Wanda Nell noticed he didn’t say outright that he didn’t have another daughter. Taking that as a good sign, she went on. “She came here looking for you about thirty-one years ago. Her name was Jenna Rae Howell, and she was about nineteen or twenty at the time.”
“Why do you think this girl would be looking for me? Didn’t she know who her own father was? Some man named Howell, I reckon, not Dewberry.” He watched her carefully.
“She was adopted,” Wanda Nell said. He still wasn’t denying that he was Jenna Rae’s father. “Her mother was a woman named Margaret Lewis, and she was from here. She dropped out of high school and went to work for a rich family, and while she was working for them, she got pregnant.”
“So you think I’m the man who got some maid pregnant?” Dewberry sounded neither offended nor amused, simply curious.
“I never said she was a maid. I just said she worked for a rich family.”
Dewberry nodded. “So you did. So you did.”
Wanda Nell was trying to think of what to say next when a knock sounded at the door. Before Mr. Dewberry could respond, the door opened, and Evangeline Connor wheeled herself in the room. “I need to talk to you, Jackson,” she said. She broke off when she saw Wanda Nell sitting on the sofa.
“What are you doing here?” Mrs. Connor demanded. “Shouldn’t you be shampooing someone’s hair about now? I think you’d better get back to work.”
Wanda Nell wanted to scream. Having that hateful old woman turn up had ruined everything. She doubted she would be able to get Jackson Dewberry to talk to her anymore after this, but she decided to fire another shot before she had to leave the room.
“I had some business with Mr. Dewberry,” Wanda Nell said. “I wanted to talk to him about his daughter.” She waited to see how Mrs. Connor responded to that.
The old woman stared at her, then at Dewberry. “What the heck would you be interested in Marysue for? Nobody else is.”
Before Dewberry could say anything, Wanda Nell spoke. “Not Marysue. His other daughter, Jenna Rae.”
“I see.” Mrs. Connor continued to stare at Wanda Nell for a moment. Dewberry had remained silent during this whole exchange, and Wanda Nell wondered about that. “Very interesting. Well, young woman, I think you’d better go peddle your tales somewhere else. I’ve known Jackson Dewberry for nearly seventy years, and I know all about his family.”
Wanda Nell noted that Mrs. Connor had looked directly at Jackson Dewberry when she made that final statement. She also thought the choice of words was kind of odd. Surely Mrs. Connor ought to have said something about the fact that he had only one daughter. That is, if they were going to insist that Jenna Rae Howell wasn’t Dewberry’s daughter. Wanda Nell could feel the tension rising in the room, but it was between the two elderly people.
“In that case,” she said, rising from the sofa, “I guess I’ll be getting back to work like you said, Miz Connor. Maybe I was mistaken, but I guess I’ll just have to dig a little deeper.”
“I wouldn’t bother, if I were you.” Jackson Dewberry spoke at last, his voice harsh. He glared at Evangeline Connor. “You need to be looking for someone else, not me.”
Wanda Nell merely nodded. She paused in the doorway for a moment to look back. The two others still stared at each other, obviously waiting for her to leave. Wanda Nell stepped into the hallway, pulling the door almost completely shut behind her.
After a swift glance down the hall to make sure no one was watching, she stuck her ear to the tiny opening at the door. She strained to hear the conversation going on inside Dewberry’s suite.
“. . . had to tell her you didn’t know anything about it,” Mrs. Connor was saying. “But she told me enough . . . few things together.”
Mrs. Connor’s voice faded in and out, and Wanda Nell could hear the rumble of Dewberry’s voice. She couldn’t really make out the words, however. She wondered whether she dared open the door just a little bit more. She pushed it, just barely, and she could hear a bit better.
“. . . out of your mind, Vangie,” Dewberry was saying. “Even if you were right, what does that get you?”
“Money,” Mrs. Connor said, her voice ice cold. “That stupid shampoo woman can’t prove anything. It’s obvious she knows a lot, but she doesn’t know everything. I can put a few things together, though, and I will, if you don’t do as I say.”
“How could you possibly need money? Atwell left you pretty damn well fixed for the rest of your life.”
“That’s none of your damn business,” Mrs. Connor said. “Just that stupid son of mine. He’s managed to screw things up, yet again, and I need cash. You’ve got more than you’ll ever know what to do with, and I want some of it.”
Dewberry said something, but Wanda Nell’s attention was distracted, and she didn’t catch it. She had just caught sight of someone at the end of the hall. With great care she pulled the door shut, wincing at the tiny click she heard, then strode down the hall, thinking furiously.
Evangeline Connor was trying to blackmail Jackson Dewberry. And that meant she knew something. Or else she thought she did. Wanda Nell could figure out at least part of it. Mrs. Connor had remembered that a girl named Margaret Lewis had worked for the Dewberry family. Also, she knew the family well, and she knew the kind of reputation old Dewberry had. It didn’t take much to figure it out after that. Dewberry had gotten Margaret pregnant, then fixed up the scheme to have Howell marry her, adopt the baby, and move to Hattiesburg.
But what was the connection with Howell? And, other than the money, why would he be willing to do something like that for Dewberry?
By this time Wanda Nell was back at the room where Mayrene was working. Pausing at the door, she looked in. Mayrene was working on her last person, a plump woman with long, flowing hair.
“Are you sure, now?” Mayrene asked her. “It will be quite a shock to see yourself, and once I cut it off, it’ll take time to grow back.”
“I’m sure,” the woman said in a firm voice. “It’s getting too hard to take care of, and it’s time. So cut away.”
“Okay, honey.” Mayrene caught sight of Wanda Nell. “Wanda Nell, this is Miz McDermott. Miz McDermott, this is my friend Wanda Nell. She came along to help me today, if I needed it.”
Wanda Nell and Mrs. McDermott exchanged greetings while Mayrene began cutting the woman’s hair. Wanda Nell winced as she watched Mayrene snip the long tresses and lay them aside.
Catching sight of Wanda Nell’s expression in the mirror, Mrs. McDermott laughed. “I know, it looks shocking, don’t it? But I’m going to donate the hair to one of those charities that make wigs for people who need them.”
“That’s a very nice thing to do.” Wanda Nell couldn’t help but think of the difference between this woman and Mrs. Connor.
“How did your visit go?” Mayrene asked.
“Okay,” Wanda Nell said. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She smiled at Mrs. McDermott.
“It’s okay, honey,” Mrs. McDermott said. “I understand.”
Nodding, Wanda Nell said, “Mayrene, if you don’t need me anymore, I think I’ll get going.”
“Sure, girl, you go ahead. I’ll shampoo Miz McDermott’s hair when I’m done cutting it, and then I’m going to style it for her. I’ll talk to you later.”
When Wanda Nell reached the reception desk, she considered going back to Jackson Dewberry’s room to see if Evangeline Connor had left him. But she decided that it was now Elmer Lee’s turn to talk to them. She was convinced by what she had seen and heard that Jackson Dewberry was Jenna Rae Howell’s father.
Who was her killer? That Wanda Nell didn’t know. Had Jackson Dewberry killed her, after he thought he had safely gotten rid of her, in a manner of speaking? Or had his daughter done it, out of jealousy or anger?
Who else could it have been? Wanda Nell didn’t think it was Evangeline Connor or someone in her family. If it had been, the woman wouldn’t be trying to blackmail Jackson Dewberry. That was surely what she w
as doing.
Wanda Nell signed out at the reception desk and headed for her car. It was going on eleven, and she didn’t have time to run home to see Jack before she went to the Kountry Kitchen. She started her car and turned the air conditioner up to cool the car. It was blazing hot already, and she could imagine how miserable it would be this afternoon.
As the car cooled, Wanda Nell pulled her cell phone out of her purse and speed-dialed Jack. He answered quickly. “Hey, love, how’s it going? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Wanda Nell assured him. She started to give him a rundown of what she had heard, from both Mrs. Connor and Mr. Dewberry, while trying to keep an eye on the time. It would take her only six or seven minutes to get to the Kountry Kitchen from here, so she had a little time to talk.
When Wanda Nell finished her summary, Jack whistled. “You’ve got to be right. Jackson Dewberry has to be Jenna Rae’s father. That’s the only thing that makes sense at this point. Especially if Miz Connor is trying to blackmail him. She sounds pretty nasty.”
“She is. Every bit as mean as Ernie said she was.”
“I think we’d better call Elmer Lee,” Jack said. “Sounds to me like we have more than enough to get him to act now. It’s still nothing really concrete, but maybe if he goes to talk to both of them, he can get something out of them. The threat of an investigation might get some results.”
“I think that’s probably what it’s going to take. Maybe if Elmer Lee pushes hard enough, one of them will crack.”
“Something’s got to give,” Jack said. “We can’t get this close and not be able to identify the killer and prove he or she did it.”
“I know, honey. We’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Jack replied, but Wanda Nell didn’t hear what he said. Her attention shifted to a car that had driven into the parking lot a little too fast. While Wanda Nell watched, the car, an old, beat-up Jeep, lurched into a parking space, barely missing a much more expensive car on the right. Wanda Nell breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed at the moment was to be a witness to an accident.
“What did you say, honey?” Wanda Nell asked. The driver of the Jeep was a woman of average height, dressed in a denim skirt and a white blouse. Her hair, a mousy brown, flopped around her face as she hurried toward the front door of the nursing home. Wanda Nell had caught a brief glimpse of the woman’s face, and she looked really angry. Somebody was going to catch hell, she had no doubt of that.
Wanda Nell realized there was something odd about the way the woman walked, like she had a sore foot and was favoring it. Despite that, she was fast. She disappeared inside the nursing home.
A memory of something Miss Lyda had said surfaced in Wanda Nell’s mind.
“Jack,” Wanda Nell said, interrupting her husband, “what does Marysue Avenel look like? And do you know what kind of car she drives?”
“She drives an old rattletrap Jeep. I’ve seen her driving that thing, and it ought to be put out of its misery. Marysue is a bit shorter than you, brown hair. Most of the time she’s wearing a denim skirt, or something like that. Why are you asking?”
“Because she just drove back here, and she’s in a real hurry. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. You’d better call Elmer Lee and tell him to get over here as fast as he can.”
“What are you going to do?” Jack asked, obviously alarmed. “I’ll call Elmer Lee, but what are you going to do? You’re not going back in there, are you?”
“I am.” Wanda Nell turned the key in the ignition with her free hand. “Look, honey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You just call Elmer Lee, okay?”
“I will, but what are you going to do? Tell me.”
“Prevent another murder, I hope.”
Thirty
As she got out of her car and slammed the door shut, Wanda Nell groaned over what she had just said to Jack. She had meant what she said, but it sounded like something out of a really bad movie.
She ran for the front door, slowing down only to make sure she didn’t bowl over anyone inside near the door. The way was clear, so she hurried down the hall to where Mayrene was. If she was right about what might happen, she wanted someone with her.
Mayrene was alone, tidying up, when Wanda Nell skidded to a stop in the doorway. “Grab something, and come with me,” she said.
Mayrene didn’t even blink. She grabbed a can of hair spray and a pair of scissors, and followed Wanda Nell as fast as she could down the hall.
Wanda Nell flew past the desk in the wing where Jackson Dewberry and Evangeline Connor lived, and Mayrene was only a few paces behind her. Making a beeline for Jackson Dewberry’s door, Wanda Nell skidded to a stop when she reached it. Mayrene came panting up behind her.
“What’s going on?” Mayrene hissed.
Wanda Nell shook her head. She tried the doorknob, praying that Marysue hadn’t locked it behind her.
She hadn’t. The door opened with a tiny click, and Wanda Nell opened it just wide enough to be able to hear what was going on in the room.
A low, furious voice was all she heard at first. Figuring the speaker had to be Marysue, Wanda Nell pushed the door open a fraction more. She still couldn’t see anything, but the voice was more distinct now.
“. . . make one more noise like that,” Marysue said, “and I swear to God I’ll blow a hole in you before you can open your mouth again.”
Oh, Lord, Wanda Nell thought, she has a gun. She turned to share that news with Mayrene. Mayrene’s eyes grew big, but she didn’t back away. She handed Wanda Nell the hair spray, and she kept a firm grasp on her scissors.
“Marysue, don’t talk to Vangie like that.” Jackson Dewberry’s tone lacked conviction, however, and his daughter laughed, a harsh, grating sound.
“I ought to blow a hole in you, too, Daddy,” she said. “Daddy. The word makes me sick even to say it. When were you ever like a father to me? You couldn’t stand the sight of me. Why didn’t you just have me drowned at birth, when you saw I was deformed?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Stop acting like a hysterical child, Marysue, and put that down.” Dewberry’s words sounded like he was giving orders, but the tone said otherwise. He was begging. Marysue just laughed again.
Wanda Nell pushed the door open a little farther, praying that it wouldn’t make a sound and that Marysue had her back to it.
She paused a moment. Marysue went on talking, so Wanda Nell figured she hadn’t seen or heard anyone at the door. Marysue went on spewing hateful words and recriminations at her father and Mrs. Connor. Wanda Nell kept inching the door open, and Mayrene was close behind her.
Now Wanda Nell could see Marysue, along with her father and Mrs. Connor. Marysue had her back to the door, and both Jackson Dewberry and Evangeline Connor were facing it. Neither one of them gave any sign, however, that they saw two women sneaking up behind Marysue.
“Stop it, Marysue!” Mrs. Connor’s voice broke into the diatribe. “Just shut up. Your father and I know what you did, and why you did it. You’re too old to be blaming your mommy and daddy for everything wrong in your life. So what if your daddy didn’t love you? Mine didn’t love me, either, but you never hear me whining about it.”
The sheer acid in Evangeline Connor’s voice took Wanda Nell’s breath away. The old woman was probably doing her best to keep Marysue’s attention engaged until Wanda Nell and Mayrene could jump her and get the gun away from her, but Wanda Nell was afraid Mrs. Connor was pushing Marysue too far.
A stream of profanities issued from Marysue’s mouth, and Wanda Nell and Mayrene got close enough to tackle her. Wanda Nell had the can of hair spray up and ready, just in case.
Before either she or Mayrene could make another move, however, Marysue snapped. Wanda Nell hadn’t seen the gun yet, but she heard it go off, and she jerked back a step. A hole appeared in Evangeline Connor’s chest, and blood began to blossom from the wound. Mrs. Connor’s eyes went dark, and she died right in front of them.
Mayre
ne didn’t let the gunshot stop her. While Wanda Nell stood staring at the dead woman, Mayrene tackled Marysue. The smaller woman went down under the force of Mayrene’s attack. The gun flew out of her hands as Mayrene landed on top of her and knocked the breath out of her.
Wanda Nell stood there, still staring at Evangeline Connor. After a moment her gaze shifted to Jackson Dewberry. She dropped the can of hair spray on the floor and ran out into the hall to yell for help.
The next few minutes were sheer pandemonium. A security guard, followed quickly by a nurse and two aides, crowded into the room. They stared for a moment at the two women on the floor, and then at the dead woman in the wheelchair.
“Mr. Dewberry,” Wanda Nell said. “I think he’s having a heart attack.”
At those words, the nurse snapped into action. Wanda Nell moved out of the way, grabbing at the security guard. She tried her best to explain what had just happened, and the guard listened long enough to determine who had fired the gun. Mayrene got off Marysue, who was still pretty winded, and the guard took her into custody.
“I’m going to put her into a room with no windows and only one door until the police get here,” the guard said. “They’re already on the way. In the meantime, don’t you two go nowhere.”
“What about the gun?” Wanda Nell asked, and the guard grimaced.
“I’m going to leave it for the police,” he said after a moment’s thought. “It’s under that table, and I don’t think nobody’ll step on it.”
With that, he escorted Marysue from the room. Marysue moved slowly, her arms hanging listlessly by her side. Wanda Nell caught one glimpse of her face, and she had to turn away from the absolute despair in the woman’s eyes. Mayrene went after them, just in case the guard needed help subduing Marysue again. Wanda Nell moved into a corner, keeping anxious eyes on the gun, but the nurse and the aides didn’t get too near it as they worked on Jackson Dewberry.
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