Jack said, “Thank you, ma’am. The last thing we want to do is cause you any distress. But we think you may be able to help us get to the truth more quickly by sharing anything you know.”
“Then I’ll help you. I regret that I wasn’t helpful the first time you came to me.”
“We understand,” Wanda Nell said. Mrs. Culpepper nodded.
“T.J., would you pour me some water?” Mrs. Culpepper asked, picking up a glass from the table beside her chair.
Wanda Nell could feel Jack’s tension while they waited for T.J. to refill his grandmother’s glass. Mrs. Culpepper would tell them what she knew in her own time, and they couldn’t do anything to hurry her along, no matter how anxious they were to hear what she had to say.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Culpepper said. T.J. took her left hand in his and squeezed it gently. She smiled at him. “I know, I should just get on with it.” She sipped at her water when T.J. let go of her hand. She held the glass for a moment longer before setting it down on the table.
“My late husband,” she began, “was not the most ethical of men, though it pains me deeply to have to say that. He learned that from his own father, and sadly, he passed it down to his only son. I’m grateful that it ended there.” She smiled at T.J.
Wanda Nell was deeply touched. She could imagine what this was costing the old lady, and she had renewed respect for her former mother-in-law.
“Thaddeus wasn’t above accepting money to look the other way now and again,” Mrs. Culpepper continued. “He had some expensive habits”—her face twisted in a moue of distaste—“and the less said about those, the better. He earned a good living, of course, but he always wanted more.”
She paused for a drink of water. “He had his cronies in town, and he always did what he could to help them. They were, you understand, some of the richest men in Tullahoma. Thaddeus didn’t waste much time on men without money, unless they had some other kind of influence.
“One morning thirty-one years ago, Thaddeus got a phone call before he left for his office, and I overheard his part of the conversation. This was before I heard about a body being found at the high school, and it was only later that I connected the phone call with that girl’s death.” She paused for a moment. “Thaddeus tried to shield me from as much of his sorry doings as he could, but he didn’t know that I was in the hallway outside his study when the phone rang that day. You’d be surprised what I learned over the years, just standing in that hall.”
The bleak note in Mrs. Culpepper’s voice cut Wanda Nell to the heart. She hadn’t cared much for her father-in-law while he was alive, and she had even less respect for him now. She hated what he had done to his wife and son.
After another drink of water, Mrs. Culpepper continued. “I’m not sure who it was on the phone that morning, because I never heard Thaddeus call him by name. But from what happened later, I knew it had to be one of two men.”
“Can you be certain of that?” Jack asked in a quiet tone. “How could you narrow it down to just two men?”
“The sheriff came to our house that evening. It was very late, and Thaddeus thought I was safely in bed, as he often did,” Mrs. Culpepper said, a rebellious gleam in her eye. “But I heard someone come in, oh, it must have been almost midnight. I was curious, so I tiptoed down the stairs. Bobby Ray was sound asleep, didn’t hear a thing.
“When I got downstairs, I saw Thaddeus hadn’t closed the door properly. I got as close as I could and listened. He was telling the sheriff just what he had to do. The sheriff was even worse than Thaddeus. He was one of the crookedest men I ever heard tell of.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” Wanda Nell said when Mrs. Culpepper fell silent.
“His own family despised him,” Mrs. Culpepper continued. “And they had a right to. I heard Thaddeus instruct the sheriff about interrogating some poor young man. Thaddeus said he was from a no-account family, and there wouldn’t be any problem with them.”
For the sake of Roscoe Bates and his family, Wanda Nell wished heartily that the old judge was roasting in hell where he belonged, right that very minute. How could he have done something like that to a poor family? Any family?
“You see why it shames me to tell you all this.” Mrs. Culpepper looked right at Wanda Nell. It was almost as if she had been reading Wanda Nell’s mind.
“I understand,” Wanda Nell said. “I can only imagine how hard this all was for you.”
“I was powerless. I knew if I spoke out against any of this, Thaddeus would beat me within an inch of my life.”
At Wanda Nell’s horrified protest and the men’s expressions of outrage, Mrs. Culpepper smiled sadly. “He didn’t do it very often, only when he thought I needed to learn a lesson. By the time this happened, he had me pretty well cowed. I didn’t dare tell anybody.” She shrugged. “Even if I had, who would have believed me? Not in those days, anyway.”
Wanda Nell had no idea what to say, and apparently neither did T.J. or Jack. Mrs. Culpepper finally spoke again. “I’m not telling you this because I want your sympathy. I just want you to understand why I acted as I did.”
“We understand, Grandmama,” T.J. said, his voice rough. “I’m sorry we’re putting you through this. Are you going to be okay?”
Mrs. Culpepper nodded. “Surprisingly, I think I am. Talking about it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I can say anything about the bastard I want to, and nobody’s going to stop me.” She paused for a moment. “I suppose the truth will set me free—at least a little.”
The others waited for her to speak again. There was very little they could offer in the way of comfort at the moment.
“The sheriff asked Thaddeus who had put him up to this, but Thaddeus wouldn’t say. He just promised the sheriff that he’d be well rewarded, and he mentioned a figure that shocked me. Twenty thousand dollars.” She shook her head. “Thirty-one years ago that was such a lot of money. And if Thaddeus was willing to give the sheriff that much to cooperate, then Thaddeus had to be getting at least three times that much for his part in it.”
“That was a lot of money.” Jack shook his head in wonder. “Whoever was willing to pay it had to have pretty deep pockets.”
“Exactly,” Mrs. Culpepper said. “Thirty-one years ago, there were only two men in Tullahoma who had that kind of money: Atwell Connor and Jackson Dewberry.”
Wanda Nell vaguely recognized both of the names, but neither one meant much to her husband or her son. She waited for Mrs. Culpepper to explain.
“Both their families had money from way back, a lot of it from plantations in the Delta, and a lot more of it from real estate all over the South.”
“Are they both still alive?” Jack asked.
“No. Connor died some years ago, but Dewberry is still alive, as far as I know. Last I heard, he was living in the nursing home here. He has his own apartment there. His family paid a lot of money for it. As soon as he started failing, they got him out of the house and into the nursing home.”
“Doesn’t sound like a very nice family,” Wanda Nell said.
“It isn’t,” Mrs. Culpepper replied. “Atwell’s family isn’t much better, and that’s the Lord’s honest truth.” She shook her head. “I’ve never known a family yet, with that kind of money, where any one of them was happy.” Her mouth twisted in what seemed to Wanda Nell an expression of self-mockery. “Thaddeus left me a very wealthy woman when he died, thanks to his greedy, grasping ways. The happiest day of my marriage was when I buried him.” She looked at her grandson. “I’m sorry if that shocks you, T.J. I never thought I’d talk that way about him, but I can’t go on pretending any longer. Can you understand?”
“Of course, Grandmama.” From the strained sound of his voice, Wanda Nell knew T.J. was having a hard time controlling his emotions. She knew exactly how he felt.
“Don’t shed any tears over me, any of you,” Mrs. Culpepper said, her tone suddenly fierce. “I won’t have it. Save them for someone who needs them more.” She l
eaned forward in her chair. “I think I’d like to rest now. T.J., would you help me upstairs?”
T.J. sprang to his feet, reaching her in three strides of his long legs. He slipped one arm around her as she rose from her chair. She stood for a moment, facing Wanda Nell and Jack, who had also stood.
“You know where to look now,” she said. “I think the person you’re looking for has to be a member of one of those two families. I’ll leave it to you to figure out just who, because I have no idea which one of them could be the murderer.”
Jack held out his hand to her. She took it, and he said, “Thank you.” Mrs. Culpepper nodded as Jack released her hand.
Wanda Nell stepped forward and kissed Mrs. Culpepper on the cheek. She hoped her eyes would tell Mrs. Culpepper what her words couldn’t. Mrs. Culpepper smiled at her for a moment, then brought up a hand to caress her cheek. Wanda Nell blinked back her tears.
T.J. led his grandmother out of the room and up the stairs.
Twenty-five
Wanda Nell and Jack sat down again, and neither of them spoke until T.J. came back some minutes later. “She’s resting,” he said. He sat down and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know about y’all, but I’m exhausted after hearing all that.”
“Pretty extraordinary,” Jack said. “Just goes to show, you never know what someone’s life is really like.”
“Mama, you okay?” T.J. asked when Wanda Nell didn’t speak.
Wanda Nell nodded. “I’m fine. There’s just a lot I’m going to have to think about.”
“I know what you mean,” T.J. said with a grimace. “Is it too late to change my name? I sure hate knowing I’m named after that old so-and-so.” He tried to make a joke of it, but Wanda Nell could tell it was bothering him.
“Don’t think about it like that,” she urged. “He might not have been a good man, but you are. And that’s all that counts.”
“Thanks, Mama. I’ll have to think some more about that, I guess.” He stood. “I’d better be getting back to work. It’s getting close to lunchtime, and Tuck and I were planning to have it together.”
“Oh, Lord!” Wanda Nell jumped to her feet. “I’ve got to get to work, too, before Melvin fires me. Come on, honey.”
Jack stood. “It’s okay, love, it’s only ten after eleven, believe it or not. We’ll get you there in time.”
“I’m going to say goodbye to Belle,” T.J. said. “And I’ll tell Juliet you’re ready to go.”
“No, we’ll go, too,” Wanda Nell said. “I’d like to say goodbye to Belle myself.”
She and Jack followed T.J. out of the room and down the hall to the back of the house. The tantalizing aroma of baking cookies reached them as they drew close.
In the kitchen Belle was chattering away to Juliet, who listened raptly. Belle broke off upon seeing the newcomers. “Hello, there. Is everything okay? How is Lucretia? I do hope she didn’t wear herself out. I know this must have been hard for her, having to talk about all that. But she’s tough, always has been. Always had to be.” She shot a knowing look to Wanda Nell, Jack, and T.J.
“Grandmama’s upstairs resting,” T.J. said. “She’ll let you know if she needs something, she said.”
Belle nodded. “Oh, yes, she will. That bell she keeps by her bed will start ringing, and it won’t stop until I get myself up those stairs to find out what she wants. She calls it Belle’s bell.” She laughed. “Isn’t that sweet? Now, are y’all about to leave and take Juliet? I wish y’all would stay for lunch. It wouldn’t take me five minutes to have something ready for all of us.”
“We’d love to, Belle,” Wanda Nell said, and she meant it. Belle was a wonderful cook. “But I have to get to work, and so does T.J. If Juliet wants to stay, and you don’t mind having her, she can.”
“Of course I don’t mind. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy talking cooking with her. She picks up everything so fast. I declare, she’s going to be able to open her own restaurant before long.”
Juliet flushed at the praise. “I would like to stay, Mama, if you and Jack don’t mind.”
“It’s fine with us,” Jack said, smiling. “I can pick you up later, when you’re ready to come home.”
“We’d better get going, then.” Wanda Nell gave Belle and Juliet quick kisses, and after both the men had hugged Belle and said goodbye to Juliet, the three of them departed.
On the way to the Kountry Kitchen, Wanda Nell asked, “What are you going to do next? I don’t know much about either of those families, except I recognize the names. I don’t know that I’ve ever met any of them. Not people with that kind of money. They don’t eat at the Kountry Kitchen.”
“Probably not.” Jack grinned. “But they’re missing some mighty good food, not to mention first-rate service. Or do you save that only for me?”
Wanda Nell punched him lightly on the arm. “Behave yourself. Now what are you going to do?”
“We need to talk to someone who knows more about both families. At least, more about the younger generation of each of them. What do you think?”
“You’re right. You could go to the library or get on the computer, but you can do that later if you have to. We need to talk to someone who knows the kinds of things you can’t find in either of those places.”
“So I’m thinking Ernie Carpenter,” Jack said.
“Exactly,” Wanda Nell replied. “She’d be hurt if we didn’t include her. She’s bound to know something about these people.”
“Why don’t you call her now? We’ll be at the restaurant in about five minutes. Maybe she can come there, and we can talk after the lunch rush is over.”
Wanda Nell was already reaching for her phone. Ernie answered on the third ring.
“Hello, Wanda Nell. How are you? Anything new?”
“There certainly is.” Wanda Nell explained briefly and asked whether Ernie could come into town to confer with them.
“I certainly can.” Wanda Nell had to smile at the enthusiasm in the older woman’s voice. “I’ve managed to find out something about Howell, and I think it could be significant.”
“That’s great,” Wanda Nell said. “You are amazing.”
“I know.” Ernie chuckled. “I’ll see you about two. Will things be quiet enough by then?”
“They should be. We’ll see you then.” Wanda Nell ended the call and dropped her phone back in her purse.
“So she’s coming?” Jack asked. “What time?”
“Two,” Wanda Nell replied. “She says she’s found out something about Howell, too.”
“Even better,” Jack said. “Maybe things are really coming together.” They had reached the restaurant, and he pulled his car into a parking space around the side. The lot was filling up rapidly.
“You want to come in for some lunch?” Wanda Nell asked.
“No, I’m going home to do some work. You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.” Wanda Nell gave him a quick kiss before opening her door. “You go on home, and I’ll see you at two.”
“Will do,” Jack said. “Don’t work too hard.”
Wanda Nell watched and waved as he backed the car out and headed down the street.
Melvin looked up from the cash register when she walked in the door. “Glad you could join us,” he said, his eyebrows raised.
Wanda Nell could tell by his tone that he wasn’t annoyed, just picking at her. She grinned. “Nice to see you, too.” She went behind the counter and headed for the door into the kitchen. “I’ll be right back,” she said.
The next couple of hours passed quickly. By one-thirty the lunch crowd had thinned out to only four tables, and Wanda Nell was able to take a few minutes to have her own lunch. She finished it quickly, knowing that she shouldn’t be eating so fast, but it was hard to break the habit.
She was doing side work in preparation for the evening dinner crowd when Jack arrived a little before two. Ernie came hard on his heels, and Wanda Nell took them to a table in the back dining room. “Would y’a
ll like something to drink?” she asked as her husband and her friend sat down.
“I’d love a cup of coffee and some of that delicious apple pie,” Ernie said. “With a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.” She sighed. “I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself.”
“I’ll have the same,” Jack said, a twinkle in his eye. “Just so Ernie doesn’t feel so bad, of course.”
“Of course.” Wanda Nell rolled her eyes at him. “Two coffees, two apple pies. I’ll be back in a minute. Why don’t you tell Ernie what we found out?”
“Will do.” Ernie turned to Jack eagerly, and he was giving her a short version of the morning’s interview with Mrs. Culpepper as Wanda Nell walked away.
She turned in the order for the pie, but before she poured the coffee, she wanted to make sure she would have some time to spend with Ernie and Jack without interruption. Patsy was busy flirting with the one customer sitting at the counter.
“Hey, Junior,” Wanda Nell said as she approached, “mind if I borrow Patsy a minute?”
Junior Farley, one of the Kountry Kitchen’s most faithful regulars, grinned. “You know I’d do anything for you, Wanda Nell. But don’t keep her long, okay?” He winked.
Wanda Nell had to smile. Junior had sure perked up since Patsy had started to work at the restaurant. He had even lost a little weight, and it was all on account of Patsy, Wanda Nell figured. Patsy seemed interested in Junior, so it wasn’t just wishful thinking on Junior’s part.
“What’s up, Wanda Nell?” Patsy asked. She turned to Junior. “I’ll be back, honey. Don’t you wander off.”
“No, ma’am.”
Wanda Nell had moved away a few steps, and Patsy came closer. “I just need a little while to talk over something with my husband and my friend back there,” Wanda Nell explained. “You mind?”
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