Murder at Stake

by Constance Barker

  “So, what about Junior?”

  “Well, anyway, I walked down the tool aisle there, and there was Junior, tossing one of those little sledges up and catching it after it made a spin. He kept on flipping it while I told him that he should probably start thinking about getting somewhere safe before the storm gets here. But when he got to the counter, her just bought a roll of coaxial cable, a wire cutter and crimper, and some connectors and wall plates. And, come to think of it, he paid with cash instead of putting it on his dad’s company account.”

  Well, that could explain how Junior’s prints got on the hammer. “But, he didn’t have the hammer with him when he checked out, Ronnie?”

  “Well, I know he didn’t buy one. You don’t think he would have stuck the handle under his belt and hung his untucked shirt over it, do you, Merse?”

  The thought gave me a chill. “I’ve never known Junior to be a thief, Ronnie. His business is doing well.” And he already has an old beat up hammer just like it.

  “I’ve never had reason to suspect him of anything like that either, Mercy...but how did that other hammer disappear then?”

  That was a good question, and made me wonder, just a little, if Junior really could be the killer. That would have to be the end of our conversation for now, as Earl Rollins came in the door.

  “Afternoon, Earl,” Ronnie greeted him. “What can I get you today?”

  “Ahhh, just a quart of paint and some eight-penny nails to fix up the floor in my loft.”

  “Hi, Earl,” I said. “I thought Jake and Junior were fixing up that loft for you. Was Junior’s bid too high?”

  “Oh, well, Junior was going to come out there the other day to give me a bid, but then that storm came up and he never got out there. It’s for the best, I think. My back is feeling better now, and I’m just going to do it myself.”

  What? Junior’s alibi for the time of Jonesy’s death was that he was at Earl’s. It’s also his only reason for being out in that neck of the woods. I was sure that Brody must have followed up on Junior’s story by now. I sent him a text and asked him when he would be back at the diner.

  This was just great...Junior’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon, he was seen holding it in the hardware store, and he lied about being at Earl’s before the tornado struck. I just can’t believe it. He replied in less than a minute:

  Not sure, but I’ll be at the City Council meeting tonight. Red’s big library throw-down!

  “Thanks, Ronnie! Can you just drop that lovely pink toolbox at my house tonight too? Side door is open. I’m going to try to catch a ride to the diner with Junior before he leaves. How much do I owe you? And don’t let my babies get loose!”

  “How about Sunday dinner at the diner, Mercy? That should cover it.”

  “Are you sure? That toolbox is $20.”

  Ronnie smiled and whispered to me, “You don’t know what I paid for them at the warehouse...overstock! I’ll bring you one for the diner too.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I thought the afternoon had gotten just about as strange as it could get, but the East End Shopping Center had more surprises in store for me today. The door to the butcher shop was wide open when I passed it on my way to Liz’s parlor, so I poked my head inside. I was surprised to see Pastor D’Arnaud behind the empty meat case looking over some paperwork on his clipboard.

  “Pastor!” I guess I surprised him too because his clipboard nearly hit the ceiling, and his reading glasses flew off his stunned face.

  “Uh...Miss Howard...so nice to see you,” He said as he picked up his pad and his eyeglasses. “Sorry. I was engrossed in my numbers and wasn’t expecting anyone to come in today.”

  “Well, I’m sorry that I startled you. I guess I was a little surprised to see you here in Jonesy’s shop too. I didn’t mean to shriek at you. Are you...why...what brings you...?”

  He smiled and showed the kind eyes of his that I hadn’t seen for a while. “I thought you knew, Miss Howard. I mean, you were one of our biggest customers. Carl and I were partners here. I was just taking an inventory of the meat we have left here.”

  “Oh! That’s why you said you were going to the butcher shop after the memorial service for Carl.”

  “Yes, Vonnie and I came here to put all the meat in the freezer until we could figure things out. Most of the fresh meat was actually in Jonesy’s barn in the walk-in cooler there before everything was destroyed. He had a complete stainless-steel, UL-approved butcher shop there.”

  “Yes, he told me he had just gotten half a cow, or something. I was going to get a nice roast from him for Sunday dinner at the restaurant. But...”

  “Yes. It’s terrible. Terrible. I’m not sure what Vonnie and I will do with the shop yet, but you are welcome to stop in and take a look at what we have in the freezer. Perhaps we can both benefit from a transaction. Let’s talk about it Sunday.”

  “Sure, Pastor.”

  I looked to make sure Junior’s car was still there, and then headed over to Liz’s hair salon. Junior was leaning very close to Liz at the counter. Was he whispering to her? Or kissing her on the cheek? I couldn’t tell. Liz and Junior? She’s a couple years older than me and ten years older than Junior, but you never know.

  “Who’s helping Babs out at the diner if you’re here, Mercy?”

  I recognized Deloris’s throaty voice, and looked around the room. But where was she?

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Mercy. I’m right here.”

  “Oh! I didn’t recognize you without your beehive, Deloris.” She was in a chair, her hair down, with foil for the color and large coke-can rollers to get her ready for a new beehive.

  “You know I come here every other Thursday. Don’t look so surprised.”

  “Of course. Uh...It was really slow so I have Zack helping out behind the counter. Smoke has the kitchen handled. I just needed an afternoon to...”

  “...to hang out with me for a change. Right. I suppose there’ll be coffee grounds from here to kingdom come behind my counter when I get back there for dinner. That boy can cook, but he doesn’t know how to clean.”

  I was going to defend Zack, but I knew she was right. “I’ll make sure it’s clean when you get back, Deloris.”

  I said hello to Vonnie, but she was reading a magazine under the hair dryer and didn’t hear me. Three birds with one stone, I thought: oil change, inventory, and hairdo. Smart. I don’t know how she can wear those white church gloves all the time. I wondered if it was a religious thing or a fashion thing – or if maybe she’s a germaphobe. I’ve never seen her without them, but they seemed like they were getting longer and longer. Lately they almost reached her elbows. But they looked nice, I guess.

  Liz was kind of staring at me as Junior headed for the door, and then she picked up the phone. “Junior!” I stuck out my thumb like a hitchhiker. “Can I catch a ride with you?”

  I could see the gears turning in his brain. I was sure he was going to try to beat me out of a hamburger for driving services rendered, but he surprised me.

  “Sure, Mercy. Let’s go.”

  I wasn’t getting any “killer” vibe from Junior as we rode the few blocks to the diner, but I still wasn’t going to confront him with the new information I had learned about the hammer and his alibi. I had my little “equalizer” in my purse – just a .22 caliber Beretta pistol that my dad insisted I carry when I moved to the city. I’m a country girl and have always been comfortable around guns, but I didn’t want a 9mm or a .38. I figured making a small hole in somebody would be enough to slow them down in a pinch. Besides, I can hit a beer can off a fence at 30 paces with my Beretta, so I can target a thigh or shoulder as the circumstances may require.

  “So, were you making an appointment for a haircut with Liz, Junior? I thought you went to Wally’s Barber Shop for your buzz cut.”

  “Ya, all the guys go to Wally’s. I just wanted to talk to Liz.”

  Hmm. “I didn’t know you and Liz had any...common interests.”
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br />   “Well...ya...maybe not.”

  “So, why...”

  Junior stopped at one of the two stop signs in town and looked at me. “Well, you know, Mercy...Liz knows stuff.”

  Now things were making sense. The hairdresser always hears all the gossip, and Liz is the queen of gossip in Paint Creek. “You should ask her out sometime, Junior. It looked like she likes you.”

  Junior’s head jerked to attention. “Ya think so? I never thought about that. But there really aren’t many women my age in town. She is kind of pretty and nice.”

  “So what did you learn from her, Junior?” I had to know.

  He squirmed a little. “I’m not supposed to tell anybody.”

  “Come on...we’re friends. There’s a chocolate milkshake in it for you.”

  That was all it took. “Well, I was just trying to find out if she knew where Josie was. I figure the wife is always a prime suspect, especially since Josie disappeared pretty quick after Jonesy was killed – and I don’t want to be charged with murder. That lawyer lady at the desperation got me a little scared, so I’m trying to solve this murder. Anyway, she said Josie called this morning to confirm her hair appointment for tomorrow.”

  I guess he meant the lady at the deposition. “But, I thought you said it was vampire hunters who killed Jonesy...”

  “Well, she could be the vampire slayer too, like Buffy. I heard Josie was a gymnast in high school. But most vampire killers are either lawmen or holy men, so the Sheriff and the Pastor are still suspects in my book too, Mercy. Hey! It looks like Pops is here. I guess I’ll come in for a while too. A milkshake would be good right now.”

  “Hold on a second, Junior. I know Liz – what did you give her in return for the information about Josie?”

  He skillfully parallel parked his Rav4 behind his dad’s truck in front of the diner and his face got bright red. “Um...nothing...you know...nothing.”

  That was way too suspicious for me to let it go. “No way, Junior. Liz always gets something in return. Spill.”

  He turned off the car and opened his door. “Well, I might have mentioned that you and Sheriff Hayes have been getting kind of cozy lately. That’s all.” He jumped out of the door.

  “Junior! How could you?” That’s why Liz was looking at me while Junior was whispering to her, and that’s probably why she made a phone call when we were on our way out of the door. Great. By now the gossip mill will either have me engaged or pregnant, especially if she called Hattie Harper.

  Of course, Hattie was in the diner with Sandy, her cell phone in front of her on the table. After giving me a smug, evil glare as I came through the door, she turned to Sandy and said loudly enough for all to hear, “I see they’re having a sale on maternity wedding gowns at Yvette’s Bridal Shop in Calhoun. I’m sure all the hussies and harlots in the area will be going there soon.”

  Wonderful – I’m engaged and pregnant – and a harlot.

  My fight or flight instinct kicked in, and I chose to fight. I took three steps toward Hattie’s table as Babs grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away, but I stood firm. “I don’t know what you think you know, Hattie Harper, but how I live my life is none of your business. And there’s nothing going on between me and the Sheriff.”

  “Mmhm. I know what happens to pretty young professional girls like you, once they’ve been to the city. All their morals fall away and they become obsessed with carnal pleasures. I could tell from the minute you walked into church with him for Jonesy’s memorial service that you two were carrying on like a couple of feral rabbits. It was obvious he’d spent the night in your bed. Why else would you be arriving at church with him in the morning?”

  “Because I asked him to pick her up for me!” Babs exclaimed loudly. “Now just mind your own business, you old busybody!”

  “Hmmph.”

  This time I let Babs walk me to the counter, though I was still shaking with overflowing energy. Smoke was standing in the kitchen doorway, and Jake had gotten up from his stool too. They were staring down Hattie, but it was Red who settled the score:

  “Your flying monkeys are calling you, Elvira. You better go home and feed them some of those scabs and maggots you scrape off your soul at night.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The council chamber was too small to hold all the people who wanted to weigh in on the debate over the new library. The old library was right across the street from the city offices. The second-floor event center of the Paint Creek Village Hall had been set up with a long head table and several rows of folding chairs. There was a stage behind them that was sometimes used for summer stock theater and, of course, Saturday afternoon Bingo.

  I sat down next to Red, who had finagled a seat next to Deloris in the third row. “Hey there, Mercy! Ya know, we sure did have some groovy sock hops up here back in the day,” he said with a chuckle. “I suppose you did too, huh?”

  “Well, we didn’t call them ‘sock hops’ in my day, Red,” I said as I took my seat, “but we did have our Friday night dances here. Jake and Ronnie used to have a pretty good band that played here most weekends. And we are all very grateful to your generation for inventing Rock ’n’ Roll, or I’d probably still be trying to learn how to do the Cha Cha. Ready for your big moment in front of the crowd?”

  “I sure am,” he said with a wink.

  “Got room for one more?” It was Brody, and he sat down next to me before I could answer him.

  Of course, Hattie and Sandy were watching from across the aisle, so I made a show of whispering to him by pulling his head close to me. I think I surprised Brody a little bit too. “I’ve got some things to talk to you about, Brody,” I whispered. I was eager to tell him what I had learned from Ronnie about the hammer and from Earl about Junior’s alibi. Not that I wanted to get Junior in trouble, but it seemed like it was probably really important to the investigation.

  “That’s good, because I need to kick some ideas around with you too, Mercy. I need my ‘Watson’ to help me figure this out.”

  “Okay, Sherlock.” I’m pretty sure that I’m the “Sherlock” in this crime-fighting duo, but I didn’t want to bruise his male ego.

  The mayor and Civil Defense Director, Bud Finster, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and brought the meeting to order. The first order of business was to renew the contract with the Sheriff’s department to provide law enforcement for Paint Creek. We suspended our police department when Chief Buttner died a few years back, and the county agreed to add an extra deputy to keep the town safe for a monthly fee. Stan had been the town cop with Ed Buttner, but he’s been reporting to the County Sheriff ever since. That passed unanimously, and then they went on to set the budget and personnel to run the town’s diner at the county fair in August. Sheriff Hayes was kind enough to nominate me to be in charge of the menu and the schedule. I guess that’s what I get for showing up at a town council meeting.

  “We’ll now hear arguments for and against replacing the old Creekview Library with the new Robert C. Pattaway Media Center. The chair recognizes the Honorable William Robinson.”

  There was an easel with some architectural drawings of the proposed structure in front of the room as a man in a suit walked up to the microphone.

  “Hey, Mercy, isn’t that your old boyfriend?” Red asked.

  I gave him a curious look and then looked back at the speaker. As soon as I heard his voice I realized it was Billy Robinson, the boy I went to Prom with a decade and a half ago. It turned out he was going to run to replace the retiring Congressman Pattaway next Fall, and it was mostly a campaign speech with lofty language about progress and the future. His pretty young wife and two perfect kids were the only ones who did much clapping. He gave me a little nod and salute as he headed back to his seat.

  Then it was Red’s turn to give his rebuttal. He inhaled some oxygen from his tank a couple of times and then set it aside as he stood up. The crowd gave him a standing ovation with plenty of cheers and whistles as he stepped to the front.


  The crowd settled down a little as he approached the mic. “Most of us have spent our whole lives here in Paint Creek,” he began. “Pete, Ed, Francine – and all the rest of you out there, well, we’ve know each other all our lives. Babs, Liz – I’m you’re godfather. Mercy, I held you in my arms when you were only one day old, and I reckon that someday I’ll be the one to walk you down the aisle.”

  That was sweet of him to say, and it would be true if there were an aisle in my future...which there’s not. Of course, it did get a subtle guffaw from Hattie.

  He continued: “And you council members and Bud at the head table here, you’re all just regular folks like the rest of us. Well, Charlie, you might have a few more nickels than most of us from your feed business; and Agnes, you’ve done pretty well with your law practice doing up all of our contracts and things, but none of us are Rockefellers. And we’re all real good friends. We’re all at every wedding in town, we put on the Fourth of July parade together, we see each other at the Creekside, we’re at all the town picnics and graduation parties together. Well...we’re a big family.

  “Now, I believe in progress as much as the next guy. But progress for the sake of progress, well...all it does is tear down tradition and eats away at all the things that hold us together. The town is the same size it was 75 years ago when that beautiful old library was built. Our parents and grandparents built it. We all studied there as students, and it holds special memories for all of us. The new plan even calls for them to get rid of that old crabapple tree behind the library.”