The Wiles of Watermelon (Scents of Murder Book 2)

by Lynette Sowell

  I stood, making sure the sack of groceries didn’t tumble on its side. “I’m just sayin’ Gabe’s not the only suspect. There’s more than him.”

  “But he’s at the top of the list. And look, if both our men might be in trouble, we probably don’t need to be talkin’ to each other.”

  “Well, if you need anything, call us anyway. Or come by the restaurant. Ben won’t turn you away.”

  Maryann dismissed me by looking out the kitchen window once more.

  I went back to the Jeep and climbed into the driver’s side. A small white box containing a home pregnancy test rested on the passenger seat. I had no idea what Maryann was going through. Some parents would do anything for their children. I didn’t know how that felt, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know that desperation. Shoving those thoughts aside, I headed home.

  Drew, my brother-in-law’s cousin and a lawyer, gave us a phone consultation on Thursday night about Ben’s situation. We sat in the living room. After my conversation with Maryann Davis the other day, I was determined to do all we could to take Ben’s name off the suspect list as soon as possible.

  “It’s not likely that you’ll be charged with a crime or even be terribly high on the list of suspects, at this point.” Drew’s voice sounded tinny over the speaker phone.

  “But what about questioning?” Ben asked. “I gave a statement about the night of the crime. Isn’t that enough? Or will they keep asking me questions even though I’ve already told them everything I know about the night of the murder?”

  “Ben, they can question you as many times as they feel they need to. What I’d suggest, and this is just a suggestion, is that you secure an attorney to be present whenever you meet with the police. It’s not a necessity—you haven’t been mirandized or anything— but for your own peace of mind, an attorney can step in if he or she feels that the questioning crosses the line to self-incriminating.”

  I squeezed Ben’s hand and murmured, “I think we need to hire Drew. Even if we have to pull from our savings, I want him available if. . .”

  Ben squeezed my hand in response. “Drew, can we hire you? Just in case. You know Jerry and I are family, and I don’t want anyone saying he’s giving me favors. If anything, I might be under more scrutiny because Jerry is my brother.”

  “Not a problem. Come by the office, and we’ll get the paperwork started.”

  I could see Ben’s features relax. He still didn’t meet my eyes.

  We ended the call, and I asked, “Ben, are you all right?”

  “I’m nervous.”

  “It’s going to be okay.” Look at me. “We’ll get through this together. You don’t have anything to be nervous about.”

  Even with Drew’s reassuring words, I couldn’t slow my heartbeat at the idea of Ben getting hauled in for questioning. Not that Jerry would do any hauling in, but that the DA, being thorough, would be extra aggressive in his investigation. And I sure hoped nothing came to light that would throw undue suspicion in Ben’s direction.

  Our phone rang less than a week later, promptly at eight in the morning. I was busy getting ready to head out to open the shop. Ben met me in our bedroom and took the call. He still wasn’t sure what to do about the restaurant—he had started opening for breakfast and lunch only, while still waiting to hear from Honey’s lawyer about her will. He had already assured the rest of the staff they still had jobs. For the moment. The employees had somehow automatically looked to Ben for guidance, but that didn’t surprise me. Ben inspired confidence in people. I know he always settled me down in stressful moments. But now Ben had his own stress to battle. Having Drew as our advocate and legal advisor gave both of us some peace of mind. We thanked God for good family connections.

  “Well, that was Honey’s lawyer, Robert Robertson, on the phone,” Ben said. “He wants us to come to his office at ten.”

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Robert Robert- son is her lawyer?” This just got better and better. I’d made a fool of myself last summer in his office while investigating Charla Thacker’s death, who just happened to be his fiancée. “Do I need to be there? I wasn’t Honey’s employee or anything.”

  “You do. He specifically said that Benjamin and Andromeda Hartley needed to be present.”

  “Present?”

  “For the reading of the will.”

  “I guess I won’t be opening the store until after lunch, then.” I put the toothpaste back into the medicine cabinet and tried not to fidget. I should have used the bathroom first thing, but I didn’t want to pull out the pregnancy test in front of Ben. What if he was disappointed at the result? Now I really had to go, and he hovered by the bathroom door.

  “No hurry. In fact, I’m going to get another cup of coffee and read the paper.” Ben kissed my cheek before he left.

  Now I turned my attention back to the test and read the directions. My heart pounded. I didn’t think I was pregnant. I’d waited nearly a week, and I still had no symptoms other than queasiness some mornings. None of the telltale signs of early pregnancy. But other women always volunteered plenty of information, so I knew some expectant mothers had virtually no symptoms.

  Five minutes later I’d followed the directions on the package and was making our bed. I picked up a few of Ben’s wayward dirty socks and plunked them in the hamper. The digital alarm clock flashed another minute ahead. Time to see. One line, or two?

  I almost knocked the little plastic stick into the trash can but managed to pick it up. One line. I sank onto the closed toilet seat. Relieved or disappointed, I didn’t know.

  “She left us what?” I didn’t care that my voice squeaked. Ben swallowed hard and looked at me.

  “Honey’s Place, including the property and build- ing and all its contents.” Robert Robertson’s voice sounded as if he were addressing a child.

  I couldn’t breathe. “But. . .” I flung a glance at Ben, who cleared his throat before he spoke.

  “Thank you for letting us know. We sure didn’t expect that.” Ben fumbled with his collar and an imaginary tie. “What do we do now?”

  Robert picked up his phone. “Business as usual. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if someone from her family comes forward to contest the will. Ms. Haggerty made this change to her will about six weeks ago. Here’s a note she left, explaining her decision. Notarized, also. I think her wishes are very clear, and her family won’t have much grounds to contest.” Then he spoke into the phone receiver. “Suzie? I need you to copy Ms. Haggerty’s will.”

  We told him good-bye, received the sealed note from Honey, our copy of the will, and left. Ben opened my door for me before climbing into the truck.

  “What just happened?”

  I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” One business was hard enough to run, but to own one of Greenburg’s best-known restaurants? “Let’s read the letter. What on earth made her leave the place to us?”

  Honey’s scrawl explained:

  “If you’re reading this, then the worst has happened and nobody’s eating any more of my pies.” My throat caught. The flame-haired woman had somehow wiggled her way into a corner of my heart, but I’d never tried to get close to her. “Ben, I never had much use for my own family, and in the months you’ve worked for me you showed you earned a place as my kin. Andi-girl, you’ve got a good hardworking man there who loves you. . .”

  Here my voice quavered. Honey had been lonely, and her larger-than-life manner wasn’t showing off. It was a cry to be loved and wanted. The attention seeking, the winks and flirts. All cries. I should have given her a chance.

  Ben brushed a tear from my cheek. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “She was so lonely, and I never really tried to get to know her. I never dreamed she thought so much of you. . .of us. . .”

  “Is that all in the note?” He leaned closer, and his closeness made me want to lean against him and cherish every heartbeat.

  “No, there’s more: ‘. . .you’ve got a good
hardworking man there who loves you. Don’t be afraid. Start that family. My little hole-in-the-wall diner isn’t much, but I hope it gives you two the start of a better way of life. I’ve got too many regrets to name. I just pray this one act makes up for what I’ve done in the past. Sincerely, Harriet Haggerty.’”

  “I didn’t know her real name was Harriet.” Ben rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. “Didn’t know a lot of things about her.”

  “She sounds like she carried a heavy load.” I ran my finger over the vivid strokes of the pen. “I wonder what she regretted.” I scanned the passersby outside. Life had gone on without Honey, as it does when any of us leaves this life. But she left a hole. And someone had made sure of that.

  First Aunt Jewel, now Honey. A figure emerged from Greenburg’s Town Hall. Roland Thacker, with a spring in his step I hadn’t seen, well, ever. He grinned as he talked on his cell phone. I rolled my window down as he passed in front of the truck.

  “Yes, Cynthia, I’ll meet you for lunch. You’re right. This is a new start, for both of us.” His glance flicked in my direction and a shadow crossed his face briefly, then he smiled at his wife’s words and continued on his way.

  Roland stood to gain something by Honey’s death, if only a little peace of mind, if Vivian Delane’s rumor was true. But if some in town already knew the rumor, then what else did he have to lose? I closed my eyes. If the affair had continued. . .

  “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?” Ben nudged me before he started the truck.

  “Thinking about who would stand to benefit from Honey’s death.” I put up a mental roadblock about Roland Thacker. A new start for Roland. No more reminders of guilt, perhaps?

  We backed out of the parking space and continued down Main Street. I could tell Ben’s mind was turning in circles, so I kept silent while he drove.

  “Well,” he continued, “the cold hard reality would point to us. We certainly benefited from her death.”

  “We didn’t know about this ahead of time, even if the change was in the last few weeks. Wait. . .is that what she wanted to talk to us about the morning she was killed?”

  Ben shrugged. “Sort of.”

  “You knew?” The truck hit a bump, and I gripped the armrest. “That’s kind of big news to sit on for weeks.” I shut my mouth after that, not realizing till then how it felt to love someone and simultaneously want to strangle them. No, not strangle. Not after what had happened to Honey.

  His jaw pulsed. “I didn’t know. Not for sure. I figured something was up. She was talking about the future a lot. About families. Why she’d never gotten married. How you and I needed to work on a family. How she wanted to make sure we were taken care of.” His face flushed at this.

  “Y’all talked about a lot, then.”

  “About you and me. Believe it or not, you really impressed her, startin’ Tennessee River Soaps. Said you had a lot of backbone, and she liked that. Especially around here, in a town like this.”

  We arrived at my store, where work waited for me and I wouldn’t have time to think of murderers.

  “Wow,” was all I could say. Now I knew I had to try to find her murderer. Ben didn’t need to be put under more scrutiny, and the revelation of Honey’s will would do just that. Once he informed the employees and filed more paperwork, the news would spread like a flash fire.

  “I need to get to the restaurant. Might as well let the staff know.” Ben had settled into his role as leader at Honey’s Place. Esther didn’t seem too thrilled about him telling her what to do, although the older waitress had listened to Honey most of the time without a problem.

  “Does Jerry know yet? If he does, you know he’s going to ask you more questions.” I shivered despite the humidity and midday sun outside. “I don’t like it, Ben, not one bit. And I wish you’d told me about what you suspected.”

  “I had no way of knowing for sure. You knowin’ about my suspicions wouldn’t have made much difference, would it?”

  “No. You’re right.”

  “What’s that?” Ben cupped his ear. “Did I hear. . . ?”

  “I said, you’re right.” My feathers sure stood up on end, and I didn’t want to part that way.

  He kissed me before I left the truck. “I’m just playin’, baby. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Don’t forget to pick me up at five. Remember, we’re having dinner at my parents’ tonight.”

  Ben slapped his forehead. “Aw, and I gave Jonas the night off.” Jonas was another of Honey’s trusty crew. He’d worked for years on the Mississippi River and only in the past five years had started to work for Honey. Word also had it that he’d lost his wife years ago and now was helping his daughter raise her children alone as well.

  Ben sure was batting a thousand today. Men. I’d told him several times we were having dinner at Momma and Daddy’s tonight. “I can get Di to pick me up.”

  “No, I can cut out for a while.”

  Ben let me out at Tennessee River Soaps and sped off in the direction of Honey’s. I turned and trudged to my back door. Good thing I’d brought my notepad with me today. Another attempt to stay organized courtesy of Di. I flipped to the pages for Aunt Jewel and for Honey.

  While the air conditioner did its work and my Internet orders downloaded, I scanned my list. Or lists. Aunt Jewel and Honey had known each other. Was there a link between the past and the present? I drew a line between Honey and Aunt Jewel on my list, then added a question mark. How odd, to find part of a skeleton, and once that news flew around, the next day Honey ended up dead. If, and I didn’t think it was a big if, the remains were Aunt Jewel’s, then the connection between the two deaths couldn’t be just quirky timing. Momma would know. And tonight I’d try to get some answers out of her.

  Chapter Seven

  “Well, the Lord’s sure smiled on you and Ben.” Momma put another plate of biscuits on the table in front of me. I passed on the biscuits. To her who hath shall be given more. I sure didn’t want the benefits of that abundance on the table to show up on my hips.

  The seat next to me remained empty, and I tried not to think about that too much. “It sure was a surprise to me. I run circles trying to keep up with Tennessee River Soaps. And I only have one employee. Part-time, at that.”

  “Does that mean we can get free burgers?” asked twelve-year-old Stevie.

  “Um, that I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Ben.” Stevie’s question made me smile. Somehow a biscuit ended up on my plate and my hand reached of its own accord for the butter. Reflex eating. Not good. “But I bet we can work something out.”

  “Cool!”

  My nephews piled their plates high, except for vegetables. Di snatched the bowl of broccoli topped with melted cheese and gave them each a generous spoonful. Stevie told her he didn’t care for broccoli.

  Daddy was busy showing Momma some travel trailer brochures, and Taylor started negotiating with Di about how much of his broccoli he had to eat. My sister’s eyes looked tired.

  “Di. . .are you okay?”

  She glanced at my brother-in-law before answering. “We’ve had a lot going on lately. Honey, could you tell them?”

  “I got a promotion and, uh, we’re moving to Jackson.” He tousled Taylor’s hair. “We told the boys we’d find a house with a big yard so we can have a dog.”

  Di smiled, and I recognized its tacked-on appearance. “I’m happy for Steve. He’s worked so hard, and this will let him be home on weekends. We can always come back to visit. An hour isn’t a long drive.”

  I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. The biscuit on my plate was safe from ending up in my stomach. “Wow. How soon?”

  “We. . .we’d like to find a house before school starts.”

  Four weeks, max. Momma stood up so fast, she nearly turned her chair over. “I’ll put on some decaf, and we can all have a cup with some of the wonderful chocolate applesauce cake Diana brought.”

  Great. We could all stress-eat togethe
r. Now wasn’t the time to pry information out of Momma about Aunt Jewel and Honey. I helped Momma clear the table. Before long the coffee gurgled in the pot, and I sure wanted a cup.

  Someone banged on the back door, so Momma crossed through the laundry room to answer it. Stevie made a remark about Grandma not having a dishwasher, and Di countered they had plenty of dishwashers sitting around the dining table. Momma returned, with Jerry following. He turned his hat over in his hands and nodded his head.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your family dinner.”

  “Don’t lose sleep over it, Jerry,” my dad said. “We’re about to have dessert. Grab the chair by Andi.” I seemed to have lots of empty chairs next to me lately.

  “Hey, Andi.” Jerry nodded at me. “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t stay. But I wanted to stop by and tell y’all in person. Good thing everyone’s here, so you can all find out at the same time. Heard back about those dental records. You know there’s a database, so we can find out quickly.”

  It felt like someone had pulled a plug and the air whistled out of the room.

  “Spit it out, then.” Daddy shifted in his chair and stared Jerry in the eye.

  “Darlin’,” Momma chided. “We’ve known Jerry since he ran around in braces and skinned his knee on the road goin’ past the house. But he’s the law. We’ve got to show him a little respect.”

  “I know, I know. Sorry. It’s just been hard to sleep around here lately.”

  “The body in your field, Andi. . .” Jerry swallowed hard. He stared at the floor, then glanced at me, then at the floor.

  “It’s Aunt Jewel,” I said. Momma sank onto her chair.

  “You’re right.” Jerry looked apologetic. “I’m glad we found out so quickly, for your sakes.”

  “Me, too.” Momma’s voice was barely a whisper. “Someone needs to tell your Papaw, girls. I don’t think I can.”

  Di murmured quietly, explaining to the boys. Steve took her hand. Momma moved over to Daddy, who pulled her onto his lap. I wanted Ben’s closeness. I shouldn’t have felt alone, here with my parents, sister, and the rest of the gang.