by Jenna Harte
Sergeant Scowl thought on it a moment. I wondered if he thought he wouldn’t be as intimidating if he sat. I guess he decided it wouldn’t matter, and he took the chair Dwayne handed him from the corner and sat between me and Vivie.
“So, what’s this new lead?” Aggie asked.
“Is it Mr. Naylor? He was sketchy.” Vivie squinched her nose in distaste.
“No, this is new. We finally were able to get Mrs. Naylor’s will.”
This piqued my interested. It would answer the question about whether or not Mr. Naylor had any right to be going through Marla’s things.
“I thought you already had the will?” Lani asked.
Sergeant Scowl shook his head. “No. We hadn’t seen it. All we had was confirmation from her lawyer that her husband wasn’t in it.”
“So, she really cut him out of all that money?” Gwen said.
“Good for her,” Vivie said. “Husbands are worthless.”
Sergeant Scowl looked at her for a moment but didn’t react. I knew he was divorced. The story I’d heard was his wife had run off with another man. Perhaps he didn’t share Vivie’s assessment.
“How does that involve us?” Aggie asked.
“Well, it turns our she’s left each of you some money.”
There was a gasp from all of us. Mine was coupled with an ut-oh feeling in my gut.
“How much?” Vivie asked. Apparently, she didn’t realize that this gave all of us motive to want Marla dead or that this kept her at the top of the suspect list.
I looked at Vivie and tried to give her a silent signal with my eyes to be careful. She just stared at me like I’d grown a third eye.
“It’s enough to be motivating.”
There. He said it. Marla had left each of us enough money to be motivated to kill her.
“Now, wait a minute, Lawson, you can’t possibly think any one of us here would kill her. She was our friend.” Aggie’s dander rose as she glared, uncaring that he was suggesting she and the rest of us were suspects.
“A friend none of you knew very well. You, Mrs. Danner, stole from her.”
Vivie pursed her lips and turned away. “She wasn’t going to need the coupons.”
I shook my head.
“I’d like to talk to each of you individually.”
“You already talked to us,” Lani said.
“I’d like to talk to you again.”
“You can use the living area if you like,” Dwayne offered with a look to Lani that said, “Don’t upset my boss.”
“I should call my lawyer.” Vivie took her purse that she’d hung on her chair and pulled out her phone. The night was just about to get worse if Becca was going to end up coming over.
“I don’t need to talk to you or Ms. Parker. At least not tonight.” Sergeant Scowl stood.
Vivie and I looked at each other.
“Why not?” Gwen asked.
“I’ve already interviewed them several times. Mrs. Lafferty, how about I start with you?”
I frowned and Dwayne stiffened. Lani nodded and stood. She walked to the living area with Sergeant Scowl behind her.
Gwen leaned forward and whispered. “This isn’t good.”
“I wonder how much money we’re getting.” Vivie put her phone back in her purse.
“Ah lordy, Vivie. Now isn’t the time.” Aggie chastised her.
Vivie glared at Aggie and huffed but didn’t say more.
We continued our couponing in silence as Lani, and then Gwen and finally Aggie went to talk with Sergeant Scowl. None were gone very long, which I decided was a good sign. However, none said much when they returned making it hard to know. Not that Vivie didn’t try to get each of them to talk. Aggie in particular gave her a glare that said, “Wait ‘til later.”
When Aggie returned, Sergeant Scowl followed her into the dining area.
“Ms. Parker and Mrs. Danner—”
“I thought you didn’t need to talk to us,” Vivie snapped.
“I don’t. I just thought you might like to know that your friend, Junior Junior Mason came out of his coma today.”
Vivie’s head whipped to look at him. “Is he going to be okay?”
Sergeant Scowls eyes were penetrating as they studied Vivie. “It appears so.”
“Who hurt him? Did he say?” Lani asked.
Sergeant Scowl shook his head. “Whoever it was came from behind and surprised him.”
Disappointment washed through me. Not just that Junior Junior’s attacker was on the loose. I worried that his shovel wielding attacker was my shooter. All of this had to be related to Marla’s murder.
“I’ll be off now.” He started to step away from us.
“What about the money?” Vivie asked.
“Vivie!” Aggie hissed.
“Mrs. Naylor’s attorney will be in touch with you all soon. However, until her murder is solved, no money is going to anyone.”
He turned then and left Lani’s townhome.
We sat in silence, except for Vivie, who was looking over the pile of coupons available to take from the middle of the table. Once we heard the door close and it was clear Dwayne wasn’t going to interrupt us, everyone started talking at once. It was clear by everyone’s response, that Sergeant Scowl’s questions were fairly routine and didn’t give any indication of who might have killed Marla.
“Did he tell you how much money you’d be getting?” Vivie asked.
“Great day, Vivie,” Aggie blurted on an exasperated breath. “Have a little decorum.”
Vivie sulked for the rest of the evening as we finished our coupon swapping.
As I walked to my car to go home, Vivie pulled me aside. “Will you go with me to see Junior Junior tomorrow?”
“I don’t know, Vivie.” It didn’t seem like a good idea to visit Junior.
She frowned. “You have something against Junior Junior?”
“No.” What I had was a deep desire to stay out of this business. “I don’t really know him that well. Why do you need me to go?”
She scanned the area and stepped closer to me. “You know his reputation and how this town is. If I go alone, there will be talk.”
“Can’t one of your other neighbors go with you?”
“Who?” She said it in a way that suggested she had no neighbors. More likely she had no friends.
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, Sophie. I need someone to go with me. Why won’t you go?”
“Because I don’t want to get involved. He was attacked in the same location as Marla’s murder.”
“So?”
“So, someone shot at me the other night probably because they knew I was asking questions.”
“We’re not going to question him.” Vivie studied me. “Besides, I was asking questions and no one shot at me.”
She had a point.
I thought I was fairly safe at the moment, but I didn’t want to tempt fate by giving the appearance of putting my nose back into this business. “I’m sorry Vivie, I just can’t.”
Her eyes narrowed and darkened. “After all I’ve done for you, you can’t do this one little thing for me?”
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
I arrived home late, and Aunt Rose was already in bed. I decided I had nothing better to do than go to bed either. I was just settling in when my phone pinged that I had a message.
Goodnight Warrior Princess.
I smiled. Goodnight Flyboy.
I should be home Thursday. Lunch with my mom then?
Knowing I had nothing else to do, I texted back, I can’t wait.
Sleep tight
Dream of me.
He texted me a groaning face. It’s hard to work and think of you at the same time.
Chapter Twenty-Two
; The next morning, I was having breakfast when my phone rang with Cruella de Vil’s theme. I groaned.
“What’s the matter with you Sophie? And what’s that noise?”
I picked up the phone. “It’s Vivie Danner.” I poked the talk button. “Hi Vivie.”
“Junior Junior is going to be fine, in case you were wondering.” Her tone was snippy, as usual.
I wondered why she was calling to tell me all this when, one, I knew this from Sergeant Scowl the night before and two, I was back on her bad side. “I’m glad to hear it. Did he figure out who hit him?”
“No. He said he told Davis that he was certain it wouldn’t have been me.”
“Well that’s good.” Could I hang up now?
“You have to help me with something.”
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. I wanted to tell her, no, I don’t have to help you. I figured I’d wait until I heard what she wanted help with, so I didn’t come off being rude when I told her no. “With what?”
“Junior Junior is very worried about Marla’s garden. He wants us to go take care of it.”
“Us or you?”
“What does it matter, Sophie? It’s important to him that someone look after it.”
“Why don’t you?” Although I didn’t like being the target of Vivie’s venom, I was finding I didn’t like being her go-to-person when she was in need.
“I don’t know anything about gardening.”
“Neither do I.” Why did she think I knew gardening?
She harrumphed.
“Besides, bad things happen at Marla’s and I said I was going to keep out of all that business.”
“Are you scared?” She had that tone second graders use when they’re daring someone to do something unsafe or that might get them in trouble.
“Someone tried to shoot me, Vivie, so yes, I’m a little scared.”
“It’s in Monticello Heights. You’ll be safe.”
“Vivie, someone killed Marla and whapped Junior Junior in Monticello Heights.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Ellie can keep watch.”
“Ellie has got her hands full with Al.”
“Come on Sophie. There will be two of us. All we’re doing is picking a few vegetables and weeds. Marla was really good to you. She even left you money and you can’t take an hour to honor her by tending her garden?”
There was no way Vivie cared one iota about honoring Marla. She knew me well enough to know I would. My resolve to stay away faltered as I had to admit Marla had spent hours teaching me about couponing. I didn’t know how much money she’d left to me and the other girls, but it didn’t matter. The fact that she left anything at all deserved my gratitude. One way to show that was to care for the one thing that gave her joy.
I blew out a breath. “Alright. When?”
“After lunch. Around two. Meet me at my house.”
“I’ll be there.” After hanging up, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. Everything bad that had happened lately, happened at Marla’s, except of course for someone shooting at me. In those cases, Marla and Junior Junior had been alone. Maybe Vivie was right in that if we were together, whoever was attacking people wouldn’t be emboldened. I hoped so, because I didn’t know how I’d explain my going to the scene of the crime, so to speak, to AJ or Sergeant Scowl if something did happen.
An hour later, I parked in front of Vivie’s house and then walked with her to Marla’s taking the back trail.
“What about John and Debbie?” I asked as we made our way to Marla’s patio to find gardening tools.
“They’re gone.”
“Home? To Pennsylvania?”
“I think they’re at the Tavern Inn because Sergeant Davis had more questions for them, thanks to me.”
“To you?” I wondered what she’d told Sergeant Scowl that had him keeping the couple in town?
“Well, you know how we’ve been wondering how he would have been able to get into the gate?”
“Yes.”
“What if he was driving Marla’s car?” Vivie said.
“He’d have to get in the gate first to get her car. The guard would have seen him.”
“Or, he flew down and she picked him up in her car. And if it was after hours or the weekend, a guard wouldn’t have been there. Only the recording of the barcode opening the gate.”
Vivie was on to something. “How’d he get home?”
“I don’t know, Sophie. I don’t have all the answers. That’s Davis’ job.”
I nodded as another thought came me. “He could have used her car the other night to go to the Booty Burgo when I was shot at.”
Vivie’s eyes widened. “Yah. Maybe that’s why Sergeant Davis is keeping them in town. Maybe the car’s barcode was used.”
I frowned. “Why didn’t he come after you?”
“Because he likes me, dummy.”
“Right.”
We found a few tools, most of which appeared to involve digging but I wasn’t sure what each was for.
“Junior Junior said he cleaned up this front part. He was worried about that section in the back near the woods.” Vivie walked the area she indicated. “He said we should see if the beets and carrots are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Picking.” She sent me a withering glare that said, duh.
“What do we do with them if they’re ready?”
“Take them home, of course.”
They weren’t ours, but I couldn’t think of who else to give them to.
“I’m sure your aunt will find some use for them.”
The carrots maybe. Aunt Rose and I were in agreement that no matter how beets were prepared, they always tasted like dirt.
I scanned the section of garden that had green leaves sprouting from the dirt. I didn’t know about gardening, but I figured the leafy purple stems were beets. I wrapped my hand around a set and pulled until a purple bulb popped free. “How do we know if it’s done?” I craned my head back to look at Vivie who was standing behind me.
“How would I know?”
I shrugged. It looked like about the size I’d seen in the store. “Is there a bucket or something to put them in?”
Vivie looked around and then went back to the patio carrying a basket with her. “Will this work?”
“I guess.” I took the basket and plopped the beet in and pulled another. I turned to look at Vivie who was watching me. “Are you going to help?”
“I just had my nails done. I don’t want to mess them up.”
It became clear why she wanted me here. She wanted me to do the work and take the credit. “Go see if Marla had gardening gloves.”
Vivie gave one of those typical southern belle sighs, but finally went to search the patio for gloves. I watched her because I didn’t trust her. Sure enough, she found gloves, and started to hide them behind a planter.
“I can see you Vivie.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” She huffed and brought the gloves with her to where I was pulling another beet from the ground.
“Why don’t you do the carrots. I think that’s them over there.” I pointed to where an area of green stems attached to orange veggies were peaking from the ground.
“I’m going to get my clothes dirty.”
“You called me to help you garden. Gardens involve dirt.”
“You don’t have to be so snarky, Sophie.”
I shook my head and went back to the task at hand. We worked in silence for a few minutes.
“Why do you think she couponed and gardened when she didn’t have to? At least not to save money.” Vivie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Her life was kind of sad.”
Well yah, she was killed. However, maybe Vivie meant something else. “What do
you mean?”
“I didn’t like her husband. And they didn’t have any kids. Randy is a first-class douche, but at least I have my kids.”
I nodded. “Marla did seem alone, except for us.”
“Except she never really let us in, did she?” Vivie tossed a couple of carrots into the basket next to my beets.
“No.”
“So, you think she was always like that or maybe her husband made her that way.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. What really doesn’t make sense is why someone would kill her considering how much she kept to herself.”
“That is weird.”
I sat back on my haunches, already my back starting to get sore. “Do you think it wasn’t about her?”
“What?”
“Her being killed. Maybe it wasn’t because of her. Maybe it was something else.”
“Like what?”
I pulled another beet. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe she and Junior Junior saw something they weren’t supposed to.” Vivie offered. “Since they were both attacked.”
“Maybe, except someone shot at me and I don’t think I saw anything.”
“That probably wasn’t related,” Vivie said, yanking a carrot and tossing it in the basket.
“Why not?” I didn’t like the idea that someone wanted me dead outside of what was going on with Marla’s murder.
“Because both Marla and Junior Junior were attacked here. It has to do with something here.”
Vivie was on to something. I looked in the direction I was facing, to Ellie’s back yard. I knew a young family lived in the house on the other side of Marla’s. I couldn’t imagine what any of them would be doing something that would lead to killing Marla or attacking Junior Junior. I glanced around the area. There was nothing behind the house except the woods. Perhaps something nefarious was going on there.
“Maybe Ellie didn’t like her.”
I frowned at Vivie. “She hasn’t said anything like that.”
“She wouldn’t if she killed her, would she?”