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

by Diana Anderson

  “I know that you were the one that stole the duffle bag from this department’s safe. I also know that you seduced Deputy Lansing and stole his weapon. I know that you stole the key to the safe from my office while I wasn’t looking. But … what I want to know is, how did you know what was in the duffle bag?”

  The attorney pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. She took it, blotted her eyes, and then blew her nose. She sniffed.

  “Angus had called me. He’d seen Raven with the duffle bag and wanted me to find out where she had gotten it and what was in it. He said that you knew about it too. So I put two and two together. I knew that if Angus was concerned about anything, it was money, and his deep concern over that duffle bag told me it was money, and when he called me back later on and I hadn’t found out anything, he flew off the handle. Threw a shit fit. Even came to my house and tried to force his way inside. I was in fear for my life. His anger over me not finding out anything, said to me—that it was a lot of money. I needed a lot of money. I wanted to get out of this place. Ted didn’t love me anymore, and I sure have never loved him. And then that novel came blazing through town and spread like wildfire, I had to get out. Everybody was pointing fingers at me and talking bad about me and not just behind my back but to my face. You should have heard the Mayor’s wife at the beauty salon. She wouldn’t shut up. She went on and on about how if she were me, she wouldn’t be caught dead outside of her house. The place was packed, and everyone in there could hear her running her big mouth. I’ve never been so embarrassed in all my life. Well, who does the old, blue-haired, fat cow think she is anyway? We all know the only money the Mayor has in his bank account is what the town’s folk pays him. Which isn’t much. Why, she didn’t even tip Alison, and Alison’s one of the best stylist’s at Layla’s Salon.

  “Everyone in town was talking about that book, so I read it to see for myself. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t believe that my own daughter wrote all of those lies about me.

  “I knew that Gaylene had seen me going into the motel room with Jorge, because I saw her looking at me through the office window. And then as if things couldn’t get any worse, I saw Gaylene here. She’d been talking with you, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Ted knew that I’d had an affair with Jorge. It was a short one, but Ted was a stickler for faithfulness. I know, because before his wife had died, I couldn’t get anywhere with him.

  “Anyway, just in case there wasn’t money in the duffle bag, I had to protect my marriage, so I shut Gaylene up. I killed her. And I’ve got to tell you that that was the worst night of my life. It was storming, and I’m deathly afraid of thunder and lightning, and then the rain ruined my hair that I’d just had done a few days before, and all that blood ruined my Roberto Cavalli jeans and my Dolce and Gabbana T-shirt. Afterwards, I stuffed my ruined clothes, the knife, and the meat tenderizer thingy—whatever you call it—in a garbage bag and hid it in Salvador’s shed. After all, he had been staying at the motel right after I’d hired him to be our gardener. I figured there was a greater chance of the cops looking at him than me.”

  “What did you do with your shoes?” Cal asked.

  “I took them off in the car because it was raining. No way was I going to get my Jimmy Choo’s Papina wedgies wet. Do you have any idea how much those cost?”

  Cal didn’t respond.

  “Didn’t think so. Anyway, I was so desperate to get my hands on some money. I couldn’t touch Ted’s for that damned pre-nup he’d made me sign. And what little allowance I got every month, wasn’t enough to last a lifetime with the lifestyle I had become accustomed to. The pre-nup said no alimony. I’d get absolutely nothing if I dissolved the marriage or if infidelity on my part was the cause of divorce. Then Ted left me, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I’d be out on my own with nothing. Well, I just had to get out of town since everything had started falling apart.

  “So, I managed to get the deputy alone and in the same room where the safe was. After I was through with him, I got into the safe and got out the duffle bag. When I unzipped it and looked inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes. All of that money and it was mine.” She sniffed and the corners of her mouth turned down. “Was.” She wiped her nose with the handkerchief. “I feel so foolish. If I hadn’t of left that gun in the duffle bag, I’d probably never have gotten arrested, and I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

  “Have you ever shot a gun before?” Cal asked.

  “No.”

  “I agree. You wouldn’t be sitting here. You’d be dead.”

  She sat there and stared at the table top. Her chin quivered. “That fortune teller lied to me. She said that I would travel soon to a very secure place where people who wish to do me harm couldn’t touch me. And then she said that I would move into a massive place called The Pearl of the South. And I believed her.” She looked up at Cal. “You should arrest her for fraud.” She screwed up her face, and her shoulders shook as she began to sob.

  Later, Callie was in tears and slobbering all over her attorney’s cheap suit when Cal walked out of the interrogation room.

  “Well,” Justin said as he walked away from the two-way mirror. “It doesn’t get any easier than that.”

  Cal chuckled.

  Justin shook his head and laughed. “Why didn’t you tell her that The Pearl of the South is the women’s prison in Rankin County?”

  Cal shook his head and chuckled again.

  Later, after Callie was back in her cell, Salvador had been brought into the interrogation room. His attorney was present. Salvador had remained silent and listened to what Cal had to say until the mention of extradition back to La Mesa, Mexico to serve his time in prison, and then he wanted to talk. He wanted to cut a deal. Cal had told him that he couldn’t make deals, but that he’d talk with the D.A. about it if he’d come clean.

  And he did.

  Salvador had placed the garbage bag of clothes, he and Lupe had worn during the murders of the Neals, into the trunk of Callie’s Mercedes. He’d thought, since she so freely discussed her hatred for Virgil, if it had been found in her possession, authorities would accuse her. And too, he’d grown tired of her. When he’d first started to work for the Wallaces, he’d thought he’d be able to get money from her, but she never had enough at any given time to make it worth his while. The first of every month Ted had deposited her allowance in her bank account and had paid off each of her credit cards. Her allowance would be all gone and her credit cards all racked up as fast as she could spend it. She was tightfisted with it unless it served a purpose for her.

  Lupe had told Salvador about the safe in the Rayburns’ study. She’d told him, too, that she’d seen him put money in there, and she’d also seen several stacks of cash inside. They had devised a plan, and purchased a video camera, and had set it up in an effort to find out the combination.

  Salvador had been surprised when he’d been told that Lupe had killed Jorge, because Jorge was his good friend and was Lupe’s step-brother. It had been through Jorge that he’d met Lupe and later married her. However, he wasn’t surprised when told that Callie had killed Gaylene Peterson. He’d said that many times, he’d seen murder in her eyes and knew that it was just a matter of time before she broke. He knew this look as he’d seen it in his own eyes and Lupe’s.

  It’d been a long day for Cal. He was so ready to crawl between the sheets and get at least eight hours sleep. He had just finished the last report and looked up at the clock. It was five minutes to midnight. It would be a short eight hours.

  He grabbed his hat, went out of his office, and into the lobby. The night deputy that sat at Justin’s desk looked up.

  “Goodnight, sir.”

  “‘Night.”

  “Oh, sir?”

  “Yeah.” Cal stopped with his hand on the doorknob.

  He picked up a note and glanced over it. “Angus Rayburn is out on bail.”

  Cal nodded and then walked out.

  80

&n
bsp; The D.A. had called Cal early that morning to let him know that he needed more evidence to go after Angus for embezzlement. Suzanne’s accountant being fired by Angus wasn’t enough. He needed proof that Angus had taken the money, proof in the form of a paper trail, like forgery. If he didn’t come up with any evidence within twenty-four hours, charges against Angus could very well be dropped.

  Cal thought over the dilemma most of the morning. He’d called Suzanne and had talked it over with her and told her the duffle bag with her money had been returned. After the call, she went to her bank to get copies of all the transactions Angus had made over the past year. They had told her that it would take time to collect all of that and make copies. They had suggested that she log into her bank account online and look through all of the transactions. Suzanne had told them that she didn’t own a computer and knew nothing about them. She’d called Cal back and told him that if anyone knew how Angus had managed to steal two million dollars from her, Imogene would. Suzanne said that Imogene had told her things that Angus had shared with her about his underhanded dealings.

  So, around noon, Cal went in search for Imogene. He’d found her at a table in the far corner of the Blues Room. She had the attention of an older man who wore a suit and tie. Cal walked over to the table and stood in front of her. The man with her did a double take and then quickly excused himself, got up, and hurried out of the bar.

  “Sheriff, how can I help you?” she said with a tone of irritation.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Imogene, but I need to speak with you.” He sat down across from her.

  She picked up her glass. “I’m sure you are.” She took a sip and set her glass back on the table. “Well, I don’t have all day. I’m a working girl, and I’ve got work to do. I don’t get two ten minute breaks, or a lunch break, I don’t get the weekend off, a paid vacation, or sick leave. So, if you got something to say, say it.”

  “Suzanne said that you told her things about Angus that he’d revealed to you during your time together.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  Cal tilted his head a little and watched her. “Did he ever tell you he was skimming money from his wife’s bank account?”

  “Yeah, he bragged about it. Why?”

  “Did he tell you how he was doing it?”

  “Sheriff, I doubt there’s anything that your daddy hasn’t told me.”

  By three o’clock, Cal had a warrant for all the Rayburns’ bank transactions. The bank personnel were friendly, however, not too happy to go through and print copies and sort them.

  Two hours later, Cal had left the bank with copies of withdrawal slips with Suzanne’s forged signature. He took that evidence straight to the D.A.’s office. The D.A. had said that it was more than enough evidence, including the duffle bag with the two million in it.

  At suppertime, Cal was at his desk with a roast beef sandwich and a medium sized to-go cup of sweet iced tea that Janie had sent over from the diner. He took a bite of sandwich.

  “Sir, Dr. Wallace is here to see you,” Justin said over the intercom.

  Cal swallowed and pressed the intercom button. “Send him in.” He washed his bite of sandwich down with a drink.

  A moment later, Cal’s office door opened, and Ted stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and walked over to Cal’s desk.

  Cal nodded at the chair beside Ted. “Have a seat, and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “Thanks.” Ted eyed Cal’s sandwich as he sat down. “I don’t mean to interrupt your supper.”

  “It’s all right. Not the first time I’ve had my supper interrupted.”

  Ted took a deep breath. “I need a big favor from you.”

  “What’s that?” Cal leaned back in his chair.

  “I need you to set up a safe place where Suzanne and I could have a meeting with Callie and Angus.”

  Cal leaned forward in his chair. “Do what?”

  Ted nodded. “I want to set up a meeting with them.”

  “What on earth for?”

  “Raven asked me to get with you on this.”

  “Raven?” Cal eyed him.

  “Yes, Raven would be there too.”

  “She’s back? I thought she was gone for good. From the way she’d talked while she was here, she pretty much said that she would never be coming back.”

  “She’ll be back in Cypress tonight.” His eyes expressed his seriousness. “She wants and needs closure.”

  Cal nodded. “I understand, but I doubt having a meeting with these folks will help. I’m assuming you want to be here to lend your support … but Suzanne?”

  “Suzanne and Raven struck up a friendship during the time they spent in jail together and the afternoon Raven had stayed at her house. Suzanne is very fond of Raven and wants to be here for her as well.”

  Cal mulled it over.

  81

  “What the hell is she doing here?” Angus asked when he walked in the door of the conference room and saw Callie seated at the far end of the long table. Her wrists were cuffed, and she wore an orange jumpsuit. Deputy Porter stood at ease right behind her.

  “Go sit over there,” Cal said to Angus as he pointed toward the opposite end of the table from Callie. Deputy Hendrix nodded at a chair in front of him.

  “If I’m not under arrest, why am I here?” Angus asked.

  “Just go sit down, and you’ll find out in a few minutes.”

  Angus grumbled as he walked over toward Hendrix. He continued to glare at Callie as he stood beside the chair.

  “Sit!” Hendrix said.

  Angus glared at him and then sat down.

  A minute later, Janie walked in and smiled at Justin.

  Justin stood beside the door and smiled back. “Hey, Janie.”

  Cal looked at her and said, “Mom, I’ll be with you in a minute. Just wait in my office.”

  “I was told to meet everybody in the conference room. This is the conference room, isn’t it?”

  “Who told you?”

  “Raven. She called me early this morning and said that there was going to be a meeting at the sheriff’s department in the conference room, and she wanted me to be here.” She shrugged. “And here I am.”

  Cal looked beyond Janie as Ted, Suzanne, and Raven walked in behind her. Ted had a manila envelope tucked under his arm.

  Raven smiled at Janie. “Please, sit with us.”

  Janie glanced at Cal and then followed Raven. Cal watched them take a seat away from Angus and Callie. He nodded toward Justin to close the door and then turned to see Callie standing.

  “What is my daughter doing here?” Callie said as she gave Raven a dirty look.

  “She’s not your daughter,” Suzanne said. “She’s mine.”

  Angus turned toward Suzanne. “What? Don’t tell me you’ve adopted her.”

  “No. But I will tell you this, while you were having your illicit affairs, I was having one of my own. The only difference, I loved who I was having an affair with.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?” And then he smirked. “You? Having an affair? With who? The park commissioner? That’s where you spent all of your time. Down at park.”

  “With me,” Ted said. “I had an affair with Suzanne before my first marriage.”

  Angus lost his smirk.

  “Karma’s a real bitch, ain’t it, Angus?” Janie said with a smile.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” He turned toward Janie.

  “I have no idea, but I’ve got to say I’m glad I was invited.”

  Cal glanced back and forth from Suzanne, to Angus, and then to Ted.

  Angus turned his attention back to Suzanne. “You had an affair?” Angus pointed at Ted. “With this guy?” He shook his head. “What the hell! None of this makes any sense. What kind of meeting is this?” He looked at Cal. “You brought me in here just to humiliate me in front of everyone? Where are the reporters? Get some reporters in here, so I can be humiliated some more. Let’s
put it on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.”

  Cal raised his hand. “Let’s just hear him out.” Cal wanted to hear what Ted had to say.

  Angus shook his head again.

  Cal nodded toward Ted to continue.

  “While Raven had been in town for the Neals’ funeral, she had been staying with me. I began to notice similarities, her eyes, her hair, the small strawberry shaped red spot that flares up on her forehead when she’s blushing or angry—”

  “A strawberry?” Callie asked. “Similarities?” She gave a half-laugh.

  “Shhh!” Cal said.

  “Similarities to Suzanne,” Ted said.

  “Ted?” Callie looked at him, “You’re angry with me, I understand that, but to bring Suzanne in on this?”

  Suzanne’s eyes stared darts through Callie. “You’re despicable. You’re the most contemptible excuse for a human being who ever walked this earth.”

  Callie’s eyes widened. “Long before I’d started working as Ted’s housekeeper, I had to work for you. I used to wait on you hand and foot. I’ve never done anything to you to cause you to say these things.”

  Suzanne said in a deep low voice, “Don’t even pretend, Callie.”

  Callie clammed up as she looked into Suzanne’s fiery eyes.

  Ted continued, “So I took the liberty of getting hair samples from Raven’s hairbrush and had a paternity test done on them.” He held up a manila envelope. “The test results are in here.”

  Ted held out the envelope to Cal. Cal stepped over to the table, reached across, and took it. He stepped back, opened the envelope, and pulled out the contents. Every eye was on him as he scanned the results of the paternity test. After a minute had passed, he looked up and across the room at Callie.

  She swallowed hard. The color had drained from her face. She took a deep breath. “What?”

  Angus looked at Cal. “What? What’s the results. Is she my daughter or not?”

  “She’s Ted’s daughter,” Cal said.