Tangled Up in You (8 page)

Theres a woman in town. Shes a true crime writer.

Meg squinted against the bright sun as they walked across the gravel lot to his truck. Whats her name?

Madeline Dupree.

Her jaw dropped. Madeline Dupree? She wrote In Her Place , the story of Patrick Wayne Dobbs. The serial killer who killed women and then wore their clothes under his business suit. That book scared me so much I couldnt sleep for a week. Meg shook her head. What is she doing in Truly?

He slid his sunglasses down to cover his eyes. Apparently, shes going to write about what happened with Mom and Dad.

Meg stopped. What?

You heard me.

Why?

God, I dont know. He raised a hand, then dropped it to his side. If she writes about serial killers, I dont know what she finds so damn interesting about Mom and Dad.

Meg folded her arms across the front of her apron and they continued to walk. What does she know about what happened?

I dont know, Meg. They stopped by his truck and he leaned a hip into the front fender. She knows Mom shot that waitress in the head. His sister didnt bat an eye. Did you know that?

Meg shrugged and bit her thumbnail. Yeah. I heard the sheriff tell Grandma Loraine.

He looked into his sisters eyes and wondered what else she knew that he didnt. He wondered if she knew that their mother hadnt killed herself right away. He supposed it didnt matter. She was taking the news better than hed expected. Are you going to be okay?

She nodded. Is there anything we can do to stop her?

I doubt it.

She leaned back into the drivers-side door and sighed. Maybe you can go talk to her.

I did. Shes going to write it, and she doesnt care what we have to say about it.

Shit.

Yeah.

Everyone is going to start talking about it again.

Yep.

Shell say bad stuff about Mom.

Probably about all three of them. But what can she say? The only people who know what really happened that night are dead.

Meg glanced away.

Do you know something that happened that night?

She dropped her hand. Just that Mom had been pushed too far and she killed Dad and that waitress.

He wasnt so sure he believed her, but what difference did it make twenty-nine years later? Meg hadnt been there. Shed been home with him when the sheriff had arrived at their house that night.

He looked up at the clear blue sky. Id forgotten that the waitress had a little girl.

Yeah, I cant remember her name, though. Meg returned her gaze to Mick. Not that I care. Her mother was a whore.

That wasnt the girls fault, Meg. She was left without a mother.

She was probably better off. Alice Jones was cheating with our father and didnt care who knew. She flaunted their relationship in front of the whole town, so dont expect me to feel sorry for some nameless, faceless orphan girl.

Mick didnt know if thered been any flaunting, and if there had been, he figured their dad had to take the majority of the blame, since hed been the married one.

Are you going to be okay with this?

No, but what can I do about it? She adjusted her purse on her shoulder. Ill survive, just like I did before.

I told her to stay away from you and Travis, so I dont think shell be bothering you with questions.

Meg raised a brow. Is she going to be bothering you with questions?

There was more than one way a woman could bother a man. And dont come here and think you can tell me what to do. I really dont give a damn if you like it or not. Im going to write the book . Shed been mad and obstinate and sexy as hell. Her big brown eyes had gotten kind of squinted at the corners just before shed slammed the door in his face. No, he answered. She wont be bothering me with questions.

M eg waited until Micks truck pulled out of the parking lot before she let out a breath and raised her hands to the sides of her face. She pressed her fingers into her temples and closed her eyes against the pressure building in her head. Madeline Dupree was in town to write a book about her parents. There had to be something someone could do to stop her. A person shouldnt be allowed to justjust ruin lives. There should be a law against snooping around anddigging into someones past.

Meg opened her eyes and stared down at her white Reeboks. It wouldnt be long before everyone in town knew about it. Before they started talking and gossiping and looking at her as if she were liable to go off at any time. Even her brother sometimes looked at her as if she were crazy. Mick thought he was so good at forgetting the past, but there were some things even hed never been able to forget. Tears clouded her vision and dropped on the gravel by the instep of her shoe. Mick also mistook emotion for mental illness. Not that she really blamed him. Growing up with their parents had been an emotional tug-of-war ending in their death.

A second truck pulled into the parking lot and Meg raised her gaze as Steve Castle opened the door of his Tacoma and got out. Steve was Micks buddy and manager of Hennessys. Meg didnt know much about him, other than hed flown helicopters in the army with Mick, and thered been some sort of accident in which Steve had lost his right leg beneath the knee.

Hey, there, Meg, he called out, his deep voice booming across the lot as he moved toward her.

Hey. Meg hurriedly wiped beneath her eyes, then dropped her hands to her sides. Steve was a big guy and shaved his head completely bald. He was tall and broad-chested and soso manly that Meg felt a little intimidated by his size.

Having a rough day?

She could feel her cheeks get hot as she looked up into his deep blue eyes. Sorry. I know men dont like to see women cry.

Tears dont bother me. Ive seen tough Marines cry like little girls. He folded his arms across the dogs playing poker on the front of his T-shirt. Now, whats got you so upset, sweetheart?

Meg usually didnt share her feelings with people she didnt know, but there was something about Steve. While his size intimidated her, he also made her feel safe at the same time. Or perhaps it was just because hed called her sweetheart, but she opened her mouth and confided, Mick was just here, and he told me that theres a writer in town and shes going to write about the night our mother killed our father.

Yeah. I heard about that.

Already? How did you find out?

The Finley boys were in Hennessys last night talking about it.

She raised a hand and chewed on her thumbnail. Then I think its safe to assume the whole town knows, and everybody is going to be talking about it and speculating.

Nothing to do about that.

She dropped her hand to her side and shook her head. I know.

But maybe you can talk to her.

Mick tried that. Shes going to write the book no matter what we think about it. She looked down at her shoes. Mick told her to stay away from me and Travis.

Why avoid her? Why dont you tell her your side of things?

She looked up into his eyes and the sunlight bouncing off his shiny head. I dont know if shed care about my side.

Maybe, but you wont know that unless you talk to the woman. He unfolded his arms and rested one big hand on her shoulder. If there is one thing I know, its that you have to confront something head-on. You can get through anything if you know what youre facing.

Which she was sure was true and very good advice, but she couldnt think past the weight of his hand on her shoulder. The solid feel and the warmth of his touch spread to her stomach. She hadnt felt warmth from a man since her ex-husband. The men in town talked to her and flirted with her, but they never seemed to want more than a coffee refill.

Steve slid his palm down her arm and grasped her hand. Ive wondered something since I moved to town.

Whats that?

He tilted his head to one side and studied her. Why you dont have a boyfriend.

I think the men in this town are half afraid of me.

His brows lowered over his eyes and then he burst out laughing. A deep booming laugh that lit his face.

Its not funny, she said, but at that moment, surrounded by Steve Castles laughter, it was kind of funny. And standing so close, with her hand in his, was kind ofnice.

Ill never forget that night, the retired sheriff said as he looked at the old crime scene photos through a pair of reading glasses. Unlike the stereotypical retired sheriff whod gone to fat, Bill Potter was still quite thin and had a full head of white hair. That scene was a mess.

Maddie scooted the small tape recorder closer to the baby-blue La-Z-Boy recliner where Sheriff Potter sat. The inside of the Potters home was a fusion of floral prints and wildlife art that clashed on so many different levels that Maddie feared her eyes would cross before the day was through.

Id known Loch and Rose since they were kids, Bill Potter continued. Im a few years older, but in a town this size, especially back in the seventies, everyone knows everyone. Rose was one of the most beautiful women Id ever seen, and it was a shock to see what shed done to those two people and then to herself.

How many homicide cases had you investigated before the Hennessy case? she asked.

One, but it was nothing like the Hennessy case. Old Man Jenner got shot in a dispute over a dog. Mostly we get accidental shootings, and those are usually around hunting season.

The first officer on the scene was a Maddie paused to look at the report. Officer Grey Tipton.

Yep. He left the department a few months after that and moved away, the sheriff said. And I hear he died a few years ago.

Which was just one of the many hurdles she was always coming up against in this town. Either people werent willing to talk about what happened or they were dead. At least she had Officer Tiptons report and notes. Yes, he died in an ATV accident in 1981. Did the shooting have anything to do with him leaving the department?

Sheriff Potter shuffled the photos. It had everything to do with it. Grey had been really good friends with Loch, and seeing him shot like that haunted him so bad he couldnt sleep. He held up the photo of Rose lying beside her dead husband. It was the first time any of us had seen anything like that. Id responded to plenty of automobile accidents that were bloody as hell, but they werent personal.

Since there would be no trial to write about, Maddie had to get as much personal information as possible. And since the Hennessys werent talking, she had to rely on other sources.

Grey had such a hard time with it. He had to quit. Just goes to show you that you dont know how youll deal with a situation until youre knee-deep in blood.

For the next hour, they talked about the crime scene. The photos and reports answered the who, what, where, and when, but the why was still fuzzy. Maddie changed the tape in the little recorder, then asked, You knew both Loch and Rose. What do you think happened that night?

In every case like this, there was always a catalyst. A stressor was introduced that pushed the perpetrator over the edge. From what Ive heard and read, Alice Jones wasnt Lochs one and only affair.

No. She wasnt. That marriage had been like a roller coaster for years. The sheriff shook his head and removed his glasses. Before they moved into that farmhouse right outside of town, they used to live down by the lake on Pine Nut. Every few months Id get a call from one of their neighbors and Id have to drive over there.

What did you find once you arrived?

Screaming and yelling, mostly. A few times Lochd have his clothes torn or a red mark on his face. Bill chuckled. One time I got there and the front window was busted out and a skillet was lying in the yard.

Was anyone ever arrested?

Nah. Then the next time youd see the two of them, theyd be all lovey-dovey and happy as pie.

And when they werent lovey-dovey, they pulled other people into their messed-up marriage. But once they moved into the farmhouse, the calls to your office stopped?

Yeah. No more neighbors around, you know.

Where is the farmhouse now?

Burned down. He paused in thought and deep grooves wrinkled his forehead. Must have been about twenty years ago. One night, someone went over there, doused it with kerosene, and lit it up good.

Was anyone hurt?

No one lived there at the time. He frowned and shook his head. Never did find out who started it. Always had my suspicions, though.

Who?

Only a couple of people wanted that house gone bad enough to do such a good job. Kids just playin around with matches dont torch a place like that.

Mick?

And his sister, although I could never prove it. Didnt actually want to prove it, if truth be told. Growing up, Mick was always in trouble. A constant pain in the ass, but I always felt bad for him. He had a real hard life.

Lots of children lose their parents and dont turn to arson.

The sheriff leaned forward. Lots of kids dont live the life Rose Hennessy left behind for her kids.

That was true, but Maddie knew a bit about that life. She flipped a page in her notebook and said, Alice Jones lived in the Roundup Trailer Court. Do you know a woman by the name of Trina who may have lived in the same trailer court in 1978?

Hmm, that doesnt sound familiar. He thought a moment, then leaned forward. You might talk to Harriet Landers. She lived in that trailer court for years. When the land was sold to a developer, she had to be practically hog tied and carried away.

Where does Harriet live now?

Levana, he called to his wife. When she appeared from the back of the house he asked, Where is Harriet Landers living these days?

I believe she lives at the Samaritan Villa. Levana looked at Maddie and added, Thats a retirement center off of Whitetail and Fifth. Shes a little hard of hearing these days.

W hat? Harriet Landers yelled from her wheelchair. Speak up, for pitys sake.

Maddie sat in an old iron chair in the small garden at the Samaritan Villa. Looking at the old woman, it was hard to gauge her age. Maddie would guess somewhere between one foot in the grave and fossilized. My name is Maddie Du pree! I wonder if I might be

Youre that writer, Harriet interrupted. I heard youre here to write a book about them Hennessys.

Wow, news traveled fast even on the nursing home circuit. Yes. I was told that you once lived at the Roundup Trailer Court.

For about fifty years. Shed lost almost all of her white hair and most of her teeth and she wore a pink housecoat with white lace and snaps. But there didnt seem to be anything wrong with her mind. I dont know what I could talk to you about.

How about living at the Roundup?

Humpf. She raised a knobby and gnarled hand and swiped at a bee in front of her face. Not a lot to say that anyone wants to hear. Folks think that people who live in trailer houses are poor trailer trash, but I always liked my trailer. Always liked having the option of packing up the house and moving the whole damn thing if I wanted. She shrugged a bony shoulder. Guess I never did, though.

People can be very cruel and dismissive, Maddie said. When I was little, we lived in a trailer, and I thought it was the best. Which was true, mostly because the trailer had been such an improvement over the other places she and her mother had lived. We certainly werent trash.

Harriets sunken blue eyes gave Maddie the once-over. You lived in a trailer?

Yes, maam. Maddie held up the tape recorder. Do you mind if I record our conversation?

What for?

So that I dont misquote you.

Harriet put her skinny elbows on the arms of her wheelchair and leaned forward. Go ahead. She pointed at the recorder. What do you want to know?

Do you recall the summer that Alice Jones lived at the Roundup?

Sure, although I lived down the road from her and not next door. But Id see her sometimes as I was driving past. She was a real pretty thing and had a little girl. That little girl used to swing all day and half the night on the swing set in her front yard.

Yes, that part Maddie knew. She remembered swinging so high, she thought her toes touched the sky. Did you ever talk to Alice Jones? Have friendly conversations?

A frown pulled at the wrinkles in her forehead. Not that I can recall. That was a long time ago and my memory isnt so good these days.

I understand. My memory isnt always in the best of shape either. She looked down at her notes as if to remind herself of what to ask next. Do you recall a woman by the name of Trina who may have lived at the Roundup at that time?

That would probably be Trina Olsen. Betty Olsens middle girl. She had flaming red hair and freckles.

Maddie wrote down the last name and circled it. Do you know if Trina still lives in Truly?

No. Bettys dead, though. Died of liver cancer.

Im sorry.

Why, did you know her?

Ahno. She put the cap back on her pen. Is there anything else you can remember from around the time Alice Jones lived at the Roundup?

I remember lots of things. She shifted a little in her chair, then said, I remember Galvin Hennessy, thats for sure.

Lochs father? Maddie asked, just to clarify. What could Galvin have to do with Maddies mother?

Yep. He was a handsome devil, just like all the Hennessy men. She shook her head and sighed. But a girl would have to be an idiot to marry a Hennessy.

Maddie skimmed her notes looking for Galvins name. She thumbed past a Founders Day flyer shed been handed at the front desk, but as far as she could recall, hed never been mentioned in any of the police reports.

I dated that man off and on until the day he dropped dead in the backseat of my Ford Rambler.

Maddies head came up. Pardon me?

Harriet laughed, a crackling, rattling sound that left her in a fit of coughing. Maddie became so concerned, she set her notes on the grass and rose to thump Harriet on the back. When Harriet got herself under control, Maddie asked, Are you okay? Gee, Harriet was old, but Maddie didnt want to be the reason she keeled over.

I wish you could have seen your face. I didnt think it was possible to shock anyone in this town anymore. Not at my age. Harriet chuckled.

So? Maddie sat back down. Did Galvin have anything to do with what happened at Hennessys Bar?

No. He was dead before all that happened. Loraine never forgave me for Galvin dying in the back of my car, but shoot, you cant throw a rock in this town without hitting some woman who hasnt slept with a Hennessy.

Why? Maddie asked. Lots of men had looks and charm. What makes the Hennessy men so irresistible to the women of Truly?

Theyre beautiful to look at, but mostly on account of what they got in their pants.

You mean theyve got Maddie paused and held up a hand as if she couldnt think of the word. She could, of course. Her favorite word, heft, came to mind, but for some reason she just couldnt say it in front of an old woman.

Theyre blessed, Harriet provided. Then, over the next hour, she proceeded to give Maddie the details of her long and illustrious affair with Galvin Hennessy. Apparently, Harriet was one of those girls. No matter that she was well into her nineties and no more than a raisin with eyes, Harriet Landers was one of those girls who loved to talk about their sex lives with a perfect stranger.

And Maddie, lucky girl, got it all on tape.

W ednesday night at Hennessys was Hump Night. In an effort to help the citizens get past the hump in the week, Hennessys offered half-price well drinks and dollar drafts until seven. After seven, a few people left, but most stayed and paid full price for their booze. Galvin Hennessy had been the brains behind Hennessys Hump Night, and the custom had been carried through the following generations.

There were those whod feared the demise of Hump Night when Mick had taken over the place. After all, hed done away with panty-tossing at Morts, but after two years of cheap well drinks and dollar beers, Truly could breathe easier knowing that some traditions were still sacred.

Mick stood at the far end of the bar, weight resting on one booted foot and pool cue in hand as Steve Castle bent over the table and took a shot. Steve was slightly taller than Mick and wore a baby-blue Attention Ladies: I loved The Notebook T-shirt stretched across his barrel chest. Mick had known Steve since flight training. Back then, Steve had had a full head of blond hair. These days he was as bald as the billiard he sent down on the table.

When Mick had gotten out of the army, Steve had stayed in until his Black Hawk had been shot down over Fallujah by an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile. In the crash that had killed five soldiers and wounded seven, Steve had lost his leg. After months of rehabilitation and a new prosthesis, hed gone home to Northern California to find his marriage in ruins. Hed gone through a real rough time and a bad divorce, and when Mick had asked him to move to Truly and manage Hennessys, hed climbed into his truck and arrived in days. Mick had never expected him to last in the small town, but that was a year and a half ago, and Steve had just bought a house near the lake.