Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
The next three days were uneventful as far as no more deaths, which suited Ami just fine. However, the news media caught word of a third death in Dixie and television crews converged on the town in mass camping out to get the latest scoop. Then there was shock and horror by the town’s people as word spread about Gertrude being found in her backyard with the faithful Clementine by her side only a day after Tilda was found. But that couldn’t be helped. And then she had to deal with facing Gertrude’s son and daughter when they came to town to lay their mother to rest.
Even though it wasn’t her fault the woman was dead, Ami still felt responsible. After all, she was mayor, and if there was a killer out there after her and Gertrude died in her stead, then Ami felt she should say something to her children, but she couldn’t find the words. So, she’d kept silent and only offered them her deepest sympathy, saying she’d wished she’d checked on Gertrude before leaving for work that morning when she wasn’t out walking Clementine.
Marvin and Claudine assured her there was nothing she could have done and appreciated the fact she’d rushed home to find their mother when she called to check on her.
Still, Ami continued to berate herself for not doing more.
After having an early dinner, Kenneally insisted on going to the funeral home that evening on their own instead of calling Simpson.
“Are you sure you want to drive through town tonight?” she asked him. “There will be so many people out and about and you don’t really know the roads.”
“I’m positive,” he said. “I’ve been paying close attention to my surroundings every time we’ve gone out. I think I can handle a drive to town and back.”
“Okay, but if you get one scratch on Lolita, I will never forgive you.” Ami opened her garage door and uncovered her antique 1950s pale blue Chevy truck. It had belonged to her grandfather, and it was her prized possession.
Kenneally whistled. “Man, oh man, I see why you keep this baby under wraps in your garage. She’s a beauty. Does she run as good as she looks?”
“Of course. Purrs like a kitten. My granddaddy rebuilt her engine himself.
“Did he name her too?”
“He did,” Ami said with a sly smile. “You might as well get the hang of driving her tonight since you’ll be driving her tomorrow in the Christmas parade.”
“I will?”
She nodded. “Simpson is a pallbearer at Judson’s funeral and won’t be back in time to do the honors. He didn’t discover until today that the graveside is all the way over in Thibodeaux where the Hawkins family cemetery is located.”
“That does pose a logistics problem,” Kenneally said. “He can’t be in two places at once.”
“No, and since he was asked to be a pallbearer, there is no way I was going to tell him he couldn’t do it even if he was going to drive my truck,” Ami said. “Tomorrow after we return from the funeral, we’ll hang the wreath I made on the front grill and swag the green garland with twinkle lights and decorations along the sides. I have a new banner that says Merry Christmas from the Mayor’s Office to go on the back of the tailgate.”
Kenneally nodded. “And do I need to be dressed up for this drive?”
“Just casual attire is fine. But if you have something festive in red or green or maybe a plaid, that might be good,” she suggested. “Oh, and you’ll want to bring a jacket along. We’ll go straight from the parade to the tree lighting.”
“Of course. I can’t forget. It’s on my card of festivities,” he said.
She smiled. “You’re always prepared like a boy scout, aren’t you?”
“It comes with the job,” he replied.
As Harold predicted, the Smith Brothers were busy. They arranged for all three bodies to be viewed on the same evening and everyone in Dixie gathered at the funeral home on Friday night.
It was a good thing that the funeral home had a chapel as well as two good sized viewing parlors. Judson’s family of course booked the chapel since he was the former mayor. Tilda’s attorney booked the larger of the two parlors leaving Gertrude in the smaller.
Ami and Kenneally arrived as early as they could in anticipation of a large crowd. They were not wrong. There was a line out the funeral home into the parking lot just to get inside.
“Maybe doing all three viewings on the same evening was not such a good idea,” Ami said. “I’m not sure the mortuary can hold so many people without violating fire codes.”
“That’s the fire marshals’ job to be concerned about,” Kenneally said. “It’s after five, technically you’re off the clock.”
“As mayor, I’m never off the clock.” Ami frowned. “If I’m needed in the dead of night, I’m woken from sleep to take care of an issue.”
“Okay, I stand corrected,” Kenneally conceded. “But can’t you at least relax for a few moments and not worry so much? You’re here to pay your respects to your friends and neighbor.”
Ami sighed and nodded, taking a few steps as the line moved forward and they finally entered the funeral home. “I will try.” The fragrance of floral arrangements greeted, scenting the mortuary’s customary chilly air.
Half an hour later they finally reached Gertrude’s open coffin. A beautiful floral spray of deep red roses, white football mums, white Asiatic lilies, and greenery accented with holly berries and white baby’s breath lay across the lower half. Ami suppressed a smile to find that Clementine had been tucked tastefully into the coffin beside the woman. The dog laid her head on Gertrude’s arm as if she too were sleeping. Gertrude’s children waited nearby.
“We thought Mom would have wanted it this way,” Claudine explained.
Ami nodded. “Oh yes. I think she would have.”
“We are overwhelmed by the turn out,” Marvin said. “We never knew Mom had so many friends in Dixie.”
“She was one of a kind,” Ami said, shaking both of their hands firmly.
“I only met your mother the night before, but she seemed like a fine woman,” Kenneally said.
“Thank you,” they replied in unison.
He took Ami’s arm and steered her away as they joined the line to wait to enter the next parlor. The wait was a little shorter because no one was there to speak to at the coffin. People moved quickly past, except for Ami, who stood a few moments viewing Tilda, reaching out a shaky hand into the coffin to cover Tilda’s folded hands with her own. The casket was a lovely silver, and the lining was a pale blue. The spray was blue delphiniums, white roses, snapdragons and alstroemerias, with a mixture of greenery. There was even a white rose and blue delphinium corsage pinned to Tilda’s blue dress.
“Goodbye my friend. You were ripped away from us far too soon,” she said, lifting her hand and walking away. Kenneally followed her, keeping his hand at the small of her back for support.
The line to get into the chapel was longer, or maybe it seemed to be because they had already been standing for so long. The people around them were getting restless, children were complaining, babies and toddlers were crying.
“I say again, maybe doing all three viewings in one evening wasn’t a good idea after all,” Ami said, stepping out of her high heeled shoes and wiggling her stockinged toes for a moment before putting them on again.
“Maybe not, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. The line is moving along faster than before,” he said.
“Only because people are choosing to take a seat in the chapel to rest and chat with those who have already gone through the line. But they’ll have to get back in line eventually, holding things up once they do,” she observed, looking through the wooden vertical slats that gave privacy along the half open divider wall on each side of the entrance.
A few padded pews and upholstered chairs lined the walls in the foyer for seating outside the chapel for those who wished to visit before going inside. Some of the potted plants for Judson’s funeral had been positioned out there. Reaching the guest book, she signed it and handed the pen to Kenneally before they made their way down the aisle toward the front.
Ami nodded and spoke to a few of the residents of Dixie as they moved forward. As they got closer, she noticed the large spray sat in the center of the closed mahogany coffin. It was a blue and white arrangement as well. White roses, football mums, monte casinos, and blue delphiniums with a blue satin ribbon. Judson’s parents greeted people from tall cushioned backed bar stools. Stands of floral sprays lined each side of the coffin in reds, blues, purples, whites, and yellows. Someone had even sent a fishing pole on a stand with a shiny galvanized bucket that said Gone Fishin’.
“Oh my!” Ami softly exclaimed and pointed to the display for Kenneally to see. “Have you ever seen one of those at a funeral?”
“Never, but that is very creative. Someone knew him very well.”
“That they did,” she agreed.
When they finally reached Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, Ami got misty eyed despite herself. “He meant the world to me. Gave me a job when he didn’t have to when I came to Dixie. I promise we are going to find who did this to him,” she vowed.
“You meant a lot to him too, Mayor,” Mrs. Hawkins said, grasping her hand in hers.
Kenneally shook Mr. Hawkin’s hand. “Sorry for your loss. I didn’t know Judson. I’m a friend of the mayor’s in town for the holidays.”
“Thank you for coming,” Mr. Hawkins said.
“Yes, this is Joseph Kenneally,” Ami said, wiping her tears away. “He’s staying with me through the New Year.”
“Welcome to Dixie,” Mrs. Hawkins said. “Watch over our mayor and keep her safe. We can’t afford to lose her too.”
“I will, ma’am,” he promised.
And with that, the two moved on to give others a chance to speak with the Hawkins and show their respect and not hold up the line further. They stopped a few times on the way out to chat briefly with a few of the townspeople who sat in the pews. And then they left.
“I didn’t see Tom or his deputies tonight,” Kenneally said as they walked out to the parking lot where a line was still waiting.
“They’re on duty keeping the town safe,” Ami said. “Between everyone here tonight, and so many outsiders visiting for the holiday, we can’t rule out the chance of a criminal or two arriving.”
“I get it,” Kenneally said. “Which is a shame.”
“Yes.”
He fished out the truck keys and unlocked the passenger side door, opened it, and helped her inside. He waited for her to get settled before he closed it and went around to the driver’s side to get in. He started the engine and backed out of the parking space, turning to leave the parking lot.
“It’s a nice night. Do you want to go straight home?” he asked.
“We could drive around town and see the Christmas lights?” Ami said. “Before going home.”
“We could.”
She reached forward and turned on the radio finding a station playing Christmas music. “Might as well set the mood and lift our spirits.”
“Here. Here,” he said. “If I had a glass I’d raise it to no more deaths in Dixie.”
“Why do I think you just jinxed us?”
“Surely not,” he said. “Now tell me where the best road is to turn down to see these lights?”
Ami gave him directions and off they went on their journey. He even stopped at a little dinner and bought two cups of hot chocolate to enjoy as they drove. She opened the glove compartment and got out the plastic cup holders that could be hung from the truck’s windows.
“I haven’t seen those in ages,” Kenneally laughed. “Your grandfather must have kept those even after they went out of style. And a stickler for keeping the truck clean.”
“He was. We’d put our canned sodas in them when I’d ride with him,” Ami said. “He’d take me fishing out in the bayou when I was a little girl.”
They drove through a few other areas before heading to her neighborhood and pulling into her driveway and pulling into the garage. They got out and walked into the house together.
“Thank you for allowing this night to end on a nice note,” Ami said. “I enjoyed it.”
“I did too.”
She looked thoughtfully at him. “When I called for help, I didn’t know I’d be getting someone who could make me feel everything would be alright and at the same time fit into my life the way you have. Thank you for that, Kenneally.”
“You’re welcome, Ami. I’m glad to know I’ve done that for you.”
“Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. We’d better turn in now. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said.
“See you in the morning,” he replied. He watched as she walked to her bedroom door and went inside before he locked the front door and headed upstairs for the night. Turning off the downstairs light at the top of the stairs.
Her compliment made him feel warm inside. He was certain she hadn’t meant anything by it other than to thank him for being there for her. But it left him feeling that way nonetheless as if they’d made a connection beyond protector and assignment in the short amount of time he’d been in Dixie. He knew his stomach couldn’t be happier with the meals she prepared for him. That alone made him happy that Hank had asked him to take this case. But there was more than that. Ami was a warm and vibrant woman. He couldn’t understand why any decent man in his right mind hadn’t snatched her up by now.
And at the same time, he was thankful that no man had come along and done just that as he hung up his suit in the closet and got ready for bed. If he had, then where would that leave him?
“Whoa now,” he said. “Back up there now, Kenneally?”
But the thought of holding her in his arms had a big smile spreading across his face. He imagined she would feel all soft and would fit against him perfectly. And she’d smell heavenly like sugar and cinnamon like she’d been baking an apple pie.
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep thinking about that and wasn’t surprised that when he woke he was extremely hungry and was glad that the aroma of fresh brewed coffee greeted him.
He hopped out of bed, went through his morning grooming and dressed before rushing downstairs to see her beautiful face again.
Ami was putting a platter of pancakes on the table when he came down the stairs.
“Perfect timing,” she called. “Do you like your syrup warmed?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Good. I do too.”
They sat down to eat and afterward prepared to go to Judson’s funeral. It was a somber affair. Not many of the town’s people turned out for it as had shown up the night before, but it was still a packed chapel.
When they returned, even though Ami was red eyed from crying, they changed their clothes and decorated Lolita for the parade.
“I can do this if you want to take a nap or something to prepare for this evening tree lighting ceremony,” Kenneally suggested. “I know how draining a funeral can be. And we’ll be going to two more tomorrow.”
She sighed. “Don’t remind me. It won’t be just the services but gravesides as well for Gertrude and Tilda this time. Would you like some tea? I think a cup would be soothing about now.”
“I’m fine, but you go ahead.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.” She left him alone and went inside. When she returned with a steaming cup in hand, he had the garland hung on both side of the truck and was trying to secure the banner on the tailgate.
She sat her cup on the step and came over to help him secure the wreath on the grill. “Perfect. This is exactly this way I imagined Lolita looking for the parade.”
“I’m going to go wash up and put on the shirt I’m wearing for the parade and grab my jacket for tonight. If you do the same, I think we should have time to have lunch in town before the parade starts,” he said.
“I can make lunch,” she protested.
“I know you can, but this is already a stressful day. Let me treat you,” he said.
She bit her bottom lip and then nodded. “Okay. I won’t be long.”
“That’s the spirit,” he said, following her into the house.