by B K Baxter
“I’m not a partner in any crime. The next thing you know, you’ll have me in jail with all of your crazy snooping. I’ll have to stay locked up like Ray.” She walked out the front door, and Velma followed.
As they got in the car, Velma tried again. “You know Ray is going to be upset if you’re not there. He looks forward to guests, and you’re going to hurt his feelings. It’s not the Christian thing to do, Ethel.”
Ethel pointed at Velma. “Don’t use my Christianity against me, Velma. That’s a sin in itself, and you should be ashamed.” She started the car and backed out the drive.
No matter how much Velma tried to convince Ethel on the way, when they got to the jail, she couldn’t get her to change her mind. “Come on,” Velma begged one last time.
“No. Have fun and send my best. I’m not being ogled. I’ve taken a vow to swear off men until I make up for drinking alcohol.”
“How many prayers do you have to say before that happens?” She acted as if she was punishing herself and Velma thought it was ridiculous.
“I don’t know.” She sighed, and her shoulders slumped forward. “Until it feels right, I suppose. I should have known it was alcohol. I’m surprised I didn’t. I’ve always had such a sensitive palate. Besides, I’m still not over Harrison. Aside from our beloved Alfred, I’m pretty sure that he was the love of my life.” Her woe is me attitude was enough to make Velma cringe.
“On that note,” said Velma as she opened the car door. “I’m going in.” She wasn’t going to sit and listen to any more of her sister’s nonsense and was thankful they weren’t blood-related. “I just realized I’d rather go in and listen to Ray’s mouth than sit and listen to you feel sorry for yourself. So you had a date with a gorgeous man. Stop acting like it was the end of the world. I can think of a hundred things worse.”
“Well, go on then. I’d rather sit here and sulk anyway.” Ethel stuck out her tongue.
Velma went inside the building, looking around to see if she could see the chief anywhere, but she had no luck. The woman who had been at the front desk before was now replaced with a short man with a pointed nose. “How may I help you?” he asked.
“I’m here to see Ray Wetzel,” she said. She wondered if he had already been released.
The man rolled his eyes like Ray’s reputation preceded her. “Have a seat. I’ll call you in a minute.” He looked as if he hadn’t smiled in ages, and if he tried, his face might just crack.
“Thanks.” Velma walked over to sit in the waiting area only to find the homeless man sitting in the corner wearing Ethel’s black hooded shawl which was now covered with dog hair and God knew what else.
She watched the TV and listened in on a few conversations until it became noticeable. She looked for the chief the whole time but never saw her.
Finally, the short man stepped around from behind the desk. “Ma’am, if you could come with me.” He held out his hand to gesture her back.
Once inside, she was led to the same area and into the hall of windows, where others were lined up talking to their loved ones.
“Last one on the end,” he said, giving her a smile as if he knew what she was walking into.
She continued on past the others and found the empty stall where Ray sat on the other side of the glass. He had on his orange and white stripes, but to add to his ensemble, he had what looked like a white shirt sleeve wrapped around his head, tin foil on his dentures, and a brand-new face tattoo right across his forehead.
Velma leaned in close to the glass. “What in the hell happened to you?”
He jerked his chin up at her and smiled, showing all of his tin. “You like it? I know. I thought I might drive the girls wild when I get out.”
“Who did that to your face?” Velma had never seen such a ridiculous sight, and that was saying a lot, considering she lived with Ethel.
“It says mi vida loca.” He wagged his brows, and the large forehead tattoo wiggled up and down. “But don’t worry, doll face. It’s only ball-point ink. I would never deface this handsome mug permanently. It will come right off when I want it to. I have to look tough to fit in, and the other guys seem to think it’s cool.”
“You are something else, Ray. You’re going to choke on those silver teeth if you’re not careful.”
“Nah, it’s a gum wrapper. I put it on the front teeth. The boys here call it a grille.”
“Well, it’s good to see that being incarcerated hasn’t changed you. You’re still an idiot.”
Ray chuckled. “And you’re still an old grump. But thanks for checking on me.”
“Well, I came to see if you had heard anything new about the case. Or if you remembered anything from the night of the party.” She had hoped that his lawyer had told him something.
“I’m not going to see the lawyer again until tomorrow. I feel like they’ve forgotten all about me in here. That’s why I’m trying to fit in. I think I’ll just end up here the rest of my life.” She hated to see that he had lost hope.
“Take it easy, Ray. I’ve got some interesting news that I thought you might want to hear. It’s about Alice.”
Ray’s eyes widened with fear. “That woman is crazy. I know you all don’t believe me, but she’s mental. Anyone who would cut themselves….” He shook his head, unable to finish. “I know it sounds bad, but it’s the truth.”
“Well, it seems that Everett isn’t the only man in her life who has ended up dead. There was another one. He was older and wealthy too.” Ray looked like he couldn’t believe it. “We’re going to talk to her later. I wanted to come by and tell you what I learned.”
Ray nodded. “She’s a black widow. You better watch out for her. She’ll stitch you up in her web of lies and try to kill you too.”
Velma decided that she needed to tell the chief what she’d learned. She was afraid if she went to the house alone, she might trigger Alice to do something drastic. “Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re a good woman, Velma. A little rough around the edges, but I like a nice firm woman with a strong will. And you’re smart. Maybe I’ll get a tattoo of your name on my arm next week.”
“Don’t do anything crazy, Ray. I’m trying to get you out of jail because I don’t think you belong here, not because I like you.”
“I’m hanging in, and I’m not giving up. You’ll come around someday. No woman can resist Ray Wetzel forever.”
“Not in your lifetime, which is getting shorter each time you get fresh with me. One day, I’m going to snap.” She had put up with Ray for far too long in crochet class.
“Please, one crazy woman has been enough for me lately.”
“Look, don’t say anything to anyone about what I told you, at least not until you hear from me again.” She wanted to be the one to tell the chief about it, and if Ray if had special information about Alice, it might not look good for him.
“I look forward to your visits. Tell the girls in class that I’ll miss them.” He began to tear up a bit.
“Before you give up, can you think of any more evidence that that would help?”
“You know, come to think of it, there should be blood on the window seat. I found the knife tucked in there, right under the cushion. I was going to tell the lawyer when he came, but I’m sure they’ve already done a thorough search of the house. At least he said they were.”
“The only problem with that is they might see it as the easiest place you had to stuff it.” She knew things weren’t going to get better unless she could get Alice to confess or at least slip up.
“Thanks for the hope,” he said with sarcasm in his tone.
“Anytime.”
As the guard called for Ray to tell him his time was up, Velma waved goodbye and got up to leave.
When she got to the car, Ethel was slouched down behind the steering wheel. “Did you get to see him?”
“Yeah, he’s living the crazy life.” She still couldn’t believe the ball-point ink on his forehead. “You didn’t miss anythi
ng.”
“Good, I’m ready to go home.”
Velma looked over to the parking lot at the chief’s car. “Me too, for now.” Something in her gut told her she wasn’t quite ready to talk to the chief. She needed a little more time.
Chapter 26
As Ethel drove home, Velma stared out the window, thinking about how there had to be something she was missing. While it didn’t seem like anyone had a true motive, maybe that was the point. Maybe the only motive was the murder itself. Because it felt nice for that person to kill. But that just didn’t seem likely either.
Alice not only didn’t seem capable, but it didn’t make sense for someone with such a caring heart to kill.
“What are you thinking, Velma? You haven’t been this quiet in ages. Did Ray tell you anything?”
“It’s not Ray. I just can’t get the motive. There are so many reasons everyone had to hate Everett but not kill him. It seems like we have a lot of opportunity and no true motives. Maybe this person, whoever it is, just wanted to kill.”
“Yeah, but that’s hard to believe about Alice. She’s such a calm and kind person. Why she is so caring for the earth, and did you see the way she looked at those poor taxidermy animals? Like a mother had lost a child.”
“Yeah. She’s a real nut over the environment.”
“You know, Harrison said that you needed to stop focusing on the motives and look at the opportunity. It got me to thinking how lucky the killer was.”
“Lucky?” Velma was confused.
“Well, yeah. Think about it, Velma. If the storm hadn’t knocked out the power, none of this would have happened. And not only that, it happened twice in one night. What are the odds?”
Something clicked in Velma’s mind. “Turn the car around, Ethel.”
Ethel slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road. “Where are we going?”
“To see the chief. I think I just solved it!” A smile spread her face, and Ethel turned and looked over her shoulder for a clear chance to turn around. Once she had one, they were on their way back to the police station.
Ethel wheeled the car into the parking lot and pulled into a space. As Velma took off her buckle, Ethel did the same. “Are you coming?” Velma asked.
“Yes, I can’t sit in the car at a time like this. I want to know what happened too.”
“Come on.” Velma led the way, and the two walked in with their heads held high with a purpose, though Ethel had no idea what that purpose was.
Rhonda, the chief’s secretary, looked up from behind her desk, and when she realized it was Ethel and Velma, she frowned. “May I help you?”
“We’re here to see the chief. It’s an urgent matter.”
Rhonda looked at Ethel as if the urgent matter might have something to do with her. Ethel tucked her chin and looked away until the woman got up from her chair. “Stay here,” she said with a warning tone. “I’ll see if she can see you now.”
As she walked away, Ethel looked up and pegged Velma with a hard glare. “Did you have to say it was an urgent matter? Did you see the way she looked at me? I know she was thinking about the last time I was here.”
“Stop it, Ethel. I’m sure the toilet has recovered from the trauma. It’s time to let it go. No one even remembers that but you.”
Rhonda returned to the desk, and Chief Rayne stuck her head out the door. “I do hope this isn’t about the murders.”
Velma didn’t quite know what to say. “Just a moment alone.”
“Oh, I’ll see you alone. Just you and just for a moment.” She turned and waved Velma along.
“Wait here, Ethel.”
Ethel looked over at Rhonda with the accusing eyes. “I’ll just be over there.” She pointed to the waiting area.
As Velma walked into the chief’s office, she was offered a seat.
Chief Rayne did not look impressed. “In case you’re wondering why I haven’t called you or your sister down for questioning, it’s because I’m still working on the statements from the other guests, and quite frankly, I had hoped that you were leaving this case alone.”
“Not a chance.”
“Right. Silly me. I should have known better than to think you’d have left it to me.”
“I know you would rather figure it out on your own, but there’s some important information I need to share.”
“Oh? You’ve got it all figured out, have you?”
“Yes, and I haven’t even approached the murderer. I need your help.”
Chief Rayne let out a sigh. “Let me guess. You learned about Alice’s unfortunate luck with older men?”
Velma’s eyes widened. She hoped that her theory wasn’t about to be blown out of the water. “Yes, it leads to motive.”
“And I guess you’re going to tell me what that motive is.” She took a deep breath and gave Velma a sympathetic look. “Velma, I appreciate you trying to help me, but you really should leave this to the professionals. If and when I need your help, I’ll ask for it.”
Velma meet the chief’s eyes. “Actually, I was going to ask for your help.”
* * *
Minutes later, Velma walked out of the police station, looking like someone had slapped her across the face, leaving a permanent scowl.
“What did she say, Velma?” asked Ethel as Velma got into the Buick and pulled her seatbelt across her lap.
Velma intended on avoiding the question. “Why aren’t you inside?” It was a hell of a lot cooler inside the office, but Ethel had cracked the windows.
“I couldn’t sit there with Rhonda’s accusing looks. You’d think she hates me.” Ethel started the car and cranked up the air conditioning.
“She doesn’t hate you. Now, let’s get out of here.” Velma eased back in her seat.
“Is that all you have to say?” Ethel pulled out of the lot and onto the main road. “She yelled at you, didn’t she? She told you to mind your own business and stay out of her investigation. I knew this would happen, Velma. You just don’t know when to quit. Next time you butt in, I’m sure she’s going to have you arrested.”
“That’s not what happened, but I don’t want to talk about it, Ethel. I do need to ask a favor, though.”
Ethel gave her a sideward look while keeping her attention on the road. “Why do I not like the sound of that?”
“Because you know me so well. That’s why I need you to trust me.”
“Trust you? Why does you mentioning trust make me not want to trust you? Oh, I know. Because the last time I trusted you, I had the most embarrassing night of my life and lost the only man I ever loved.” She glanced over at Velma. “Except for our dear Alfred, of course.”
“Oh, of course,” said Velma, taking a deep breath. She didn’t have time to tell Ethel how delusional she was or that Harrison Spoke was a fleeting infatuation.
“I know you don’t think he ever loved me, but he could have. But since you forced me on that date, now we’ll never know.”
“Oh, would you quit about Harrison? We have more important things to talk about. Like this case.”
“It’s always about the case. And I’m sure by the time this one is solved, there will be another and another after that. You’re going to get us both locked up or killed. We’re too old for this, Velma.”
“This makes me feel young, Ethel. I don’t know how you don’t get that. And besides, don’t you think that if God didn’t want us to be in the middle of it, he’d stop laying dead bodies at our feet?”
“I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“I enjoy solving these crimes, and let’s face it. How many years have I got left to do the things I love? And I’m doing some good for the community.”
“I guess.” Ethel shrugged.
“So, that’s why I need you to take me to Gaines Manor.”
“Gaines Manor! What happened back there?”
Velma didn’t want to tell her anything. “You don’t even have to get out of the car. I’ll go in and talk to Al
ice.”
“You’re going to talk to her? Accuse her, you mean?”
“Ethel, you have to trust me.” She really needed Ethel to cooperate. She nearly had this case solved, and now she just needed a little more time. She gave Ethel a pleading look. “Please, Eth. It means a lot to me.”
“Fine, I’m doing this under protest. And when Chief Rayne comes to arrest us, I’m telling her that I was forced. I’m not spending my life locked up like some hardened criminal for harassing people.”
“Thank you, Ethel. And don’t worry. They don’t lock people up for that. At least, not for too long.”
Ethel’s eyes widened, but she took the next exit and headed out toward Gaines Manor anyway.
As they passed through the last neighborhood on the way, Ethel slowed the car and caught Velma’s attention. “Look. It’s Calvin!”
Velma’s heart raced. “Pull over, Ethel.” Before she went to Gaines Manor, she had to make sure that Calvin was okay.
Ethel pulled the car alongside Calvin’s mail truck. When he came around to get in, he glanced over and flashed a big smile.
“Well, hello, ladies,” Calvin said as he leaned down at Velma’s window, which she’d rolled down. “I’ve missed you on your park bench this week. I was going to check in and make sure you two weren’t under the weather.”
“No, we’re feeling fine,” said Velma. “But thanks for caring.”
As much as she wanted to be grumpy to Calvin, he was a kind man with a good soul, and she couldn’t help but be smitten with him, even if she would never admit it out loud.
“I’ve been worried about you,” she said. Her words were like a confession, and by the look on Calvin’s face, she could tell that he appreciated the breakthrough moment.
He nodded. “I’ve been okay. I guess what happened took its toll on me for a few days, but I’m focused again, and I hope you ladies are too.”
“I agree,” she said, thinking of how she’d been in a fog until earlier when it had all become crystal clear. “And I’m really focused now too.” Focused on catching this killer.