Full Bloom (8 page)

“Are you telling her not to leave town?” Destiny asked. She didn’t wait for his reply. “See, Annie, I told you to hire a lawyer.”

“I can’t afford a lawyer,” Annie said.

Lamar tossed Destiny a dark look. “I never said she couldn’t leave town.” He looked at Annie. “You haven’t been charged with anything; I just wanted to know if you’d be around in case I need to ask you some more questions. And don’t worry about the cost of a lawyer. If it comes to that and you can’t afford representation, the court will appoint someone.”

Annie felt a sense of dread wash over her. She tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice. “Well, that certainly eases my mind.”

Wes knocked on Annie’s door an hour later. When he didn’t get an answer, he opened the door quietly and peeked in. She was alone, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. “Is it okay if I come in?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He approached the bed. “I thought I should tell you, they’ve taken the body away.”

“Thank God.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. I know this can’t be easy.”

She nodded. “Charles was only thirty years old at the time of his death. I may not have liked him very much, but I never wanted him dead.” She suddenly gasped. “Oh, I forgot. Somebody is going to have to break the news to his mother. I don’t want her to find out on the six o’clock news.”

“I’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” Wes said. “You’ve got enough on your mind right now.”

“Lamar said they always look at the spouse first, which means I’m the main suspect.”

“Don’t take it personally; it’s normal procedure.”

“How do you know that?”

He shrugged. “That’s always been the case.”

“Do you think I killed him?”

“No.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I can’t see you killing
anyone,
much less dragging a body across the backyard and burying it.” He smiled as if to ease the tension. “You’re a bit of a runt.”

“I’m stronger than I look.”

“Remind me not to arm wrestle you. I’d hate to lose to a girl, especially a half pint like you.”

Annie knew he was teasing her in hopes of cheering her up. “My mother-in-law thinks I’m responsible for his disappearance. She’ll probably hound Lamar to arrest me.”

“Did the two of you get along?”

“Not because I didn’t try. But I think she was jealous. If Charles didn’t call her every day she’d pout. Later, she became as resentful as Charles when I refused to sell this place.”

The door squeaked. Annie looked up and found Danny peeking in. He glanced at Wes, then back at Annie. “How’re you doing, sport?”

She smiled. “I’m hanging in there.”

Wes seemed to take that as his cue to leave. “If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Danny stepped aside so Wes could exit. Annie swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I need to get up and start dinner.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already placed an order for several large pizzas. They’ll arrive by suppertime.”

Annie couldn’t hide her relief. “What would I do without you?”

“That’s what I keep telling you. Now wash your face and come downstairs. Everybody is worried about you.”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Your eyes are swollen, and you’ve got black gunk under them. Matter of fact, you look like hell.”

Annie winced. Lord, Wes Bridges had seen her looking that way and hadn’t mentioned it. “Gee, thanks,” she muttered.

“At least I’m honest.”

Annie nodded. That much was true. Danny had been the only friend to tell her the truth when she’d first suspected Charles of cheating. Most people didn’t want to become involved in a couple’s marital problems, but Danny felt as though she should know. “I’ll be down in a few minutes,” she said.

He started to leave and then turned. “Annie, I don’t like to interfere in your business, but . . .” He paused. When she looked up in question, he went on. “It’s Wes. I don’t completely trust him. Be careful, okay?”

The light was fading when Wes parked his motorcycle in front of Eve Fortenberry’s. She met him at the door wearing a frumpy dress, bedroom slippers, and holding a cigarette. She took one look at his face and stepped back as though she knew something terrible was coming. “What is it?”

“We’ve found your son.”

“And?” Her eyes were cold and hard, daring him to give her bad news.

“Eve, I’m sorry.”

Her face crumpled. “No,” she said, shaking her head. She covered her mouth. Wes stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Erdle arrived home the following morning. Annie stepped outside the minute his car pulled into the driveway. “I need to talk to you.”

“You’re throwing me out.”

She thought he sounded surprisingly sober. “Not at the moment. Something bad has happened.” She gave him the news, then said, “Lamar Tevis suspects me.”

Erdle sighed. “Then I’m probably on the list, too,” he said. “Everybody knows I wouldn’t have given two cents for him.”

“You weren’t even here at the time. You have an airtight alibi.”

“I forgot. Damn, it seems like it all happened about ten years ago. But you had an alibi, too. You were in Atlanta with your mother, remember?”

Annie didn’t respond.

“This place is very strange,” Destiny announced two days later as she joined Annie, Theenie, and Lovelle in the kitchen.

“You got that right,” Lovelle said. “There aren’t many places where you can find a dead body in your backyard.”

“Must we discuss this at breakfast?” Theenie asked. “And in front of Annie to boot?”

“I’m okay,” Annie said, staring into her coffee cup. But she didn’t look okay. Dark circles made half moons beneath her eyes, and she’d barely eaten since Charles’s remains had been discovered. “I guess everybody in town knows by now,” she said, nodding toward the folded newspaper beside her cup, where the morning headlines had drawn attention to the discovery. Jamie had called to apologize in advance, but Annie didn’t blame her for printing it; reporting the news was Jamie’s job.

Annie shoved the thought from her mind and looked at Destiny. “What’s the problem?”

“Some of my lingerie is missing.”

“Oh boy,” Theenie said.

“I’m not accusing any of you,” Destiny said hurriedly. “I already know who took them.”

“Oh boy,” Theenie repeated.

“Would you please stop saying that?” Lovelle insisted. “You sound like a broken record.” She leaned closer to Destiny. “Who do you think took your things?”

“The spirit, to get my attention. That’s the way it is with dead people.”

Annie noted the fear in Theenie’s eyes. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation,” she said.

Destiny studied Annie closely. “You’re in denial. This place is haunted, and the ghost has latched on to me, and you just don’t want to hear about it.”

Lovelle leaned closer to Destiny. “We don’t really talk about it.”

“Oh, I get it,” Destiny said to Annie. “You’re afraid it will hurt business, so you try to sweep it under the rug. There are other things about the house you’re not proud of as well. Do you think people don’t already know? Or
feel
it? The air is thick with . . .” She paused. “It’s like a sexual undertow.”

Three pairs of eyes looked at her, but nobody said anything.

“I know damn good and well I’m not the only one who feels it,” Destiny said.

Lovelle leaned closer. “I’ve never told anybody this, but since I moved into this house I have had a lot of sexy dreams.”

Theenie gnawed her bottom lip. “Well, I’ll have to admit I’ve dreamed about Clark Gable a lot.”

“Was he naked?” Lovelle asked.

“Absolutely not! Mr. Gable is a gentleman. All we’ve done is share a few kisses.”

Annie was thoughtful as she took a sip of her coffee. She wasn’t about to admit that her sex drive was in overdrive. And she’d certainly had her share of illicit dreams. She looked up and found the others watching her. She shrugged. “I hate to disillusion you guys, but I’m so tired by the time I drag myself to bed that it’s all I can do to brush my teeth before climbing in.”

Destiny merely gave Annie a smile that told her she knew better.

“I’m sorry your things are missing,” Annie told her, “but I’m sure they’ll turn up.” She gave a weary sigh.

“Annie, honey, what’s wrong?” Theenie said. “I can always tell when something is bothering you.”

“I’m just annoyed, that’s all. Two guys from the local TV station knocked on my door this morning and shoved a microphone in my face while I was still in my bathrobe.”

“And you weren’t wearing makeup, I’ll bet,” Destiny said.

Annie shook her head. “And yesterday I caught a couple of women sneaking around the backyard, no doubt looking for the grave, and the traffic has suddenly picked up because people want to see the woman who supposedly murdered her husband and buried his body in the backyard.”

Theenie reached over and covered Annie’s hand. “I shouldn’t have hidden your rolling pin.”

“On top of that, I got a call late last night from a member of the Red Hat Society. She canceled today’s luncheon.”

“But you’ve already prepared most of the food,” Lovelle said.

“I can freeze some of it,” Annie said.

“Did she say
why
she was canceling?” Theenie asked.

“She didn’t have to. I knew this was going to happen. It’s bad enough people have to read about it in the newspaper and see it on the news; that idiot Lamar still has crime scene tape stretched from one end of the neighborhood to the other. I don’t blame them for canceling.”

“I’m sorry I complained,” Destiny said. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I get grumpy when I’m tired.” She gave a laugh. “It’s not like I don’t have a ton of lingerie.”

Theenie suddenly brightened. “You don’t have to freeze the food, Annie. You can use it tomorrow evening for the Ladies Night Out group.”

Annie gave a rueful smile. “They won’t be coming, either.” Only she hadn’t found out until after she’d spent more than one hundred dollars on two large standing rib roasts, not to mention all the other items she’d purchased. She noted the concern on the women’s faces and felt guilty for burdening them with her problems. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m sure this is temporary.” They didn’t look any more convinced than she was.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Wes entered the kitchen. His hair was still wet from his shower, but he hadn’t bothered to shave. He looked from one woman to the other. “What’s wrong?”

Theenie didn’t hesitate. “Somebody is stealing Destiny’s underwear, and Annie has had two cancellations.” She covered her mouth and shot an apologetic look at Destiny. “I’m sorry I brought up your unmentionables. Sometimes things just pop right out of my mouth before I think.”

Destiny shrugged, propped her elbows on the table, and leaned forward slightly, the cameo attached to her gold necklace sinking between her breasts. “It’s okay,” Destiny told Theenie. “I’m not easily embarrassed.”

Wes turned to Annie. “Who canceled what?”

“It’s not important,” Annie said. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was tell Wes her problems.

Theenie suddenly brightened. “There’s still the baby shower on Saturday.”

Annie smiled and nodded. She wasn’t one to let things drag her down for long. “You’re right. You and Lovelle need to start thinking about the decorations.” Annie knew both women got a kick out of sifting through her large cardboard boxes where she kept all sorts of decorations neatly packed and labeled; they would choose just the right items and spend hours putting them up.

Wes turned his attention back to Destiny. “You’re missing lingerie?” he asked. “There’s a bunch of, uh, female stuff hanging over the shower rod in my bathroom. I was wondering what they were doing there.”

“See, I told you they’d show up,” Annie said.

“Yes, but I didn’t put them there,” Destiny replied. “The ghost did it.”

Wes looked at her. “What ghost?”

A sudden clatter overhead made them jump. Peaches, napping in a pool of sunlight at the window, leaped to her feet, arched her back, and hissed.

“That one,” Destiny said.

Annie chuckled and waved it off. “It’s just the wind.”

“That’s what she always says,” Theenie told Wes.

“Destiny is pulling your leg about the ghost,” Annie went on. “We obviously have a prankster in the house, don’t we, ladies?” Even as she said it she felt a brush of cool air on the back of her neck, making her hair stand on end and sending shivers down her spine.

Dusk had settled in as Destiny stepped over the crime scene tape surrounding the still-gaping hole. The deputies had worked for two days, combing the area for evidence, before deciding they’d probably found all there was. Yet the garish yellow tape remained. Standing before the grave, Destiny closed her eyes and remained perfectly still. A cold wind whipped through the branches of the tall oaks, rustling the leaves and causing the gray moss to wave and shudder. Finally, Destiny knelt beside the hole and ran her fingers through the black dirt that would have made a perfect vegetable garden had Charles Fortenberry not been found buried there. Destiny let the dirt sift through her fingers.

“What are you doing?” a male voice asked.

Destiny turned and found a baffled-looking Erdle standing there. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Nobody’s supposed to go on that side of the tape.”

“You plan on turning me in?” She sounded indifferent.

“You could be destroying evidence.”

Destiny laughed. “If those local yokels haven’t found anything by now they’re not going to.”

“What makes you think you will?”

“Because my methods are different.”

Erdle cocked his head to the side, studying her closely. “Chief Tevis says you’re as crazy as a bedbug.”

“That’s because I always steal his thunder each time he hits a dead end and is forced to call on me. And because I won’t sleep with him. Imagine that.”

“So, were you able to get any messages from the
beyond
?” Erdle asked in such a way that made it obvious he didn’t believe in her abilities.

She shook her head. “Too many people have been over it, which lessens my chances of picking up on anything. Lamar should have let me have at it first.” She regarded Erdle. “You got any idea who might have killed Charles Fortenberry?”