Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town (16 page)

She turned. In an instant, her head snapped back. Sharp pain ricocheted through her skull. She stumbled backwards. Her arms thrashed about as she tried to grab the chair arm to keep from falling, but the chair tipped over, and she fell to the floor. She rolled over onto her side and held her head between her hands. She gasped in agony. A deep sharp pain pierced her side. She screamed, rolled onto her back, and used her feet to scoot her body toward her desk.

“Help me … !” she breathed.

Another sharp pain pierced her breast. She let go of her head, grabbed at her chest, and latched onto the sharp blade. The television flickered and lit up the room. For a brief moment, she focused in on angry, dark eyes.

Thunder rumbled.

“Please … I swear … I didn’t tell anyone … I saw you,” Gaylene whispered her last words.

The blade sliced through the skin on the palms of her hands before she released her grip.

Canned laughter came from the television again.

42

 “I didn’t know we had panthers in this part of the country,” Justin said when Cal came through the front door the following morning. He carried the paperback in one hand and a to-go cup of coffee in the other.

Cal eyed him a moment before he shut the door behind him. Justin had a damp paper towel in his hand and wiped at what looked like egg yolk from the front of his shirt.

“What are you talking about?” Cal asked.

Justin motioned his head and cut his eyes toward the back of the building.

Cal grinned. He walked toward the hallway. “You gotta to feed ‘em, or they’ll eat you alive.”

“She threw her breakfast tray at me.”

“Gotta be quick, Justin.”

“I ducked.” He looked down at his shirt. “Just not quick enough,” he mumbled.

“How’s Christine?” Cal asked.

Justin looked up, a grin spread across his face. “She’s doing real well. She’d had some morning sickness, but that was weeks ago.” He tossed the paper towel in the wastebasket near his desk. “Oh,” he beamed, “the baby’s been kicking up a storm. Doc said it’s a boy. I think that’s the way it should be. The first child being a boy. You know, the older brother to the sister sort of thing?”

Cal laughed. “So y’all aren’t through having kids.”

“Oh no! Not by a long shot. It’s too much fun trying.”

Cal shook his head, went into his office, and tossed the paperback and his hat down on his desk. He walked around his desk, stood in front of the window, and looked out at the sun peeking over the eastern horizon. He took a sip of his coffee. The phone rang. He glanced over at his desk phone and saw the lit button go out. He turned back and took another sip.

Fast approaching footsteps came from down the hallway. By the time he’d turned around, Justin was at his door.

“Sheriff, we got a call from a man over at the Deluxe Inn. He said there’s a dead body in the motel office.”

Cal set his coffee down on his desk, grabbed his hat, and followed Justin out of the building.

Cal and Justin arrived a few minutes later along with Hendrix, Miller, and Porter.

A husky middle-aged man hurried over as they exited their squad cars. “I was the one who called. I was trying to get checked in,” he said and breathed heavily. “I couldn’t get anyone’s attention. There’s a bell over the door, but nobody showed up. So I kept hitting the service bell over and over. Still nothing. I looked around, and when I peeked back into the office, that’s when I saw her. There’s blood everywhere. I didn’t touch anything though.”

The man followed them toward the door to the lobby. Justin held his hand up to the man as they opened the door to enter. “Just stay out here. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll want to talk with you later.”

“But … but I … ,” his voiced trailed off as the door closed behind them.

Cal glanced around the small lobby. A well worn, red chair sat in the corner. On one side was an end table covered with old magazines and a yellowed newspaper. On the other side, a large, wilted, potted plant sat on the floor in front of a curtain drawn window.

Cal led the way toward the office. He stopped in the doorway and looked down at the bloody, lifeless body of Gaylene Peterson. Justin handed him a pair of surgical gloves, and Cal slipped them on his hands. He stepped over, squatted, and held two fingers on a pulse point of her neck. He knew but had to check anyway.

Cal stood, looked at Justin, and said, “Call the M.E..”

Justin left the room. His face was void of color. He could have made the call in here, but Cal knew his deputy needed fresh air.

Cal stood over the body. He leaned one way and then the other as he eyed the torn, bloody fabric of her blouse. She’d bled out onto the carpet. She had an ugly wound on the left side of her forehead. He scanned the room in search of anything that might be the weapon. The only sign of struggle was an overturned chair near her desk.

Justin stepped in the doorway but didn’t come inside nor did he look down at the body. “They’re on their way.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “Wonder when this happened?”

“Is that man still outside?”

“Yeah.”

“Go talk with him, and see what else you can find out.”

“Got it.” Justin left.

Cal noted the position of the body and the entrance to the office. The wall across from him had a small safe. The door was shut. Nothing looked to be disturbed other than the overturned chair.

“You either knew your attacker or were taken off guard. Maybe both.”

Cal glanced around the room, his eyes landed on a notepad on the desk. He stepped over and read the scribbling.

He looked down at the body again. “Well, Gaylene, looks like you’ve left me a clue. Seems you remembered something after all.”

43

Ted hurried inside the front door. Callie descended the stairs. She wore a skimpy, two piece bathing suit. She watched him as he unleashed the dog and then grabbed a set of car keys out of the glass dish.

“Where’s Agnes?” she asked when she stepped off the bottom step.

The dog sat down near his feet.

He looked at her and heaved a sigh. “She’s in jail. I’m going to try to get her out of there.”

Callie studied him a moment then threw her head back and laughed. The dog’s ears perked up, and he watched Callie with curiosity.

“What’s so funny about that?”

She took a breath and placed her hand on her stomach. “Oh, Ted! This is a first for you.” She waved a hand at him.

“What?”

“She’s in jail. That’s so funny.” She continued to laugh. “You’ve never told me a joke before.” She stopped laughing and thought a moment. “Well, I really don’t remember if you ever did. Anyway, it’s the first one that was funny.” She took a few deep breaths and then asked, “Now, seriously, where is she?”

He looked on a moment longer before he turned back toward the door. “I told you, Caldonia, she’s in jail.”

Callie watched him open the door. “Wait!”

He stepped over the threshold, looked back over his shoulder, and held the door open. Gabriel stood and walked toward the door.

“No, Gabe. Stay,” he said.

The dog’s ears drooped, and he sat back on his haunches.

She hurried across the room but kept her distance from the dog. “You are
not
leaving that dog here. I won’t be responsible for this mangy mutt.”

“Don’t worry, Maggie said she’d watch him.”

He shut the door.

“Maggie isn’t in here,” she shouted.

“Yes, Mrs. Wallace. Did you call me?” Maggie stepped into the room and collared the dog.

Callie looked at her and then the dog. She turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen. “Never mind.” She went through the kitchen to the patio door and headed to the pool for her morning laps.

Maggie watched her leave. After the patio door was closed, she let go of the dog’s collar. “Come on. I got your breakfast waiting.” He followed her into the kitchen.

She stopped in the middle of the kitchen, lifted up her face, and raised her hands high into the air. “Thank You, Jesus, for helping me put up with that woman. Lord, I’d probably be in prison on death row right now if You didn’t.” She put her hands down and glanced around for the dog. When she didn’t see him, she turned, and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Uh oh,” she mumbled.

Gabriel stood near the doorway. His tail wagged as he looked up at Ted.

“Sir, I uh …”

He shook his head. “No need to explain. I grabbed the wrong car keys.” He held a set of keys up and jiggled them. “I heard you in here, and I thought … never mind. I got to run.” He turned and left.

* * *

Ted walked into the lobby of the sheriff’s department and looked around the room. He saw the dispatcher behind a desk, walked over, and stood in front of it. “Excuse me?”

The dispatcher looked over the top of the morning newspaper. “Can I help you?”

“I need to speak to the sheriff.”

“He’s not here right now.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

He shook his head. “No. He was called out about …” he eyed the clock on the wall, “a couple of hours ago. If you’d like to wait, you can have a seat right over there.” He extended his index finger from the others that still held onto the newspaper and pointed across the room.

Ted looked in that direction. “Thanks.”

Ted walked across the room and found a place to sit. He’d already called into his office and let them know he’d be running late. He had to get Raven out of jail, and he hoped whatever the charges were against her would be dropped. None of what he’d heard of Raven’s ranting and raving made any sense while the sheriff hauled her over his shoulder and out of the house.

He’d called the sheriff’s department not long after they had left and had talked with the night dispatcher. He’d told him that the sheriff was busy and to call back tomorrow. Ted hadn’t been able to sleep from worrying about Raven. There was no way she could be involved with the murders of the Neals.

He eyed a table beside him. Several old magazines were strewn across the top. He picked up one and began to thumb through it.

An hour and a half later, Justin walked through the door.

Ted stood up. “Where’s the sheriff?”

With his thumb, Justin pointed behind him and then headed on toward the hallway.

Cal came through the door. He removed his hat and wiped sweat from his brow.

“Sheriff?” Ted stepped over in front of him.

“Dr. Wallace, how can I help you?”

“I’d like to take Raven home.”

“I figured that’s why you were here. I can’t let her go just yet.”

“What’s the problem? She hasn’t done anything. I mean, she wasn’t even here when the murders took place.”

He nodded. “I know that, but she said she was going back to New York after I told her that she couldn’t leave. Now, that’s obstructing justice, and you go to jail for that.”

“I don’t see how her going home is obstruction of justice.”

“She turned some evidence in to this office that I’m not at liberty to talk about. I needed her to stay for more questioning, and she refused. That’s obstruction of justice. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

“May I see her?”

“Now wouldn’t be a good time. She assaulted an officer this morning.”

“She what?”

Cal tilted his head. “You heard me. She’s going to be charged for assaulting an officer.”

Ted’s mouth dropped open. He watched Cal walk away.

44

Cal had stepped into the men’s room to wash up. When he’d finished, he put his hat back on, headed out, and on down the hallway toward the back. He opened the door to the area that housed the women’s cells. He closed the door behind him. The sound of his footsteps on the concrete floors echoed off the cinderblock walls. He stopped in front of Raven’s cell.

She was stretched out on the bed with her fingers laced behind her head and her legs crossed at her ankles.

“If you’re not here to release me,
go away
,” she said.

He didn’t say anything. After a few minutes of silence, she drew her legs around and sat up. She looked across the cell at him.

“I don’t know if you know this or not, so I’ll share it with you—Virgil’s funeral is tomorrow, and I can’t attend if I’m locked in here.”

He still didn’t respond.

She jumped up from the bed and stomped over to stand in front of him. She grabbed the bars, leaned in close, and stood on tip-toe. “If you don’t let me out of here right now, I want a lawyer. It’s my right. I have a right to counsel.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “If I let you go, you can’t leave town.”

She eyed him a long moment. “I still don’t understand why you need me to stay. I had nothing to do with anything except collecting the dog and finding the money.”

“I don’t want you telling anyone about the money.”

“Why? I mean, surely it belongs to someone. I highly doubt it belonged to … my dad. He never could hang onto ninety-nine cents long enough to find a penny to make a dollar.”

“I agree that it does belong to someone, but someone is killing people to try to find it.”

She relaxed her grip on the bars. “What do you mean?”

He scratched the back on his head and then searched her eyes. “Did you tell anyone at all about the duffle bag you found?”

“No.”

“Did anyone see you come in my office carrying that duffle bag?”

She thought a moment. “Just Deputy Ledet.” She looked off for a second and then looked back at him. “Wait … your father was leaving when I came in.” She watched him. “Surely you don’t think your dad … ?”

“I don’t know what to think right now, but I do know this … I don’t want you leaving town.”

“I still don’t understand why.” She dropped her hands to her sides.

“I’ll tell you at a later time. Now, can I trust you to stay?”

“I was told that I was being charged with assaulting an officer.”

“I haven’t filed the paperwork on that. I’ll leave what happens with that up to you.”