she’d drunk. She inched closer. Tom lay on the bed, his hands folded across his chest. He looked as though he were merely asleep. Marilee waited for her heartbeat to resume normalcy. “I can’t believe you’d resort to blackmail.”
“I’m desperate.”
She looked at him. She was past the nervous breakdown stage. Now she felt catatonic. It’s going to be okay, she told herself. She would check in to an asylum first thing in the morning and ask for a lobotomy. Hopefully, it would erase all her memory. “I’m giving you my resignation now.”
“Let’s just get this over with.”
He wasn’t going to let her out of the bedroom, despite all her attempts to get out of doing what he’d asked. The only thing she had going for her was that she was half-drunk and feeling less fearful. Irby prodded her closer to the bed. “Wait!” she cried. “First, I have to practice touching him.”
“Oh, for crying out loud!”
Marilee took a deep breath, reached down and touched the mayor’s hand. The horror of it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She snatched her hand away, but it was too late. Marilee was suddenly overcome by a full-blown panic attack. She couldn’t breathe, and felt as if a black cloak enveloped her, just like that time in the parking lot with Clara. Gulping in air, faster and faster, her heart raced and she heard a loud buzzing sound. She must be dying, she thought. She turned for the door, ready to run.
A New Attitude Page 16