by Liz Marvin
Betty took Danbey’s hands. “Marlee May will win this year’s cooking competition. If it suits you we, that is Thelma and Marlee May’s friends, would like to present the award to you.”
His eyes welled up. “She would like that. I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”
“Could you look in on Thelma? She’s resting down the hall but I know she’d appreciate seeing you.”
“I’d be happy to, thank you.”
After a quick hug Mr. Johnson headed down the hall and Betty linked arms with Wes and Clarise. “Any news about our Mr. Witt?”
“Bill found him at his family’s store. He was taking care of the shipping and receiving.” Wes grinned. “That boy hasn’t found a job he won’t do and does not know how to take a day off. Not that either of you are any better!”
Clarise and Betty both stuck their tongues out at him.
“Just for that you can help us find Addie’s dress.”
“And we’re terrible at making decisions about clothes.”
~
Wes could tell there was something wrong at the theater before his squad car rolled to a stop. The front double doors were closed but didn’t line up correctly. The chrome trim was bent and there was a hint of light from somewhere inside the theater.
“Wait here.” Wes fished out his cell phone with one hand and his sidearm with the other. “Bill? We’re at the theater. There’s been a breakin. Front door forced and lights inside. I’m going in. Of course.” He turned to Clarise and Betty. “Bill says for you two to stay in the car and wait. A whole lot of law enforcement is on its way and not all of them know you so promise me you will wait here inside the car.”
Betty looked to Clarise. Both women nodded. Wes jumped from the car and raced into the theater.
“You staying?” Clarise asked.
“We should stay and watch. If we see anybody come out we can follow them.”
Betty was seated in the back seat. Clarise slid over to the driver’s seat “Fortunately Wes left the keys. If we see anyone we can follow them.”
Betty took out her cellphone and set it up to take photographs. “Or we could take their picture and send it the police. I am pretty certain they don’t like civilians borrowing their cars even if it’s for a good cause and even if you’re dating a policeman.”
Clarise didn’t argue but she stayed behind the wheel. Just in case.
Time passed and nobody came out. Clarise fidgeted in her seat. Betty tried to look out all the windows at once. A faint flashing blue illuminated the street behind them and then suddenly they were surrounded by state and county squad cars.
The state policewoman who had questioned Betty was with them. She held a pistol with both hands aimed at the ground as she approached their car. Clarise put both hands at ten and two o’clock on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “Betty if you love me please put your hands on my shoulders.”
“You need a massage?” Betty asked but she complied with her friend’s request.
“No but I am very eager to not get shot.” Betty looked around. Their car was surrounded by cops pointing weapons toward the ground. Betty’s temper got the better of her. She rolled down the window and stuck her head out. “You idiots Wes is inside and he needs your help. Did anyone go to the back door?”
The policewoman recognized her and holstered her weapon. “Hello Miss Crawford.”
“Nice to see you again too do you need help backing up Wesley because Clarise and I are happy to take over.”
Clarise didn’t move but she whispered “If they don’t shoot you and I survive this I am going to strangle you myself.”
Betty went back to massaging Clarise’s shoulders. “Relax and get out of the car.”
Betty opened the door and stepped out and headed for the theater without looking back.
“Freeze!”
Betty froze. “Oh lord!” she thought, “I have severely misjudged this situation.” She stood motionless for what seemed like eternity then she heard footsteps running. She looked around.
Police were crouched behind cars aiming down the street. Others were running down the street. No one was looking at her except for Clarise who was still seated in the car, hands at ten and two o’clock but she was shaking with silent laughter. Betty felt herself turning red. Probably bright red.
Just as Wes came running out the front door of the theater and slamming into her. They both fell to the ground with Wes on top. The impact knocked the wind out of Betty.
“I told you to stay in the car!”
“Can’t… breath” Betty managed to squeeze out. She glanced over and saw Bill standing over them, his hands on his hips. “What are you two doing?” Clarise joined them. “I can explain!” She promised but she couldn’t. She couldn’t stop laughing.
~
Wes, Bill and Mary and Chet, Betty’s parents were seated around the Crawford kitchen table laughing. Betty was pouring coffee for everyone while Clarise was reenacting with considerable and unnecessary embellishments. At least Betty considered them unnecessary. Everyone else was holding their sides and wiping their eyes and laughing like there was no tomorrow.
“Do “the freeze” again. I didn’t get to see it in real time.” Wes said.
Clarise froze, eyes wide, shoulders hunched up around her ears, mouth in a big O. Bill nearly fell off his seat laughing. Betty passed around coffee mugs. “Very funny Clarise. You should be in theater.”
“Oh honey we only laugh because we love you.” Her dad stood up and gave her a hug which, until that moment, Betty hadn’t realized she needed. She hugged him back. “And because you’re so darn funny.” She slapped him playfully and pushed him away.
Bill stood up and hugged Betty and she only struggled a little bit. “I’m glad you’re all right and I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all this. The theater is locked up and we’ve got extra patrols watching it. Clarise, you and Wes can go through it tomorrow and see what, if anything, is missing.”
He held Betty at arm’s length and continued “I’ve heard you’ve already made plans for Addie to speak at the closing ceremonies.”
Betty nodded “Guilty as charged but only because she is innocent -”
“She shot at a police officer. Me.”
“- she is innocent of Marlee May’s murder. And the gun went off accidentally. I’d bet anything if she was shooting at you, you’d have been hit.”
“All the Beureys were crack shots.” Chet piped in “Back in the day we’d hunt geese with her daddy. We’d use shotguns and he’d use a twenty two long barrel rifle and kill more birds with fewer shots than any of us. Took ‘em all on the fly too and not crop dusting either.”
“I think we’ve seen that gun” Betty held Bill’s gaze, daring him to contradict her father. He faltered “Oh all right I’ll let her go in the morning but I’m keeping her gun.”
Betty jumped and kissed him lightly on the nose. “Just tell the press you have a new lead on the Marlee May murder.”
“You have a lead?”
“Not tonight.”
“What have you got in mind?” Bill folded his arms.
“Please don’t do anything dangerous or rash!” Her mother’s voice trembled.
“Please just promise it doesn’t involve me!” Clarise jumped in and Betty answered her first. “Of course you’re involved, and mother I promise I will be as prudent as ever.”
“Why is that not reassuring?” Her mother answered.
Betty hugged Bill. He was unmoved. “You still haven’t answered me.”
“If I did you might laugh and say I’m crazy or worse, try and stop me. I’ll see you in the morning. Wes made me promise to come to the station and use your computer. Come on Clarise, you can spend the night and be up early. We have to find clothes for Addie.”
“She’s about your mother’s size.” Clarise observed.
“Oh no. I’m long past letting you two raid my closet.”
Chet stood up silently and gestu
red for Bill and Wes to follow. They did, stopping when they reached the front door. “Leave now while you still can. Don’t worry about me.”
The three men grinned. Bill opened the door. Come on, Wes. You can tell me what you know about Betty’s plans.” Chet turned to face the three women standing around the table, arguing.
16. Chapter 15
Clarise met up with Betty on the front steps of the police station and for once she didn’t look perfectly groomed. Both women carried bags of clothes. “The crooks cleaned out the last of our antique lights and a dozen rare play manuscripts from the eighteen hundreds.”
Betty hugged her friend. “I’m so sorry. Do you have a list of what they took?”
“Burned on my heart. I’ll recite it -”
“Later. I’ll need to write it down.”
“Fine!” Clarise snapped, then quieted down. “I’m sorry. I picked out some more clothes for Addie. I am just so angry! We lost all our old programs and civil war uniforms too.”
Betty took Clarise by the arm and led her inside. Clarise was taken to Addie and Betty let herself into Bill’s office. He wasn’t there so Betty sat at his desk and logged onto his computer. He used Betty1 as his password which she found sweet.
She set up a new email account and used it to fire off a dozen email inquiries to online antique dealers she knew. Then she began searching through the online auction and sales listing sites looking for civil war uniforms plus programs and plays from the eighteen hundreds. After an hour’s search she had found nothing.
Betty moved on to specialty antique websites. First she had to identify and bookmark likely sites in a host of different categories. She concentrated on southern, silver, theatrical, civil war and antiquarian booksellers. She narrowed the lists to ten sites in each category and then she logged onto her own email. As promised, there were three digital photographs of Addie’s great great-grandmother in a shiny silver frame waiting for her; just as Danbey Johnson had promised.
In another ten minutes Betty had posted an ad selling a genuine William Glaze silver picture frame. She had to use an online photo editing program to crop out the picture of great great great aunt Beurey and she deliberately wrote hurried and sloppy ad copy.
4 SALE: 1 silver picture frame signed Wi or Wm Glaz but maybe William Glaze. Worn a bit but polished up & in real good shape and I think it is real silver. Ways about a quarter pound at least may be more. Looking for a fair offer or if u have 1 like it am willing to buy.
Then she sent notices of the ad to her list of southern, silver and Civil War sites. It had taken two hours but the right questions had been asked and the bait had been set. Now there was nothing to do but wait. Betty leaned back in Bill’s chair and realized how tight and sore her shoulders were. Her stomach grumbled and she had a hunger headache. She rubber her neck with one hand and her forehead with the other, willing the pain to stop and go away.
Suddenly two strong hands took over massaging her shoulder and neck. The traveled up her neck and her head and gently massaged her temples. She smiled and leaned back into the chair, her eyes still closed. She could do this all day and one way to prolong her bliss was to ask a question.
“Anything new on the pickpocket gang?”
“Not a thing. Putting up cameras everywhere worked like a charm.” Bill kept rubbing; her plan had worked. “Wes is on monitor duty this morning.”
“Any group leave town?”
“This gang wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave together all at once but don’t worry, we’re still looking into it and don’t get too comfortable either. You and Clarise are escorting Miss Beurey down the police station steps and into a waiting throng of reporters in about five minutes.”
Drat. Betty sighed, stood up and pushed Bill into his chair. “I warmed it up for you. Get comfortable. Today and today only you have permission to read my email. Watch for responses to my ad for a silver picture frame. If anyone says they’re interested in buying ask if they have one like it. If they offer you one find out where they got it. I put out some feelers for stuff taken from the theater too. If someone contacts you and says they just bought civil war uniforms or old plays or programs you can tell them who you are. They’re all business acquaintances but they’re good folk and they’ll help.”
“Because it might lead to the killer.”
“Might? It will. But they’ll help because they’re good people. Honest. Believe it or not most folks are.”
Betty massaged Bill’s shoulders. “On good days I believe it, mostly because of you.” Betty smiled. She felt the same about him. He closed his eyes and relaxed. “This Glaze fellow made at least two frames, probably more. And people buy and sell stuff every day. Not all of it is stolen even if it falls into the category you’re investigating. On the other hand it’ll keep me at my desk. I’ve got a ton of paperwork to catch up on. If only you could stay here and just keep rubbing my shoulders.”
Betty kept rubbing his shoulders. Doing it made her feel better to. “And leave Clarise and Addie to those vultures of the press?”
“Clarise can handle herself and I bet Addie can too.”
“Go. Go before I change my mind.”
Betty need not have worried. Wherever reporters gathered Walter Payone would be there. He stood on the steps holding court. Clarise and Addie were standing behind him.
“Anyone can take mundane ingredients and make something tasty but have you ever taken a poisonous weed and turned it into something exquisite? That is something truly magical and it is what makes southern cooking so unique, so special and so much a part of Lofton’s heritage.”
Betty was impressed. He must have talked to Achmed this morning and horned in on the action. Betty knew he meant well but without intervention Walter could go on like this for hours and she didn’t have the time. She linked arms with Clarise and Addie and started down the steps. The escape plan didn’t work.
“And here is the special lady who will be demonstrating this culinary act of legerdemain.” Walter pulled Addie free from Betty and Clarise had the good sense to pull Betty away from Walter.
“What is your name?”
“Addie. Adeline Beurey.”
“And how long has your family lived in Lofton?”
“Our farm is way outside of town. Two miles at least and we been there pretty near one hundred eighty years.”
“And what is this about you’re making a pie out of a poison berry?”
“They aren’t poison if you prepare them right. Same as the new greens in the spring.”
A reporter called out. “What’s the name of the berry?”
“Pokeberry. The science name is Phytolacca Americana. Most folks call it poke weed but it’s a useful plant. Thomas Jefferson used pokeberry ink and my pa used the poison on barn rats and such but you can eat the greens in the spring and the berries all summer if you know how to cook them.”
The same reporter was scribbling furiously as were many more. Every microphone and camera was pointed at Addie but she was talking about a subject she loved and nobody was interrupting her so she didn’t seem to notice.
“My great great-grandmother Adeline made up the recipe over a hundred years ago. Times were hard and they had to make do. She called it her honest pie because there was nothing store bought in it but the flour and one year she even made that. At least that’s the family story.”
She wound down self-consciously. For the reporters that would not do. “Are you named after your grandma?” “Did your family fight in the civil war?” “What do pokeberries taste like?” Addie took a step backward and nearly fell. Walter caught her and held up her hand.
“Adeline has been working with the police all night and I’m sure she is exhausted. You’ll be able to watch her prepare her family masterpiece at the fairgrounds tomorrow.”
A limousine pulled to a stop behind the reporters. The front window rolled down and Achmed O’Rielly grinned up at them and held his finger to his lips, then gestured for them to join him. Walter
barely gave a nod then raised his hands.
“And I want to assure you that for once the rumors in those Hollywood scandal rags and gossip websites are true. There will be a major motion picture production in Lofton in the coming year. That’s all I can tell you for now - no don’t bother asking. My lips are sealed and I won’t say another word!”
By the time he finished Betty, Addie and Clarise were in the limo and the window was rolled up. Walter, head up or rather, nose in the air, strode past the reporters and slid into the limousine, quickly closing the door behind him.
“You were brilliant!” Clarise hugged Walter and he couldn’t have been more pleased if he had won an Oscar.
“My performance will have been wasted if we don’t make our escape.”
“Where did you find a limo in Lofton?”
Achmed gave Betty his best Cheshire cat smile as they sped away.
“Can you at least tell me where we’re going and can I keep the car?”
“Why Addie’s place, of course! We need more of these berries and Addie’s cooking gear” Achmed answered “and no you may not but have some decaf coffee and spiced scrambled eggs in low carb wraps.”
Walter and Betty each grabbed a cup and a wrap.
~
Addie’s farm was as neat as a pin. The split rail fences were faded gray and weather worn but in good repair. The fields were neat and there was no better garden in the state. The only thing that looked out of place was the limousine parked at Addie’s front door.
Achmed jumped out of the car and managed to open Addie’s door. He took her hand and helped her out. She smiled shyly and found something very interesting to look at in the general vicinity of her feet. Clarise smiled and nudged Betty who was just finishing her breakfast wrap. “What?”
Clarise tugged her from the car. “All right which way to the berry patch?”
The pokeberry stand grew in the narrow space between the tilled fields and the wild woods. The plants stood four feet tall. The berries grew in a symmetrical pattern around a thick central stalk. The patch had been well harvested when they arrived but under Addie’s expert supervision the four pickers cleared it of ripe whole berries in less than an hour.