by Tegan Maher
“Anna Mae, what’s going on?” I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder and pulling her hands away from her face.
“Just everything,” she cried. “He was awful, and I can’t get the clothes right on the mannequin, and I broke a nail movin’ those stupid Dutch ovens.”
“Calm down,” I said, utterly confused. “None of that’s a big deal. The clothes look great, and I bet Alyse could fix your nail right now if you go over.”
Cheri Lynn cast her an assessing gaze. “Have you eaten? I think maybe your sugar’s low or somethin’.”
“I haven’t done anything but eat,” Anna replied. “And that’s another thing. All my jeans are gettin’ too tight.”
“There, there,” Cheri said, her expression going from confused to worried. “It’s okay. Just breathe. Come over here and sit down. Noelle, will you grab her a water?”
Anna Mae took a shuddering breath and waved us off, then fanned her face. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I don’t know what came over me. It’s been so hot in here, today, and I didn’t sleep well last night for some reason.” She dabbed her eyes on the tail of her red flannel overshirt.
“I was just on my way to Bobbie Sue’s to grab something to eat,” I said. “Why don’t you get your bag and go with me?”
“No,” she said, waving me off. “I want to take inventory before we go shopping tomorrow. I’ll be fine.” She gave me a watery smile. “I honestly don’t know what came over me.”
“Are you and Matt okay?” I asked.
“We’re fine. More than fine, really. He’s been doing a bunch of work around my house, and he’s really got the place looking great. We’re gonna remodel the kitchen, and he’s been talking about building a newer, nicer deck around the pool.”
“Do you want to do all that?” She’d really grown a spine since Hank had died, but she was still a little prone to just going along for the sake of keeping the peace.
Her splotchy face lit up. “Oh, I absolutely do. It’s just ... a lot, I guess.”
“Well talk to Matt,” I said. “He loves you. If you need to slow it down, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”
Cheri Lynn nodded. “I agree. And as far as the mannequin goes, she looks great, but let’s go through what all you’ve got. Maybe we’ll find another outfit and we can put a buddy in there with her.” Cheri Lynn knew her well. There wasn’t a fashion challenge she could walk away from.
“That sounds fun!” Anna Mae replied, and though I was glad to see her smiling, I was also a little worried about her. I made a mental note to talk to Matt. Like me, she wasn’t a big fan of change, so maybe she was just overwhelmed.
Finally, a problem I could solve.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
There were only a handful of customers at Bobbie Sue’s when I got there, and I was glad because I wanted to talk to her without the distractions. Louise, another good friend of mine I’d met when her dad was murdered, was working.
“Hey, Noelle! You hungry, or just visiting?” she said, her arms full of dirty dishes. She had a stain on the front of her red t-shirt, and dark curls had escaped her ponytail to fall in wisps around her face.
“Starving, and I miss you guys. So both. I’m guessing you guys have been busy?”
“Slammed. Is Hunter coming in?” she called over her shoulder.
I shook my head. “He’s stuck at the office, running down alibis and doing some background checks. I’m gonna take him a sandwich when I leave, though.”
After I poured myself a glass of tea, I followed her to the back. Bobbie Sue was making slaw while her husband, Earl, was cutting up brisket. The two of them were a study in opposites. Whereas she was slight but had the aura of a stick of dynamite, he was huge, with arms so big I doubt I could have wrapped my hands around them. Though he looked like a grizzly, he had the temperament of a cub, at least until you made him mad. It took a lot, but once he was pushed that far, all bets were off. Thankfully, his temper had never been directed at me. He grinned at me.
“Long time, no see, girlie. Where ya been? I hear Jackson Prescott up and got himself kilt last night. Y’all know who did it yet?”
I shook my head. “Nope, and the ones at the top of my list all have alibis.”
“Surely there’s gotta be someone who doesn’t,” Bobbie Sue said, wiping the side of her face on her sleeve. The blue bandanna she always wore over her hair slipped a little, revealing hair the same color as mine.
I bit my lip. “Yeah, about that ... there is, but you’re not gonna like it. I know I don’t.”
Her sharp brown eyes shot to me. “Then spit it out. It can’t be that bad.”
“That depends on what you call bad,” Sarah said from behind me. I hadn’t figured she’d be working since she was supposed to be at the Country Club.
She smiled at me. “I figured since the races were canceled, I might as well make a little money.” She pulled in a deep breath and her smile slipped. “You know, since I may need money for an attorney before too long.”
Sarah’d worked at the restaurant even longer than I had, and though Bobbie Sue hadn’t helped raise Sarah like she had me, she still loved her like her own. For years, Bobbie Sue and Earl had tried to have kids, but somehow along the way, she’d managed to adopt a few as her own. Sarah was one of them. I gave her the rundown of what had happened the night before.
Bobbie Sue scowled. “That’s just bull, and you know it. Anybody who knows you knows you ain’t got the disposition to hurt a fly.” She smiled and turned toward me. “Shoot, I can’t even get her to kill spiders half the time.”
I grinned at Earl, who’d gone a nice shade of pink at the comment.
Bobbie Sue’d noticed, too.“As a matter of fact,” she continued, casting her husband a wry glance, “I’m the only one in the place who’ll deal with the creepy-crawly things.”
“That’s not true.” Justin, their twelve-year-old son, wrinkled his freckled nose. “I ain’t got no problems squashing one, even without takin’ off my shoe. I’ll step right on it. Earl has me do it all the time.”
Bobbie Sue rolled her eyes. “And thank goodness. Before you came along, I was the only one here who wasn’t scared o’ somethin’ the size of my palm.”
I shuddered. “I’ve never seen a spider that big in here. That might have been a deal-breaker for me way back when.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. Like you don’t see ’em in the barn that size all the time.”
“Ah, but I expect to see them in the barn. I do not expect to see them here. That’s the difference.”
She waved the giant spoon she was using to stir the coleslaw. “That’s all neither here nor there. How bad does it look for Sarah when it comes to brass tacks?”
My gaze slid to Sarah. I didn’t want to worry her any more than she already was, but I wasn’t going to gloss over it, either. That’s not how we played things. “It doesn’t look great. Somebody saw somebody built like her comin’ out of the tent, but it was too dark for them to see anything but a shape. Jackson’s ex was there, and she’s built a lot like Sarah. She’s where I’m puttin’ my money right now, even if she and that Stuart guy are coverin’ for each other.”
“How’s Stuart coverin’ for her?” Earl asked.
“He says he was with her when the murder happened.”
He drew his bushy brows down in thought. “And what time was Jackson killed?”
“Around seven-thirty, I guess. It had just gotten full dark. I didn’t talk to them 'til probably eight, though. Why does that matter?”
“It might not.” He reached over with a huge fork and stabbed another chunk of meat on a heaping pile beside him, then lifted it over and plopped it on his cutting board. “But Stuart was in here around six-thirty, quarter to seven eating. I know, because I’d set the timer on the ribs for then, and that big ole truck of his was in the lot.”
“So if it takes forty-five minutes to get from here to the Country Club, then he barely had time to skin in under the wire,
if he was really with her,” I finished.
“You got it,” he said.
Louise, who’d just finished loading the dishwasher, turned to me. “I was working, and he didn’t leave here until close to seven. I remember, because that’s when happy hour ends, and he asked me to get him one before it did. So either he knows some super-secret route that gets him there fifteen minutes faster than the rest of us, or he’s lyin’.”
My heart gave a little skip. “I knew they were just coverin’ for each other, but I didn’t figure we’d be able to prove it. They’re both standin’ rock solid on it. Was he in here by himself?”
Louise nodded. “Yep. He sat and watched NASCAR bloopers on his phone while he ate.”
“Well, then,” I said. “It looks like Hunter has his first string to pick.”
“Good,” Bobbie Sue said, sliding a lid onto the giant pan of slaw. “Because there ain’t no way Sarah did it, and it would be a waste of time thinkin’ she did.”
I frowned. “I know that, you know that, and Hunter knows that, but he does still have to follow the evidence. That’s why it’s so important that he has somethin’ besides her to follow.”
I pulled out my phone and sent him a text, then asked Earl to make me up a couple of pulled pork sandwiches to go.
“Alyse said she saw Jackson arguing with Andy, Evie’s brother, a month or so ago out in the Pigs parking lot. You don’t have any idea what that might have been about, do you?”
Bobbie Sue and Louise both shook their heads, but Earl raised his cleaver. “I might know a little somethin’ about that. I’m not for sure, mind you, but I do know Andy loaned Jackson a chunk of change back when Jackson was datin’ Evie. Jackson had gotten himself in trouble at a pawn shop, and he was about to lose the truck. Andy didn’t want that to happen to Evie, but he wasn’t none too pleased about bailin’ Jackson out, or that Jackson had put the truck up to begin with. If I had to guess, Jackson still owes him the money, and that’s what they were fightin’ about. Jackson’s lucky—Andy’s a bit of a hothead and I’m surprised he hasn’t already put a whoopin’ on him.”
“Do tell,” I said, brow arched. “Dare I hope we now have two strings for Hunter to pull at?”
Earl nodded his head. “When somebody gets themselves killed, follow the money or follow the love. Odds are better than good you’ll find the killer at the end of one of the two paths.”
That was the god’s honest, and I couldn’t wait to get the info to Hunter.
“Can I come out to the farm this weekend since the races were canceled?” Justin asked as he moved the pile of pork Earl had already pulled into a tub.
“How ‘bout you come over Monday after school? I have to go to some sales with Anna Mae tomorrow morning, then us girls are going out tomorrow night.”
Bobbie Sue raised a good-natured brow at me. “We are? Were you gonna tell me, or was I just supposed to guess?”
I grinned at her as Louise popped through the door loaded down with more dirty dishes. “That was my next order of business. Fancy’s, tomorrow night, seven o'clock. Sound good?”
“You have no idea. I can taste the beer and smell the desperation from here.” Fancy’s was the best dive bar in town, but it earned that title. The beer was cold and cheap, the wings were to die for, and the ambiance was peanuts-on-the-floor and every woman for herself. It was our favorite place to go.
“Speakin’ of Fancy’s,” I said, “have you talked to Marybeth?” That was the woman who owned the place, along with most of the entire east side of Keyhole, otherwise known as the other side of the tracks. For one, it was literally across a set of railroad tracks from the rest of the town, and second, it was the personification of the metaphor, or at least it had been before Marybeth had snatched it all up for a song several months ago. Now the place was starting to show a slight glimmer of light.
“Just the other day,” Bobbie answered. “She’s been bustin’ her butt tryin’ to get everything done, but it looks like the B&B’s gonna be open for the holidays.”
One of the properties she’d bought was a huge house with seven bedrooms and five baths, a pool, and many other bells and whistles, but, like everything else on that side of town, it had needed some love. Of course, the money she’d found in a hidden room had helped, but that’s another story altogether.
“So are you in tomorrow night? And you too, Louise?”
Louise nodded. “Oh, I’m in like Flynn! The baby is crawling and pulling himself up on things. I’m about to lose my mind.”
“I’m in, too,” Bobbie Sue said. “It’s been a while, and I miss you girls.”
Sarah shook her head. “No offense, but I want to spend as much time with Sean as I can, just in case ... you know.”
“Hey—none of that,” I said, scowling at her. “We’ll figure it out.”
I’d almost forgotten about Richard, so I told them what had happened. “Anna Mae suggested I talk to Laura Singleton. Do you know her?”
Bobbie Sue nodded. “I do. I’ve known her since she was just small. She’s smart as a whip and honest as the day is long. She’ll do you right. But definitely talk to Peggy Sue, too. She’ll be able to give you all the dates and whatnot, and I’m sure Laura will want all that in order to make sure your Ts are crossed.”
While we’d been talking, I’d made a couple to-go plates of barbecue sandwiches, coleslaw, and baked beans. I decided to forego the fries since they always became soggy when you put them in a box. I stuffed the containers in a bag along with some napkins, then rolled the bag down.
“I’ll give her a call first thing Monday morning. For now, I’m gonna take Hunter his lunch and fill him in on Andy and Stuart.” I ruffled Justin’s rust-red hair and he scowled at me as he ducked away from it.
“Stop! You know I hate it when you do that.”
I grinned at him and reached out to pull him in for a noogie. “I know you do, which is why I just loooove to do it!” I knuckled the top of his head and he giggled despite himself, then wiggled out of my grip and gave me a playful shove.
“No horseplay in the kitchen!” Bobbie Sue barked, pointing at us with the drippy spoon. “You both know better ‘n that. Take it outside if you’re gonna rough-house.”
We grinned at each other. She was right—the kitchen was no place to goof around. Maybe more importantly than being right, she was also terrifying. Yeah, she’s little, but you’d have to meet her to get it. Many a person had underestimated her, much to their chagrin later. She grinned at us like a self-satisfied shark. “Good. Now if you two don’t have anything better to do than get in trouble, I think the floor of the cooler needs a good scrubbin’, and the urinals could probably do with some love, too.”
In a blink, Justin assumed his former position by Earl, yanked on his gloves, and proceeded to stuff more pork into the half-full tub. As for me, I grabbed my bag of food and lit out before she could hunt down the toothbrushes.
I’m a lot of things, but first and foremost, I’m a survivor. I understand when to get while the gettin’s good.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I was whistling as I crossed the town square and passed the statue of Major Thadeus Washburn, Civil War officer and Keyhole Lake’s founder. I smiled as I pictured Cheri Lynn and Anna Mae trading punches and yanking out fistfuls of each other’s hair right on the lawn at his feet. That was back when Cheri Lynn was still alive. It was also one of mine and Hunter’s first interactions, and I’d walked away with one of the best shiners I’ve ever had.
His northern sense of propriety was shocked when two grown women came to blows on the front lawn of the courthouse, though we’d all known it was comin’ when we’d found out he’d invited both Hank’s wife and mistress to be there within fifteen minutes or so of each other. He wouldn’t just let them fight it out, so I’d taken pity on him and stepped up to help. To be fair, they’d each gotten several good licks in, and they were drawing a crowd. He didn’t have much choice but to take action.
I’d told
him to get a good hold on Anna Mae, and I took Cheri Lynn. I did my part, but he hadn’t yet learned that a southern girl pushed past her limits is nothin’ to mess with. Rather than getting a good grip on her around her waist like I’d told him to, he’d simply taken her by the arm and assumed the all-mighty presence of the law would be enough. Silly man. Ann Mae’d seen Cheri Lynn was wide open because I’d done my part, and she came at her with a punch. Unfortunately, Cheri Lynn had the sense to duck, but I hadn’t. Thus, the shiner and one of the most entertaining relationship stories we had.
I looked up at the staid countenance of the man who’d decided this was a good place to start a town and wondered how many other scenes like that he’d witnessed. And how many marriages, and snowstorms, and Christmas parties. He’d been there for a hundred and fifty years or so, and I figured he had some good stories to tell if only he could talk. Then I remembered the night I’d made out with Jaime Parker on the bench after the Spring Fling dance, and the time Rae and I had wrapped the railings of the fence around the square in toilet paper because they’d threatened to cancel the prom. Oh, and the time I’d chipped my arch-nemesis, Olivia Anderson’s, tooth when I’d whapped her face against that same railing for calling Raeann fat. On second thought, it was probably a good thing ole Thad couldn’t say anything.
Still, I smiled and gave him a little salute when I passed. I pulled open one of the double doors to the front of the courthouse and stepped into the cool interior. My sneakers squeaked a little on the gray-streaked white marble floors, and, as always, I fought the urge to tiptoe. I don’t know if it was the way I was raised or if the immense, three-story foyer just felt hallowed to me, but it inspired me to walk quietly and whisper. Hunter’s office was at the back of the building, as was the jail. Well, technically, the jail was in the basement, but you had to go through Hunter’s office—or the Keyhole Lake Sheriff’s Office, to be exact—to get to it.