by Ann Mullen
For so long, I had wondered if I would ever find something that I was good at, and now I realized that I had. After all this time! I knew that I was a good wife and mother, and I was real good at being a snoop. I could handle anything. I should be with Billy!
Just when I was thinking about jumping into my car and go trailing after my man, the headlights of Billy’s Dodge pickup truck came into view. It sure was a welcomed sight.
Mom and I stood and held hands as we watched the truck pull up, park, and the glow of the headlights go out.
Inside the house, the telephone started ringing. Mom and I looked at each other knowing full well that one of us would have to run inside to answer it before the ringing woke Helene and the kids.
“I’ll get it,” Mom said. “You go check on Billy.” She looked at him as he walked closer. “He’s walking with a limp. He got hurt! I hope he’s all right. Oh, geez.” She turned and quickly went into the house. Seconds later, the phone stopped ringing.
I hugged Billy, taking in the sweet smell of his aftershave lotion that now had only the slight scent of Old Spice. It was a welcome, familiar smell. All I wanted to do was hold onto him, but I had to let go. Even in the dark I could tell that he was in pain.
“What happened, Billy?” I asked, trying not to cry.
“Things got a little rough,” he said.
“Come inside and let me have a look at you.”
“I’m okay, `ge ya. Well, I will be as soon as I take a shower and get some food in me. It’s been a long, rough day. I’m bushed.”
We turned and started to walk inside just about the same time Mom came back out onto the porch. She held the portable phone in her hand as she said, “Savannah has a problem. She needs our help.”
Billy looked at me and said, “You need to handle this, Jesse. I don’t think I have an ounce of energy left in me. I don’t want to talk.”
I took the phone from Mom as we walked inside. I held onto it without speaking. I wanted to have a look at Billy first. Once inside, I could tell that it had been a bad day for my husband. He had obviously been in a fistfight with someone, but I was sure that the beating he had taken wasn’t half as bad as he had given. Par for the course. Just another day in the life of a private investigator.
I kissed Billy on the cheek, and then he turned and headed to the bedroom. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said, winking at me.
Mom stood next to me while I talked with Savannah.
“Hello, Savannah,” I said. “Mom says you have a problem. What can we do to help?”
“It’s always been my worst nightmare,” she replied. “Ever since I started writing I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t anything that can’t be fixed. Just tell me what happened, and we’ll see what we can do about your problem.”
“I write about people getting killed, and I always worried that one day someone would dump a body on my property.”
“And…”
“There’s a body in my garage. Can you imagine what that’s like? I’ll tell you what it’s like! It’s awful!” She broke down and started crying hysterically, the deep, heaving kind of cry.
“I’ll be right there, Savannah. Are you alone? Where’s McCoy?”
“He’s not here, but I’m not alone either. I have a body in my garage!”
Chapter 2
It was way past ten o’clock at night, and I was tired. I didn’t want to leave the house, but I knew there was something horrible going on over at Savannah’s house. A dead body in the garage was enough to freak out anybody, but to Savannah Kelley, the Greene County writer, who lives close to Mom in Dogwood Valley, it was a nightmare in the making. She said she had always worried that something like this would happen. I guess a writer lives with the possibility that a fanatic fan might come along and do something awful like this.
When I explained the situation to Billy, the first thing he said was, “Did she call the police?”
“No. She called us.”
“Why not? Has she lost her mind? She should’ve called the cops.”
“She’s scared, Billy,” Mom stepped forward and said. “McCoy went to Fancy Gap to take care of business and settle matters. She said he was closing up his law practice. Now that he’s moved here to be with her, I guess there were loose ends to tie up.”
“This is a nightmare!” Billy exclaimed. “Whew! The last thing I want to do is go back out.”
“You don’t have to,” I said. “I can go.”
“And I can go with her!” Mom added.
Billy gave us one of his looks. “I don’t think so, ladies. If anyone’s going, it’s going to be me.” He looked over at Mom. “I don’t want you to get involved. Dead bodies aren’t real pretty.”
“I’ve seen dead bodies before,” she retorted. “I can handle it.”
“Wait one minute! Stop right there,” I demanded. “Ever since we got back from that cruise you’ve been shutting me out of everything. You pretty much handled every aspect of Flo’s case with the exception of the trip to Suffolk, and then you wouldn’t let me help with the fraud case. Don’t you think I can handle the job anymore?”
“Sure, I do, `ge ya. I just thought you needed to be able to spend some time with the children.”
“I spend plenty of time with the kids. I still need to work.”
Helene was in a half-asleep state when she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She looked around and asked, “What’s going on down here?” Then she looked over at Billy and gasped. “What happened to you? You look as if you got the wrong end of a whipping stick!”
“It’s a long story,” he replied. “I’m sorry we woke you.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t wake me up. I had a bad dream, and then I heard loud voices downstairs. I wanted to check it out. Make sure everything was all right.”
“Savannah found a body in her garage!” Mom said, excitedly. “We have to go over there and help her out.”
Once Mom had spilled the beans, the three of us women started going on and on about the situation. Billy finally butted in.
“Stop! Please!”
The room fell silent.
Billy walked over to the kitchen counter and looked at the empty coffee pot. “If somebody will make a pot of coffee, I’ll shove some food in my mouth, and then we’ll figure out who’s going and who’s staying.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” I said. “I’m going with you.”
“I’ll make the coffee,” Helene said, and then walked over to the pot and started doing so.
Mom walked over to the refrigerator, pulled out the plate she had fixed earlier for Billy, and stuck it in the microwave to heat it up.
Five minutes later, Billy was washing down his dinner with coffee as he stood by the sink. He looked up at me and asked, “Are you about ready to go?”
“I was born ready, honey!”
While Mom and Helene were busy in the kitchen with Billy, I ran to the bedroom to change clothes. I grabbed my gun and cell phone, stuck the gun in my purse, the cell phone in my back pants pocket, and was back in the kitchen waiting for Billy before he had time to even finish his last bite.
He looked up at me, let out a little chuckle and said, “You look like a kid waiting for someone to take her to the ice cream store.”
“That’s me. Always ready for a treat!”
“Jesse!” Mom hissed. “A dead body is nothing to joke about!”
“I know, Mom. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just eager to help Savannah, and find out what’s the deal with the body.”
“Where’s Vera?” Helene questioned. “Is she there with Savannah?”
“I didn’t think to ask,” I said.
“She’s not,” Mom offered. “She went on a week’s cruise to Bermuda on the Bella Constance. After hearing about all the fun Billy and Jesse had, she said she had to go. She took a week’s vacation, and headed out. She won’t be back for
two more days.”
“We’d better hurry,” Billy said, setting his plate in the sink. “If Savannah’s alone, she’s liable to be in a real panic. I don’t want her to do something irrational.”
“I’m sure she’s in a panic,” Helene agreed. “I know I would be if I found a body in my garage. The idea of it just gives me the creeps.”
Billy and I walked out the front door with Mom and Helene trailing along behind us.
“Lock the doors,” Billy commanded. “And call Savannah and tell her we’re on our way. Try to calm her down. She’ll need to keep it together.”
“If you need us, call my cell phone,” I said, walking down the porch steps. “You know you can always reach us by cell.”
“You call us and let us know what’s going on,” Mom yelled out to us as we climbed into Billy’s pickup truck. “You know we’ll worry until we hear something from you.”
Billy turned the truck around and headed down the driveway. I looked up into the rearview mirror to see Mom and Helene standing on the front porch, in the dark, waving to us. They were still standing in the same spot when we rounded the bend in the driveway.
After we got onto Rt. 29, Billy asked, “Are you mad at me, `ge ya?”
“No,” I replied, a little stunned at his question. “Why?”
“I thought you were angry because you think I’ve been shutting you out. That’s what you said. Trust me, that’s the last thing I’d do. I’d never shut you out. You’re my partner.”
“I’m not mad at you.” I reached over and patted his leg. “I’d kiss you on the cheek, but I have this seatbelt on. I liked it better when I used to jump in the truck and snuggle up close to you.”
“Safety first. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling your mother all this time? Practice what you preach.”
“Yeah…”
For as long as I could remember, Mom hated to wear a seatbelt. She always complained about how uncomfortable they are. It was like pulling teeth to get her to buckle up. And then I finally laid down the law. I told her that if she was going to haul my kids around, everybody had to wear a seatbelt. It worked. She stopped complaining, and now she wears hers all the time. And if one of us fails to do likewise, she starts in with her lecture. What goes around comes around.
“I think you’re starting to worry about me too much. It’s as if you’re afraid I can’t handle myself anymore. Is that true? Nothing has changed. Just because we’re married and have kids doesn’t mean I can’t still go out and beat down someone’s door.”
“I guess I’m getting too over-protective.”
“Well… snap out of it! I’m still just as tough as I’ve always been!”
“The day has been trying.”
Billy seemed relieved I wasn’t mad at him. Who in their right mind wants to deal with an angry wife when they’ve had such a rough day?
“That’s right,” I said, changing the subject. “What happened today? You said we’d talk about it later… and now it’s later. Did Raleigh get busted? I sure hope he’s in jail and off the streets.”
“He’s dead.”
“What?” I freaked. “What do you mean, he’s dead? What happened?”
Billy slowed the truck down, coming to a stop at the intersection of Rt. 29 and 33. It was a week night, late at night, but that didn’t seem to affect traffic. Cars were everywhere.
“I think I might’ve made a mistake, Jesse.”
I knew trouble was ahead. Billy rarely called me Jesse. He always called me ‘ge ya… meaning woman in his Cherokee language.
“This can’t be but so good,” I muttered. “I don’t like the sound of this story already.”
“I thought about what you said about bringing the cops in on it, and decided that you were right. So, about midday, I hooked up with one of Captain Waverly’s undercover cops who set up the buy with Raleigh,” he said, starting his explanation. “We were to meet up with Jones at three o’clock in the parking garage at the Downtown Mall.”
“At the mall? Are you serious?”
“Contrary to what most folks believe, drug dealers like public places. They think it’s inconspicuous to sell their wares in a crowded place. They think they blend in. They get more brazen all the time. “
“What happened when you met up with Raleigh Jones?”
“I have it all on tape.”
Billy had a mini camcorder he would mount on the inside of the truck’s grill when he needed to keep it hidden. This had been one of those times. He reached down under the seat, pulled it out, and then handed it to me.
I flipped on the camcorder and watched the scene play out while Billy talked. “The buy went down without a hitch, and then the police swarmed the area. Jones panicked, pulled a gun, and the next thing I knew, he was laying on the concrete with a bullet in his head.”
“What was the mistake you made? You worked with the cops to bring down this guy. You didn’t have to. All you had to do was get pictures for the insurance company. You could’ve stopped there, but you didn’t. You helped take a drug dealer off the streets. What’s the problem?”
Billy rubbed his forehead and said, “The mistake I made was to ever trust the cops. I know better. They used me.”
“Used you how?”
“Remember Officer Downey?”
“Of course, I do. He was the officer who read me my rights at the hospital that time.” I thought about the experience for a second, and then added, “Yes, I remember him well. I was in the hospital across the hall from Rose Hudgins. The two of us had just been through a harrowing ordeal. Being locked up in a car, buried underground was something one never forgets.”
“At the scene, he walked past me and made a comment about Captain Waverly. Really took me by surprise.”
“What did he say?”
“He said they’ve been after this guy for a good while. Captain Waverly had every intention of bringing down Raleigh Jones at all costs, sooner or later. I made that possible sooner than later.”
I thought about the implication for a minute. Then it hit me. “Are you saying that the captain planned to kill Raleigh Jones?”
“No, not planned, but if the opportunity presented itself… I gave him that opportunity.”
“Hey, if you hadn’t, someone else would have. But, I’m stunned that Waverly didn’t trust the judicial system to do its job. He’s a cop. They’re supposed to believe in the system. It’s just too bad you fell into his trap.”
“Cops are out for justice, and Waverly got his justice.”
“And just when you think it’s safe to go back into the water.” I had to laugh. “Let it go, Billy. It’s not your problem, and it’s not your fault.”
“I think I’m getting soft. I never make mistakes like this. I should know better than to trust the cops. They’re out to get their man, and it doesn’t matter how they do it.”
“Right! It seems to me that you’re the one who always told me to never trust the cops! You specifically said they can never, ever be trusted. They’ll stab you in the back every chance they get. The minute you turn around they turn on you. How many times have you told me that?”
“On more than one occasion, I’m quite sure.”
“I just can’t believe Captain Waverly would murder Raleigh Jones in cold blood. That’s raw.”
“Oh, it wasn’t murder. It was self-defense. Jones drew down on them.”
“A death by convenience.”
“That’s a good analogy.”
“Now, I understand why you got home so late.”
“Police and paperwork… there ought to be a law,” Billy joked as he turned left onto South River Road. His face looked worn out. He was beyond tired, and I felt bad for him.
I watched the small screen on the camcorder, and then chuckled again. I looked up at Billy and smiled. “I was going to ask you how you got all beat up, but now I see.”
“We kinda got into an argument over the price the minute I got the pound of marijuana in my hands. I had
to stall. I told Raleigh it felt light. I already had the pot, but the cops were dragging their feet. At first. Then they swarmed in like a SWAT team besieging a compound full of fanatics.”
“What did you do?”
“I hit the ground.”
I looked back down at the camcorder. “Yep, I see it all now. Hey… where did you go?” The scene of the shootout was now playing out on screen. After a few minutes, I turned off the camcorder, and said, “Scary. That was ugly.”
“It always is.”
Billy pulled up to the entrance of Savannah’s driveway. The wrought iron gates opened automatically.
“That’s strange,” I said, looking at Billy. “We didn’t even have to push the call button.”
“Considering what’s going on, I’m sure Savannah has probably been standing at her window waiting for us to arrive.”
His response triggered a question. “How could someone dump a body in her garage if the gate was closed? Doesn’t it automatically lock when it closes? They’d have to have the code.”
“Good question. I’d like to know the answer to that.”
Billy pulled up to the garage just about the time Savannah came running out the back door. She was covered in blood.
“Oh, my God!” I screeched. “Look at her! She’s all bloody. How did she get covered in blood? I don’t think this is just a case of a body being dumped. There’s more going on here.”
We jumped out of the truck and hurried to Savannah. She was still in a fit. She looked rattled.
“What happened?” Billy asked. “Are you hurt?”
“Whose blood is that?” I asked, confused and concerned. “Is it yours?”
“Some… of it… is,” Savannah managed to say in between her sobs.
Billy and I stared at each other for a second, and then looked back at her as he said, “Maybe we should go inside before we have a look at the body,” Billy said. “This isn’t just a body dump, is it? You’ve been attacked. You need to tell us what happened here.”
“It gets worse,” Savannah added. “There’s blood everywhere!”