I rushed over, hoping to diffuse the situation myself.
“Then you buy the dang house, Gladys! The town doesn’t have a place for whatever hippie-dippie ideas you have! I want you off my property now!”
The police were probably about to cart her away, but I convinced them to let me take her next door. She seemed confused, but she went along with me over to Ashley’s.
“We’re going to go inside and calm down and hopefully we can square all of this away.”
Nodding, Gladys followed me inside and I got her a glass of water. She sipped and some of the bright red that was coloring her face earlier had faded and her breathing was even. I didn’t want to jump right into questions, so I double checked to make sure she really was okay.
“Are you feeling better?”
Gladys nodded, putting down her glass. “Yes. Thank you for getting me out of that situation. I just lost myself and…I don’t know. I’ve never been so angry before.”
It would seem Miss June, and her daughter, had that effect on people.
“Why were you so mad at Cindy?” Gladys wasn’t just mad, she was livid. A red-hot anger had exploded out of her.
“She’s selling the property to Jake Anderson and all he wants to do is level everything and build a completely new ‘multi-use’ development. Whatever that means. The charm and history that are this town’s traditions and this neighborhoods lifeblood will be gone. Appleton will just become another indistinguishable town in America.”
“You do know June was already planning to sell, right?”
Gladys nodded.
“I knew she wanted to, but I’d already rejected two of her applications. There was no way she could without a lot of red tape. But now that Cindy is in charge, I don’t know what I am going to do. She’s right. These conditions nullify the agreement.”
She was obviously still distraught, and I knew she should get home where she would be most comfortable. I helped her to the door before she promised, “I’m going to fight this.”
I said goodbye, not wanting to get dragged into a new mess. I had to keep all my resources on Ashley, but Gladys had added herself to interesting characters to look out for. She was definitely a passionate woman and I thought back to June’s spray-painted fence. Maybe June didn’t stage it and Gladys was the one who vandalized the property. Could she potentially do something worse?
I needed to find those paint bottles. If June didn’t do it, or had one of her cronies do it, then that paint was the only evidence that linked the killer to the crime. That message was the only concrete threat concerning June’s life and it would do wonders in terms of proving Ashley’s innocence.
The only problem was I didn’t have a search warrant. As a lawyer, I had some extra access to certain things, but I couldn’t barge into someone’s house, no one can do that. But I wasn’t going to give up.
Just then, I had an idea. I took out my cell and called Ted. He picked up quick and seemed pretty pleased to be talking to me.
“Kari, what a surprise. It’s so nice to get a call from you.”
He always had the charm turned on.
“Does your offer still stand?”
I realized how vague my question was because Ted answered, “My offer for dinner will always stand.”
God, he was sweet. I laughed, but there was something else I needed from him.
“That’s good to know, but not that offer.”
Chapter Fifteen
July 17th 2:00pm
I had Ted accompany Shortbread and me to the dump because a thought had occurred to me. What if the paint cans had ended up being thrown away? If I found those cans, then I could get them fingerprinted.
I was talking to the owner, Cooter Prescott. Okay, not going to lie, when I heard his name, the snide city-girl in me almost laughed. It wasn’t just his name, either; he was this old guy with stringy long hair and an eye patch––an eye patch! But I couldn’t focus on that for too long or else I’d end up never not focusing on it.
“So, I was hoping we could look through your trash…”
He was gruff and already not taking my request well. I needed to spread some of this charm around.
Oddly, a stream of electronic dance music pumped out of the little trailer Cooter used for an office. I recognized the tune from my clubbing days.
“That’s Qui Est Cette Fille,” I said. “You an EDM fan, Cooter?”
“I’ve followed continental pop music since ABBA,” he said, as if this were self-evident.
“You’re sh––kidding me!”
“No, ma’am.”
“Do you dance?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why? Somebody say somethin’?”
“Um, no. Look, I have a huge collection of this stuff. Maybe we can share music?”
“I’d appreciate that,” he said. “I’m always on the lookout for new beats.”
“Cool. So, we just need to take a look at that trash heap right there. I won’t take out anything without asking and I can pay you for any inconvenience.”
Cooter didn’t say much, but he seemed to be happy enough with my proposal because he led us out to the area where the most recent trash had been dumped. It was a mountain that Ted, Shortbread and I were about to climb.
Before leaving us, Cooter gave some words of warning, “Just be careful when you’re walking on the trash. Test a spot before stepping in, so your foot or you don’t fall through. ’Kay? ’Kay.”
He didn’t wait for us to respond or let us ask any questions. Cooter just walked away. If all these situations I’d been finding myself in weren’t so dire than this would be hilarious. But I haven’t had much time to laugh.
We all looked up at the hill of trash in front of us. It took us a few minutes to decide who would go up first. In the end, we walked up together. This was the most disgusting thing I’d ever had do. I was literally walking through garbage. Sure, it was technically the newest pile ergo ‘fresh,’ but it was still trash and I was knee-deep in it.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this…”
The idea seemed great when I had it, but now that it was a reality, I regretted some of it. Most of it…
“I was the one who offered, so don’t feel bad about any of it.”
We’d been digging for about a half hour and, so far, had gotten nowhere. Shortbread was loving all the putrid odors, hopping from stench to stench and poking his nose in. I couldn’t give up yet because Ashley’s life hung in the balance. This was why I was digging through all of this garbage because I cared about Ashley and her fate.
But Ted and I dug for hours and the conviction I came in with wasn’t permanent. The conversation started out fun in an effort to keep our spirits up, but as more and more time went by even the ever-smiling Ted lost some of his spark. Digging through mountains of people’s trash can do that to a person, especially if you don’t even find what you’re looking for.
At some point, I had to call it quits. We couldn’t spend all our time here and I didn’t want to make Ted wade through garbage any longer.
“Come on, Ted. I think it’s time to throw in the towel.”
His spirits were deflated just like mine. Another plan of mine didn’t work out and I was still unable to save Ashley. It was a real bummer.
“Okay. I’m sorry we couldn’t find what you were looking for.”
I gave him a half-hearted smile and asked him to wait while I went inside to pay Cooter. He let us dig through trash close to nightfall and he deserved to be compensated for dealing with our crazy idea.
I entered his office, bobbing my head to another dance tune on Cooter’s stream. Smelling all kinds of gross, I handed over the money I promised. He didn’t count it, just tucked it away in his drawer. Cooter was an odd mix to say the least, but that gut of mine told me to make him an ally.
“Did you take anything?” he asked bluntly.
I turned out my pockets to show him I had kept all my promises and, what was in the dump, stayed in the dump.
His question made me curious and I had to ask, “Do you have a problem with people trying to steal things?”
“I used to have a bit of a problem with the mayor’s wife. She was always looking for stuff for those statues that she makes, and she thought she could just waltz into the dump and take whatever she wanted, but we worked out a deal and now I let her dig for her art.”
I wondered what that deal was and what happened to facilitate it, but Cooter was done with our interaction and told me, “It’s time to go. You don’t want to get caught in the darkness. The rats come out with it and I have a feeling that’s not your cup of tea.”
“Uh, you don’t have to tell me twice. When I have a minute, I’ll be back for that track-swap.”
Cooter grunted: “Sure. Whatever.”
We were out of the dump very quickly.
“Ol’ Coot was pretty taken with you, Miss Kari. That was his way of saying he’s looking forward to it.”
“What his story?” I asked.
“Not too sure, really. He lives out here in the woods somewhere, I hear. Wouldn’t call him nice, but he’s been nothing but civil to me.”
We headed back to our cars.
While we were walking over, he asked, “What’ll you do next?”
“I think Miss June may have painted the threat on her house herself. If I can find those cans, I can have evidence look for prints. That will show that Doris and Cindy lied, and I know Doris will come clean if confronted. Without this picture painted of Ashley being the aggressor, the prosecution’s case crumbles. I thought coming to the dump would get us somewhere. I was sure Cindy would have gotten rid of all the evidence, but now I might have to get search warrants…”
“You don’t sound too excited by that prospect.”
I was glad Ted could read my mood. It made our conversation so much easier.
“It’s just Judge Houston doesn’t seem too sympathetic to our case. I told you he had made up his mind when we had the hearing for June’s restraining order. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I’ll need something even he can’t ignore. I just need to find whatever it is.”
A smoking gun so to speak. But I’d settle for some paint cans with some fingerprints right now.
“Do you have any idea who might have killed Miss June?” Ted asked.
That was something I was truly drawing a blank on. No matter how much I uncovered, a clear suspect hadn’t popped up yet. A lot of people had issues with her, but no one enough to murder apparently. So, I shook my head.
“Everything has led to a dead end. But soon it’s going to come together. I can feel it.”
We said goodbye because all the grossness was really starting to get to me. I needed to get out of these clothes and take the longest and hottest shower ever. It probably wouldn’t get rid of the sheen of trash I felt on my body, but it would be a start.
Shortbread sniffed me excitedly all the way home.
Chapter Sixteen
July 18th
The day had arrived for June’s funeral. Literally, everyone came. I didn’t think it was because she had a ton of friends if she did, this case would have gone over a lot differently. Everyone in town was fascinated with the events surrounding her death. The attraction to the macabre ran deep.
I was walking around alone when I saw someone I hadn’t seen since before this all happened. Among the crowd of lookey-loos was Angeline. I couldn’t guess what she was doing here. June wasn’t nice to her at all, never allowing Cindy to play with anyone from Angeline’s family. But when a person died, things were often forgotten or forgiven.
I went over to say hi and she brought me into a big warm hug. It comforted me to know that people were still nice, and Angeline hadn’t changed in the slightest. We broke apart and she inquired about the case.
“How are things going with Ashley? Are you doing okay? I hope you’re not overworking yourself.”
She sounded like my mother, worrying if I was getting enough rest. But I didn’t lie, letting her know some of the hardships I’d been facing.
“I wish it were going better. Proving Ashley’s innocence isn’t coming easily. People have a lot to hide and convincing them to open up to me seems like trying to swim across the ocean sometimes.”
“I understand it can be hard, but I know you’re a tenacious woman and I believe in you.”
I smiled, and we continued to talk about nothing in particular. Small talk was a nice distraction from the hullabaloo of the last few days, but it didn’t last long.
A few minutes after Angeline and I started talking, Cindy arrived, and she couldn’t help herself but to come up to us and holler: “What are you doing here?”
The shriek was heard from across the cemetery. She came barreling in our direction. I thought she might try to get physical, but she stuck to words.
“I asked you, what are you doing here?”
Angeline pointed at herself and Cindy gave another rude yell, “Yes, you! Get out! You don’t belong here.”
Angeline started to gather her things, apologizing profusely.
“I’m sorry, Cindy. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to pay my respects.”
Clearly, she was startled, but Cindy didn’t care. It was all about how she was feeling and Angeline was nothing to her. I couldn’t understand the animosity. As far as I could tell, Angeline never did anything to hurt Cindy or Miss June. The emotion seemed to be pure contempt out of nowhere.
Everyone in the cemetery was watching with open ears and open eyes. They were drinking in the drama and no one seemed to care that a sweet woman was being attacked for no reason.
“White trash like you don’t know the meaning of respect!”
I was about to make the scene even bigger, but Doris, of all people, pushed her way through and came to the rescue.
“Cindy Carter! You stop this right now!”
Cindy was shocked by Doris’s sudden show of courage. I was shocked too. Talking to her showed me how meek she was. A good person, but afraid to speak her mind. Well, Doris wasn’t going to take it anymore.
“I can’t stand all this fighting and hate. It’s been going on for much too long and for no reason. You need to know the truth. Everyone needs to know the truth.”
Could this be what she almost blurted out before? Doris knew a lot of secrets and they must have been eating her up inside. All attention turned on Doris.
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” Cindy yelled.
Doris looked around, seeing everyone waiting for the big reveal. She could take Cindy aside and whisper the truth, but she wanted it all in the open.
“June had a baby before you. A baby she gave up for adoption. And that family you and your mother have called white trash for decades was kind enough to take in that baby.”
Everyone had gone silent. Whatever truth we were expecting, what Doris said was far from it. Angeline and Cindy were understandably shocked. They kept looking from one another back to Doris.
No one was saying anything, so I asked the questions.
“How do you know this?”
Doris looked at me and addressed her answer to me. I believed it was helping with her nerves.
“June and I went to high school together and I had always wanted to be her friend. I told you, she was the prettiest girl in school and sweet to boot. I did fail to mention she was a bit selective when it came to talk with other people and that included me. She ignored me no matter how much I sucked up. I was rather pathetic.”
Doris was still embarrassed with her teenage self, looking down at the ground for second before continuing. “But when she got pregnant at sixteen, she couldn’t tell any of her ‘real’ friends, so she told me. I felt like we were getting closer, so I helped her cover it up. We acted like I was inviting her to my aunt’s in Atlanta, but really, I hid her at my grandma’s. She had dementia and barely knew who I was, let alone June. After the baby was born, I took her to the orphanage, left her with the nun
s. June never knew I followed up and found out who adopted the child. That’s how I knew all of it.”
Doris started to get choked up and tears fell down her face. “And I’ve kept it in all this time.”
Cindy and Angeline took care of her while I processed everything Doris just said. June had this whole secret life before she became Mrs. Carter, a life she probably wanted hidden, a life the father probably wanted hidden.
“Wait, Doris!” I rushed over before they all walked away. “Who is the father?”
Doris shrugged.
“June never told me. It’s the one thing she kept hidden.”
Dang! I knew this all fits into the puzzle, but the question was how? How did it connect back to everything else?
Chapter Seventeen
July 19th
The mayor’s big festival was here and the whole town gathered once again, but this time to witness the reveal of the mayor’s wife’s new junk statue. I’ve heard some chatter and the consensus seemed to be that the statue would be ugly, but how ugly was what they were all here for.
My main concern was figuring out who this mystery baby daddy was. I’d spent much of the previous night combing through town records for when June was sixteen, but I came out with nothing. There was no one who stuck out and I was afraid to hit another dead end.
Shortbread and I were heading to the coffee shop. The place had become my unofficial resting place during the workday, but some fanfare caught my attention. I decided to stop and realized the sculpture was about to be unveiled. I joined the crowd to see what the town’s next art piece would be.
“Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Appleton. Thank you all for coming to our festival today. As you all know, I had hoped for this to be a time of healing for our town. I can see the fun y’all are all havin’ and it warms my heart.”
I wasn’t believing anything he was saying, but, I had to admit, the mayor put on a good show.
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