Bring Your Own Poison

by Jimmie Ruth Evans

  “I’ll need to get a statement from both of you,” Elmer Lee said, scowling at Mayrene. “But it can wait until tomorrow. We’ll be busy enough with him for today.” He nodded toward the squad car.

  “Fine,” Wanda Nell said. “I’ll be down there tomorrow.”

  Elmer Lee looked for a moment like he wanted to say something else. Instead he nodded and walked away.

  “Come on, honey,” Mayrene said. “Let’s get you inside and get you something warm and sweet to drink. I think it’ll do you good.”

  Wanda Nell put an arm around her friend, taking care not to get too close to the shotgun. “I bless the day I met you, you know that.”

  “Of course, honey,” Mayrene said, smiling as she led Wanda Nell toward her trailer. “But one of these days I’m just gonna to have to shoot somebody if you keep getting mixed up in murder.”

  Twenty-five

  Wanda Nell was finishing her second cup of hot, sweet coffee and chatting with Mayrene when her phone rang.

  Mayrene was out of her chair and heading for the phone before Wanda Nell could react. “I’m fine, you know,” she said. “I can answer the phone.”

  “I need to move around,” Mayrene said, waving a hand at her. “So just you never mind.” She answered the phone.

  “Yeah, honey, she’s right here. Hold on.” Mayrene extended the phone to Wanda Nell. “It’s Jack.” She waggled her eyebrows at Wanda Nell.

  Wanda Nell ignored that. “Hi, honey, where are you?”

  “I’m just leaving the hospital,” Jack said, sounding tired and dispirited. “I’m glad I didn’t wake you up. But I really needed to hear your voice.”

  “I’m glad to hear yours, too, honey,” Wanda Nell said. “Do you have to go on to school, or can you come by here?”

  “I called in sick to school today,” Jack said, “and I want to see you. Thanks, love. I’m on the way. I should be there in about ten minutes.”

  “Don’t drive too fast,” Wanda Nell said. Jack chuckled, and she said good-bye.

  Wanda Nell got up to put the phone back. She leaned against the counter and stretched. “I think my head is still spinning, so much has happened.”

  Mayrene grinned. “No kidding, girl. And we ain’t had time for you to tell me about last night. What happened?”

  Wanda Nell smiled. “Jack was upset when I told him about Lisa, but he handled it real well. He told me a little about her childhood, and he said he wasn’t really surprised to find out she had made it up. She’s been real insecure all her life, because her parents didn’t really want her.”

  “That’s horrible,” Mayrene said. “Why do people like that even have a child to begin with?”

  “Jack said they hadn’t really planned to. It just happened,” Wanda Nell said, sighing. “And Lord knows it’s easy enough.”

  “We can talk about Miranda in a minute,” Mayrene said wryly, “but before Jack gets here, I want a little detail, honey. You didn’t spend the night on his couch, did you?”

  Wanda Nell felt herself blushing. “No, I didn’t.” She sat down again and picked up her coffee cup. It was still warm, and it felt good.

  “Well, then?” Mayrene wasn’t about to settle for just that.

  “I’m not giving you any details,” Wanda Nell said, grinning a little, “except to say this. It was worth waiting for, and then some.”

  Mayrene laughed. “Honey, you are just too demure. But I won’t bug you. I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.” She laughed again. “But now the bull’s out in the pasture, so to speak, you can’t expect to put him back in the barn.”

  “Lord, the way you put things sometimes,” Wanda Nell said, laughing in spite of herself. “I know what you mean, but there are still some things we’ve got to get settled.”

  “Yeah,” Mayrene said. “Miranda.”

  Wanda Nell nodded. “I told her this morning—and it seems like a month ago now—she had to talk to Teddy tonight. I can’t let her put it off.”

  “No, you can’t,” Mayrene said. “Are you going to tell Jack?”

  “Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “I will, but first I’ve got to tell him about what happened today.” She shook her head. “He’s going to be upset, I know.”

  “I reckon,” Mayrene said, “but you didn’t have much choice, honey. You had to stand and fight, and you did.”

  “I know that,” Wanda Nell said, “but that don’t make it any easier.” She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I have to tell you something, honey.”

  Mayrene frowned. “You sound awful serious. What is it?”

  “It’s about your new boyfriend,” Wanda Nell said.

  Mayrene drew back slightly. “Don’t tell me you don’t like him.”

  “No, it’s not that,” Wanda Nell said. “Actually, I think he’s a really nice guy.”

  “What, then?” Mayrene stared at her with suspicion. Before Wanda Nell could explain, Mayrene started nodding. “I know what it is. You thought Dixon might have been the killer. Right?”

  “Yes,” Wanda Nell said. “I’m sorry, but when I found out he’s Tiffany’s uncle, I thought it gave him a pretty good motive.”

  “It’s okay, honey, I understand that,” Mayrene said. “I have to confess that I thought about it for just a teeny-tiny minute myself.” She shrugged. “And I couldn’t blame him if he was trying to look after his niece. But thank the Lord it wasn’t him.”

  They both heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. Mayrene got up from the table and peered out the kitchen window. “It’s Jack,” she said. “I better make myself scarce so you two can talk. Holler if you need me.”

  Wanda Nell nodded. She was thankful Mayrene had taken her shotgun and put it away before they sat down to talk. The last thing she needed was for Jack to see Mayrene come waltzing out of her trailer carrying that gun.

  “She’s in the kitchen.” She heard Mayrene talking to Jack for a moment. By the time she reached the living room, Jack was closing the door behind him.

  She held out her arms, and he walked into them, wrapping his own arms around her in a fierce hug. “I missed you,” he said, his lips against her hair.

  They kissed, and Wanda Nell could feel the tension draining away from him. She led him to the couch and sat down beside him, her body touching his.

  “Tell me about it,” she said.

  Jack took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “It was pretty awful, at least at first,” he said. “But I talked to the doctor, and I told him what was going on. He was really pretty understanding about the whole thing. Turns out there’s a really good therapist in town, and the doctor was able to get her to come out to the hospital this morning while I was there.”

  “Did you confront Lisa?”

  “Yeah.” Jack sighed heavily. “I don’t know if I can ever forget the way she looked when I told her. For a minute there, I’d swear she hated me. Then she started crying.” He put his glasses back on, his hands trembling slightly. “I didn’t have a clue what to say to her then, but the therapist was with me. I let her take over.”

  “How did Lisa react to her?” Wanda Nell took his right hand in both of hers and rubbed it.

  “At first she acted like she wasn’t even going to talk to her, but this woman is really good. She had Lisa talking to her in about ten minutes. I slipped out of the room and went to get something to eat.” He brought Wanda Nell’s hands up and kissed them. “You feel so good.”

  Wanda Nell leaned in and kissed him. She drew back, smiling. “You do, too, honey.” She paused. “Did you see Lisa again?”

  Jack nodded. “She was still acting distant, but I know the therapist helped. She stayed while I talked to Lisa for a little while. I told her we would see that she got the help she needed.” He shook his head. “I think it’s going to take a long time before she’s really well.”

  “It might,” Wanda Nell said, “but we’ll do what we have to do. I’ll be right there with you, you know that.”

 
; “I know,” Jack said, smiling. “Now, enough about Lisa. What have you been doing? Did you go by Tuck’s office this morning?”

  “I did,” Wanda Nell said. “And some things happened here a little while ago. I’m going to tell you about it, but I want you to just listen.”

  Jack stared at her. “Good Lord, what happened?”

  “Don’t get all worked up,” Wanda Nell said, her voice soft. “It’s all over and done with, and everything’s fine. Okay?”

  Jack didn’t say anything. He watched her, waiting for her to go on.

  “This is going to take a little while,” Wanda Nell said. She held on to his hand as she began to talk. She started with what happened in Tuck’s office and went on from there. When she got to the point when Bill Warren arrived, she thought for a minute Jack was going to explode. She could see a pulse beating in his temple, but she squeezed his hand. He didn’t speak.

  Finally, she was done. She leaned back against the couch, still holding his hand, and waited for his reaction.

  “I should have been here,” he said. “You needed me, and I wasn’t here.” He closed his eyes. “I’d like to get my hands on that jerk.” He opened his eyes again, and their expression was bleak. “I feel like I’m going to throw up, just thinking about what could have happened. I could have lost you.”

  “But you didn’t,” Wanda Nell said. “Don’t start beating yourself up because you weren’t here. That’s nonsense, you hear me?”

  Jack shook his head. “No, it’s not. You needed me, and I wasn’t here. I love Lisa, but you’re what’s really important to me.”

  Wanda Nell tugged on his hand. “Now you listen to me, Jack. I love you, and I can’t even imagine my life without you now. Yes, I need you, but the way things happened this morning, there was no way you could be here. I know it bothers you, but there was nothing I could do about it. You couldn’t either.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Jack said.

  “No. You weren’t here. Mayrene was,” Wanda Nell said. “Thanks to her I didn’t have to face Bill alone.” She held up a hand, forestalling him. “We may not always be in the right place when one of us needs the other one, but it isn’t just you and me. There’s Mayrene, and T.J and Tuck, and the girls and Lavon. Heck, even Miz Culpepper and Belle. Lisa, too, when she gets better.” She sighed. “The point is, honey, we’re a family, and we do what we have to when we need to take care of each other. It doesn’t always really matter who does it, just that it gets done.”

  Jack still didn’t say anything. Wanda Nell watched him for a moment. She had one more thing to tell him. “I love you, and I need you. Do you really think I could love you as much as I do if you were the kind of man who didn’t care anything about his family?”

  Jack offered her a faint smile. “No, I guess not.”

  Wanda Nell relaxed. She hadn’t realized how tense she had been. Thank the Lord he was the kind of man who really listened and thought about what you said to him.

  “You make a pretty good case,” Jack said, his smile wider now. “You’re right, I know. I guess I was letting my Tarzan complex get in the way.”

  Wanda Nell leaned back and looked at him, her eyes moving up and down.

  “What?” he said, his eyes narrowing.

  She grinned. “Oh, I was just imagining what you’d look like in one of those skimpy little things like Tarzan always wore.”

  Jack bared his teeth and beat at his chest, but he didn’t try the Tarzan yell. Laughing, Wanda Nell leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

  A little while later, Wanda Nell stood. “I don’t know about you, but I could use some lunch,” she said, holding out a hand. “What say we go fix something to eat?”

  “Sounds good,” Jack said. He stood, and hand in hand they walked into the kitchen.

  On Saturday, Wanda Nell was in her bathroom, finishing her makeup before going to work, when Miranda came in.

  “Teddy’s here. He and Jack are talking,” she said. “Do you still have time to talk to him?”

  “Yes, I do,” Wanda Nell said. “I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay,” Miranda said. She turned and walked out. Wanda Nell wasn’t far behind her.

  Teddy stood at respectful attention when Wanda Nell came into the living room. “Good afternoon, Teddy,” she said. “Nice to see you.” She went up to Jack and gave him a quick kiss. He smiled down at her.

  “Afternoon, Miz Culpepper,” Teddy said. For a moment Wanda Nell thought he was going to salute her. “Thank you and Mr. Pemberton for taking time to talk to me. I know you need to get on to work, ma’am.”

  “It’s okay,” Wanda Nell said. “I’ve got time to talk, and so does Jack.” She sat down on the couch with Jack at her side. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thank you,” he said. He sat down in a chair across from her, his back straight and his attention focused on her.

  Miranda hovered in the background until Teddy turned to her. “Randa, why don’t you sit down, too?”

  Nodding, Miranda sat down in the other chair facing her mother and Jack.

  “Miz Culpepper,” Teddy began, but Wanda Nell interrupted him.

  “Teddy, I really wouldn’t mind it if you called me by my name,” she said. “Every time I hear you say, ‘Miz Culpepper,’ I think you’re talking to Miranda’s grandmother.” She smiled.

  Teddy nodded. “All right then, Wanda Nell.” He smiled briefly. He really was an attractive young man, Wanda Nell thought, but she still couldn’t get over all those tattoos.

  “And you can call me Jack,” Jack said. “I don’t think we need to be so formal under the circumstances.” He smiled at Teddy.

  Wanda Nell squeezed his hand in gratitude. She had told Jack about Miranda the other day after they had eaten lunch. He had taken it well, and he expressed confidence that Teddy would do the right thing by Miranda.

  “He’s a good kid,” Jack had said, “and I think he’s got the kind of strength Miranda needs. And it’s time for you to let go.”

  Wanda Nell nodded. She knew he was right, and in some ways she was eager to do so. She just couldn’t help worrying about the outcome.

  “Miranda and I been talking,” Teddy continued. “It was a shock when she told me about the baby, because I wasn’t figuring on us having a baby for another couple of years.” He shrugged. “But the good Lord saw otherwise, I guess.”

  Wanda Nell resisted the urge to look at her daughter. She still wasn’t sure whether Miranda had gotten pregnant on purpose, or if it really was an accident.

  “Miranda and me’s been doing a lot of talking,” Teddy said. “And I talked to my mama and daddy about it, too. I can’t pretend they wasn’t a little upset at first, but they know how I feel about Miranda.”

  “That’s good,” Wanda Nell said. Miranda had refused to tell her anything about Teddy’s plans, so she was very curious to hear what he had to say.

  “Miranda and I want to get married,” Teddy said. “I figure we ought to do it real soon.”

  “Do you have a place to live?” Jack asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Teddy said. “My daddy said he’d help me and Miranda get a house, and it’ll be one we can afford. My boss just gave me a raise, and I think we’ll be okay.”

  “You’ve really been thinking about this,” Wanda Nell said, impressed. “And your daddy’s pretty nice to do something like that.”

  Teddy grinned. “He told me he was gonna do it anyway, whenever Miranda and I were gonna get married. It’s just happening a little sooner than anybody planned.”

  “It certainly is,” Wanda Nell said. This time she did look at Miranda, and Miranda gazed blandly back at her.

  “So I’m asking your permission for me and Miranda to get married,” Teddy said, completely serious again.

  Wanda Nell smiled, though she could feel the tears wanting to flow. She looked at Jack, and he nodded, smiling, too. “Teddy, I think Miranda’s very lucky, and I know we’ll all be p
roud for you to be a part of our family.” Now the tears did start flowing, and Jack smilingly offered her a handkerchief.

  Teddy grinned and jumped up. “Thank you, Wanda Nell. I promise I’ll be good to her and to Lavon.”

  “I know you will,” Wanda Nell said, drying her eyes. She held on to the handkerchief, though, just in case.

  “Looks like we’ve got a wedding to plan,” Jack said. He nodded at Miranda and Teddy as they hugged.

  “Two weddings,” Wanda Nell said as she kissed him.

  Wanda Nell’s Favorite Recipes

  Faye Cook’s Skillet Cookies

  ½ cup margarine (or butter)

  1 cup sugar

  1 egg, beaten

  1 cup dates, chopped

  1 cup pecans, chopped

  2 cups puffed rice cereal

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  1 small package grated coconut (approximately 1 cup)

  Melt margarine in skillet (iron, preferably), stir in sugar, egg, dates, and pecans. Cook over low heat until thick, about twelve minutes.

  Remove from heat, let cool slightly until mixture can be handled. Stir in rice cereal and vanilla. Roll cookies in small balls, then roll in coconut.

  Yield: about 4 dozen

  Jack Pemberton’s Favorite Chili

  2 pounds ground beef

  1 cup onion, chopped

  2 15 ounce cans red kidney beans, drained

  2 14½ ounce cans tomatoes, drained

  2 tablespoons chili powder (add more for spicier flavor, to taste)

  1 teaspoon black pepper

  1 teaspoon ground cumin