by Wendy Byrne
"We're looking for a guy named Buddy. Do you know where we could find him?" Alice continued.
"That's him on the ground over there. He might not be much use to you right now, though. What do you need? Maybe I can help?" He pointed to the guy who had passed out.
Why can't anything be easy? I gave Alice a subtle shake of my head and hoped she'd take the hint. Seconds later, I breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't respond right away.
"How about we get him some coffee and see if he comes around," Alice responded, giving me a wink.
Apparently, I'd been somewhat premature in my confidence.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Leakage from Buddy's alcohol-soaked pores was giving me a contact high. Seven cups of coffee and two hours later, we'd finally gotten him sober enough to lift his head off the table at the diner we'd brought him to. His gaze went wide as he surveyed the five of us, like he'd just realized he wasn't at home in bed. Either that, or he thought he'd been trapped in the middle of a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from.
"Who are you?" His eyes had gone half-mast again, but I felt hopeful because he'd spoken actual words instead of the gibberish he'd been spouting for the last few hours.
"Gus said you had some information that we could use to help him out, and he sent us to talk to you."
His eyes opened slightly wider. "You're not cops?"
Dolly swatted his arm. "If you can't tell that we're not cops by looking at us, you're not going to be any help to us at all."
He cleared his throat as he focused on me. "You Izzy?"
Finally, we were getting somewhere. "Yes. Gus called me and said you had some information that would be helpful for our investigation. He said you were too afraid to go to the police."
"Police types and I don't get along. And Detective Chaz hates my guts. He'd probably arrest me for daring to walk inside the police station, especially since I know he's on Delbert Cummings' payroll, and I'm not afraid to say it."
Corruption might be a little over my pay grade and expertise, but I was willing to explore the idea. "How does this have anything to do with Lori's murder?"
"Because she was having an affair with Cummings and was pushing him to leave his wife and marry her. I'm pretty sure she was blackmailing him. Chaz would never do anything if he suspected Delbert was responsible. He had to find a fall guy to cover for his friend, and Gus fit the bill."
"Do you think we need to set a trap for Delbert?" Alice asked.
"He's pretty smart." He looked at me and pointed with his finger. "But he does act stupid when a pretty woman is involved."
"Are you saying I should be the bait?" I gulped. The idea I'd willingly be in the middle of a trap set for a murderer sounded like one more bad idea to add to the pile. Based on the ladies' gleeful expressions, you wouldn't have guessed they had any misgivings about the idea.
"That's an excellent idea, Buddy. Izzy is wicked smart and got away from one murderer already, so she's experienced in that kind of thing," Ramona said.
I held up my hands. "Do you really think he's going to confess to me? Frankly, I think that idea is a little absurd." And a whole lot scary.
"Give him enough liquor, and he'll sell his soul for a dance with you, I'm betting."
I didn't try to suppress the shiver that idea brought about. "I'm not sure that's our only way to get what we need." I searched my mind for other ideas that might work. "We have information that some others disliked Lori as well. And we still don't know Delbert killed Lori for sure. We heard he'd been out of town."
"That's what his wife says when he's off with his lady friends. Out of town means he's shacking up at the Holiday Inn Express outside of Des Moines." He drew in a breath, as his explosion of information seemed to exhaust him temporarily. "And if you're talking about the twins as the other suspects, that's a bunch of malarkey." When I nodded, he continued, "That's old news. Those ladies settled that feud long ago. Water under the bridge, as they say."
"But how about Cindy Begay? Would her brother turn her in or even pursue an investigation against her?" Yes, I was a chicken and not afraid to admit I didn't relish meeting Delbert face-to-face. A gang of seniors wouldn't scare away a murderer. They could only get hurt by this. The Qs had no fear. Me, on the other hand…
"I don't know anything about problems between Cindy and Lori. But Cindy is a bit of a hothead, so it wouldn't surprise me. Truth is, she's probably fought with nearly every person in town. She's all talk and no action, though. I haven't heard of one instance where it came to a physical altercation of any kind."
I chewed my lip and considered my options, which were pretty much nil and nothing. Yeah, they were kind of the same thing. Give me a minute to gather up some brain cells. I was wrestling with the idea of flirting with a murderer.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice but to explore the possibility of Delbert's guilt." I couldn't believe I'd admitted that. Then again, maybe someone would stop me before I did something colossally stupid. Or, better yet, the crime would be solved before that ever happened.
Win/win.
"I saw his car on my way to Hell's Tavern. He's probably still at Miller's Pub since it's only"—his gaze shifted to the clock on the diner wall—"ten-thirty. It's a couple of miles down the road."
"But he might remember me. My picture was in the newspaper for finding the body. He'd take note of that, especially if he's the murderer."
"If he does, I say you use that to your advantage," Buddy said.
* * *
How had I gotten myself into this again? Oh yeah…believing in Gus despite evidence to the contrary. As an impromptu solution for my lack of a recording device, I left my phone on and stuck it in my bra for better listening by the Qs. The ladies were in the car with the mute button engaged so they could listen without anything they said being overheard on my end. In any case, they were ready to take action if necessary. After this much trouble, I could only hope he confessed quickly so this could be over with.
I bid the ladies goodbye like I was doing a death march. They cheered me on with shouts of, "You've got this, girl."
I threw back my shoulders, sucked in a deep breath, and opened the door. In contrast to the scuzzy atmosphere of Hell's Tavern, Miller's Pub could be displayed as an after picture in an episode of the Extreme Bar Makeover TV show. The music was subdued. Both men and women were dressed in business attire—except for me still wearing jeans and an oversized red sweater. They chatted, laughed, and danced liked they were auditioning for a bit part in a movie about the Stepford wives.
I spied Delbert sitting at the bar and chatting with a voluptuous bartender wearing a V-neck sweater. Every time she bent over, the black lace of her bra revealed itself. If the look on his face was any indication, he was in lust.
"Found him. He looks zoned in on a bartender as his choice of partner for the evening," I whispered into my chest vis-à-vis the phone. While I couldn't hear their responses, I knew they contained something along the lines of "go kick his butt."
Sigh… The Qs never showed mercy when it came to solving a mystery.
I sat next to Delbert and smiled as he glanced my way. When he threw back his shoulders and smiled in return, I gave myself an internal high five. I'd hooked him.
It must be my casual look with a sprinkle of wilted ponytail that caught his attention. Either that, or he thought I was easy. I did a mental headshake. Either way, I had this.
"I don't think I've ever seen you here before," he said with an engaging smile—although I'd be loath to admit it—maybe like Ted Bundy in Florida. "You do look familiar though. Have I seen you before?"
"I'm from Inez, doing a little traveling for inspiration. I'm an artist, so you might have seen me if you attend art shows." I threw that in at the last minute figuring that might intrigue him and get him off track of the whole body-finding thing.
Apparently, it worked as his smile got broader, and he moved closer. The bartender started giving me dirty looks as further proof
of my success.
"I've always been fascinated with art but couldn't paint my way out of the proverbial bag."
I'd never heard that particular analogy but figured it was probably part of his shtick to snare unsuspecting women into his lair. "It's kind of an instinctual thing. Most people have at least a twinge of artist in them. How about you? What do you do?"
"I'm an attorney for the county." A hint of braggadocio bled into his words as he handed me his business card. He intended to impress me, so I did a fake fangirl moment in return. Based on the arm he placed over my shoulder, he bought it.
I gave him my card as well. "We're having a combination spring fling and art show in Inez shortly. I'll send you an email invite." While I totally made that up on the fly, it wasn't a bad idea to get things out in the open and hopefully all of the suspects in one place. I'm sure I could talk to Jeremy at Otis's Bar and combine our efforts. If I invited all the suspects, somebody or something would happen at the event for them to show their hand. It would definitely be something Jessica Fletcher would do. At least I wasn't channeling Bruce Willis. There was that for comfort.
"Sounds good. Let's do some tequila shots," he whispered in my ear, making the hackles on the back of my neck stand at attention.
Me and shots? Not happening.
"How about a dance instead?" My yuk-o-meter flared to attention when he led me to the dance floor. As he slinked his arm around my waist, I tried to imagine it was Gabe instead of this serial cheater who might also be a serial killer. Or at the very least a one-time murderer.
The quicker I got to the bottom of this, the better off I'd be. "Are you involved in that murder I heard about in Winterset?"
"Not me personally, since I'm the senior attorney for the county and only take on the big, complicated cases." There was that braggadocio leaking from his pores again. "But one of my assistants is close to finishing up with the evidence. The suspect is a felon, after all, so it's a slam dunk."
"That's fascinating." I croaked out the words as I seethed. When he tried to suck me in closer, I faked a coughing fit to give me some space from his clutches. "This cold won't quite go away." It did the trick, as he loosened his tight hold.
"Stupid criminals are so easy to get a conviction against. Ten people saw him arguing with the woman a couple of days before they found her dead."
"Did you know the victim?"
His gaze seemed to intensify, and I got the sense he was thinking through his words before he spoke. "Casually at best. She was one of those types that liked to play the field, if you know what I mean." His eyebrows rose up and down.
I stomped on his foot and pretended it was an accident. "Sorry, I'm so clumsy at times." I cleared my throat. "So, you're saying she displayed behavior that's almost expected of a man but is frowned on when a woman does it?"
I don't think he realized his mistake until I called him on it. "I didn't mean that exactly."
"Why do you feel the case is such a slam dunk, besides the argument that the suspect is a felon?" The spirit of competition had risen in me and maybe a tiny bit of residual Joseph frustration stuff lingering around as well. I faked a smile to temper my words, although I'm pretty sure it felt like I'd clenched my teeth instead.
He seemed taken aback by my comment, and I could have sworn the swirl of guilt flitted around him for a second or two. "He's had a prior relationship with the victim too."
"I imagine the same could be said of a lot of men if what you said earlier is true." I tried not to be obvious, but it was difficult to skirt around the real issue.
"What are you inferring?" Maybe a hint of buyer's remorse surfaced in that he'd gone all in after me when the hot bartender was a willing participant in whatever game he played.
I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible as the song—thank goodness—ended. "A beautiful woman that age, I imagine, had several relationships with men during her lifetime. I'd bet every male from the mayor down to the county attorney could have dated her at one point."
"I'm a happily married man," he blurted out before he checked himself.
I shimmied away from him. "I wonder why you think it's okay to try to pick up women in bars then." Feeling positively triumphant, I maneuvered through the crowd and out the door.
* * *
As the ladies peppered me with questions, I basked in my victory. It had been an amazing plan on my end except for one thing. "I kind of said I'm going to have an art festival or something and called it a Spring Fling in Inez. He might not show after I dissed him."
"I heard that. It was news to us, but it does sound like a great idea," Viola said.
"That's how Jessica always catches the bad guys," Dolly said.
"It's like that House on Haunted Hill movie from the fifties where they throw a party and put the screws to the guests until somebody makes a move," Alice said. "I love the idea, although we don't have a lot of time. I know we can do it. We'll get right on planning the festivities."
"I could use the storefront space below my apartment and hope for a beautiful Saturday to hold the party. Who knows? I might be able to attract somebody interested in opening up a coffee shop right below me at the same time. Wouldn't that be great?"
"Or a doughnut store or cupcake shop sounds good, too," Viola added.
"Yum. I like the way you're thinking. I said the same thing to Gabe the other day. Back to the party, I'm pretty sure Jefferson and Mason would be interested in joining us. We could have it across Main Street with one of those tents. Maybe something for the kids like face paint or magic and some food vendors." The idea grew in my head as it began to take shape.
"Perfect," Ramona said.
"Maybe we should have a theme. What do you think, ladies?" Alice asked.
While they agreed it would be fun, I nixed the idea. "I don't think we have time to pull together something that elaborate. Let's keep it simple. It will mean a lot of—"
A car came out of nowhere and screeched to halt a hundred feet ahead of us, blocking the roadway. Holy crap! When I slammed on the brakes and turned my wheel, my car did a U-turn heading in the opposite direction.
The ladies squealed while I tried to refrain from doing the same thing. I couldn't help but believe this had something to do with what just happened at the bar.
Instead, I pushed my foot down on the gas pedal and took off. I had no idea where I'd go but was hoping a burst of inspiration would hit before we all were dead.
No doubt about it, if Nate and Gabe got wind of this, they were never going to forgive me for this fiasco.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
For once, the Qs were eerily quiet on the way home. I'm not sure if it was my superior driving abilities or if they were contemplating our near-death experience. Whoever had blocked the road, chickened out, or meant to scare us, but they hadn't followed us, as far as I could tell. Not that I hadn't checked at least a million times in the rearview mirror just to be sure.
"Do you want to spend the night?" Viola asked when I pulled in front of her house. She stared at my shaky fingers along the steering wheel, but I shook my head.
The offer was tempting since I wasn't sure I'd ever get to sleep. But I had to decline. Whatever mess I'd made, I needed to figure out how to fix it on my own.
"I should go home and try to sort this out."
"In the meantime, let me put out a few feelers and see if I can find out more about Delbert. It seems that with this mystery business, everything isn't always as easy as you think. The obvious suspects aren't always the ones who did the crime."
I nodded. "The last mystery we solved, the perpetrator came out of left field."
"Exactly. That's why we need to step back and rethink things." She patted my hand. "But just in case, take my nunchucks."
As I drove the short distance back to my place, I tried to figure out who I'd poked that might be worried I'd uncovered their guilt. Could it have been Cindy? Or Delbert? Or Peter, who we'd yet to do our due diligence on?
To be honest, I
hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to the type of car that had sped up and tried to block our way. Other than it was big and scary and wasn't a truck. Which had to mean something around here. Almost everyone drove trucks like the one that tried to run me down in Winterset.
I pulled into the spot behind my building and put my car in park. After what happened earlier, I practically trampolined up the stairs. Before I got inside, someone touched my shoulder and said my name. I flicked the nunchucks in their direction, causing them to bounce off me and hit the guy. Without waiting a beat, I took off running.
Seriously—first Joseph and now this mystery person. Did they broadcast my new address on a billboard somewhere?
His footsteps pounded down the stairs behind me. "Where is it?" he shouted after me.
I wanted to ask what I had that this person wanted but kept running and hoping maybe Jeremy was still around at Otis's. Heck, I'd settle for Henry driving his Uber-wannabe car. Pulling out my phone seemed like it might soak up the lead I had. Instead, I kept running and hoping.
As I suspected, Main Street was deserted, so I sprinted to the back of Otis's. No luck.
Not staying over at Viola's seemed like a really bad idea right now. Would it have killed me to spend the night?
Buck up. I could do this. Heck, I got away from a murderer, solved a crime, and only had a few bruises to show for it. I knew this town better than whoever was chasing me. I hope.
Instead of trying to find a good hiding spot in downtown Inez, I headed for the neighborhood where trees and bushes and, more importantly, people could hear me if I screamed bloody murder.
I jumped over the first fence and kept running. A dog heralded my tumble into the backyard, alerting both the owner as well as the person chasing me. They had those motion-activated lights in the backyard that clicked on, broadcasting my every move.