“Let’s take my truck,” Eddy volunteered. “That is, unless you want to go in separate vehicles so you’re free to take home a woman.”
“No chance. To tell the truth, I haven’t been on the singles scene in so long I’m not sure I know how to act.”
Eddy chuckled. “Just follow my lead. You may be the hotshot detective, but I’m The Man tonight.”
“Yeah, right.”
The huge neon sign at Papa Jack's country and western club flashed red and blue on the cars and pickup trucks that lined the parking lot. Eddy eased his truck in between two other pickups fifty yards from the honky tonk’s front doors.
On the way to the main entrance, he reminded Eddy, "Remember, our story. You're taking me out here to cheer me up over the death of an old high school friend."
"Hell, speak for yourself. I’m here to pick up babes."
Inside, the crowd was boisterous for a Thursday night. Small spotlights rotated across the dance floor. The rest of the place was a haze of tobacco smoke and shadows.
Eddy knew a couple seated near the dance floor. "Hey, how's it going? Martha and Bill Hodges, this is Link Dixon, a friend from work."
Link greeted the couple. Bill had a face that belonged under a John Deere cap and the scuffmarks on his boots proved they were not just for show. Smile lines on Martha's face hinted at her good nature. Her billowing skirt looked like one she'd worn to a square dance competition.
Bill gestured to the two empty chairs. "Why don't you two join us."
Link and Eddy sat down and Link watched couples on the dance floor. The din of music and partiers made chatting with the couple difficult. Link tried to stay tuned to the polite phrases being exchanged, but his attention wandered about the room.
The music was passable and he found his toe tapping to the rhythm. He spotted two blondes a few tables over. He leaned toward Eddy and shouted over the noise.
"Think we should ask some of these cowgirls to dance?"
"You got one picked out yet?"
"Yeah, there's a couple of blondes who look ready to boot scoot. Hey, here they come now."
To Link's surprise, the girls asked him and Eddy to dance. As he whirled his partner across the floor, his eye caught a wall of photographs from what looked to be dance contests. By the end of the dance, he had maneuvered his partner to them.
"Are these recent photos?" Link asked her as she smoothed her lavender Wranglers. If not for the nice leg creases front and back left by the dry cleaner's press, Link would have sworn the jeans were glued to her body. Personally, he felt if you could see the creases, the jeans weren't tight enough.
"Yeah, the latest ones are at the other end. There's a dance contest every Friday night and they always take lots of pictures."
She led as Link eased himself through the throng toward more recent photos.
"See, here are the ones from last Friday." The picture she pointed to was of Mitzi decked out in colorful red print western shirt and tight blue jeans over red boots. She stood next to a man matching the description given by Billie Faye.
"Hey, would you look--there's Mitzi. But I can't remember her partner's name. Let's see, is it Ricky--?"
"Ricky Martinez. He comes here every Friday. Man, he is some dancer." She gave Link a closer look. "You knew Mitzi? I heard she died a few days ago."
"Yeah, too bad about her. We went to high school together. You know her?" Link stared at the photograph. It hit him suddenly--the guy in the photo was--Medium--from the compound, all dressed up. He glanced over the girl's shoulder. Eddy's eyes met his and Link gave a slight movement of his head to signal Eddy to come over.
She caught the interchange and a wary look came across her face. "No, I didn't really know her. I've seen her here plenty of times lately, but I don't know her at all." The girl edged away.
Link wanted to talk to her some more. "Hey, want to dance this one too."
"Uh, no, I have to go to the little girl's room." The girl turned and hurried away just as Eddy made his way to Link's side. Eddy's partner followed her friend toward the ladies' room.
Link turned to Eddy in disgust and spoke quietly, "Damn. Scared her off." He nodded toward the photo. "Look at that photo from last week's dance contest."
Eddy inspected the photo. "Wow, that’s Mitzi Dunaway."
"And with the guy that fits the description I got from the Williams girl."
"Did Miss Tight Jeans know either of them?"
"She knew both of them. Something about me scared her off."
Eddy laughed. "What did you say to her, you old stud?"
"Not much, but it must have been the wrong thing. Did you find out anything about her friend?"
"She's a Scorpio, loves to dance, comes here several times a week, and they're sisters. Oh, and she just loves big, tall cowboys with blond hair and blue eyes like mine."
Eddy gave Link an embarrassed grin. "Her name's Dorothy Passons and the sister you danced with is Patsy."
Link shook his head and stood with his hands on his hips. "Man, you did better than I did with information. Sorry if I scared away your honey."
"She acted pretty taken with me, but it’s no big deal if she wasn’t."
Link nudged Eddy. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your love life.”
“What about yours? Sounds to me like you need to get out more.”
"Well, it's different with me. I was married over seven years. I have a son and the responsibilities of Akridge House."
"That won't snuggle up and keep you warm on a cold night, partner. Don't you wish for a, um, sweet honey in your life too?"
Link shook his head. "No, guess I quit looking for the happy ending years ago."
"Not me. I still believe in happily-ever-after."
“Glad someone does. Look, let's act like we're having a good time and dance with some of these babes. Maybe Little Miss Tight Jeans Patsy will dance with me again and I can find out a little more about Mitzi and the Martinez guy."
Link looked around. Eddy's title of Miss Tight Jeans would fit most of the women in the room—in fact, all those not dressed in a skirt.
Eddy tapped his arm. "Say, there's the girls now. They're looking our way and talking, like they're talking about us."
"Fine, just wave real friendly-like, and ask some other hottie to dance. I'll do the same." Link placed his hand on Eddy's arm. "Hey, try to remember why we're here."
Eddy grinned. "I know why we’re here. Remember? You need to get out more."
Link managed to end his third dance near Miss Tight Jeans Patsy. He thanked his partner for the dance and turned, pretending to be surprised when he saw Patsy.
"Well, hello, again. Say, I'm dying of thirst. Buy you a drink?"
Patsy looked hesitant, but agreed and walked with him to the bar. She asked for a Tequila Sunrise. Link asked for ginger ale in a beer glass.
The bartender glared at him, but complied. Link took Patsy's elbow and guided her toward an empty table. "Care to sit down for a while?"
He introduced himself and said, "Nice crowd here tonight."
"Friday's the big night--the dance contest is then, and it's more of a date night." She looked up and down his long frame. Apparently she found what she saw at least passable. "You've never been here before, have you?"
"No. Just moved back. Grew up in Cartersville, but I left before this place was built. You come here often?"
She nodded and took a sip of her drink. "It's one of the few places a girl can dance without a date. There's always lots of singles here for dancing and fun, not just people trying to hook up for a one-night stand. My sister and I come two or three times a week."
Link attempted to steer the conversation. "I guess that's why my old friend Mitzi came here. She always did love to dance."
"Yeah, she was a real good dancer." Patsy gave him a glance from under her lashes. "You know her real well?"
"I lost touch with her after she married. She was a cheerleader in high school and I was on the basketball and football teams." Link
flashed her what he hoped was his most charming smile. "Mostly I played basketball, and sat on the bench in football."
His expression sobered and he added, "I didn't even know Mitzi was getting divorced and living back here until I heard the news about her on the radio. Damn, it's hard to imagine her being dead. She was such a fun-loving person, but sort of attracted to the wild life."
"I know what you mean. Like Ricky Martinez. He's a great dancer, but kind of scary."
He kept it light and casual. "I don't believe I know him. Is he from around here?"
"I don't know. No one knows much about him. He shows up most Friday nights, though."
"You think Mitzi was dating him or just dancing?"
Patsy looked hesitant again, "No, once when we were in the ladies room, she told me that she just came here to dance 'cause her boyfriend never took her out."
"Hmm. That's odd. She was a pretty girl and lots of fun. You'd think he'd want to take her out, wouldn't you?"
Patsy cocked an eyebrow at him. "Not if he was married, he wouldn't, especially to a place with so many people. That's the impression I got. She said he was someone she knew from when she lived here before, someone she went to school with." She clasped her hands in front of her and asked, "Could that be you?"
His charming smile flashed again. "No, ma'am. I am very definitely unattached." He held up his left hand and wiggled his bare ring finger.
His gut told him he lied. In spite of the months since Terri's death, he couldn't deal with dating yet. He didn't feel unattached, and certainly not carefree. He wondered if he ever would.
Patsy shook her head. "I saw you weren't wearing a wedding band, but a girl can't go by that. Some guys take their ring off when they cheat on their wives."
"Well, my wife died several months ago. We got married when I was in college and couldn't afford a ring for me. Never got around to getting one later on." He stood up and held out his hand. "So, I'm single and I like to dance. Would you like to try scootin' our boots to this one?"
Chapter Twenty-Four
The alarm jolted Link awake. He rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Scrunching his eyes to focus, he scrutinized the clock face. Damn, it really read six o'clock. With a groan, Link tried to stand and found he still sat on the side of the bed. Apparently dancing used a lot of muscles he didn't use walking.
A hot shower improved his outlook on life and he hummed a tune from the night before as he sat down for breakfast.
Jason and Maggie were already in place. As soon as the blessing ended, Jason blurted, "Dad, can I sleep in my tree house tonight?"
"No, Son. Supposed to rain tonight, at least that's the weather forecast. Maybe another time."
"Can I bring my friend Anna over to see my tree house after school?"
"I suppose so, if it's all right with her parents."
Jason hit the table with his hand and hooted a laugh. When Link shot Maggie a quizzical expression, she raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She was about to speak when Jason explained.
"Anna is a grown lady, Dad. A real pretty lady, not a kid like me. I make her pictures and she likes them."
"You know, Lincoln, Professor Bennett and his wife are on sabbatical from the college. This young lady is house-sitting for them while they're away. It’s her first year to teach here, though I believe she taught at a university in Dallas for several years."
Link felt a net closing in on him. "Would this be the Anna who works with your Aunt Kathy, by any chance?" he asked his son.
"Yeah, uh, yes, sir. She knows Aunt Kathy. She's really a neat lady.” Jason gave Link’s sleeve several tugs. “Dad, she's learning me German. Listen, Wie geht es Ihnen?"
"Teaching me, not learning me, son." Link wondered if his sisters were behind this chance meeting of his son and the same unmarried woman Gwen had mentioned. "So, Professor Anna asked to see your tree house, eh?"
"Well, no. But I know she'd like to. I told her all about it. And she said it sounds special. She said she always wanted a tree house when she was a girl, so I thought she'd like to see mine."
With a resigned sigh Link said, "Sure, Jason. If you want to invite guests to look at your tree house, that's fine with me as long as Maggie says yes, too. Maybe it would be best to do that sort of thing when I'm not home, though." No need to encourage the rampant matchmaking plaguing his family.
Maggie spoke up, "Now I don't want you to think I've been letting this young sprout run wild over the neighborhood, Lincoln. You know I'm supposed to walk every day for my blood pressure and weight. Right after you moved here Jason and I went walking one evening while Miss Zimmermann worked in the Bennett's front flowerbed.”
Jason interrupted, “We talked to her about her roses, and ours.”
Maggie nodded, “Yes, that's how Jason got acquainted with her. She seems very nice."
"Dad, she said I could come by anytime." Jason held up his hand to mimic a woman's gesture, "That's how she said it, real ladylike...'Come by for a visit any time, if it's all right with your father and Mrs. Sparkman.' Kind of like a fairy queen."
Link couldn't help smiling at his son. Damn, but it was wonderful to see him so animated after the dark days before their move.
"Well, don't make a pest of yourself, Jason. People sometimes say things like that to be polite. And you know not to go into anyone's house unless Maggie or I are with you."
"We sit on the front porch swing and talk. Sometimes I help her with the weeds. She has a porch with a screen around it in the back and sometimes she gives me lemonade there for helping her." Jason gave Link's sleeve another tug. "Dad, she put the pictures I drew her on her ‘frigerator. She let me look through the window and see them. Honest, she really likes me."
"She mentioned it to me, too, Lincoln," Maggie added looking at the boy fondly. "Apparently Jason charmed her just as he does everyone."
Link pushed his chair back and stood. "Well, I've got to try charming Moses Goddard." Dropping a kiss on the top of Jason's head, he called, "Good breakfast, Maggie. See you two tonight."
When Link arrived at the Justice Center office a few minutes before eight, Goddard was already there and in an especially foul mood. Link briefed him on the information he and Eddy collected the night before. About fifteen minutes later, Eddy straggled in.
Goddard glared at him, and asked, "What the hell happened? You two tomcats look like there were rocks in the sandbox. Goddammit, Wells, can't you at least pretend to be alert?"
Eddy blushed. "Sorry, sir, I overslept. But we found out a lot about Mitzi Dunaway, yesterday."
"Yeah, yeah. That's what Dixon says, but you didn't find out who killed her yet, did you? Don't go pattin' each other on the back until this thing is solved."
Link hated to see Eddy squirm under Goddard's wrath, so he spoke up, "I'm convinced this Martinez character has something to do with her death. Will you let me follow up on him?"
Goddard's jaw clamped. Link thought somebody ought to tell the guy that habit was bad for his jaws and teeth, but he sure as hell wouldn't volunteer for that assignment. He decided the man must have smoked a cigar or pipe at one time and developed the habit of clamping the stem of the pipe or cigar in his mouth.
Goddard pointed his finger at Link, "You were sure we'd missed something in the Morrison house, too, but you didn't find anything, did you?"
"No, sir. But I'm still sure there's something there we've all missed--just as I’m sure that this Martinez guy is mixed up in this."
"Okay, but I'm warning you. We have to come up with the murderer of at least one of these two corpses soon. Dammit to hell, men, we're being pressured from all sides. We're going to find ourselves cooking meals for jail prisoners if there's no solution soon--and I'm warning you, that's gonna make me real cranky."
"We'll work our leads and get back to you." Link almost added "Chief," but caught himself in time. No use fueling that fire.
Link wished he could tell Goddard and Eddy about the compound on the riverba
nk, about Martinez, the other men, the dogs, and his own involvement with the DEA. He just couldn't chance it. He would have bet a lot of money on the honesty of these two--but he was unwilling to bet his very life on it. After all, Goddard was one of the few who might have known about the undercover work.
Out on the parking lot and safe from any eavesdroppers, Link stopped Eddy.
"Listen, I've got a real harebrained idea, but I need your help. Can you go back to Papa Jack's tonight and watch for this Martinez character?"
Eddy's mouth split into a wide grin and his blue eyes twinkled. "I could probably force myself." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked embarrassed. "I...uh...I sort of planned to anyway, to tell the truth." Eddy’s smile disappeared. "Say, what are you up to?"
"I can't tell you, but I think I have part of this worked out. You watch Martinez tonight for me, will you? Try to keep him at Papa Jack's."
Eddy sent Link a quizzical look. "Well, I'll try. I don't know what I can do, though, since I've never met the man."
"Just try. I realize there's nothing you can do to force him to stay there. I'll call you first thing in the morning if my theory works out."
"Huh? What makes you think I'll be home first thing in the morning? Remember, we have Saturday off this week."
Link stopped, feeling older than his years. Had he forgotten what it was like to be Eddy’s age and unattached? He remembered the way Dorothy Passons had looked at Eddy the previous evening and knew where Eddy would be.
"Right, right, so we do. Look, you call me at home by noon tomorrow, okay? If I haven't turned up, I'll leave a message for you with my housekeeper."
Eddy frowned. "If you haven't turned up? What the hell kind of talk is that, if you haven't turned up? What the hell do you mean?” He took a step toward Link. “Hey, don't try to be the Lone Ranger, Link. It never works.”
Link grinned. "I know. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto."
“Sounds like you've got something dangerous up your sleeve. Explain."
Link shook his head. "Look, don't worry about me, just try to keep an eye on Martinez. Try to keep him at Papa Jack's as long as possible."
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