The officer slumped forward, pressin two fingers between his eyes.
"You want the chief to think you were involved in Erika's murder?"
"He'd never think that."
"Then why would you help somebody plant evidence?"
Ted's head wagged back and forth. "It was just a convenience."
"A convenience?"
"To help convict the right man." His voice was so low I could barely hear him. "Mayor B saw that ring drop from Mike's shirt pocket at the factory. What harm would it do to 'find' the ring in Mike's house so we could use it as direct evidence? The mayor just wanted the murders solved. Like everyone else does."
I didn't know which was crazier, the mayor's story or that Ted believed it. Except—who was I to judge? Before I opened that drawer in Austin Bradmeyer's office, I'd never believed he could murder anybody either. Jus went to show how respected he was in Amaryllis.
Lord, help this town.
"Why'd he want the pictures in the first place?"
"To remind him of the murders, he said. So he could help catch the guy. After Erika's death he wanted hers too."
I had to chew on that for a minute. "When did he want the other five pictures?"
"I don't know. Maybe ten days ago."
"How come you didn't just tell him no?"
Ted pulled in a ragged breath. "I needed the money."
Mayor B paid him? This was an even bigger mess than I thought.
Ted fell against the back a his chair, starin at the ceilin.
"Ted, go tell the chief. Now. You know you cain't hide from this."
He moaned. "I'll lose my job."
He jus might lose more than his job, fiddlin with an investigation, takin bribes. Ted knew that.
"Go. The longer you wait, the worse it'll be."
"I can't."
"I ain't leavin till you do."
His mouth twisted. "Go, Cherrie Mae. I'll handle it."
"You want me to knock on the doh myself?"
"No!"
I stood back from his desk, arms folded. "You got ten seconds. Then I'm knockin."
He sneered. "You're nothin but a meddler."
"Mm-hmm. Ten."
"Cherrie Mae—"
"Nine."
"I can't do it!"
"Eight. Get up, Ted."
He swiped his hand across his face.
"Seven."
Slapped his hands on his desk.
"Six."
He pushed back his chair, then hung there.
"Five. Four. Three."
"Stop, I'm going!" He shoved to his feet.
"Two, one."
Ted was breathin in little snorts. Stiff-headed, he walked round the desk toward the room. My heart turned over as I watched him.
At the last second he looked back at me. I nodded.
Ted knocked. Opened the doh. "Chief, I need to talk to you."
Chapter 33
Deena
Tully lay on her couch, little left in her belly to throw up. I'd gone back to pacin. Every second hung like an eternity. We weren't even talkin anymore. Nothin new to say, and we both had too much to think about.
We waited for Cherrie Mae.
How her news could change our lives. Would it, could it somehow prove to me my brother wasn't a killer? Could it show Tully her husband was innocent?
At 4:30 I heard a car outside the house. I trotted over to peek through the blinds. "It's her!"
"Oh, thank heaven." Tully slapped a hand against her heart.
"Stay there, I'll let her in." I bounded to the front door and opened it wide. Cherrie Mae slipped inside, lookin a little gray around the gills. Her purse hung from her arm. I shoved the door closed and locked it. "What happened, what happened?"
She wiped her forehead. "I need some water."
"Where's your computer?"
"They kept it."
"I told you."
"I'll get it back." Cherrie Mae started toward the kitchen.
"I'll get the water, Tully, you stay on the couch." My words knocked into each other, tryin to get out of my mouth. I wanted to rage and listen and squeeze the answers out of Cherrie Mae all at once.
I splashed water into a glass and herded Cherrie Mae into Tully's livin room. "Just tell us everything, we're goin crazy waitin. Here, take the chair, I can't sit anyway."
She sank down and took a few gulps of water. Set her purse on the floor.
"Did you hear the police found something here?" Tully's eyes glistened. "Something really important."
"Oh, did I. Erika Hollinger's ring."
We both gaped at Cherrie Mae. "What?"
"That was my reaction."
Tully paled. "But that's . . ."
Cherrie Mae waved her hand. "Jus hold on. Let me tell you everthing."
And she began her story.
Tully lay still, her eyes fixed on Cherrie Mae and her hands balled up at the base of her neck. I stood with my back to the window, arms wrapped around my chest. Cherrie Mae took us through showin the chief her pictures. Seein him pull Erika's ring out of an evidence bag. The arrival of Mayor B himself. His lies. And Ted Arnoldson.
"Ted?" I couldn't help it. His name just blurted out. I sure knew how to pick men. I'd once had a crush on Ted, then married John Cotter.
Tully looked sick. "So there's Ted and Mayor B in the station, talking to each other like nothing ever happened."
"Oh, they was both cool, all right." Cherrie Mae shook her head. "But Ted didn't stay cool when I got the truth out a him. One thing, though—I underestimated the chief. He didn't want to listen, but he did. I don't think he's gon try to cover anything up. And now he got the mayor to deal with." She pushed up her bottom lip. "Man cain't be happy."
Maybe. I still wasn't so sure the chief—or John—could be trusted. "So what now?"
"I don't know." Cherrie Mae set her water glass on the floor. "Question is—what did Mayor B tell the chief bout why he wanted the ring planted? Same story he gave Ted? Which wouldn't implicate him for Erika's murder, just messin with the evidence."
I thought about that. "And Stevie wouldn't be off the hook yet."
"Or Mike," Tully said.
Cherrie Mae scratched her head. "Well, anyway, I still think Mayor B killed those women. Man livin his life in front a everbody, nobody guessin the truth. Includin his own wife. Thought he could get away with it because a who he is. And he just might a planned from the beginnin to frame somebody else soon as he could."
Yeah, but . . . "Then why didn't he plant Erika's ring in Stevie's trailer?"
Cherrie Mae shrugged. "Maybe he didn't hear bout that search soon enough. All the officers was with Chief Cotter at the town meetin. Mayor B probly didn't have time to get to Ted. But when he heard bout Mike . . ."
"What did he care—Stevie or Mike?" Tully's words came out thick. "Long as he could pin it on somebody else. And Ted Arnoldson, at my front door to take me down to the station. Did he know then what he planned to do? How could he look me in the eye? How could he face Mike? How could he face his own conscience?"
"And to do it for money." I made a face. "How much money's he gonna have when he loses his job?"
Tully shifted on the couch, her face creasin. Cherrie Mae studied her. "You feelin all right, baby?"
She put a hand at her lower spine. "It's just my back."
We fell silent. My mind whipped questions around like a hurricane blowin straw. I sank down on the end of the couch, beyond Tully's feet, and looked to Cherrie Mae. "We still don't know what the blood means—on Stevie or Mike. Are they completely innocent? Or did Mayor B involve them somehow?"
"The police cain't know till they get the DNA results. That'll take anot
her week or two."
"So . . . meanwhile they stay in jail?"
"I guess they'll have to. Even if Mayor B confessed to all the murders and swore up and down he did em alone, the chief would still have to keep em both till he sees the DNA. Confessions can lie, but DNA don't."
"Mike won't be coming home, then." Tully closed her eyes. In relief? Sadness? Guilt? Maybe all three.
"No, baby. Leastways not yet. You go stay with your parents. You'll have some time to sort things out."
Tully played with the neckline of her T-shirt.
I ran a hand over my face. "What do we do now? I have to do somethin."
Cherrie Mae checked her watch. "Been an hour since I left the station. I'll call, see what's goin on." She dug in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "I got their number in here somewhere." She pushed a few buttons.
I sprang up and hurried over to her. "Hold the phone out so I can hear." It started ringin.
"Police station, Officer Dedmon." The words sounded clipped.
"Hi, Chris, this is Cherrie Mae. Didn't know you was workin today."
"Just got called in. What can I do for you, Cherrie Mae?"
"I need to know what's happened to Mayor B and Officer Ted."
"I'm not sure I can give out that information."
"Now, Chris, you listen to me. I been a good citizen and tol what I seen. Now I'm worried for my own safety. I need to know if Mayor B's gon be a free man tonight."
A long sigh blew over the phone. "Why is this happenin, Cherrie Mae? What is goin on with this town?"
Cherrie Mae and I exchanged a look. This wasn't Officer Chris Dedmon talkin. This was Chris, deacon of the Baptist Church where she attended. Where she was a mentor to everybody.
"Hard to say." Her voice gentled. "I just know we got to keep prayin."
I mouthed to Tully, Can you hear? She nodded.
"So, Chris, tell me what's happened."
"They've both been arrested."
Tully widened her eyes.
"What for?"
"A list of things havin to do with tamperin with evidence and bribes."
"Not murder."
"Murder? No."
"Nothin about that at all?"
"They're not killers, Cherrie Mae. They just got stupid, is all. Thought plantin evidence would help us get the bad guys quicker."
Bad guys meanin Stevie and Mike. The thought blew through me.
"Then why'd Mayor B have those pictures in his house?"
"He said to be reminded of the murders, cause he wanted em solved. Ted shouldn't a given him those pictures, but the mayor havin em wasn't a crime."
Cherrie Mae tapped a finger against her chair. "Will Mayor B stay in jail long?"
"Probably not. I imagine his wife'll bail him out."
Cherrie Mae's jaw moved back and forth. "And Ted?"
"He'll get out too if he can make bail. He won't have a job to come back to, though."
"I'm real sorry bout Ted, Chris. Makes me sad."
"Me too." He sighed again. "Me too."
They ended the call. Cherrie Mae stared at the phone in her hand. "Mayor B's gon come after me. I just know it."
"You think he'll get out of jail today?" I hated how scared she sounded.
She drew a quick breath. "I don't know. I shoulda found that out."
"Well, just in case—stay with me tonight. You can sleep in my guest room."
"Ain't you got to get up and go to work tomorrow?"
I snorted. "If I have any clients left. Doesn't matter. Stay anyway."
She nodded grimly. "Yup. Believe I better do that."
I edged back to the couch and sat down. None of us spoke. Dread swirled in the air.
'"Silence is of different kinds, and breathes different meanins.'" Cherrie Mae said the words half to herself, starin at the floor. She looked beat down and tired.
I blinked at her. "That some quote?"
"Charlotte Bronte."
Tully's gaze wandered from Cherrie Mae to me, but her mind seemed far away. "Tully." I patted her foot. "This'll . . . work out. Somehow."
She teared up. "Mike was there, Deena. In Erika's house. I know he was. I know that blood is hers."
Her pain vibrated into me. "I could say the same thing about Stevie."
In my head I heard Carl Cypress relatin my brother's words the night of Erika's death: "The last thing I heard Stevie say was that he had to clean up 'the big mess.'"
Cherrie Mae hefted back in her chair. "Way I see it, solvin this thing rests on us. First, we have the most to lose. Second, Mayor B's still lyin. No way he's gon admit to killin. And by now he got hisself a lawyer so the police cain't question him no more."
Tully swallowed hard. "How are we supposed to solve it? I can hardly think straight."
"I know. But we will, with the good Lord's help. We got to. Fact is, we know things. With all our pooled information—the proof is there. Somewhere. We just ain't seen it yet."
Made me tired—and all the more scared—just thinkin about it.
"Problem is," Cherrie Mae sighed. "With proof Stevie and Mike and Mayor B all killed them women—we're plain back to square one."
Chapter 34
Tully
By the time Cherrie Mae left, my mind had numbed out. I couldn't even cry anymore. She said she was headed home to eat supper and pray. She'd be over at Deena's before it got dark. "And, Tully." She patted my cheek. "You talk to your parents now, hear? Tell em all that's been goin on with you. And don't be afraid to tell em bout Deena and me. I know we have a pact, but this ain't the time for you to be keepin things from your parents. If you don't give em the whole story, they cain't understand your confusion right now. 'Sides, they surely heard bout Ted's and Mayor B's arrests by now anyway. Might as well tell em what you know." She looked to Deena. "You agree?"
"Yeah."
Deena stayed to help me pack a suitcase. Only as I gathered my things did I think to check the drawer where I'd hidden the second swab. The police had taken it. Of course.
What was Ted Arnoldson thinking right now, sitting in the county jail? Was he sorry for what he'd done? And how far away were they keeping him from Mike?
Two men accused of the same crime plus a police officer and the town mayor—all in that jail. Bay Springs must think Amaryllis had gone crazy.
Deena lugged the suitcases out to the car for me. Said she didn't want me lifting anything. I dragged behind her, remembering the day Mike and I had moved into the house. How happy I'd been to live with my new husband, on my own. No longer having to listen to my mother.
Now here I was, running back to her.
"You've got your list with all the phone numbers now," Deena said after she shut the trunk of my car. "Call us tonight if you need anything."
I needed a lot of things. Like a new life. "Okay."
She put her hands on my shoulders. "Listen." She brushed the hair off my neck. "No matter what happens with Mike—even if he's completely cleared of any charges—don't be afraid to admit you made a mistake. I know where you're at, more than you think. I was married once too, remember? And he turned out not to be so nice a guy. Was runnin around on me. I got to where I couldn't take it anymore and finally divorced him. You can hold your high after goin on from your mistakes. But you can't hold your head high if you live with those mistakes and never do anything about them."
I looked down and nodded.
She stepped away. "Okay. See you soon. Keep your cell phone on. We'll call you if anything comes up."
A few minutes later I pulled up to the curb of my parents' one-story brick house.
My mother hustled out, my father behind her. She was still dressed in her tailored gray business suit, her heels clacking on the sidewal
k. She opened the car door and practically pulled me out. "Oh, I'm so relieved you're here! Come on, we'll get your things inside for you."
"Hi, honey." My father gave me a hug, then stood back to study me. His brown eyes were warm, concern playing around his mouth. "You doing all right?"
Another nod.
He looked at me as if he knew better. "Go on inside and sit down. I'll get your stuff."
Mom had chicken and rice baking. The smell filled the house as I walked in the front door. Can't explain why, exactly—but at that moment something inside me gave way. The house of my childhood wasn't cold and judgmental. It was warm and comforting. I could stay here. I would figure out what to do.
"Pop up the footrest on the couch till dinner." Mom nudged me toward the living room. "We've got another half hour or so."
My father toted my suitcase down the hall and into my old room. He returned and settled on the love seat next to Mom. "Tully." His voice was gentle. "Please tell us what's been going on. We love you. We want to help."
The tears came back. They blurred my eyes and choked my throat. Mom fetched me a tissue. I wrung it one way, then another, until I got myself under control.
"Mike's been hitting me."
"I knew it," my mother hissed under her breath.
I flicked a glance at Dad. His jaw had turned to rock. "Go on."
"Not a lot. Just . . . sometimes. I kept thinking he'd stop, but . . . And now with a baby coming . . ."
"I will strangle him with my bare hands." Mom's teeth clenched.
"Hush, Judy." My father frowned at her. He looked back to me. "How is he mixed up in Erika's murder?"
For the first time I thought of all the Amaryllis gossip they must have heard since Mike's arrest, the probing questions. Waiting to hear my story couldn't have been easy on them.
I started at the beginning, with Erika's phone call. Mike coming home late the night of her murder, and how he'd choked me the next morning. My mother cried out at that, and my father visibly shook. We all had to get ourselves together before I could continue. I told them about my meeting with the police. And finally, everything about Deena and Cherrie Mae.
I wiped my forehead. I felt so tired. "You can't tell anyone the things I know from Cherrie Mae or Deena. The three of us are still trying to figure it all out."
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