by Susan Harper
Felicity stuck out her hand. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I would like to offer my condolences about your niece. She was a wonderful person.”
“She was,” James said and shook her hand. He nodded toward his companion, a man just as old as he but significantly more fit looking. “This is my friend, Frankie.”
Frankie stuck out his hand and winked at Felicity. “How do you do, Miss?”
“Oh, so this is Frankie,” Felicity said, shaking the man’s hand.
“Uh-oh, she’s heard of you,” James said, laughing.
The man laughed. “Oh, dear, I hope good things!”
“I ran into James’s son, Ricky, at the Light Up Senoia event,” Felicity said. “He mentioned you.”
“Oh, man,” Frankie said. “I had had a bit to drink. I’m sure he was hounding me. I promise I’m not always a loons. Just when the two of us old kooks get together.” He elbowed James in the side.
“I know you gentleman are probably busy, but I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me?” Felicity asked.
James shrugged. “I suppose.”
“I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Claudia?” Felicity asked.
James shrugged. “Not really. Blanche could probably tell you more. She was friends with Wanda’s little sister DeAnn, and after DeAnn died, she and Wanda became very close. But I personally don’t know her that well.”
“Could you tell me anything about what happened a while back to Ricky?” Felicity asked. “I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve been told that there was a drug abuse problem?”
James frowned. “Well, he’s clean now, Miss. I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“Easy, James,” Frankie said. “She’s just trying to make sense of what happened to your niece.”
James sighed, evidently deciding that Frankie was right and he didn’t need to get so defensive. “Well, Ricky was into some heavy stuff. Meth, mostly. He even got into dealing at one point. Wanda, bless her soul, stepped in when I was about ready to give up on him. She reported him to the police. Completely ratted him out. Something I honestly didn’t have it in me to do. He got clean in prison, and he got out early on good behavior under the condition he would go to rehab. He did, and he’s been clean ever since. He hasn’t been able to get a job, though. As a dealer, he got a felony charge.”
“My goodness, I had no idea,” Felicity said.
“It was good for him,” James said. “Honestly, a good bit of the family held a pretty serious grudge against Wanda for getting Ricky arrested. Even her brothers didn’t talk to her for a while. Everyone thought it was some sort of act of betrayal.”
“Did you?” Felicity asked.
“At first,” he said. “But my son is alive. He’s clean. He may not have a job and he may have wasted a few years in prison, but he’s alive. He’s healthy. I couldn’t thank Wanda enough for doing what I was too afraid to do. I was afraid of making my son hate me. Wanda cared more about Ricky than she cared about her relationship with him. And Ricky’s grateful for it too.”
“You’re a better man than me, James,” Frankie said. “I think I would have had a harder time with forgiving Wanda if it had been my son that spent four years in prison.”
“He’s alive, Frankie,” James said. “No thanks to me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Miss Overton, I promised my sister I’d get her daughter’s things.” James headed inside, but Frankie remained out front to light up a cigarette.
“So do you know the family well?” Felicity asked.
“I’d say so. James and I go way back. I changed Blanche’s diapers when we were still kids ourselves,” Frankie said with a laugh.
“So what do you think about Wanda and Ricky’s relationship?” Felicity asked. “Do you think that everything is okay there?”
Frankie took a long drag of his cigarette. “I don’t know, to be honest. James says everything is fine, but I’m not so sure. Ricky is clean now, sure, but to be honest, that man has always been a little sketchy. A part of me can’t help but wonder if he had something to do with what happened to Wanda. He can’t get a job, you know? It’s got to be frustrating.”
“You really think he would kill his cousin?” Felicity asked.
“I didn’t say that,” Frankie said.
“You implied it a little bit,” Felicity said. She watched as the man took another drag. “Is that a Rolex watch?” Felicity asked.
The man looked at his watch. “So it is.”
Felicity looked down the street in the direction that the two men came. There was a shiny Mercedes Benz, obviously having had some renovations to keep it looking brand new. “Your car?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah, isn’t she pretty?” Frankie asked with a laugh. “That’s my baby right there.”
“What do you do for a living?” Felicity asked.
“Darling, I’m retired,” he said with a laugh. “But I used to teach elementary school.”
“Oh!” Felicity exclaimed, and the man laughed at her.
“I made some wise investments after I retired,” he said. “Turns out, I have quite a knack for it.” He sighed, looking toward the welcome center. “Look, if you want to get in contact with Ricky and maybe see what he knows, I can give you the kid’s address.”
Felicity smiled. “I would really appreciate that.”
He read off Ricky’s address and she wrote it down in her sleuthing notebook. After thanking him for the information, she headed back down to Overton’s Events to help with Dawn and Monte’s wedding planning.
Chapter 7
Felicity wound up calling Jack to let him know she was planning to contact Ricky. Thus far, the police had yet to do a formal interview with Wanda’s cousin, so Jack insisted he tag along. They left Jefferson behind to man the Overton Event’s shop, and they headed out in Jack’s patrol car to the Riverdale address she had gotten from Frankie.
“I’m glad you bumped into Frankie,” Jack said. “I asked James where his son was living, and he said he wasn’t entirely sure because he had just moved out and had yet to get a phone. The kid sounds a little sketchy, but to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to get much out of him.”
“I don’t know; I suppose we’ll see,” Felicity said. “Any chance you’ll put on the sirens so we can get through this traffic?”
“Zero chance,” Jack said. “I already am in trouble with my boss, so no games. It’s bad enough that I’m bringing a civilian on an interview.”
“Don’t you mean I’m bringing you?”
“I’m driving,” he said.
Felicity rolled her eyes. “What are you in trouble for?” she asked curiously.
He acted as though he was going to tell her, but then huffed. “You know what, it’s stupid. I’d rather not get into it with you.”
“Why did you say it like that?” Felicity asked.
Jack shrugged. “Just forget I said anything.”
They were quiet for a moment. She wound up leaning back in her seat, attempting to relax, but there was an obvious tension in the car. “Can I ask you something that’s been bothering me, Jack?”
“Sure.”
“Monte and Dawn’s engagement party… Why did you and Jefferson wind up leaving so early?” she asked, sitting upright and staring at him from the side to let him know she was quite serious about the question and would not allow him to simply shrug it off.
Jack tapped his fingers against the steering wheel for a moment as though he was debating whether or not he could get away with lying. “Okay,” he said. “Honestly? We kind of got into it with Brian.”
“Really?” Felicity crossed her arms. “Brian didn’t tell me that. Why didn’t you or Jefferson tell me?”
“It was really childish for all three of us. I didn’t want you to get worked up about it,” Jack said.
“Listen, Jack. You and Jefferson are my friends. I really would like for you two to get along with Brian if you can. Why don’t you like him? Is
it jealously?” she asked, feeling slightly resentful toward her ex-boyfriend turned friend.
Jack laughed. “Okay, you got me. Maybe at first it was, and I’m sure the same goes for Jefferson. But, Felicity, that is certainly not the only reason I don’t like the guy.”
“What other reason is there?” Felicity asked.
“Okay, well, I think he’s a sleazy lawyer,” Jack said matter-of-factly.
“What!” Felicity exclaimed. “Why in the world would you even think that? What did he do to make you—”
“I don’t want to get into it with you too,” Jack interrupted her. “I really don’t. I can get along with Brian, okay? I promise. I’ll be nice.”
“Fine,” she snarled and then pointed up ahead. “That’s the apartment complex.”
“Man, this place looks really sketchy,” Jack moaned. “Even for Riverdale.”
“Riverdale has been looking pretty good lately,” Felicity said. “They’ve really been sprucing up the place.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “But it doesn’t look like the city has hit this corner up just yet. There is literally a giant crack in the side of the building.”
“Let’s just go,” Felicity grumbled, still a bit frustrated by her conversation with Jack.
They left the car and headed up the outdoor steps leading up to the second floor. “What number is he?” Jack asked.
“Seventeen,” Felicity said.
The seven on the door was hanging upside down, but they were able to locate it easily. After a few knocks, Ricky answered, and he jumped slightly to see a uniformed officer at his door. “Um…hello, sir. Is everything okay?” he stammered.
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “You’re acting a little nervous there, Ricky.”
“Oh, geez, did I miss a meeting with my parole officer or something? I thought it wasn’t until next week!” Ricky said, shaking.
“No, Ricky,” Felicity said, speaking up before the poor guy had a heart attack. “We were just hoping you could answer some questions about your cousin Wanda.”
Suddenly Ricky’s nerves faded into absolute sadness. “Oh,” he said and opened his door wider. “Yeah, of course. Please, come in. I don’t know if I can be of much help, but I’ll tell you anything I can.”
He kindly invited them in and went to get some sodas. “I’d offer a beer,” he joked, “but I’m kind of a former alcoholic. I have decaffeinated soda, that’s about as crazy as I get anymore.”
“Thank you,” Jack said, taking one of the sodas Ricky had fetched. Felicity thanked him but turned down the drink.
“Were you and Wanda close?” Felicity asked.
He smiled. “Aww, yeah. I mean, not for a while. But, man, we got real close while I was in jail.” He blushed slightly. “I was a former drug user, and I had started dealing. Wanda came to visit me in prison a lot. She would even bring cookies.”
“Really?” Felicity questioned, thinking back to her conversation with Frankie. Frankie had made it sound like Ricky and Wanda were at odds. “I was under the impression that Wanda had been the one to call the cops on you?”
Ricky sat down in his living room on a bean bag chair. Felicity and Jack took the beat-up futon. “Well, yeah!” he exclaimed and smiled. “Honestly? Prison was the single best thing that ever happened to me. Once I got through the withdrawals, that is. Having withdrawals in a prison cell is not fun. I’m clean for the first time since I was seventeen! Seventeen! I’m a grown man in his fifties; I’ve spent more of my life high or blacked out drunk than sober. Wanda’s my angel now. She’s the only one who thought I could actually jump back, you know?” Ricky looked down and began fiddling with his soda can. His eyes watered over slightly.
“That bad, huh?” Jack asked to keep Ricky talking.
“Yeah,” he said. “I got into it real young, you know? It was mostly drinking when I was a kid. Then I tried a couple of pills, you know? Got hooked on Vicodin for a while. Not long after high school, I got into the real stuff. When I was in my thirties, I got in debt with my dealer and he offered me a job to help pay him back. Been dealing ever since, and I started getting up in the so-called business. Man, I beat up a poor kid—broke his nose over being two bucks short one month. I was the worst version of myself. The family all tried to get me to quit, to go to rehab, but I didn’t want to quit. Wanda took my option of saying no away—called the police, told them where my stash was and who I was dealing to, testified against me in court. It was harsh. Imagine my surprise when she’s the only one for the first three months in prison who would come visit me! She told me why she did it. I would yell at her and tell her not to come back for a while, but I was always glad to get a visit from her, you know? Once the crap was out of my system, it became pretty obvious to me that she was doing me a favor. She got me checked into a rehab clinic after I got out on good behavior, and I went.”
“Sounds like you really owe Wanda,” Jack said.
“You have no idea. She even got me hooked up with a job for the city of Senoia. I’ll be doing maintenance around town. Cutting grass. Trimming bushes. Picking up trash. That sort of thing, but it’s a good gig,” he said. “I owe Wanda everything, and now I can’t ever pay her back.”
“Sure you can,” Felicity said. “You pay her back by living your life the way she wanted you to. Clean.”
“Thanks,” he said and took a sip of his soda. “I’m going to try.”
“Listen, Ricky, I’m heading up Wanda’s murder investigation,” Jack said, jumping subjects to get things moving along. “Currently we’re looking for Wanda’s friend Claudia, but she seems to have disappeared. If you could tell us—”
“What? Are you kidding me?” Ricky laughed. “I know exactly where Claudia is. Poor woman probably hasn’t even heard about Wanda yet where she’s at.”
“Oh! Well, where is she?” Felicity asked.
“She left during the Light Up Senoia event. Every year on the anniversary of my cousin DeAnn’s death, Claudia takes a week long retreat up to the cabin where she died. Sometimes Wanda would go with her. One year, I think the ten-year anniversary, they reunited the entire Girl Scout troop to go do a candle ceremony up there for her. Most years, though, Claudia goes by herself. Goes completely off the grid for about a week. I’ve been trying to call her myself to tell her about Wanda, but someone’s going to probably have to drive up there to get her down here in time for the funeral. She would really beat herself up if she missed it.”
Jack pulled out his cell phone. “Tell you what, Ricky, if you can tell me the exact address of that cabin, I’ll go myself this afternoon.”
“Really?” Ricky smiled. “I know that would mean a lot to Wanda. I hate that I haven’t been able to go get the woman; with this new job, I’ve been really cautious. Plus I’m sure it wouldn’t fly with my parole officer. I wish Claudia would leave her phone on, but like I said, she goes off the grid for about a week every year. Does a little soul searching. Hold on, let me see your phone and I’ll put the address in. Got it memorized by now. Been up there a few times with Wanda myself since the accident.”
Ricky entered the address into Jack’s phone, and they wound up sitting around talking about Wanda for a few hours. He seemed to have plenty of stories from when they were kids and the trouble they used to get into before his drug years started. As far as Felicity could tell, it seemed that Ricky had been incredibly close with Wanda. She doubted that he had anything to do with the woman’s murder. She was suspicious of Frankie, though, so she asked Ricky about why the man would think he and Wanda didn’t get along.
Ricky puffed out his chest and looked rather annoyed. “I can’t stand Frankie,” he admitted. “Old friend of my dad’s kind of thing. Family friend that you just can’t shake. But, at the end of the day, the old man looks out for me. He holds a grudge about Wanda getting me sent to prison. A good bit of the family did for a while, but eventually most of them came around when they realized what good it did for me. Frankie never really did, but he’s l
ightened up in recent days. He’s like a second father to me, you know? Not a very good one, but he cares. He just thinks that Wanda overstepped her bounds. Family don’t snitch on family or whatever it is he thinks.”
“Well,” Jack said, standing up and putting a hand out to shake. “I appreciate you talking to us, Ricky. If you need anything, you let us know. We’ll let you know how it goes when we speak to Claudia.”
Ricky thanked them several times before walking them to the door. The two of them headed back to the patrol car, and Jack sighed as he looked at the address. “Looks like we’re driving all the way up to Blue Ridge.”
“Great,” Felicity moaned. “I have to go by the shop first, if that’s okay with you. Got to make sure everything is ready to go for the morning.”
Jack nodded, and they headed back toward Senoia.
Chapter 8
With all of the tidbits in place for closing at Overton’s Events, Felicity felt as though she could breathe. “Okay,” she said, placing a hand on each hip as she nodded approvingly at both Jack and Jefferson. “I think we’re set to head up to Blue Ridge.”
She and Jack had arrived back in Senoia just in time to help Jefferson close the shop down, and it seemed now that the three of them would be taking a late evening road trip to the North Georgia Mountains. Frankly, Felicity was looking forward to it. Jack and Jefferson both had become close friends of hers, and for now, the two men seemed to be getting along quite well. A short road trip sounded almost ideal after the stressful week she had been through.
Just as the three of them were grabbing their coats to get ready to head out the door, they heard the knob on the front door of the shop jiggle, followed by quick knocking. “Sorry, we’re closed!” Felicity started to say as she approached the front door only to realize that it was Brian staring back at her through the glass. “Oh no!” she exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder toward Jack and Jefferson. “I forgot I had a date night planned!”
Jack and Jefferson both frowned, but neither of them said anything. She turned back around and put on an apologetic, anxious grin as she flung open the door. “Felicity!” Brian said in his usual chirpy tone. “You ready to go?”