Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town

by Diana Anderson

  The man followed them toward the door to the lobby. Justin held his hand up to the man as they opened the door to enter. “Just stay out here. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll want to talk with you later.”

  “But … but I … ,” his voiced trailed off as the door closed behind them.

  Cal glanced around the small lobby. A well worn, red chair sat in the corner. On one side was an end table covered with old magazines and a yellowed newspaper. On the other side, a large, wilted, potted plant sat on the floor in front of a curtain drawn window.

  Cal led the way toward the office. He stopped in the doorway and looked down at the bloody, lifeless body of Gaylene Peterson. Justin handed him a pair of surgical gloves, and Cal slipped them on his hands. He stepped over, squatted, and held two fingers on a pulse point of her neck. He knew but had to check anyway.

  Cal stood, looked at Justin, and said, “Call the M.E..”

  Justin left the room. His face was void of color. He could have made the call in here, but Cal knew his deputy needed fresh air.

  Cal stood over the body. He leaned one way and then the other as he eyed the torn, bloody fabric of her blouse. She’d bled out onto the carpet. She had an ugly wound on the left side of her forehead. He scanned the room in search of anything that might be the weapon. The only sign of struggle was an overturned chair near her desk.

  Justin stepped in the doorway but didn’t come inside nor did he look down at the body. “They’re on their way.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “Wonder when this happened?”

  “Is that man still outside?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Go talk with him, and see what else you can find out.”

  “Got it.” Justin left.

  Cal noted the position of the body and the entrance to the office. The wall across from him had a small safe. The door was shut. Nothing looked to be disturbed other than the overturned chair.

  “You either knew your attacker or were taken off guard. Maybe both.”

  Cal glanced around the room, his eyes landed on a notepad on the desk. He stepped over and read the scribbling.

  He looked down at the body again. “Well, Gaylene, looks like you’ve left me a clue. Seems you remembered something after all.”

  43

  Ted hurried inside the front door. Callie descended the stairs. She wore a skimpy, two piece bathing suit. She watched him as he unleashed the dog and then grabbed a set of car keys out of the glass dish.

  “Where’s Agnes?” she asked when she stepped off the bottom step.

  The dog sat down near his feet.

  He looked at her and heaved a sigh. “She’s in jail. I’m going to try to get her out of there.”

  Callie studied him a moment then threw her head back and laughed. The dog’s ears perked up, and he watched Callie with curiosity.

  “What’s so funny about that?”

  She took a breath and placed her hand on her stomach. “Oh, Ted! This is a first for you.” She waved a hand at him.

  “What?”

  “She’s in jail. That’s so funny.” She continued to laugh. “You’ve never told me a joke before.” She stopped laughing and thought a moment. “Well, I really don’t remember if you ever did. Anyway, it’s the first one that was funny.” She took a few deep breaths and then asked, “Now, seriously, where is she?”

  He looked on a moment longer before he turned back toward the door. “I told you, Caldonia, she’s in jail.”

  Callie watched him open the door. “Wait!”

  He stepped over the threshold, looked back over his shoulder, and held the door open. Gabriel stood and walked toward the door.

  “No, Gabe. Stay,” he said.

  The dog’s ears drooped, and he sat back on his haunches.

  She hurried across the room but kept her distance from the dog. “You are not leaving that dog here. I won’t be responsible for this mangy mutt.”

  “Don’t worry, Maggie said she’d watch him.”

  He shut the door.

  “Maggie isn’t in here,” she shouted.

  “Yes, Mrs. Wallace. Did you call me?” Maggie stepped into the room and collared the dog.

  Callie looked at her and then the dog. She turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen. “Never mind.” She went through the kitchen to the patio door and headed to the pool for her morning laps.

  Maggie watched her leave. After the patio door was closed, she let go of the dog’s collar. “Come on. I got your breakfast waiting.” He followed her into the kitchen.

  She stopped in the middle of the kitchen, lifted up her face, and raised her hands high into the air. “Thank You, Jesus, for helping me put up with that woman. Lord, I’d probably be in prison on death row right now if You didn’t.” She put her hands down and glanced around for the dog. When she didn’t see him, she turned, and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Uh oh,” she mumbled.

  Gabriel stood near the doorway. His tail wagged as he looked up at Ted.

  “Sir, I uh …”

  He shook his head. “No need to explain. I grabbed the wrong car keys.” He held a set of keys up and jiggled them. “I heard you in here, and I thought … never mind. I got to run.” He turned and left.

  * * *

  Ted walked into the lobby of the sheriff’s department and looked around the room. He saw the dispatcher behind a desk, walked over, and stood in front of it. “Excuse me?”

  The dispatcher looked over the top of the morning newspaper. “Can I help you?”

  “I need to speak to the sheriff.”

  “He’s not here right now.”

  “Do you know when he’ll be back?”

  He shook his head. “No. He was called out about …” he eyed the clock on the wall, “a couple of hours ago. If you’d like to wait, you can have a seat right over there.” He extended his index finger from the others that still held onto the newspaper and pointed across the room.

  Ted looked in that direction. “Thanks.”

  Ted walked across the room and found a place to sit. He’d already called into his office and let them know he’d be running late. He had to get Raven out of jail, and he hoped whatever the charges were against her would be dropped. None of what he’d heard of Raven’s ranting and raving made any sense while the sheriff hauled her over his shoulder and out of the house.

  He’d called the sheriff’s department not long after they had left and had talked with the night dispatcher. He’d told him that the sheriff was busy and to call back tomorrow. Ted hadn’t been able to sleep from worrying about Raven. There was no way she could be involved with the murders of the Neals.

  He eyed a table beside him. Several old magazines were strewn across the top. He picked up one and began to thumb through it.

  An hour and a half later, Justin walked through the door.

  Ted stood up. “Where’s the sheriff?”

  With his thumb, Justin pointed behind him and then headed on toward the hallway.

  Cal came through the door. He removed his hat and wiped sweat from his brow.

  “Sheriff?” Ted stepped over in front of him.

  “Dr. Wallace, how can I help you?”

  “I’d like to take Raven home.”

  “I figured that’s why you were here. I can’t let her go just yet.”

  “What’s the problem? She hasn’t done anything. I mean, she wasn’t even here when the murders took place.”

  He nodded. “I know that, but she said she was going back to New York after I told her that she couldn’t leave. Now, that’s obstructing justice, and you go to jail for that.”

  “I don’t see how her going home is obstruction of justice.”

  “She turned some evidence in to this office that I’m not at liberty to talk about. I needed her to stay for more questioning, and she refused. That’s obstruction of justice. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  “May I see her?”

  “Now wouldn’t be a good time. She assaulted an
officer this morning.”

  “She what?”

  Cal tilted his head. “You heard me. She’s going to be charged for assaulting an officer.”

  Ted’s mouth dropped open. He watched Cal walk away.

  44

  Cal had stepped into the men’s room to wash up. When he’d finished, he put his hat back on, headed out, and on down the hallway toward the back. He opened the door to the area that housed the women’s cells. He closed the door behind him. The sound of his footsteps on the concrete floors echoed off the cinderblock walls. He stopped in front of Raven’s cell.

  She was stretched out on the bed with her fingers laced behind her head and her legs crossed at her ankles.

  “If you’re not here to release me, go away,” she said.

  He didn’t say anything. After a few minutes of silence, she drew her legs around and sat up. She looked across the cell at him.

  “I don’t know if you know this or not, so I’ll share it with you—Virgil’s funeral is tomorrow, and I can’t attend if I’m locked in here.”

  He still didn’t respond.

  She jumped up from the bed and stomped over to stand in front of him. She grabbed the bars, leaned in close, and stood on tip-toe. “If you don’t let me out of here right now, I want a lawyer. It’s my right. I have a right to counsel.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “If I let you go, you can’t leave town.”

  She eyed him a long moment. “I still don’t understand why you need me to stay. I had nothing to do with anything except collecting the dog and finding the money.”

  “I don’t want you telling anyone about the money.”

  “Why? I mean, surely it belongs to someone. I highly doubt it belonged to … my dad. He never could hang onto ninety-nine cents long enough to find a penny to make a dollar.”

  “I agree that it does belong to someone, but someone is killing people to try to find it.”

  She relaxed her grip on the bars. “What do you mean?”

  He scratched the back on his head and then searched her eyes. “Did you tell anyone at all about the duffle bag you found?”

  “No.”

  “Did anyone see you come in my office carrying that duffle bag?”

  She thought a moment. “Just Deputy Ledet.” She looked off for a second and then looked back at him. “Wait … your father was leaving when I came in.” She watched him. “Surely you don’t think your dad … ?”

  “I don’t know what to think right now, but I do know this … I don’t want you leaving town.”

  “I still don’t understand why.” She dropped her hands to her sides.

  “I’ll tell you at a later time. Now, can I trust you to stay?”

  “I was told that I was being charged with assaulting an officer.”

  “I haven’t filed the paperwork on that. I’ll leave what happens with that up to you.”

  “That’s blackmail!”

  He didn’t say anything.

  Her shoulders slumped. “So … if I say I’ll stay, you’ll give me a get out of jail free card?”

  “Yes.”

  She heaved a sigh. “Okay.”

  He took the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He slid it open. She stepped out into the corridor. She followed him to the door and waited. He opened the door for her. He closed it behind him.

  “I need you to sign something in my office before you leave.”

  “Okay.”

  She stopped beside his office door and waited for him to unlock it. After he opened it, he stepped aside and let her walk through. He walked around her and to his desk. He grabbed a pen and handed it to her.

  “What do you need me to sign?” she asked.

  He reached across his desk, picked up the paperback, and handed it to her. She stared down at it for a long moment. He saw her jaw muscles tense as she gritted her teeth. Her eyes flew up and bore through him.

  “You’ve been reading my novel?”

  He nodded. “It’s very good. I’m really impressed. I had no idea you were so talented at fabricating such tales.” He watched the strawberry shaped birthmark flare up. “Wait … this is a work of fiction, isn’t it?”

  “Are we done?”

  “Well, yes.”

  She snatched the book from his hand, flipped open the front cover, and wrote. She tossed the pen on his desk and shoved the book back into his hand. “Would you get one of your deputies to drive me to the Wallaces’?” She turned and walked toward the door.

  “I’d be glad to take you.”

  “Nope, I’d rather walk.”

  “Justin?” Cal said over the intercom.

  “Sir?”

  “Drive Miss Sawyer home, please.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He watched her walk out of his office and disappear down the hallway. He looked down at the book in his hand and opened the front cover. He read what she’d written and then laughed. “Oh, Raven Sawyer, you do have a way with words.”

  45

  Justin opened the front door of the sheriff’s department and stepped aside to let Raven go outside. She walked through and stopped. She scanned the sight before her. Her jaw went slack.

  Justin closed the door and stepped beside her. His mouth gaped. “What the … ?”

  “Are you Raven Sawyer?” a tall, blonde headed woman asked. She stood at the bottom of the steps.

  “Are you Raven Sawyer the author of Shattered Lives?” A dark headed man, with a Chevron mustache, stood beside the woman.

  A microphone was shoved into Raven’s face. “Is your real name Agnes Neal?” asked another woman. “Were the man and woman found murdered last Monday your parents?”

  The crowd of reporters flooded up the steps and rushed to get their microphone in front of her before the other one could.

  Raven leaned the upper half of her body back. Justin tried to wedge himself between her and the reporters. Cameras clicked and some flashed. Voices rose, each one tried to be heard over the other, but all seemed to ask the same questions.

  Deputy Porter pulled her squad car into a parking slot, got out, and hurried toward the scene. She wormed her way through the crowd and up the steps.

  “What’s going on, sir?” she yelled at Justin over the noise of the crowd.

  “Help me get her out of here,” Justin yelled back.

  Porter squeezed her body in front of Raven and Justin and then held her hands up. “Y’all need to step back!” she yelled.

  Justin steered Raven around, opened the door to the office, and pushed her through. He turned and closed the door. Cal walked into the room and eyed both of them.

  “I thought you were taking her back to the Wallaces’ place?”

  “I was. There’s a mob out there.” Justin pointed a thumb at the door.

  “Mob?” Cal walked across the room and reached for the doorknob.

  “I wouldn’t open that if I were you,” Justin said.

  Cal looked at him as he noted the seriousness in his voice and then removed his hand. He stepped over and peered through the shade on the window. He looked back at Justin and then at Raven. She stood stock still. Her lips were parted, and she stared off into space. He stepped around in front of her. Her gaze never wavered.

  “Raven?” he said.

  She continued to stare.

  “Raven? Are you okay?”

  Her eyes lifted. She blinked several times to focus on his face. “But I killed her. I hid the body. How did they find her?”

  Cal’s facial expression changed from concern to dumbfound. His mouth gaped, and then he gave his head a quick shake. “You killed her, who? What body?”

  Raven looked down at his chest, her eyes unfocused. “Agnes.” The corners of her mouth turned down.

  She weaved. Cal reached out and steadied her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He tossed them to Justin.

  “See if you can get to my car and bring it around back. We’ll meet you there.”

  “Sure
thing.” Justin turned and slipped out the front door.

  Cal led Raven across the room, down the hallway, and out the back exit.

  Five minutes later, Justin pulled the car around back. He got out and tossed Cal the keys. Cal helped Raven into the front seat and then got in the driver’s seat.

  Eighteen minutes later, he walked her through the front door of the Wallaces’ home. She hadn’t spoken a word since she’d said she had killed Agnes.

  “Maybe you should go lie down for awhile,” he said as he stood behind her.

  She stood in the foyer and stared across the room at nothing.

  “Raven?” He peered around her. When she didn’t respond, he stepped in front of her and touched her shoulder.

  She looked up at him. “Huh?”

  “Go lie down for awhile.”

  “They’re not going away, are they?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You told them, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “No. I didn’t know there was anything to tell. You know more than I do why they were waiting outside for you.”

  “I never told anyone, except Becca.” Raven looked down.

  “Becca?”

  Raven nodded.

  “Well, maybe you need to take this up with her. I’ve got to get back.” He eyed her. “Are you going to be okay?”

  She shook her head. Her chin quivered.

  He reached down, cupped her chin, and lifted her face. “It’s going to be okay.” He watched her expression. “I don’t know why you’re so upset about these reporters. I’d think publicity would further your career.”

  “No,” she said with a small head shake. “You don’t understand.”

  “I’ve read most of your book, and I know, although you changed the names, it’s about you and your life here and … us.”

  “Apparently, you haven’t read all of it.” She pulled away and turned from him.

  He stepped around in front of her. “Well, no, I haven’t had time to finish it, but I have a feeling I know how it ends.”