May Cooler Heads Prevail (21 page)

Relief, amazement, gratitude, are just a few of the emotions I felt when I heard Otis say that he wasn’t going to put us all in jail. And from the reactions of the others, I would say they were feeling much the same way. We hugged, slapped each other on the back, thanked Otis several times, slapped him on the back, and then went back to hugging each other. Otis let us carry on for a little while and get it all out of our systems, then he held up a restraining hand and announced, “Now, settle down. I ain’t quite finished yet. There’s some things we have to agree on.”

All of us immediately sat back down and paid attention.

“Okay, first off, you got to put Aaron Scott’s body someplace else besides that cooler, and you need to do it as soon as possible. No one but the six of us is to ever know that body was in Connie’s flower cooler. I don’t even want Billy to know anything about this. It just ain’t a fittin’ place for a body. But even if it were a fittin’ place, that flower shop is now a crime scene. Billy will be going over every inch of that place, and if that body is found there, then the killer won’t have to worry about where you folks stashed Aaron. For your own safety we need to keep him guessing. I don’t want anyone else shot. So get Aaron out of there!”

All of us started speaking at once, giving our opinions about where to put Aaron’s body, but Otis put his hand up again and commanded us to shut up.

“Don’t be interruptin’ me before I’m finished talkin’ to you folks. I don’t want to know where you put him until after
I find the killer. Understand? Now, another thing. Rudd, you get those shears from wherever you’ve stashed ‘em and bring ‘em to me first thing in the morning. If I can’t have the body, I at least want the murder weapon.”

Uncle Rudd couldn’t bob his head fast enough.

“Okay, now I want to impress upon you folks the seriousness of what you’ve done. You’ve not only made yourselves accessories to murder, you’ve put me in an awkward position. I don’t know what to say to the D.A. I could lose my job. Be arrested myself. I don’t much like being put in that position. I don’t know when or how I’m going to explain this to Billy, much less put it all down in an official report. And the worst of it is that because of your interference, Truman Spencer got shot tonight.”

“Whatever you decide to do, Otis, every one of us will back you to the hilt,” Uncle Rudd said firmly.

“Thank you, Rudd. Now shut up.” Otis narrowed his eyes. “I’ll manage. Your job is to stay out of this from here on out. If anyone asks you, just tell them that you weren’t much help at all. And let me say that if you don’t abide by these conditions, I’ll slap every single one of you in jail faster than you can say ‘vote for Otis for sheriff,’ and hang the complaints from the townsfolk. Have I made myself very, very clear?”

Uncle Rudd stood up, and we followed suit. He reached out his hand to Otis and Otis took it. As they shook hands, Uncle Rudd told him, “Otis, I’m mighty grateful to you for not putting us in jail. We’ll do as you say and take care of
Aaron’s body as soon as possible. In fact, we’ll take care of it tonight.”

Aunt Connie stepped in front of Uncle Rudd. “Otis, would you mind calling the hospital and checking on Truman before we leave? We’d all like to know how he’s getting along.”

Otis nodded. “Okay, you go on out to the waiting room, and I’ll be out there in a minute with whatever I can find out.”

We were a pretty solemn lot as we filed out into the waiting room. We were talked out, tired, and relieved about not going to jail, but still worried about Truman. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Otis to come out and tell us that Truman was out of surgery and doing well.

I desperately wanted to go to the hospital and see for myself that he was going to be fine. But it was already late, and we still had to figure out where we were going to bury Aaron.

Giving me an understanding look, Aunt Connie asked Otis, “Would it be all right with you if we went over to the hospital tonight to see Truman for ourselves? That is, if everyone else agrees. I know it would help me a sight if I could just lay eyes on him. And I think it would help the others, also—especially Dixie. We’re all tired, but I think we got just enough energy left in us to at least check on Truman before we take care of Aaron’s body. That wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it, Otis?”

A thoughtful look crossed Otis’s face before he answered.

“Yeah, I’m okay with that. Just don’t tell Truman anything about Scott if he regains consciousness while you’re there, all right? You don’t have to get Scott’s body out of the flower shop tonight. However, he needs to be out of there by mid-morning. I won’t be able to hold Billy off from checking your place much longer than that.”

We assured Otis we would take care of things and said good night. Then we got our jackets on and headed back to the flower shop. Uncle Rudd’s car was still parked in the alley. He could drive us to the hospital from there.

The air was cool and crisp. The night sky was clear, and the stars shone as I looked up at them. I was glad to be walking out of the station a free woman, glad that Otis knew about Aaron Scott, and very glad that Truman Spencer was going to be all right.

I had just about talked myself into believing that we had come out of this safe and sound, and everything would turn out all right, when Aunt Connie pointed out that if the killer was watching us walk back to the shop, he could pick us off like crows on a fence.

We picked up our pace, with Uncle Rudd and Freedom walking on the outside, and tried to stay in the shadows all the way back to the flower shop. Once inside, we locked the doors, turned on the lights, and breathed a little easier.

Aunt Connie looked around the workshop and visibly shivered. “I’m sort of sorry now that we made this place look so spooky. But I sure don’t have the inclination or the energy
at the moment to clean it all up.”

Uncle Rudd put his arm around Aunt Connie. “It’s been quite a night, all right. We’re all tired and worn out and still got a lot to do. We need to take care of Aaron’s body, and we all want to check on Truman. So how about we take care of those two things at once. It came to me that Addison’s Mill might be a good place to bury Aaron, at least temporarily. That old mill is abandoned, and nobody goes poking around out there. You ladies can take the car and go on out to the hospital to see Truman. Freedom and I will take his truck and Aaron’s body and follow you. But we’ll stop at Addison’s Mill and bury Aaron. After this morning’s rain the ground will be soft enough to dig a shallow grave. After we’re through, we’ll follow you ladies on to the hospital and meet up with you there. How does that sound to everyone?”

Aunt Connie sighed and nodded. “That’s all right with me, Rudd. I think I would rather go on to the hospital. I don’t know that I could bear seeing Aaron put in a shallow grave, anyway. Somehow that seems worse than putting him in the flower cooler. I’d like to see him have a proper burial, not just a shallow hole in the ground.”

Uncle Rudd looked tenderly at Aunt Connie. “Once Otis gets this thing straightened out, we’ll give Aaron a proper burial.”

“Yes, I think it’s best for everyone that you and Freedom bury Aaron,” Aunt Nissa said to Uncle Rudd. “But after we see Truman, I don’t think that Connie, Dixie, and Freedom
ought to come back here tonight. It gives me the willies to think that the murderer could come back here. They should pack an overnight bag and come on out to our place and spend the night.”

“When you’re right, you’re right,” Uncle Rudd told Aunt Nissa. Then he turned his attention to the rest of us. “What d’ya say? Sound like a plan?”

The thought of spending the night in Aunt Connie’s apartment over the flower shop, even with Freedom just next door, gave me the willies, too. I liked the idea of spending the night out at Uncle Rudd and Aunt Nissa’s place and said so. Aunt Connie wasn’t overly anxious to stay at her apartment either. It took a little while for us to convince Freedom, but finally he agreed.

Once that decision was made, Uncle Rudd replaced the lightbulb that had been shot out in the fixture over the workshop door. With the alleyway lit again, it didn’t take us long to run upstairs and gather up our stuff.

The next task was to get Aaron’s body into the bed of Freedom’s truck. I volunteered to help Uncle Rudd and Freedom carry the body out to the truck. I figured they had enough to do digging the grave. Aunt Connie rummaged through her storage closet in the workroom and came up with two battery-powered lights. Freedom already had a spade in the back of his truck. Uncle Rudd had a shovel that he kept in the trunk of his car in case he got stuck somewhere in the wintertime. Aunt Nissa packed water jugs and food as
her contribution. None of us had the heart to point out to her that food was probably not a necessary item.

We were just about ready to leave when Aunt Connie mumbled, “I forgot something,” and went back into the workshop. She came out with a bouquet of long-stemmed red carnations wrapped in white tissue paper. Picking one flower out of the bunch, Aunt Connie handed it to Uncle Rudd. “I’m taking these flowers to Truman. They’ve got vases at the hospital I can put them in. But I’d like for you to take that carnation and lay it on Aaron’s grave. I understand that we can’t draw attention to the grave with a lot of flowers, but nobody will notice just one carnation. Hold it down with a rock or something.”

Uncle Rudd nodded and gave her a hug. “I’ll do it, Little Sis. You gals go on now. We’ll be up at the hospital as soon as we can.”

We left first, with me driving Uncle Rudd and Aunt Nissa’s car.

When we passed Addison’s Mill, none of us said a word. In the rearview mirror I could see Freedom’s headlights. I watched until I saw them pull off toward the mill. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t see Aunt Connie turn her head or notice her looking into the passenger side mirror, but all the same, she knew, because I heard her sigh just as the headlights of Freedom’s truck disappeared from behind us. I breathed a sigh of relief and drove on to the hospital.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

W
e drove into the parking area where after-hours visitors could enter through the emergency room. When we pulled up and parked, Billy was outside waiting for us. He met us halfway.

“Hello, ladies.” He smiled a tired smile and tipped his hat. “Been a long night, hasn’t it? Otis called awhile ago and asked me if I’d stick around until you got here and make sure you got to see Truman. He’s out like a light, but I’ve got it all set up for you to sit with him for a while if you want.”

The three of us thanked Billy and gave him a hug. We could tell that he was tired and in need of being appreciated.

He beamed at us then looked around. “Where’s Rudd and Freedom?”

“They had something to take care of, but they’re right behind us,” Aunt Nissa said.

“You don’t have to stay, Billy. If you’ve already set it up so that we can see Truman, surely they’ll let Rudd and Freedom in when they come.”

Billy didn’t look absolutely sure about that, but he was
evidently too tired to argue. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll go in the emergency room with you, though, and let them know Rudd and Freedom are coming. Marsha Wallens is working up on the post-surgery ward where they have Truman. All we need to do is call her. She said she would come down and take you up there to his room. Marsha’s brother, Sam Jeffcoat, is with Truman now.”

“Why is Sam with Truman?” I asked. It was hard for me to imagine Sam and Truman in the same room together. They were such different people. Sam was quite a bit older, and in my opinion, wiser, than Truman. Sam’s main occupation was cattle ranching, but he was also a lay preacher. The outstanding thing about Sam is that he is a man at peace with God and with life. I couldn’t figure out what a sullen journalist like Truman had in common with someone like Sam Jeffcoat.

Billy shrugged his thin shoulders. “Sam and Truman have become pretty good buddies since Sam’s wife died a year or so ago.”

That certainly set my thoughts back a step or two. But I didn’t have time to mull it over. Billy led the way through the emergency room to a phone in the hallway and dialed the three-digit number.

After he was done talking, he informed us that Marsha was on her way down to get us, and she would make sure they would send Uncle Rudd and Freedom up when they came through the emergency ward. Yawning, Billy added,
“Now that I know everything’s taken care of, I think I’ll just mosey on home. Got a big day tomorrow. Oh, that reminds me. Connie, Otis wondered if I could have the keys to the back of the flower shop so I could dust for prints and look for clues tomorrow. He said to just drop them by the station as soon as you could in the morning.”

Bless Otis! He set it up so that if we didn’t get Aaron’s body out of the flower shop cooler tonight, we had time to do it in the morning.

“I always keep my keys on me, Billy,” Aunt Connie told him as she fished them out of her purse. Taking one off” the ring, she handed it to Billy. “I’ll keep my apartment key and the key to the showroom. You won’t need those. How long do you think you’ll need to be in the workshop? We need to clean up the place.”