Sequestered with the Murderers

by Dr. Sandra Tanner

  “A couple from Envyton County at Serenity at the same time we are here, who would have thought that would happen?”

  “Not me, by any stretch of the imagination.”

  “God certainly provides what you need to solve your cases. I know I’ve said this to you before, but the things that happen to you are so . . . so paranormal.”

  “It’s God, Gam. Make no mistake about it.”

  We lay there for thirty minutes talking about some of the other beyond explanations and unordinary experiences that have come my way.

  Then there was a knock on the door.

  “I’ll get it,” Gam said. He jumped out of bed, put on his robe, and then answered the door. I couldn’t see the door from where I was in bed. Gam came back into the room pushing a breakfast cart.

  “Happy birthday again, my love. I kept you in bed because I want to have breakfast in bed with you,” Gam said while taking a breakfast tray from the cart.

  “Gam, I am surprised. This is so nice.”

  “After we eat, two boxes are waiting for you on the sofa.”

  “Can I have them first? Pretty please,” I teased.

  “No, no, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

  There was bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, potatoes and onions, cheesy grits, orange juice, coffee, and a bunch of condiments. Gam had the same on his breakfast tray.

  The food was delicious, and I ate some of everything on my tray. Thirty minutes later, I was ready to open my gifts. Gam put the two trays on the breakfast cart, then bought the two boxes to the bed.

  “Here, open this box first,” Gam said, then smiled mischievously.

  I opened it and pulled out the brown handbag Dimma had purchased while we were in Tennessee.

  “You guys are so sneaky. I should have known Dimma was up to something when she kept asking me, ‘Do you like it?’ Gam, I love it. I wanted to buy one just like it but decided against it since Dimma wanted it. Thank you so much.” I gave him a big hug.

  “I asked Dimma to purchase for me anything that you saw that you loved. I am so glad you love it.”

  “I do, I do,” I said while examining the inside of the handbag.

  “Now open this one.”

  The box contained the purple/plum color silk blouse I had shown Gam in my Lady Bee ladies’ clothing catalog.

  “I love it, Gam. Thank you,” I squealed, giving him another big hug.

  “I looked at some of your blouses to get the size, but if it doesn’t fit, it is returnable.”

  “It’s the right size. I’m going to wear it today.”

  I put the boxes aside, quickly pulled off my nightgown, helped Gam out of his robe, pulled off his pajama bottoms, and then pulled him to me. He hugged me so tightly it hurt. He kissed me again and again all over my face. I did the same to him with a passion that rose up in me like a speeding train. Our naked bodies lay there against each other on the bed in the violet room, kissing and kissing as the breakfast cart, the furnishings, the chocolates, the roses, and the welcoming letters all slowly disappeared. I saw only Gam. My hands began taking their time entering his soft salt and pepper hair, then ran down over his buff shoulders to his bicep arms to his sculpted back. My body ached for him as I tightened my grip and held his gorgeous body against me. I remembered all over again how much I loved him.

  Gam entered me, and when it was over, he lay beside me, his finger moving sensually every way on my breasts. Up, down, across, and around. He then began kissing them. By the time he moved downward, I was so ready for him I thought I would burst. This weekend was turning out to be just as I had envisioned—beautiful.

  At 1:00 pm we were showered, dressed, and downstairs examining the continental lunch layout. I was nowhere near hungry, but Gam was. I was eager to begin the two excursions I had planned. Gam took one of the paper bags that was available and put in it two bananas. He then put in the bag a plastic wrapped slice of apple bread pudding, and two plastic wrapped sugar and spice popovers. One of the bananas and popovers was for me to eat later. He ate while I drove.

  I drove to Mill Mountain Park so Gam could do a photo shoot of the Mill Mountain Star. Gam loved taking photos of landmarks, and though he had taken pictures of the star on our previous visits, he was still excited about getting new angles.

  “Do you know this star was built in 1949?” Gam asked as we approached an area to take photos.

  I did know this, and I listened attentively to the proverbial details he provided as he took photos.

  “This star is the world’s largest freestanding illuminated man-made star. The retail merchants association began the whole thing to kick off the Christmas season. See what a group of like-minded people can do. This thing weighs 10,000 pounds. You know it is actually three stars and illuminates every night. Some of my buddies have never seen the star. They are missing out on something . . . .”

  For one hour, I listened to Gam, in his own world, as he took photo after photo.

  We left there, and Gam drove to the local book fair, where I wanted to visit. I am a lover of books, and I believe books bring people education, enjoyment, and all sorts of exciting discoveries. I found most of my first editions from book fairs and festivals. I love being among the many authors, books, and activities at these events. Walking around looking at old books, talking to authors, and engaging in conversation with other book lovers is not Gam’s thing, so he found other activities to engage in until I was ready to leave. There were plenty of food vendors and a couple of amateur photographers showcasing their work. I purchased three books before we left.

  We arrived back at Serenity at 5:50 pm. Since it was too early for dinner, we decided to sit out on the porch in rocking chairs. First, we went to our room to freshen up a bit. When we came back to the porch, Kay and Mercy were seated in two of the rockers.

  “Hey there. How was your day today?” Mercy asked.

  “Very good. We went to the Mill Mountain Star and to a book show,” Gam said as we sat in rockers on one side of Kay.

  “We had a lovely day, too. We took a guided tour of the city,” Kay said.

  “This is a fascinating city,” Mercy said.

  “We took the tour, too, our first year. I do recommend it,” I said.

  “That’s a beautiful blouse you have on, Vett,” Kay said.

  “Thank you. It’s a birthday gift from Gam. Today is my birthday.”

  “Happy Birthday,” Kay and Mercy chimed together.

  “Thank you, thank you,” I said.

  “Gam, do you play golf?” Mercy asked.

  “I do. I love it. My clubs are in the car,” Gam replied.

  “Haiden has five tickets left that she is trying to give way for an 11:00 am tee time tomorrow. I’m going, and we need one more person to make a group of four. Kay and I don’t check out until 4:00 pm tomorrow, so this should be plenty of time to play eighteen holes,” Mercy said.

  “That is a good time to play. I’m afraid I can’t. Vett has our agenda all planned out,” Gam said.

  “Gam, our agenda is fluid. It can be changed. If you want to play golf, I’m okay with it. You brought your clubs with us in case an opportunity presented itself,” I said.

  “Are you sure?” Gam asked.

  “Of course, I am. Go talk to Haiden,” I said.

  “Okay, if you insist,” Gam said, kissing me on the cheek as he rose out of the rocker.

  “I’ll go with you,” Mercy said.

  As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Kay said, “That was smooth. You have another plan for yourself, don’t you?”

  “You don’t miss a thing, do you?” I said, smiling at her.

  “Knowing a good mystery when I see one is who I am. Now spill,” Kay replied, with a great big grin on her face.

  “I want to work on my case tomorrow, but I promised Gam I would put
it aside for the three days we are here. The information you and Mercy provided last night is rolling around in my head, and I need to make sense out of it. I need time alone to do this.”

  “I thought I recognized you from somewhere last night. Now I do know from where. You’re that lady investigator from Danville that’s been solving cases the police couldn’t.”

  “I am.”

  “You’ve don’t good work. Why do people come to you for help?”

  “It’s all God’s doing. He sends the people to me. I don’t advertise, nor do I need to.”

  “I am so impressed with you. So, tell me, you really don’t have any idea who murdered Duffy?”

  “I absolutely do not.”

  “Why do you think his murder is connected to the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders?”

  I didn’t want to explain my revelations to her. So I said, “Because Sybil and her family believe Duffy was involved in the murder of Diantha. It’s been ten years, and they haven’t received satisfaction. There may be a motive somewhere in their way of thinking. I don’t have another motive at this time.”

  “Perhaps, I do,” Kay said slyly.

  “What!”

  “I’ve got another motive for you. No perhaps about it, I do,” Kay said while moving her rocker close to mine.

  “What is it?”

  “Cover-up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Holt Pruitt, Sr. has been on my mind since last night. Back in the mid-sixties, he and his son, Junior—this is what Holt Pruitt, Jr. was called—was involved in some type of cover-up involving Ms. Lacecap. Rumor is Junior raped a young girl getting her pregnant. Ms. Lacecap took in the girl or was paid by Holt Sr. to take her in, and after she had the baby, she became one of Ms. Lacecap’s prostitutes.”

  “What happened to the baby?”

  “No one knows, or at least the rumor mill doesn’t know.”

  “Are we talking about the same Holt Junior? I’ve met Holt Pruitt, Jr. He couldn’t have been no more than fifteen or sixteen in the mid-sixties.”

  “There’s only one Holt Junior in Envyton County that I know of. He’s a veterinarian and owns a pet hospital on Main Street.”

  “That’s him,” I said.

  “Holt Sr. was not going to let his son go to jail for rape. He had high hopes for Junior. I don’t know where the rape occurred. Some people say they were on a date when the rape occurred. Others say it was at the high school dance. Either way, Holt Sr. cleaned up the matter swiftly.”

  “This sounds so out of character for the Holt Junior I met.”

  “Today maybe, but not for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old male, testosterone raging all over the place.”

  “I don’t know, Kay. This seems farfetched.”

  “Think about it. As long as Ms. Lacecap helped Holt Sr. with the girl and kept her out of the public eye, he used his influence with the board of supervisors to keep her prostitution house in business. Now suppose someone found out about the cover-up. Let’s say Diantha found out and was going to spill the beans. What do you think the Holts would do?”

  “Kay, this is just your theory. I don’t know the Holts as well as you do.”

  “It’s not about knowing them. It’s about protecting a family, a family who is an upstanding pillar of the community.”

  “I concede, I see your point. I’ll think on it.”

  “It’s a good theory. I can see the Pruitts committing murder to protect their reputation.”

  “I understand, but Duffy does not tie into this,” I clarified.

  “What if he knew, too, and now, after all these years, was going to blackmail the Pruitts.”

  “Okay, Baby. It is all set-up,” Gam said as he walked back onto the porch, Mercy following behind him.

  “We have our group of four. Tee time is at 11:00 am tomorrow,” Mercy said.

  “Dinner is about to be served. Let’s go. We asked Haiden to put us at the same table again. Everybody ready?” Gam asked while excitingly rubbing his hands together.

  I swear the man could eat twenty-four hours a day and still be hungry, yet he never gains weight. Life was so unfair.

  Haiden sat the four of us at a different table than where we were last night. The table was beautifully decorated with the lodging’s signature red roses in a short round crystal vase. Just as it was last night, the food and service were delightful and impressive. I had finished wrapping my single-serve pineapple cake to carry to the room when Gam said, “Happy Birthday, Baby.”

  I turned around from kissing him as Haiden walked to the table with a miniature red birthday cake with one white candle on it and four saucers. She sat everything on the table. Then Gam, Kay, Mercy, and Haiden sang happy birthday to me.

  “Make a wish and blow out the candle,” Gam said after the singing ended.

  I did. “Thank you, everybody.”

  “Happy birthday, Vett,” Haiden said as she cleared dishes from the table and before walking away.

  “Thank you, Haiden,” I said.

  Gam cut the cake in fours, then gave a plate of cake to each of us. I was already stuffed. Nevertheless, since Gam had gone through the trouble of getting a cake for me, I forced down the entire slice that was on my plate. After we finished eating, I asked, “Mercy and Kay, where are you traveling to next?”

  “Kay has never been to New York City. So I’ve promised to take her there in June,” Mercy replied.

  “It’s always been a dream of mine to visit that big city. I want to stand on top of the Empire State Building, see the Statue of Liberty, and see the Rockettes. There are so many things to see and do in New York.”

  “It does have a lot of tourist attractions. I think you will have fun,” I said.

  “Where are you guys going next?” Mercy asked

  “We haven’t planned anything yet. Vett and her group of investment club ladies are always going on trips and one-day excursions. Vett and I have been talking about going on a cruise to Bermuda in August or September. So we need to work out the details for that,” Gam said.

  “Sounds like a lot of fun. Well, you guys, I think we are going to call it a night. I need to get ready for my day of golfing. It’s going to be fun,” Mercy said.

  We said our goodnights, then left the dining room. On the way out, Haiden stopped me, “Vett, this letter for you was in this morning’s mail. Sorry, I am just now giving it to you. It just slipped my mind. I’ve been so swamped today.”

  “It was in your mailbox?” I asked, taking the letter from her.

  “I’m afraid so. Again, I am so sorry for not giving it to you earlier.”

  “That’s no problem, Haiden. Thank you.”

  The number ten size envelope had a white label on it with my name. Nothing else was on the envelope, no return address, no stamp, nothing.

  “Who is sending you a letter here?” Gam asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll open it when we get to the room.

  Once at the room, I picked up the red rose, chocolates, and the note from beside the door and followed Gam into the room. Gam immediately went into the bathroom.

  I set the items on the dresser, then tore open the envelope. I took out the letter. In various sizes and colors, letters cut out from some type of magazine spelled the words, “Stop your investigating or you will die.”

  I was still standing staring at the letter when Gam came out of the bathroom.

  “Who is the letter from?”

  I slowly handed it to him. As he read it, a look of shock registered all over his face. He then stood there ogling the letter. Within seconds, his whole demeanor changed. With the letter in hand, he took my arm and guided me to the bed.

  “Sit here for a moment.”

  Gam then grabbed from the dresser the box my new blouse had been in. He put the letter and envelope in the box, the
n set the box back on the dresser. Sprinting to the window, he pulled down the shade and closed the curtains. He then sat on the bed next to me.

  “Vett, do you have any idea who this letter is from?”

  “No . . . no, I have no idea,” I said, my voice shaking the way my body was.

  “Who all knew we were coming here?”

  “Everybody. I’ve been talking about this trip since the day you told me you had made a reservation.”

  “I want you to sit here while I call Haiden, okay.”

  “Okay.”

  Gam grabbed the phone beside the bed and punched in the operator’s number.

  “Haiden, this is Gammon Ellison. Would you come to our room for a moment? I need some help from you regarding the letter Vett received today.”

  In no time, there was a knock on the door.

  Gam answered the door. “Come in, Haiden.”

  “Was there something wrong with the letter?” Haiden asked as she walked into the room.

  “Go ahead and have a seat, Haiden. The letter was of a threatening nature. Would you mind telling me again how it came to be delivered to you?” Gam asked.

  “Sure I will,” Haiden said while looking at me. “Vett, are you okay. You don’t look so good. Should I call a doctor?”

  “No, Haiden. I’m okay.”

  “About the letter,” Gam said.

  “It was in the mailbox along with my mail. I . . .” Haiden said.

  Gam interrupted her, “Sorry to interrupt, but what time does your mail get delivered?”

  “The mailman puts it in the mailbox around 11:00 am. I got the mail out of the box around 2:00 pm or so. I should have given it to you when you picked up the golf ticket, but it just escaped my mind,” Haiden said.

  “Has anyone else touched the letter?” Gam asked.

  “No, just me. I put it in your room number box. My guests don’t get mail delivered here. I thought it was kind of odd since there was not a stamp nor a return address, but there is a first time for everything,” Haiden explained.

  “Do you always get your mail out of the box around 2:00 pm?” Gam asked.

  “It varies depending on how busy I am, but most days, I retrieve the mail by 2:00 pm,” Haiden said.