Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Are you sure?” Granny Agnes asked me as I gave my full statement about Alice Charles after Al had asked me to go to the sheriff’s department to do so.
“As Dottie would say, if the shoe fits. And let’s just say that Alice is not only a klepto because she stole Buck’s teacups, but she also bribed Queenie with ten thousand dollars.
She didn’t like how Florence put manners over conservation efforts, and she planned all the sessions with Tex only to set him up,” I told Hank’s sweet granny as I looked up at her. She was the dispatch officer.
She did things the old-school way and kept files by putting pen to paper. And that was exactly what she was doing with my interview. She had her gray hair pulled back in a bun but just a little one because it was short.
Her saggy jowls quivered as she mouthed my words to herself while her wrinkled hand wrote them.
“Premeditated,” Al said, rubbing his chin as he paced back and forth, waiting for Granny Agnes to finish writing.
“Yes, and she wrote down all the sessions she had with Tex in her planner,” I told him. "So you better get someone over to the Milkery to arrest her before she leaves town."
“You go on, Al,” Granny Agnes shooed him. “I might be over eighty, but I’m capable of taking my granddaughter-in-law’s statement.”
I loved her endearing title for me. She was amazing in all ways.
Even though I had grieved my real parents earlier as I watched Tex’s fire, I still had my wonderful found family and friends along with Mary Elizabeth and Bobby Ray.
The blessing I had did not fall short on me.
And now my good friend Tex would go free any minute after he and Glenda had their moment in the interrogation room and he signed all the release papers.
“Mae, I can’t—we—” Tex looked at Glenda as she hugged him up, not about to let that man go. “We can’t thank you enough. I’m dying for a real cup of coffee. What do you say we take you to Trails Coffee on us?”
“I say yes,” I told them. After signing my statement, I felt so much at peace. “Granny, do you want to go?”
“No, honey.” She shook her head. “I’ve got to call the governor and let him know his wife is no longer a suspect. He’s been wearing me out.”
I wanted to tell her about the affair, but I’d told Liz I wouldn’t, and if she decided to come to the department, it would be her decision.
Besides, the affair coming to light would in no way help with Alice.
It had nothing to do with her. So I left the department with a secret that really did die with Florence.
It would be swept under the rug, the way we Southerners liked it.
Which was how I left it when I exited the sheriff’s department.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that we didn’t get held at gunpoint, tied up, or whatever else we’ve been through during one of our murder investigations,” I told Dottie over the phone while I drove downtown to meet Tex and Glenda. “But you should come to get a coffee.”
“I can’t,” she said with an inhale. I could tell from the other end of the phone that she was sucking on a cig. “I’m gettin’ ready to go eat with Henry.”
“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “He told me. I completely forgot. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You never know. If your light is on, I’ll wander on down tonight,” she said. “I also let Fifi and Chester out for you this afternoon, but it looks like Hank is home now.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s beat.” I turned down the one-way street, where I decided to go to park in the laundromat’s parking lot and run across the grassy median to Trails Coffee’s location on the other side. “He was on a hard trail today, and then he had to…”
I was going to tell her about my little grieving breakdown, but no matter how much she grumbled, I knew she was excited to go out with Henry, and I didn’t need to tell her about me.
“He had to get home and get a shower,” I told her, instead of telling her how he had to comfort me. “Come on down if the lights are on.”
We hung up, and I sat in my parked car, looking out over downtown.
Downtown looked like a cute souvenir shop.
The massive grassy median was filled with twinkle lights, even though in a few weeks, it would really be lit up by lightning bugs.
All the gas lanterns near the stepping-stone path flickered, and even though I could only make out the silhouette of the Daniel Boone National Forest, everything felt at peace tonight.
The light breeze caused the tulips, purple lupines, yellow daisies, and red poppies to sway from their large pots. The tents for this week’s Farmers Market were covered with the vendors’ crafts hidden below. Maybe tomorrow I’d take advantage of some much-needed time off and come down to shop.
But for tonight, I was going to go into Trails Coffee to spend some time with Tex and Glenda.
“This is a heck of a way to celebrate,” Gert said as soon as I walked into the coffee shop and headed over toward the table Glenda and Tex had scored. “You could’ve gone back to Lypsnk,” she teased.
“I guess Betts was in here today,” I said.
“Lypsnk?” one of Gert’s employees asked from behind the counter. “My friend works there.” She used a towel to clean the spot next to the checkout.
“Liz?” I asked, stopping shy of the table where Tex stood up to pull out my chair for me.
“Oh yeah, Liz.” She made it sound like Liz was a handful and then proceeded to take care of the next customer at the counter.
“Excuse me,” I told Tex and Glenda. “I’ll be right back.”
I made my way up through what I assumed was the last of the day’s hikers. They were in there getting a little snack. This was the normal crowd for Gert at the end of the day, and she was known to put what food was left over on sale at a steep price for them.
When the employee was done taking the order, I stepped up to the counter.
“I have to ask about why you sounded funny when you talked about Liz,” I said. “She really did help me today by letting me know what you saw at the Governor’s Ball.”
“She told you?” she gasped. “I don’t think I’d ever tell anyone if I was sleeping with the governor.”
“What?” My mind went blank for a second. “Wait. What did you say? It sounded like you said Liz was having an affair with the governor, not Florence.”
“Right. Florence, the dead lady?” She wanted clarification.
I nodded.
“Yeah,” the employee said. “She’s the one who’s been blackmailing Liz—you know, because she walked in on Liz and the governor at the ball. I mean, it’s not uncommon for waitstaff to get hit on by influential drunk men.”
“Blackmailing Liz?” I gulped.
“Oh yeah. Liz has been working all of Florence’s social gatherings for free since. Or if she didn’t, Florence was going to expose Liz,” she snickered while my entire surroundings started swirling around. “Funny thing was that Tara Kelly knew he had the affair. He told her.”
My mind curled back to the tea fundraiser where I overheard Tara talk about the affair. I had assumed she was talking about Florence, but in reality, she must’ve recognized Liz, who was waiting our table.
“Hey, guys.” I hurried over to Tex and Glenda. “I think Gert is right. Let’s take this celebration up a notch and go karaoke at Lypsnk.”