Sweet Ginger Poison

by Robert Burton Robinson

  “He must have been. While I was waiting for the ambulance I went over and looked in the car. The glove compartment was open and everything had been pulled out and thrown on the floorboard.”

  “Did he have anything in his hands when he got back out of the car?”

  “No. So, I guess he couldn’t find whatever he was looking for.”

  “Did you hear anything the justice of the peace and the chief were saying?” said Ginger.

  “Yes. The justice of the peace said that he thinks Navy’s head hitting the sidewalk is what killed him. His head was bleeding. But he didn’t want to say for sure since Navy had been choking right before that.”

  “So, they questioned you,” said Elijah.

  “Yes.”

  “Did they say anything else?” said Ginger.

  “That’s about it, I think.”

  Ginger looked at Elijah. He didn’t seem to have any other questions. “Okay, then. Thanks. We appreciate it.”

  Ginger and Elijah walked to the door and started to step out.

  “Oh,” said the woman. “There was one other thing. I don’t know whether it’s important or not though.”

  “What?” said Ginger.

  “When the deputies were searching his car they found something under the front seat. They were joking around about it until the chief yelled at them.”

  “Did you see it?”

  “Yes. It was a pair of panties.”

  Ginger was not at all surprised. Navy was known to be a swinging bachelor. Although she thought he had finally settled down. “Wonder why the deputies thought it was funny?”

  “Probably because they were that kind that lace up on the sides. You know—kinda sexy. And they had lettering across the front of them.”

  “What did it say?”

  “Unlace Me.”

  Ginger suddenly felt ill. She knew who the panties belonged to.

  Chapter 5

  Ginger and Elijah got into his car and drove away from the nursing home. He had offered to break the sad news to Navy’s girlfriend, Kayla. Ginger asked to go along.

  “Navy’s house is on the south side of town,” said Ginger. “The reason I know is because I’ve heard Lacey Greendale talk about that ‘crummy little rent house’ he lives in. She and Navy used to be a couple.”

  “What broke them up?”

  “Kayla.”

  “Oh.”

  “Well, in all fairness, it was really more about the drinking and the gambling, and wasting his trust fund.”

  “It was a big mistake to give it to him all at once. I don’t know many twenty-one year olds who could handle that kind of money.”

  “He didn’t stick around here for long. Remember? I guess he just couldn’t spend the money fast enough in Coreyville. So, he moved to Dallas. Lacey was a senior in high school. She didn’t even say goodbye to her parents. But according to her, they didn’t care what she did anyway.”

  “I would have driven to Dallas and given that boy a piece of my mind. My daughter would have been back in her own bed that very first night.”

  Unfortunately, Elijah didn’t have a daughter. Or a son. His ex-wife had deprived him of children. Not because she couldn’t have them—but because she didn’t want the responsibility. It would have been nice if she’d shared her true feelings with him before they got married. Once he had said ‘I do,’ it was too late. A divorce would have ended his career in the ministry—or at least he thoughtso.

  Clara divorced him four years ago, saying she was sick of being a pastor’s wife—having to act a certain way around church members, leading the women’s group, and always having to put on a Christian face for everybody. She had drudged her way through it for thirty years. Now she wanted to be herself—whatever thatmeant. It seemed like a mid-life crisis to Elijah. But he couldn’t talk any sense into her.

  He knew he would have to resign. At the time, he was fifty-nine years old. What jobs would be open to him at that age—with his background? Bosses don’t like to hire a former minister. They figure he’ll make the other employees uncomfortable. Or scare off customers.

  But he could not go on as though nothing had happened. Being divorced and being a Southern Baptist minister were incompatibilities—like a staunch vegetarian participating in a hot dog eating contest. At least the vegetarian could puke up the hot dogs and repent. Elijah wished he had such an option.

  He had prepared his resignation for the monthly deacons meeting on that Monday night. But the deacons were wise to his plans. And they surprised him with a show of overwhelming support. Nobody in the church wanted him to leave. He must stay. They would not accept his resignation.

  So, by a unanimous vote of the deacons of Corey Acres Baptist Church that night, Elijah was allowed to continue the work he so loved. Too bad his childlessness could not also be fixed by a roomful of raised hands. Maybe Elijah wouldn’t have been a great dad. Perhaps his ministry would have suffered due to the strain of raising teenagers. He would never get a chance to find out—thanks to Clara.

  “Lacey admitted that she enjoyed it at first,” said Ginger. “Who wouldn’t? Navy was buying her all kinds of jewelry and clothes—anything she wanted. He was taking her out to fancy restaurants and clubs. Navy’s the one who got her smoking. She was only sixteen when they started dating, and he was this cool college guy who smoked cigars and drove like a maniac.”

  “Didn’t he flunk out of college?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. Technically he wasn’t a college student when they started dating—but he wasn’t working either. He was just kinda bumming around.”

  “Waiting for his trust fund.”

  “And getting into trouble. But his mother always bailed him out.”

  “She should have let him spend a little time in jail. That might have helped.”

  “Yeah, maybe. But Lacey thought he could do no wrong. She finally began to wake up after they had been in Dallas for a year or so. She said he was spending the money so fast that she began to worry about their future. When were they going to settle down and buy a house? And what about kids? She decided to force him to do the right thing. She got on a bus and came home to Coreyville, thinking he would come after her. Then he would get his act together and they could live happily ever after. But her plan backfired.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Yeah. He got mad and found himself a hooker. I guess that was his way of paying her back for leaving him.”

  “And then he came to his senses, but she wouldn’t take him back after she found out what he’d done?”

  “No. He fell in love with the hooker, and the two of them spent the rest of the money. Then he tried to get more money from his mother. But she wouldn’t give him any.”

  “I’m confused. When did Kaylacome into the picture?”

  Ginger raised her left eyebrow and waited.

  “Kayla is the hooker?”

  “Yes. Formerhooker. But let’s try not to call her that.”

  “This should be interesting.”

  “There it is—that blue house on the right.”

  Elijah pulled into the driveway and parked behind the cherry red Miata.

  They walked up the stairs, onto the porch and Elijah knocked.

  After a few seconds, a woman yelled, “Just a minute.”

  Finally the door opened.

  “Yeah?”

  She was wearing a robe and her hair was a mess. Ginger figured she must have just gotten out of bed. But then she noticed the socks and tennis shoes.

  “Are you Kayla,” said Elijah.

  “Yes.”

  “Hi. I’m Elijah Bideman, pastor of Corey Acres Baptist Church, and this is Ginger Lightley. I’m afraid we have some bad news. Would you mind if we came in?”

  “Can’t you just tell me? As you can see, I’m not dressed for company. I just got out of bed. I like to sleep in on Saturdays.”

  “Sure, I understand,” said Elijah. “It’s about Navy.”

  “Yeah?”

&nb
sp; She seemed curious, but not particularly concerned.

  “This morning he was out at the nursing home and he fell down and…he died.”

  “What? He just fell down?”

  “The police think the fall is what killed him. But they’re not sure. They’ll know more after the autopsy.”

  Kayla contorted her face. Ginger couldn’t tell if it was because Navy was dead and now they were going to cut him up, or because the thought of autopsy in general made her sick.

  “Well…thanks for coming to tell me. Goodbye.”

  She closed the door. They could hear her walking away, toward the back of the house.

  Elijah looked at Ginger.

  “That was kind of a weird reaction,” said Ginger.

  “People react differently to the loss of a loved one,” he said, as they walked down the stairs. “Five minutes from now she’ll probably be crying her eyes out.”

  Ginger walked to the front of the Miata and felt the hood.

  “What are you doing?” said Elijah.

  “It’s still warm.”

  They got into his car.

  He started the engine. “So? What are trying to say?”

  “Why did she lie? She told us she just got out of bed. Yet her car engine is still warm. And she was wearing tennis shoes.”

  He pulled out of the driveway. “Okay, I’ll admit—it does seem strange.” He drove toward town.

  “Not just strange. Her boyfriend died mysteriously—”

  “—well, I wouldn’t say mysteriously. We’ll know exactly what killed him after the autopsy.”

  “Maybe the reason Kayla wasn’t torn up about Navy’s death…is that she had something to do with it.”

  “Who are you—Jessica Fletcher?”

  “No. But think about it. It’s possible. A big-city hooker probably knows all kinds of ways to kill a person.”

  “Okay, stop. Your imagination is starting to run wild. The police will solve this thing. Just leave it up to them.”

  “You’re right, Elijah. That’s what I need to do.”

  But somehow she knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

  Chapter 6

  Daniel Foenapper sat down at his desk. The twin gold-plated pens stood at attention on their marble base at the sides of the little clock. It had been a thoughtful gift from his mother in celebration of his promotion to Chief of Police. Nine-fifteen. Had it really only been ninety minutes ago that he got the call about Navy Newcomb?

  Kip had assured him the job would be a cakewalk. Nothing much ever happens in Coreyville. Yet he’d only been chief for six days, and was already having to deal with a suspicious death. But maybe it was accidental. If the medical examiner determined that Navy simply fell down and busted his head open and died, all Daniel’s worrying would have been for nothing. He just needed to chill.

  His desk phone rang. Who would be calling him at his office on Saturday? And when were they going to upgrade the phones? Caller ID would come in handy.

  “Chief Foenapper.”

  “Hi, Chief. This is Ginger Lightley. The dispatcher put me through. She said she really wasn’t supposed to, but I told her I had important information regarding the Navy Newcomb case.”

  He cleared his throat, and tried to sound authoritative. “It’s not really a case. It was probably just an accident.”

  “I don’t know, Chief. When Reverend Bideman and I dropped by to tell Kayla Hanker about Navy, she was acting strangely.”

  “Well, I imagine so—after you told her that her boyfriend was dead.”

  “But that’s just it. She didn’t seem very upset about it. She told us she’d just gotten out of bed, yet she was wearing tennis shoes. And her car engine was still warm. She’d apparently just come home from somewhere.”

  “Maybe she made a quick trip to a convenience store for a pack of cigarettes.”

  “And she was embarrassed for us to find out that she smokes? I don’t think she’s the type of person that cares what people think about her.”

  “Who knows? It could be anything. And I certainly don’t see how any of this is relevant to Navy’s death.”

  “But—”

  “—I appreciate you trying to help, but this is my job. So, please—just let me do it.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply…I’m sorry. But please let me know what you find out. Navy was delivering cakes for me when he died. I want to know what happened to him.”

  “I’ll let you know. And thanks again, Mrs. Lightley. Goodbye.”

  That was all he needed—some amateur crime dog sniffing around for clues. Hewas the chief of police. Hewas in charge.

  Sure—every other man on the Coreyville police force had more years of experience than he did. But his Masters in Criminal Justice had given him the advantage. Nobody else had a masters. It didn’t matter that he had graduated near the bottom of his class.

  The chief leaned back in the plush leather chair and admired his wall of educational accomplishments. The massive walnut frames made even his Coreyville High School diploma look like something from Harvard.

  The phone rang.

  It better not be Mrs. Lightley calling back with another ‘clue.’

  “Chief Foenapper.”

  “Daniel, come up to my office.” The mayor hung up.

  What was he upset about today?The mayor had called Daniel to his office every day this week.

  The first floor of the courthouse was occupied by the Justice of the Peace Courtroom, the water department, and various other offices. The police department was located on the second floor. The mayor’s office and other city administrator offices were on the third floor. The entire fourth floor was the city jail.

  Daniel pushed the elevator button, and immediately became impatient. He took the stairs, two at a time, up to the third floor and walked quickly to the mayor’s office. He knocked timidly.

  “Come in, Daniel.” said the mayor.

  Daniel walked in and shut the door behind him.

  “What’s going on, Daniel? I understand you may have a murder on your hands.”

  “Murder? No, I don’t think so. And how did you find out? It just happened a couple of hours ago.”

  “Murder is big news in a small town, Chief.”

  “But I don’t believe it was murder. I think he just tripped and fell.”

  “Well, whatever it is, I want this thing put to bed in a hurry. That’s the way we do it here in Coreyville now, right? Now that we’rein charge.”

  “Right, Kip.”

  The mayor jumped to his feet, and was instantly in Daniel’s face. “Don’t you EVER call me that again. My name is HoustonKassle. There is no Kipford, Kip, or Kippy anymore. You knowthat.”

  Yes. And Daniel also knew that his old buddy would like him to quit being two inches taller than Kip. But at five-foot-seven, almost every man in town was taller than the mayor. That really irked him. He didn’t seem to mind tall women. Probably because he felt most of them would love to go out with him.

  The two twenty-seven year olds had been best friends since elementary school. Even back then, Kip was shorter than everybody else in his class. It was actually the thing that brought the two boys together.

  One day during recess, three bullies pinned Kip against a wall. They took turns punching him in the stomach and laughing. Daniel saw what was happening and went over to stop it. Kip was not even defending himself. The only thing he was fighting off was his own tears.

  Daniel grabbed one of the boys by the shoulders and pulled him backward and tripped him. He dared the boy to get up and fight him. But the kid was afraid of the taller, stronger Daniel. He crawled away on hands and knees. Daniel spun around to dispense with the other two boys, but they were already gone. That was the beginning of Kip and Daniel’s long friendship.

  Later that year, after watching The Karate Kid,Kip begged his mother to let him enroll in karate lessons. She was worried that her undersized son would get hurt, but she finally relented. Coreyville’s version of Mr.
Miyagitaught his pupil well. The only thing that Kip had a problem with was controlling his aggression. Even now it seemed like Kip was on the verge of taking Daniel’s head off.

  After a few months of training, Kip didn’t need Daniel’s protection anymore. But he still valued his friendship. And he never forgot about the way Daniel had stood up for him when he needed it most.

  The mayor took a deep breath, and then walked back around his desk and sat down. “What’s the status?”

  “The Justice of the Peace agrees with me. We think Navy just fell and hit his head on the concrete.”

  “Then why the autopsy?”

  Typical, thought Daniel. Kip already knows everything. He just likes to hear me fumble around trying to explain it.

  Like the time in high school when Kip broke up with Sara Sue. Daniel had wanted to date her, but hadn’t yet worked up the nerve to ask her out. And before he could, Kip did.

  They dated for three months. It was killing Daniel every time he saw her with Kip.

  Then Kip dumped her one night at a party, and left her crying. Daniel went over to comfort her.

  The next day Kip confronted his friend.

  “How’d you like the party last night?”

  “It was okay.”

  “What did you do after I left? I figured you’d come by the house.”

  “No. I was kinda tired after the party.”

  “So, you just went straight home?”

  Daniel just stared at Kip. Not again.

  “You didn’t give anybody a ride home?”

  “Well…yeah.”

  “One of the guys?”

  Daniel blew up. “You know what I did, so why are you asking me all these questions?”

  “I heardabout it. But I couldn’t believethat my best friend would betray me like that.”

  “I didn’t betray you. You broke her heart, Man. I just tried to make her feel better.”

  “Really? So, just how good did you make her feel, huh, Buddy? How good?”

  “Shut up! I just held her in my arms. That’s all.”

  “You didn’t even give her a nighty-night kiss at the door?”

  “That’s none of your business.”