Advance Notice (12 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Time was running out for
Dottie.

According to the
schedule of prior events, she had two days left to walk this earth. I was
rapidly losing any hope of stopping a killer before he or she claimed another
victim.

After Mom’s fiasco of
following two electricians while they drove around in an unmarked panel van the
other day, and having Bruce question her when the guys placed a call to the
station about a suspicious character tailing them, no one seemed to be doing
anything to find the real killer. Now, the day had come to put Amber and her
unborn child to rest.

I smoothed my navy pinstriped
skirt, and then secured my hair in a barrette away from face. I hated funerals,
especially ones for young people.

“Here’s your shoe.”
Lindsey handed me a silver ballet flat.

Since I still wore the
cast, Lindsey had appointed herself my guardian, letting me, and anyone within
hearing, know that I was incapable of taking care of myself. As much as I loved
spending time with my one and only child, her constant hovering drove me
bonkers.

“Do you need to lean on me to the car? Is
Uncle Duane picking us up? I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to drive.”

“I broke my left foot, not the one I
drive with.”
I will not bite her head
off. I will not bite her head off
. “And yes, Uncle Duane should be here any
minute.” I slipped silver earrings into my ears,
then
surveyed myself in the mirror.

Not turning to my M&Ms every time I
felt stressed had helped a few pounds drop off. Add to that, the fact I’d
updated my wardrobe, and I didn’t feel as if I’d shame Duane in public. At
least not with the way I looked.

“Y’all ready?” Duane called from the
front room.

“Yes.” Lindsey took my arm and tried
leading me like an old woman out of the bedroom.

I rolled my eyes and let her. Someday,
she might have to care for me for real. Nothing good could come for dissuading
her now.

Duane greeted me with a kiss and took
over from my daughter, letting me walk beside him. My man knew what I wanted,
and that was mostly independence with a huge dose of love and respect thrown in.

The three of us met up with Mom and Leroy
on the church steps. From the amount of cars in the parking lot, half of River
Valley had shown up. Funerals always drew a crowd, and folks always said the
killer attended the funeral of his victim. Maybe something would jump out at me
that would help put this mystery to rest.

The five of us squeezed into a pew two
rows behind Stacy, me sitting on the end so my leg could stick into the aisle.
A polished mahogany casket sat on a pedestal, a red swatch of silk draping
across one end. Flowers cascaded off the top of the silk. Stacy had spared no
expense for her younger sister.

Stacy’s cries rose above the soft music being
piped in from a hidden speaker. My heart went out to her, no matter how strong our
personal differences. I reached over and grabbed Lindsey’s hand. We knew the
pain of loss.

Dottie slid in behind us and leaned on
the pew back. “Well, looks like I’m a goner. Only God can find the culprit in
the amount of time I have left.”

“There’s still hope.” Mom patted her
hand. “Marsha and I won’t sleep until we find the person responsible for all
the deaths, Amber included.”

“We know who killed Amber!” Stacy whipped
around like a cobra. “That…that…Darla should be in jail.”

“Not without proof.” Mom crossed her arms
and got that ‘look’. If Stacy were smart, or not blinded by grief, she’d back
off.

Dottie stood. “I’m sorry your sister is
dead, but I’m still alive, and we need to focus on keeping me that way. Darla
isn’t smart enough to rig a house to blow up.”

“But she can bash somebody in the head.”
Stacy stood and moved to the aisle.

Duane got up and placed himself between
them. “Ladies, please—”

Darla pushed through the church doors and
made a beeline for the screaming couple. “How dare you spray paint my
car!
I can’t even drive it with those words on it.”

Stacy’s lip curled. “How dare you kill my
sister.
”

“You ruined my life years ago, you stupid
sl
—”

“Hey.” Duane put his hands on Darla’s
shoulders and pulled her back while mouthing for me to call the police. “We
don’t need to resort to name calling. A little help here, Leroy.”

“Nah.” He laughed. “I’m kind of hoping to
see some hair pulling.”

I transferred my attention from one to
the other like a spectator at a ping pong tournament. Sure seemed like the
hatred between the two ran deep, and they’d veered from the reason we were all
gathered. Now that Dottie was out of the skirmish, she stood to the side, arms
crossed, head cocked to the side. I’d pay a dollar to know what was going
through her wily head. Other spectators watched with wide eyes and open mouths.

Mom smacked Leroy on the shoulder, then
scooted past Lindsey, her rounded rump obstructing my view for a moment, before
she joined the party in the aisle. “Y’all are making a scene. A young
mother-to-be is dead, and all you care about are past grievances.”

Flashbulbs went off. Who took pictures at
a funeral? I craned my neck, surprised to see Frank Powell. I supposed with
money at the newspaper tight, he’d undertaken the role of photographer in
addition to his other duties.

“Mind your own business.” Darla snarled
and yanked free of Duane’s grip. She two-hand shoved Stacy hard enough to knock
the younger woman to her rear,
then
turned on Mom. The
moment the woman’s hand connected with Mom’s face, I was out of my seat and
into the aisle by the time Stacy resumed her footing.

“Duane, find Bruce.” I shoved my way
between the fighting women. “No one hits my momma.”

“I’m needed here.” Duane pinned Darla’s
arms behind her back and started dragging her toward the door. She cussed and
kicked, her hair flying around her face.

“I’ll find him.” Leroy slid from the pew
and dashed out a side door.

I followed my man and his deranged
captive to the patch of grass outside the church. When Darla landed a
well-aimed kick to Duane’s shin, I pinched her upper arm as hard as I could.
“Stop it right now!”

Using my sternest ‘mom’ voice and look, I
shook a finger in her face. “This is a funeral. Regardless of your feelings
toward the poor young woman who is dead inside, show some respect for the House
of God.”

Darla froze. Her face crumbled, and she
sagged out of Duane’s grip. Collapsing to the ground, she covered her face with
her hands. “I’m sorry. What came over me? You’re right. I’m out of line. There’s
so much bad blood between Stacy and I. More than work related competition.
More than our love for family members’ deaths.
Enough drama
to fill a book.”

I kneeled in front of her. “I know about your
husband’s infidelity, but today is not the day to air that grievance.”

Bruce approached, dangling handcuffs,
their clanking filling the air. “Okay, step back.”

“No” Darla shook her head, her hands
falling to her lap, revealing a face which lacked red eyes or tear tracks. “You
can’t take me to jail.”

“Just long enough for you to cool down,”
he said. “Stand up and turn around. You’ll be out by morning.”

By this time, those inside the church had
stepped outside, forming a loose circle around us. Mom’s cheek still sported
the imprint of Darla’s hand. I felt no pity for the woman, only thoughts of how
a few hours or one night behind bars was not enough for a woman who would cause
such a scene at a funeral. Besides, I found it curious that her loud sobbing
left no visible traces of grief on her face.

Spotting Danny on the outskirts of the
crowd, I headed his way as Bruce led the young man’s mother to a squad car. The
boy looked like the grief his mother pretended to feel. Eyes bloodshot, face
haggard, shoulders slumped under a heavy burden.

I held out my hand. “Have you been inside
to say goodbye?”

He shook his head, not taking my hand. I
let it drop. “Come with me. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

After taking one glance toward the
church, Danny whirled and raced into the trees. Maybe Stacy frightened him more
than I thought. Maybe he suffered guilt over Amber’s pregnancy. I shrugged. No way
of knowing for sure, unless he told me, and I felt pretty sure that wouldn’t
happen. I clomped my way back to the church, where Duane waited for me by the
steps.

“Everything all right?” He put an arm
around my shoulders.

I nodded. “He’s a very distraught young
man.”

He nodded and led me back to our seat.
Once everyone settled back into their chosen spots, the minister stepped up to
the podium. I felt pretty sure he’d never seen a service quite like the one
that day.

While he talked about God picking another
rose for His garden, my mind wandered. I honestly tried to concentrate, but the
events of the last hour swirled through my mind. Something important happened
that day…something about the murders… a clue, but I couldn’t see what.

I remained in my seat as attendees began
to file past the casket. Viewing a dead body left me cold. I’d rather remember
Amber as the pretty, but sullen store clerk with heavily made up eyes. Not a
wax figure in a box.

Catching a glimpse of Danny skulking
outside the open window of the church, I excused myself and clunked my way
outside. “Danny.” I peered around the corner to see him disappear around
another. He’d always seemed a bit sneaky to me, now his actions proved my
suspicions correct.

When I got around to the back of the
church, Danny stood plastered against the wall, his head turned toward a
window. “Who are you waiting for?”

He yelped and whirled, quickly shoving
something into his pocket. “Uh, no one. I’m just attending the funeral of my
girlfriend and baby.”

“Then why not go inside?” I tilted my
head.

“That Stacy chick won’t want me there.”

“True, but she can’t legally keep you
out.”

He frowned and his face darkened. “Maybe
not, but she managed to get my mother sent to jail.”

“That was your mother’s fault.” Relax.
Don’t anger him. Maybe I could get some answers, since he seemed receptive to
conversation. “Why don’t you live with your mother?”

“My grandparents are alone. It isn’t good
for old people to live alone.”

True, at least recently. “Okay, but that
leaves your mother alone.”

“She isn’t old.” He shook his head. “Is
there a point to these questions, Mrs. Steele? Because, I’m not in the mood for
idle conversation.”

“I guess you’re not.” I stepped closer,
then
stopped as he stiffened. “I’m sorry about Amber, Danny.
They’ll find out who killed her.”

“What? She wasn’t murdered. She fell and
hit her head.”

“That is what I’ve heard.” I glanced to
where people started emerging from inside the church.

“You think someone killed her?” His fists
clenched. A steely look came over his face, and I took another step back. “Why
do you think that?”

No way was I going to tell this angry
young man that I suspected his mother. “I don’t know. No one told me the
official cause of death. Because of the other deaths, I assumed—”

“Those people were old! Amber is young
and beautiful. People will miss her.” A drop of spittle hung from his bottom
lip. He leaned closer. “She. Fell. And. Hit. Her. Head.”

“Understood.” I watched him march toward
the highway, anger in every line of his trembling body.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

“I’m coming, Dottie. Your thirty days aren’t
actually up until tomorrow, and nobody dies before their time.” I tossed my
slippers into my suitcase and zipped it closed. A shudder ran through me at the
thought of two days with the crotchety woman, but a promise was a promise. On
the plus side, she was bound to fill my ear with gossip for the column, which I
was quitting as soon as the killer was found. Something about airing folks’
dirty secrets bothered me.

“Don’t act like it’s going to kill you.”

The fact remained that staying with
Dottie could very well kill me. Sure, the victims were all elderly women who
lived alone, but what if the killer didn’t know I was there and went ahead with
his or her diabolical plan to blow us up? It might be difficult with Dottie
living in a retirement community, but not impossible.

“How am I going to watch out for you at
Dottie’s?” Lindsey plopped across my bed.

“You could come with me.” I grinned.

“Not in this lifetime. Maybe you could
take Grandma with you. Safety in numbers and Grandma is more her age.”

I laughed. “Don’t let her hear you say
that. There’s at least a twenty-year age difference between the two.”

She shrugged. “Hard to tell. Anyway, what
can you possibly do with someone that age?”

“I think we’re playing Bingo tonight,
after hitting the Senior Early Bird Special at Wanda’s.” Which I didn’t mind,
since it’d been a few years since I’d enjoyed a rousing game of Bingo, and any
meal at Wanda’s was a good one.

“Y’all are really living it up.” Lindsey
giggled and plucked at a loose thread on my quilt. “I’ll make sure to deliver a
case of Ensure before your bedtime at six.”

“Maybe I should make you come with me.”

“No, I’m going to the movies with some
friends.” She held up a hand as I started to speak. “I’ll be home by curfew. I
wouldn’t want Grandma and Leroy to stay up too late on my account.”

And there was my sweet, thoughtful
daughter again. Had I been as quick to swing from one mood to the other when I
was her age?

 
“I’ve been kind of snooping.” She pulled
harder on a thread.

“Stop that before the whole thing falls
apart.” I tapped her hand. “What kind of snooping?” My heart lodged in my
throat.

“I know how important it is for you to
find this person before someone else dies, so I’ve kind of been asking
questions.” She gave me a sideways glance.

“Of who?”

“Uh, Danny mostly.” She shook her head.
“He sure doesn’t talk much. I also spent a lot of time browsing the store where
Amber worked, although the clothes were a little too old for me.” She rolled to
her side and rested her head on her hand. “Danny doesn’t really like his
mother.”

No secret there. “How does this pertain
to the mystery?”

“I’m not sure, but…” Biting her lip, she
exhaled sharply through her nose. “I need to talk to Bruce. I might have seen
Amber’s killer.”

My knees buckled, and I fell to the bed
beside her. “Please don’t tell me you witnessed her death.”

“Not exactly. Oh, Mom!” She threw herself
into my arms. “It was awful. I was taking a short cut to Rachel’s house by
cutting around the back of the shops. I heard a scream, a loud noise, then by
the time I got there, Amber was lying in a pool of blood next to the dumpster.
It was me that called the ambulance.” She cried harder. “I didn’t call right
away. I was so scared the killer might’ve seen me. Mom, there’s no way she
tripped and fell without some help. There wasn’t even a puddle to slip in.”

I’d come to that same conclusion without
seeing her body. I tightened my grip on my daughter. What if the killer had
seen her snooping around? We needed to call Bruce immediately. “You’re
definitely coming with me to Dottie’s.”

“No, Mom!” She straightened fast enough
to cause the top of her head to connect with my chin. My teeth clanked together
with a snap. After making sure I hadn’t lost part of my tongue, I took a deep
breath. “The killer might have seen you. I want you with me for safety.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t save much
with a broken foot. What if we have to run for our lives?”

“Don’t be dramatic.” I chewed the inside
of my cheek, rethinking her staying with me and Dottie. What if that put her in
more danger than leaving her here? “Fine, but you’re staying by Leroy every
second!” Grabbing her hand, I pulled her after me as I marched across the yard
to Mom’s house.

They sat at the kitchen table, Mom reading
a book, Leroy the paper, both with coffee cups in their hands. Mom glanced up
with a smile. “Good morning to my beautiful girls.”

“Sit.” I pointed Lindsey to one of the
vacant chairs,
then
sat in the last one. “It seems,
Lindsey might have seen a little more of Amber’s murder than she should have.”

Mom sighed and got to her feet. “Let me
fix you a cup of coffee before you start talking. I’m sure I won’t want to miss
a single word.”

I could’ve sworn I heard her mutter, “How
do they get mixed up in these things?” Since I wasn’t sure, I kept my mouth
shut.

“All right,” Mom said, handing me a
coffee heavily laced with chocolate. She then handed Lindsey a hot cocoa.
“Spill the beans.”

Lindsey shot off at the mouth faster than
a dog after a rabbit. By the time she’d finished, Mom and Leroy stared like a
couple of barn owls.

“Did you see anyone other than Amber in
the alley?” Leroy asked.

“Maybe.” Lindsey suddenly concentrated on
her drink. “I kind of screamed when I found Amber, then I heard footsteps run off.”

“So, the killer could have seen you?” My
blood chilled. “If they saw you, then that person could also believe you saw
them.” I bolted to my feet and grabbed the wall phone. I couldn’t dial Bruce’s
number fast enough.

“What now?” He growled.

“I need you.
My mom’s
house.
Now.” I hung up and stared at Lindsey’s face while I dialed
Duane. I repeated my cryptic message, gaining strength from his promise to
arrive within ten minutes.

More times than I could count, I’d warned
Lindsey of the dangers of cutting behind the stores. That it only took once for
disaster to strike. We’d found that one time. My legs trembled and I reached
over Mom’s refrigerator before remembering I no longer kept my M&Ms there.

“Freezer.” Mom motioned her head. “I knew
you’d come looking at my house sooner or later. For all of our sanity, I
stashed a bag.”

“Thank you.”
God, please don’t let anything happen to my daughter
. I sagged
against the counter, clutching my chocolate. Again, I stopped to pray only when
against a wall. When all else seemed hopeless and fear filled me.

For the first time, I experienced the
same worry my family felt when I rushed into a mystery. I found I didn’t like
the feeling. Who died and made me savior of the world? The world only needed
one, and He was much better equipped than I was. Once this killer was caught,
I’d never try to solve another mystery. I tossed several candies into my mouth.

“What happened?” Duane burst through the
kitchen door, his handsome face creased and hair mussed. After Leroy filled him
in, he headed straight for the coffee pot. “Where’s Bruce?”

“
Here.
” In his
uniform, Bruce appeared only slightly more authoritative, not instilling a lot
of confidence in his ability to keep my baby safe. Again, Leroy repeated the
story.

Lindsey continued to stare into her hot
chocolate. Mom refilled her coffee. Bruce glanced from me to each of the
others. “You Calloway women will be the death of me.” He wiggled his fingers at
Mom. “Coffee.”

She shrugged and handed him her mug, then
fetched a fresh cup for herself.

Bruce took the chair I’d vacated and
pulled out his notepad. “Could you hear the victim talking with anyone before
she screamed?” He narrowed his eyes at Lindsey.

She shook her head. “Just the scream, a
loud noise,
then
running feet. Are they going to come
after me?”

“I’ll have the new officer patrol in
front of your house a couple of times a day, when he isn’t running past the
retirement home, keeping an eye on Dottie.” He flipped the pad closed. “River
Valley definitely needs more police officers with this family living here.”

“It hasn’t always been like this.” Not
until the women’s ministry leader decided she needed money to adopt a little
girl from China and didn’t care how she came to possess the funds. That was
definitely not my fault. The
Calloways
didn’t get
involved until she stole from us, Lindsey got blamed, and I found a dead body.
Same as in this case.
I stumbled upon it. I didn’t go
looking for danger.

“Do you have any suspects at all?” Duane
moved closer to me and slipped his arms around my waist, drawing me close.

“Everyone is a suspect.” Bruce’s
shoulders sagged. “Except for maybe the people in this room.”

“I’ve been wondering…why haven’t you
questioned Frank about the postings in the obituaries?” I rolled the top of the
candy bag and stuck it back in the freezer. “I mean, someone is taking the
information off the internet. Maybe they need to start checking their sources.”

“No, I haven’t spoken to him. I’ll do
that first thing Monday morning.” He stood and patted Lindsey on the head with
all the grace of a man unfamiliar with the ways of dealing with children.
Or teenagers, for that matter.

Lindsey glared and pulled away. “Just try
not to let me get killed, okay?”

“Just stay together. That’s my advice for
now.”

“I can’t,” I said. “I promised Dottie I’d
stay with her through tomorrow. She thinks if someone else is there, then
she’ll be safe.”

“Yeah, guess staying in a jail cell
didn’t work out so well a month ago.” Bruce glanced around the room. “Can’t she
stay here?”

“Absolutely not,” Mom said. “That woman
is like a burr in someone’s sock.”

“I need to switch professions. Maybe one
where I don’t deal with people.” Bruce headed out the door.

A horn blared from out front. One glance
out the window showed Dottie waving from her cotton-candy pink Cadillac.

“I’ll grab your suitcase.” Leroy set his
cup in the sink on the way out.

“I don’t like you staying with her,”
Duane said, turning me to face him.

“Do you really think someone will blow up
her apartment? That might injure her neighbors. They don’t seem to kill
willy-nilly.”

“No, but if the killer is determined to
make Dottie their next victim, he or she could use a different method, and
you’d be collateral damage.”

“True, but they haven’t so far. I’ll be
alight.” I stood on tip toe and gave him a kiss, sounding much braver than I
felt.

“I’ll be calling you every hour, and
you’d better answer your phone.”

“Don’t call during Bingo. You know how
the old ladies get when they can’t hear the caller.” I grinned and caressed his
cheek. “I asked Dottie if you could stay with us, but she said it wouldn’t be
proper for two single women to spend the night with a man.”

He laughed as she honked again. “Well,
you’d better rush out to Polly Prude.”

“Surprising, since she’s known as the
tramp of the retirement home,” Mom added. “But, I guess even Dottie has
standards.”

“Stop it.” I kissed Duane again, landed a
peck on my daughter’s cheek, and sauntered out the door, trying to look as if
my heart wasn’t clogging my throat.
God,
please let me see my family again
.

I really didn’t want Dottie’s wrinkled,
heavily made-up face to be the last one I saw on earth.