Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction (15 page)

Jack
got off of his stool and walked over to Tess’s table.

“
You were ignoring me,” she accused, smiling up at him.

“
Looked like you didn’t want to be disturbed. Didn’t know your
plans
included dinner with Buck.”

“
Please sit down, Jack. I have two interesting things to tell you about,” she took a deep breath, “plus an apology.”

“
Are you sure your dance card isn’t full? Sure you don’t have
plans
?”

“
What is your major malfunction?” Tess said in an exaggerated southern drawl.

“
Woohoo! Tessie’s been takin’ lessons in Southern speak! Well done, lady, I’m impressed.” He gave a show of tipping his imaginary hat. He was teasing her, but the chill of a moment ago seemed to have thawed a bit.

“
I got that one from Lou. Now I did say I have an apology to make. Are you going to sit down?”

Jack
smiled, his eyes softening, and dimple showing. “Since you asked so nicely.”

“
Not that I should have to explain to you, but Buck joined me
unexpectedly tonight.”

“
It wadn’t a date?” Jack shot back. “Then what were your
plans
?”

“
No, it was not a date.” She took another deep breath and let it
out. “Okay, I’m sorry. I may have exaggerated when I said I had plans.
I apologize . . . “ She was groping for words and feeling embarrassed at the discovery of her little white lie. She didn’t feel like she had to explain anyway. It wasn’t like he had a claim on her. Finally, she said, “Can we move on now? Do you want to hear what I found out, or not?”

“
Not. I want to hear why you made up an excuse to decline my
dinner invitation.”

Tess
looked out the window, searching for the right words. How do you tell someone you don't want to get involved with him because you heard he cheated on his wife? She really didn't want to discuss it with him, and she didn't want his excuses or lies, either. She'd had enough of that with her ex-husband. Finally she looked right at him and quietly said, “I just divorced a ladies' man. I don’t want to go down that road again.”

“
And you think I’m a ladies' man?” His voice was almost a screech. In a more normal tone he said, “I guess I’ll just have to prove to you
I’m not.”

She
smiled shyly at him. “I guess you will.”

Jack’s
grin was lopsided. “Okay, apology accepted. Discussion to be continued at a later time. Now lay it on me. What did Buck have to say?”

Just
then, Willy the would-be handyman entered the diner and shook off the rain like a wet dog. “Shewee! It’s rainin’ so hard the animals are startin' ta pair up.” He was loud enough for everyone in the diner to hear. He saw Tess and Jack and walked over to their table.

“
Hey, y’all. How’s the renovatin’ comin’ along, sweet cheeks? Need me yet?” Willy’s creepy grin spread across his face.

“
It’s . . . uh . . . coming along just fine, uh . . . Willy, right?”

“
I knew you’d remember me.” He stood there smiling down at her, his hands in his denim jean pockets. “How ‘bout you and me go for a drink some time?” He winked at her.

The
bluntness of his invitation caught Tess by total surprise. She sputtered and stammered and was trying to think of a polite way to say ‘no’ when Jack answered for her.

“
No,” he said bluntly.

“
Well, mister, you’re kind a cute, but I ain’t no homo sapien. I was askin’ the lady.”

“
I'll agree with you there, but I believe you mean
homosexual
, and I'm not either. I’m answerin’ for
the lady
, and I said,
no
,” Jack said more forcefully this time.

Junebug
came bustling up to the table with Tess’s pie and a sweet tea for Jack. “Willy? What’s the matta with you? I know your mama taught you better manners than that.”

Slick
sidled up to the table too, and joined in. “Willy, I’ll give you a shiny new quarter if you’ll park yer ornery butt over yonder on one a them stools.”

“
Shoot,” Willy muttered. “I feel like a banjo. Everybody's pickin’ on me. Okay, okay, I’ll go. But I will see you later, darlin’.” Enunciating his words, he nodded his head, pointed his finger, and winked at Tess,
before starting toward the stools at the counter.

Jack
started to get up, but Tess reached across the table to grab his arm. Fortunately, he was partially standing, because unfortunately, she knocked over his tea, spilling it all over the table and onto the spot where he’d just been sitting. The accident lightened the mood, and
everybody laughed, making her face blush red with embarrassment.

Slick
started off after Willy. “Nemmine him, Jack. I’ll give him a
tutorial on politeness.”

After
Junebug had cleaned up the mess and brought a new glass of tea for Jack, Tess took a bite of her pie and watched a rain drop slowly make its way down the outside of the window.              

Th
ey were both quiet for a minute until Jack said, “How’d he know you’re workin’ on your house?”

Tess
blew out an exasperated sigh. “He said he overheard me talkin’ in the bookstore. He followed me out the door the other day and said he’s a handyman and wanted to offer his services.”

Jack
snorted. “He’s about as handy as a back pocket on a shirt.”

Tess
laughed, and Jack softened but not completely.

“
And I’ll tell you another thing, he’s all hat and no cattle.”

“
What does that mean?”

“
Means he’s one who pretends to be what he’s not. He’s all talk and no substance. He’s a fake, a braggart. He talks big, but he can’t follow through.”

“
Do you think I just fell off the turnip truck?” She was a little
offended. “I can spot a fake when I see one.”

“
Okay, Tess, I didn’t mean to insult your intelligence.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m all riled up tonight. Guess I just got my feelin’s hurt.”

“
Well, drink some of your sweet tea before I manage to spill it again. Maybe it will make you sweeter.”

“
What did you have to tell me?” Jack sat back, taking a long gulp of his tea.

Tess
filled him in on what Buck told her about Lou’s father and grandmother. She thought the filling station story was interesting, so she told him about that, too, in case he really might want to include it in one of his books.

“
Well, that’s interesting news. Why don’t ya ask Lou about it?”

“
Well . . . I can't get that look on her face out of my mind when
I told her about finding the key. Not to mention Buck said she doesn’t like to talk about the murders. Jack, her face spoke volumes.”

“
Yeah, well that is unusual, she usually lets her mouth speak
volumes.” Jack saw the look of reprimand on Tess’s face and got
serious. “Could be it’s just too painful.” He looked at his watch. “Got any plans for the evening? I mean
real plans
?”

“
Not really, why?”

“
Just for fun, wanna do some research at the library?”

“
Sure . . . I guess so.”

Tess
and Jack paid their bills, said their goodbyes, and left the diner. As they passed the big picture window she saw Willy pick up his cell phone.

Weird
duck
, she thought, and a shiver passed through her.

scurtt:  verb \skurt\ scared

You’re a skurtt a me!

[  1935  ]

After the Sunday evening service, Maye took her place at the refreshment table in the basement of the church to serve her famous chocolate cake. Her four children were the last in line, and she joined them at another table where they ate cake, drank punch, and listened to the men swap tall tales. She looked at her watch. Seven-thirty.
John should be back any time.

Her
sister-in-law, Denise, sat down next to her with a questioning look on her face.

“
You all right?”

“
Hmm? Oh, yeah honey, I’m fine, why?”

“
You look worried . . . preoccupied.”

Maye
had a niggling feeling that was making her uneasy. A sense of foreboding. She had thought she was successfully hiding her feelings.

“
Is it your daddy? This’ll be the first Christmas without him. And last Christmas couldn’t have been an easy one—he was so sick then. It’ll be hard for you this year.”

“
I do miss him,” Maye admitted. “Maybe that’s it. I don’t know.
I just feel edgy.”

Eight
o’clock.

They
would be locking up the church before long. Her brother, P.D., joined them at the table.

“
John not back yet?”

“
Naw, he must’ve gotten held up. He’d best hurry though, or the kids and I’ll be sleepin’ in the church.” She manufactured a smile. The niggling grew.

Eight
-o-five.

As
people said their goodbyes and departed from the fellowship hall, Maye went to help clean up, while her brother entertained the kids with magic tricks. Time seemed to be crawling.

Eight
-twenty-two
.

Maye
looked from the clock to her brother. He pulled a quarter from behind Louetta’s ear as she sat on his lap, wide-eyed. Maye wrapped up her cake. It was almost the children’s bedtime. The hall was just about empty. She wondered how much longer they should wait for John. Another glance at the clock.

Eight
-twenty-five
.

“
How you do that, Uncle P.D.?” Johnny asked.

“
How do I do what?” P.D. smiled. “Hey, boy, is that a loose tooth?” He put his fingers up to Johnny’s mouth and pulled them back with a quarter between his two fingers. “Naw, it was just this quarter. Never know where it’s gonna pop up.” Johnny looked at him skeptically, with one eye squinted.

P.D.
glanced at Maye, and their eyes went from the clock back to each other.

Eight
-thirty
.

“
One more time,” Louetta begged. “Doo’t again.”

Maye
said her goodbyes to the pastor and his wife, and then walked over to her family, glancing at the clock one more time.

Eight
thirty-five.

She
looked at her brother. He nodded in silent understanding.

“
C’mon kids. Uncle P.D.’s gonna take y’all home.”

* * *

Ten-thirty,
the kitchen clock said. Maye poured some hot water from the teakettle into a mug and then impatiently poured it into the sink
. Where could he be?

The
kids had gotten baths and were snug in bed. John still wasn’t home. She walked to the front window. The driveway was empty.
Something was wrong. Maye could feel it. She’d sent her brother home and wouldn’t be able to reach him at this late hour. She couldn’t sit around any longer waiting and wondering. She put on her coat and went next door to the pastor’s house.

Maye
noticed the alarmed looks on the reverend and his wife’s face as she told them John hadn’t come home. Nearly beside herself with worry, she pleaded with them.

“
I know it’s late, and I hate to put you out, but can you drive me up toward Goose Creek Bridge to look for him?”

“
Of course we can, Maye. Helen’s mama’s visitin’, and she can stay with the kids while we’re gone.” The reverend, his wife, and mother-in-law quickly got coats on, all the while reassuring Maye everything would be all right.

Once
in the car they rode in strained silence, with Maye sitting straight-backed on the edge of her seat, straining her neck in every direction along the way, searching for John’s car.

Ten
minutes later, as they crossed Goose Creek Bridge, Maye saw a car parked just beyond the bridge. Exhaust billowed into the air, and snowflakes danced in the headlights of the black 1934 Ford Tudor as it sat idling off to the side of the road. “That’s him!” Maye cried, gripping the door handle tightly.