Chapter 14
Chapter
Bernadine drove to Mal’s place for dinner that evening, and he pulled into the lot right behind her.
“Hey there,” she called as he stepped out of his truck. “Tamar get home okay?”
“Yes, she’s now under Marie’s eagle eye, and she loved the ramp Trent built.”
Bernadine noted how tired he appeared after the long drive there and back. “Did she fuss about Marie being there?” Together, they climbed the stairs to his front door.
“No. I think she was too happy to be home and too exhausted to put up a fight. The fussing will probably come later, though.”
They entered his place, and as always, she was immediately soothed by the interior’s vibe.
The jeweled tones on the walls and furniture were lovely and the complete opposite of the beiges and creams she preferred in her own home, but their tastes in décor mirrored their personalities.
Before she could ask more about Tamar his phone chimed.
He looked at the face. “I need to take this. It’s Clay. ”
She nodded.
“Yeah, man,” he said.
She stepped out onto the balcony to give him some privacy. A few minutes later, he joined her. “How’s he doing?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine how much work he’d had to put in to get his life back on track after Myra’s dirty deeds.
“Better today. He called to tell me the police found Myra last night.”
“Yay! Hopefully, she’s in jail.”
“She is. In Wichita. She got into a fender bender in a grocery store parking lot. A policeman was there picking up a shoplifter and saw the accident. When Myra tried to flee, he jumped into his cruiser and pulled her over. He ran her plate, saw that it didn’t match the car she was in, then ran the VIN number.
When it came back stolen, he arrested her. ”
“Was she still driving Clay’s car?”
“Yeah, but had switched the plate to one registered to a Ford Explorer.”
“Was her son with her?”
“Yes.”
Bernadine didn’t like hearing that. “He’s probably with Protective Services now. That poor boy. I never met him, but Lily said he impressed her as being a nice kid.”
“Clay said the same thing.”
“If she makes a living scamming people, she may wind up losing custody. I hope she has a family member who’s good people and can take him in while the court system decides what to do with her. Otherwise, he’ll probably end up in foster care.”
“We’ll keep a good thought that a family member steps up.”
“Fingers crossed.”
“How about we get a carryout from downstairs. It’s been a long day, and I’m too pooped to cook.”
“Sure.”
While they ate, Bernadine shared the plans for Tamar Day.
“I like that,” Mal told her when she finished the telling.
“She probably won’t, but we’re going to give Tamar her flowers while she’s alive whether she wants them or not.
Especially considering we almost lost her.
Thad and the Oklahoma clan will probably want to come.
I’ll contact him tomorrow and ask Clay and Bing if they’ll donate some ribs and steaks.
You ladies can handle the rest of the vittles. ”
“That works.”
After they were done eating, she saw him yawn and knew it was time to go so he could rest from his long drive. “I’m going home. You go to bed.”
“It’s still a little early for that, but it’s not a bad idea. Give me a kiss.”
She did so gladly and after they parted, said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll walk you back down to the lot.”
“Not necessary, love. Get some rest.”
“Love you, baby.”
She smiled. “Ditto.”
AT THE JULY household, the family was watching the local evening news when a familiar face appeared on the screen.
Devon gasped. “That Ellis’s mom! Why’s she on the news?”
“Oh my goodness. They caught her!” his mom said excitedly.
“Great!” his dad replied.
Confused, Amari said, “That looks like a mug shot. What did she do?”
Devon was curious too.
“Quiet.” Lily grabbed the remote and raised the volume.
As they listened to the anchor tell the story, Devon stared with wide eyes.
The anchor revealed that the woman they knew as Myra Keene was arrested in Wichita. She was wanted in at least three states for preying on mostly older men while using a slew of aliases.
“She’s a con artist?” Amari asked, sounding shocked.
The anchor continued, “Her most recent victim was a man in nearby Henry Adams. When arrested, her ten-year-old son was with her. Police have no idea if the child plays a role in the fleecing, so for now he’s been turned over to Protective Services.”
Devon said, “Is that why Ellis hasn’t been in school?
I figured he was either sick or he and his mom had moved again.
” He shared what Ellis told him about the three schools he’d been in and why his mom moved so much.
“If he’s going to be in foster care, can he come live here with us?
You still have your foster parents license, right?
He can share my room. If he stays here, he won’t have to change schools again. Zoey and my crew like him a lot too.”
His parents passed a surprised look between them.
“Ms. Bernadine brought me here all the way from down south. Wichita is way closer. Please, Mom and Dad. He’s my friend. He’s not happy about having to move so much, and he’s probably really scared with his mom being arrested.”
His dad said, “Well, son—”
“Please, Dad.”
Devon turned to his mom. “You met him, Mom, you know he’s nice. He needs a safe place.”
Amari said, “And Henry Adams is the safest place around. If I get a vote, I vote yes.”
Devon wanted to kiss him.
His parents passed another look between them. Devon wondered if married people communicated telepathically, because that’s what they appeared to be doing.
His dad finally spoke. “Okay, Devon. Mom and I will get with Bernadine and see what’s what. If we can help, we will.”
“Thank you!!”
All smiles, Devon and Amari shared a brotherly fist bump.
“You have a big heart, Dev,” his mom told him. “Proud of you.”
A short while later, Amari and Devon were in Devon’s room talking about the surprising turn of events when their dad joined them.
“Hey guys, your mom and I spoke with Bernadine. She thinks Dev’s plan for Ellis is an excellent one. She’ll start making phone calls first thing in the morning.”
A grin spread across Devon’s face. “Great.”
Amari asked, “The guy on the news said the latest victim was somebody in Henry Adams—do you know who it was?”
Devon saw his dad hesitate. He and Amari waited.
He finally replied, “I’m sure the name’s going to come out sooner or later, but it was Clay Dobbs.”
Both boys’ jaws dropped.
“Wow!” Amari said softly.
“That’s terrible. Mr. Clay is so nice,” Devon said.
“Yes, he is,” their dad concurred. “Okay. Just came up to let you know where we are on the Ellis plan. Going back down to hang out with Mom. See you later.”
Devon and Amari stared at each other, and once again, Amari said, “Wow.”
AS TRENT PREDICTED, Clay’s name was leaked the next day by one of the region’s newspapers, and the news spread through Henry Adams like a fast-moving flood.
From the school to the Dog to the hair salon, it was all people talked about.
Many had questions about Myra. Was that her real name?
Where else was she wanted, and how long had she been on her crime spree?
Bernadine’s biggest question was: Why was Myra so adamant about the Academy’s curriculum if she had no plans to stick around?
She posed that question to Lily as they sat in her office.
Lily shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe she really cared about Ellis’s education, or maybe it was just a ploy to embed herself into the community while she sniffed around for her next victim?”
Bernadine didn’t know, either, and wondered if they ever would.
That the woman was cooling her jets in jail mattered the most—that and rescuing Ellis from foster care.
“The people at Protective Services are going to email me later today. They seemed pretty open to letting him come here. He’ll be one less child for them to have to provide for.
Like most agencies, they’re overwhelmed and underfunded. ”
“Devon offered to share his room, so I’m looking at bunk beds in case we get the okay.”
“I’m liking the boy he’s becoming.”
“So are we. His wanting to offer Ellis a home was the last thing we expected. Devon’s had quite the journey this year.”
“Yes, he has.”
IN THE WEEK that followed, the buzz tied to Myra Keene was soon eclipsed by the opening of Tina’s B&B.
The ribbon cutting took place a few days after Keene’s arrest (she was being held without bond due to being declared a flight risk), and everyone in town lined up outside the beautiful B&B to take the tour of the grand interior and help themselves to the fancy hors d’oeuvres provided by Chef Thorn.
The first reservations were placed by Franklin mayor Lyman Proctor for a few family members coming to town the following weekend for his daughter’s wedding. Tina was pleased.
Barrett finally found a home for the ugly Cletus statue. The county fairgrounds wanted to put it at the entrance and sent a crane to lift it and a truck to haul it away. Bernadine was pleased that she no longer had to see the stone atrocity every time she drove down Main Street.
Over at the courthouse, Judge Amy allowed Eustacia’s representative to take the piglet back to Texas.
She also told Riley to either make good on the bounced check or spend thirty days in jail.
He wrote the check. It didn’t bounce. He and his busted-up RV supposedly left town, but no one had enough interest to verify it or cared enough to ask where he might be heading.
The Three Spinsters was now open to the public and doing box office business.
People all over the region were descending on the place to celebrate birthdays and engagements, have wedding rehearsal dinners, and honor family members graduating from the local high schools and community college.
The investors hoped the number of diners would continue to rise.