Murder in Marietta (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 2) (3 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

H
arv! Stop yelling. I couldn’t call you back sooner. I’ve been kind of busy.”

My editor is a wonderful guy at heart, and he’d do anything to help me out. He’s just a big ole’ teddy bear underneath that rough exterior of his, but he sticks to me like a cocklebur.

When it comes to his baby, as he calls “Georgia by the Way,” he can get a little uptight and doesn’t let up until my first draft of any assignment is on his desk for inspection. Having said as much, his boisterous ways played havoc on my last nerve sometimes.

“Have you accomplished your goals?” I heard him crunch an everpresent Tootsie Pop. The sweet treat became his vice after doctor’s orders required him to give up smoking.

“Yes and no, Harv.” Tirade expected, I held the phone away from my ear.

“What in the world do you mean?” That booming voice sounded like Harv stood next to me in the room.

“Calm down so I can tell you what happened.” A ‘hmph’ shot through the phone.

“Yes, I’ve picked up a good story. No, I’m not sure when the article will be ready. We’ve experienced a bit of excitement, and the trip might take a little longer than we expected.”

Over the next several minutes I explained what had transpired. I detected muttering as I hung up – something about being glad he didn’t have to travel on assignment with me.

I flipped my cell phone closed. The world as I knew it yesterday, now felt surreal. I willed myself to call Nana. I wanted to make sure she was all right. Mama usually acted as my great-aunt’s gate-keeper, but she wasn’t here, so she trusted me to take care of her. Several times, this sweet little lady had wandered off on what she prefers to call “adventures.” We’ve more aptly termed them “disasters.”

Recently, Nana decided she wanted to enter the world of technology. So, she is the proud owner of a flip-phone designed especially for seniors. I caught her pressing several buttons before she hit the jackpot, so I set the menu to answer automatically when she flips the top open.

“Hello,” a quivering voice answered.

“Nana, its Trixie. I noticed you called me earlier. Are you okay?”

“Oh, Trixie. Something terrible happened. I’m at the hospital.”

“What’s the matter? What hospital?” I could barely form the words.
Please Lord; remove this elephant from my chest. I can’t breathe
. I wished I could blink my eyes and reach Nana as soon as possible.

“I’m all right, sweetie. Dora’s taken a fall. After we went out to eat supper, we decided we’d go over to the bowling alley. They had a special - two games for the price of one. It was disco night, and they had all these brightly colored lights flashing and disco balls spinning. Those twirling things sure must have given her the dizzies!

“We were having a wonderful time, and everything was fine until Dora fell down and started flailing her arms and legs. The doctor said the flashing lights caused a seizure.”

“How terrible.” Immediate relief Nana wasn’t lying in the hospital was followed by shameful guilt.

“Yes, it is! And that isn’t the worst of it. Dora hit the floor like a ton of sand, and she broke her left hip.”
That’s a ton of bricks, Nana
. “You know that’s been her bad hip for a long time.” No, I didn’t know about the bad hip, but the discrepancy seemed insignificant. “She’s in surgery. They’re not sure if she’ll need a replacement. I’m waiting for the doctor. By the way, did I mention how cute he is? I think he’s Italian.”

“You didn’t tell me about the cute doctor,” I said, rolling my eyes. The mistake was too late. Nana possessed an uncanny ability to detect when I’m eye rolling, and she never lets it slide.

“Don’t roll your peepers at me, Missy.”

No point in arguing with her. “Sorry. I wish I could come to the hospital, but something’s happened at the museum. I won’t be able to visit right away. Will you be okay until I arrive?”

My insides churned like an old-timey washing machine. I wanted to be with Nana as she waited for news about Dora. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t envision Detective Columbo letting me go anywhere until he finished his interviews. I did the next best thing – I offered a prayer.
Please be with Nana and her friend and keep them safe. Dee Dee
and I sure could use some comfort, too.

“I’ll be fine. The nurses and doctors have been so good to us. A nurse set me up in a little waiting room and gave me some snacks. Tommy, Dora’s only son, lives in some foreign country. The name starts with a B, maybe Brazil or Britain. She told me he’s a big wheel in a company over there. The doctor put a call in to him. You take care of your business at the museum and come on over when you can.”

“Thanks, Nana. I’m so glad you’re okay, and I’m sorry Dora fell.”

“Thank you, Sweetie. I’m going to go and find out if I can finagle an update. When that nice young doctor comes out to talk to me, I’ll put in a good word for you. A little competition wouldn’t hurt Beau. I’ll see you when you get here, dear.”

“’Bye, Nana.” I heard dead air and realized I didn’t get the name of the hospital.

I flipped my phone closed and walked over to where Doc discovered the body. The activity resembled a bustling beehive. Officer Debra and Officer Rick were huddled, talking with each other. A redheaded woman dressed in jeans and a bright blue sweatshirt took pictures as fast as the shutter clicked.

As the EMT’s carried the body out on the gurney, a lifeless arm flopped out from under the sheet, swung down, and dangled toward the floor. One of the techs reached down and nonchalantly tucked it back under. The hair on my own arms stood at attention.

CHAPTER SIX

M
r. Nice Suit, whom I assumed was the medical examiner, followed closely behind the techs. He turned around and addressed the police officers. “Tell Bowerman I’ll call him later.”

I was aware of my surroundings, but felt like I was in the midst of a horrible dream. Doc, standing next to a man I didn’t recognize, surveyed the scene around him and appeared as displaced as I felt. We made eye contact, and I walked over.

“Trixie, this is Samuel Brooks. He’s the chair of the museum board. Sammy’s always been supportive of our cause, so I knew he needed to know what happened.”

He flashed a toothpaste ad smile. “Sammy, this is Trixie Montgomery. She writes for “Georgia by the Way,” and planned on writing a feature article on our ghosts. I hoped the publicity would be a shot in the arm for us; a good ghost story could renew interest in the museum.”

Sammy and I shook hands. The man appeared to have stepped from a page of GQ magazine. He stood well over six feet tall. Up among the clouds, I imagined he experienced an air of supremacy over us mere mortals. A double-breasted suit with a pink dress shirt might be considered arrogant on some men. Not on Sammy. Olive skin, blue eyes, and salt and pepper hair completed the package. A thousand watt smile lit up his face.

I remember a time, after my divorce, I thought I’d never be interested in men again. Guess I was wrong.

“I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances, Ms. Montgomery. I must admit, the museum grapevine informed me of your visit. I suppose now that such a tragedy has occurred, you’ll want to put your research off indefinitely?”

Ha! Sammy didn’t have a clue when it came to Harv. If a story involved murder and mayhem, he anticipated the scoop more than ever. My editor isn’t unfeeling, but he’s a journalist, and that means he thinks like a reporter.
Get the story, no matter what!
is his rallying cry.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, Mr. Brooks. The decision will be up to my editor.” For a mere second his smile faded, but he quickly replaced it with blinding white teeth.

“Yes, of course.”

He turned to Doc. “I’m going to talk with the officers to see if there’s anything else I can find out. I need to inquire when we’ll be able to open again for business. I’ll call you later.” He gave Doc a manly pat on the back. “Ms. Montgomery, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry to make your acquaintance under these horrendous circumstances. I hope we’ll have a chance to talk later.” He left us standing alone. Two lost souls in a raging storm.

“Come on, let’s go find somewhere to sit down.” Gently guiding Doc by the elbow, I led him toward the sitting area in the foyer. Officer Debra hurried after us.

“Ms. Montgomery, I want to remind you Detective Bowerman needs to talk with you shortly.” She hitched up her pants and settled her hand on her gun.

“I remember. We’re just going to sit down for a while.” I pointed toward the couch.

“Fine. But don’t wander off too far,” she warned.

I helped Doc get comfortable and sat down beside him. The silence between us was palpable. None of this made sense. Doc’s face drooped, and his bottom lip quivered. I said a quick prayer.
Please Lord, don’t let
him cry
. Embarrassed to observe such an intimate moment, I looked up at the ceiling, down at the floor and anywhere else but his face. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I gave his hand a consoling pat.

“Doc, I’m sorry you found the body. It must have been a shock.” He looked over as if he’d just noticed me.

“Yes, yes. It was a terrible shock.” He dropped his head into his hands.

“Do you know who the victim is?” I glanced around. Everyone was busy doing their jobs. No one paid attention to us.

“His name is Jacob Wallace. He’s our handyman. Or rather, he
was
our handyman. We had to let him go. I was told he’d been making inappropriate advances toward some of the volunteers.” Doc’s face turned a bright shade of red. “What am I going to tell Penny? She’ll be terribly upset. She’s been functioning on her last nerve ever since these crazy incidences began.”

I agreed. If Penny was the nervous type, this would really upset her. But, from my brief observation, I think someone, long ago, had stepped on her last nerve and ground that sucker to a pulp. Like Doc, I feared this might send her over the edge.

“What in the world was he doing in the museum?” I was thinking out loud and jumped when Doc said, “I don’t know. Jacob was madder than a bull stung by a nest of hornets after I let him go. He said the accusations were all lies and I’d be sorry. He was right. I am sorry. Maybe if I’d investigated a little more before I fired him, the problem wouldn’t have come to this.”

“Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure you made the best decision at the time.”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

That surprised me.

“He’d been harassing Susan Gray, one of our board members who frequently volunteers. She happens to be the fiancé of Jeffrey Jones, who’s also on the board. When Susan told Jeffrey what happened, Jacob’s fate was sealed.”

Before I could get more details, Officer Debra arrived and escorted us into Doc’s office.

Shortly afterwards, Dee Dee followed Detective Bowerman into the room. “Good, we’re all here.” Columbo leaned against Doc’s desk, studying his notes.

I sidled up to Dee Dee for comfort
.
Her frazzled appearance indicated she hadn’t fared his inquisition any better than me or Doc.

Unlit cigar pointing at us each in turn, Bowerman’s tone was somber. “We’ve ruled this death a homicide. I’m going to need you all to stay close by. Please leave any contact information with one of the officers so we’ll be able to get in touch with you. I’m sure more questions will come up as the evidence is processed.”

“Ms. Montgomery – Ms. Lamont, I realize you’re from out of town, but I’d prefer you stay around for a few days. I’m sorry if this is an inconvenience to you.” We nodded our heads yes in unison. He gave us one last once over as he chewed his unlit cigar. I almost confessed right then and there. He definitely had this Columbo thing down. “You’re free to go now.”

After he walked out of the room, I grabbed Dee Dee’s arm. “Come on, Dee Dee! We have to go to the hospital.”

“Ms. Montgomery! Not so fast,” Officer Debra said. “I need to get some information from y’all first.” We hurriedly gave her our cell phone numbers with the promise to call and tell her where we’d be staying. We also exchanged numbers with Doc and told him to let us know if he needed anything.

“What’s Nana done now? Is she okay?” Dee Dee knew Nana way too well.

“Yes, thank God. It’s her friend Dora. She fell at the bowling alley and broke her hip. She’s in surgery right now.”