Murder in Marietta (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 2) (8 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

W
e began in the Andrews’ Raiders room. A silhouette of a man stood at the window and looked out over the railroad tracks. The scene seemed eerily realistic. Marianne explained Andrews’ Raiders were a band of northern spies who came to Marietta with one goal. They stole a southern locomotive engine, the General, with the intention of destroying the tracks along a much used supply route. Their plans foiled, Andrews and his gang ran for the hills. His pursuers ultimately caught and hung him.

“What did you say your name is?”

“Trixie Montgomery. I write for “Georgia by the Way” a historical magazine. We like to say,
where the past meets the present
.”

Marianne’s eyes widened. “You’re the one who stayed overnight at the museum while the murder took place.” She sat down in a chair that was part of a display. I knew enough about museums to understand it wasn’t kosher to touch any of the items. “That must have been horrible. But I can’t say I’m sad Jacob is gone.”

I grabbed a chance to jump in and ask some questions. “Marianne, have you heard the police fingered Doc as a person of interest?” Her eyebrows arched and her eyes widened.

“No. I didn’t.”

“He’s in big trouble. Do you have any information that could help us find the real killer?” I recognized I was in deep over my head – questioning her about a murder.
Please Lord, help me help Doc
.

At first, I believed she was going to clam up. Then a lone tear slid down her cheek. “I’ll support Doc any way I can. He’s been so good to me.” She swiped the tear from her face. “Jacob was a jerk. He’d worked at the museum for less than six months when he started to make moves on me. Moves I didn’t want.”

“Did you tell Doc?” I remembered Doc said Jacob had made advances toward Susan. The guy must have hit on everyone.

“No. Jacob threatened me,” she said. “I should have told Doc, but Jacob had something on me. He said he’d expose my secret to Doc and the board. It scared me. I have a daughter I care for by myself, and I was afraid I’d lose my job if Jacob let this out.”

What information did Jacob have on her? “Marianne, what did he discover that made you keep quiet about something as horrible as unwanted passes?”

She started to cry in earnest, “I can’t tell you,” she sobbed. I managed to find a clean tissue for her. She sniffed and wiped her nose. “But the time has come to tell Doc.”

I had to find a way to observe the conversation if I planned to help Doc. “Do you want me and Dee Dee to sit in with you? The more information we have on Jacob could possibly help us clear Doc.” She regarded me with a startled expression. Was it because I asked a stupid question or because I was willing to help her?

“I guess so.” She sniffed and dabbed her eyes. “Maybe Doc won’t be so mad if I have someone on my side. I hope as mothers, you’ll understand why I did what I did.” The tears stopped and her face relaxed. She was ready to get this off her shoulders.

“Let’s go find Doc. We’ll explain what happened. He seems like an understanding guy.”

“Oh, he’s been so good to me,” she said. “I hope he doesn’t fire me. I need this job.” We walked back to the entrance of the museum. She stopped and looked me in the eye. “My ex-husband laughed and told me I’d never be able to survive without him. He insisted I’d eventually crawl back to him.” Marianne had a far-away gaze in her eyes as if she relived the moment.

My heart ached for her. Fear overwhelmed me when I went through my own divorce. Wade never said those same words to me, but he left me financially broke. I experienced first-hand the distress of having to support myself. I could relate to Marianne’s distress.

By the time we made our way back to the lobby, Doc had returned and was talking with Dee Dee.

“Hi, Doc. Any news?”

His face held the answer. “No. Nothing new.” He looked as forlorn as a little boy who wasn’t old enough to go hunting with his daddy.

I nudged Marianne. It was now or never. “Doc, Marianne needs to talk to you. I think we’d better go somewhere private.”

We all traipsed behind the counter and into Doc’s office. Penny had returned with Doc, so she volunteered to man the front desk.

“Doc, I realize you’re going to be mad at me when I reveal what I’ve done,” Marianne said. “I’ll probably lose my job.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” Doc took Marianne’s hands in his own.

I was touched with the display of compassion. I wondered how compassionate he’d be when he found out what Marianne had to say.

“I’m so sorry for what I’ve done. I know better than to do something dishonest, but I was in a tight spot and couldn’t figure out a solution.” Marianne’s chin quivered and she dropped her head.

“Go ahead dear. It can’t be that bad.” Doc’s gentle encouragement seemed to give her confidence to continue.

“I needed money. After my divorce I had to start over on my own. I didn’t have a job.” Her eyes pleaded for empathy. “I couldn’t let my daughter go hungry, so I borrowed as much money from the bank as possible.” She looked at me. I nodded.

“Well, that doesn’t seem so bad,” Dee Dee said. “I borrow money all the time.”

“No, I guess it wouldn’t be that bad. But, I was in way over my head and felt like I was drowning. When I received the bookkeeping job at the museum, the temptation was more than I could handle. I took a little money from the register every now and then.” By this time the tears flowed. Doc let go of her hands and sat back in his chair. He couldn’t have appeared more surprised if Gloria Hamilton had patted him on the back and congratulated him on a job well done.

CHAPTER TWENTY

P
lease don’t inform the police,” Marianne choked out between sobs. “I fully intended to put the money back. But, one day Jacob saw me take some from the cash bag. Next thing I knew, he made unwanted advances toward me. I said I’d report him, and he told me to go ahead – he’d tell you I took the money.”

“So you didn’t say anything?” I couldn’t imagine how terrified she must have been. Her actions put her in a lose-lose situation. She’d made a bad decision at the time when she’d been left to raise her child alone, and now it had come back to haunt her. If Mama hadn’t offered me a place to live, I don’t know what I’d have done. But I wondered if this young woman could have been panicked enough to kill Jacob. Although there were moments I’d hated Wade, never enough to murder.

“I’m so ashamed.” She hid her face in her hands.

“Uh, I’m shocked.” Doc slid his chair back, stood up and walked around the room. With hands behind his back, he paced for a few minutes then sat back down.

“I don’t have a notion how to handle this.” Doc gazed at the top of Marianne’s head. “Marianne, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I’m not saying I’m going to fire you, I just need time to think.”

The tears flowed faster. Dee Dee handed Marianne a fresh Kleenex. She blew her nose in a most unladylike honk.

Marianne turned pleading eyes up toward Doc. “I’m aware I did something wrong, but I’m asking you to please put yourself in my shoes. I’m willing to pay back all the money. I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

I thought of how many times I needed the forgiveness of others. Through experience, I also understood how hard it was to forgive sometimes. The whole scenario brought back painful memories. Wade had dropped the news, out of the blue, he wanted to end our marriage. He’d found his soul mate online, a beautiful, blonde, twenty-something. My world turned upside down, and he left me to pick up the pieces.

They say what goes around comes around. In Wade’s case, the saying came true. His beautiful blonde soul mate was in reality a 300 pound bimbo who played men for what she could get. By then, it was too late to preserve the marriage. Wade wanted out.

The anger and bitterness began to eat away at me. It wasn’t until Dee Dee helped me see that if I continued to harbor these feelings they would destroy me. God had a good plan when he asked us to forgive others. When we forgive someone who has hurt us, forgiveness can heal that hurt. Even though I’d made progress in forgiving Wade, every now and again I still thought of him as ‘the jerk.’
Lord, please forgive me.

“Trixie.” Dee Dee brought me out of my reverie. “Marianne just left. What were you thinking about, anyway?” She squeezed my shoulder. “Wade?”

I’m not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing to have a friend who knows you so well. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I swiped at a tear that ran down my cheek. “I don’t think we can accomplish anything else here. Why don’t we go pick up Nana and go to lunch. I’m starved.”

“Let’s go!” She grabbed her signature style gigantean purse faster than Nana could spot a good-looking guy.

Doc sat at the table with his head down. “Look Doc, it’s obvious you have a lot of information to digest,” I said. “We’ll leave you alone while you decide what you want to do about Marianne.”

He raised his head and stared at us like he’d just realized we were still in the room. “I can’t believe it. She’s such a sweet girl. I didn’t need this problem on top of everything else.” He stared into his empty coffee cup. “I think I’ll take some quiet time to pray about this situation. The Lord knows I need all the help I can get.”

I hated being the bearer of more bad news, but a thought entered my mind. “You’re aware, if Jacob threatened Marianne, it’s possible she killed him to get out from under his control.”

Doc’s head shot up. “No!” he said. “I can’t believe she’d hurt another human being. She may have stolen some money, but she wouldn’t kill anyone.”

He was extremely upset, and I didn’t want to cause him further stress. But Marianne definitely gained a place of honor on our suspect list.

We said our good-byes and walked out into the humid air. On our way to the parking lot we crossed the abandoned railroad tracks. Several historic train cars rested on the tracks, in front of the museum, reminiscent of a time gone by.

“Oh, fiddle-dee-dee,” Dee Dee said.

“Why are you talking like Scarlett?”

“I saw the Gone with the Wind Museum. I just couldn’t help myself.” We both laughed.

“All right, Scarlett. What were you fiddle-dee-deeing about?”

“I forgot to ask Doc where Susan Gray works. She’s next on our list of suspects.”

“Why don’t you call him on your cell phone while we drive to the hospital to pick up Nana?”

The visitor’s center next door was a hive of busy tourists. After we crossed the tracks, I turned and looked at the three story, red brick building. If I had a chance tonight, I’d read the book Dee Dee found in the antique store. I wanted to learn more about the family who once called this home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

W
hat did Doc say?”

Dee Dee flipped her phone closed. “He said Susan owns Magnolia Books and Antiques, the bookstore where I found the Andrews’ Raiders book. We probably met her while we shopped.” She replaced her phone in her purse.

“We can go by the shop after lunch and talk to her.”

“Well….”

“Well what?” I asked. “Does that ‘well’ have something to do with your conversation with Doc?”

“Yes. He invited us to come to a ball they’re hosting tonight. The history museum is sponsoring a Civil War period gala, and he thinks it will be a good place to meet some of the people on our list.”

“What? One, nobody gives balls anymore and two, where are we going to find dresses with hoop skirts?”

“Doc has it all figured out. He said the Gone with the Wind Museum is renting gowns for tonight. It’s late notice, but I think it’d be fun and we can do some sleuthing while we’re there.” Dee Dee pulled down the vanity mirror. Maybe she pictured herself as the next Scarlett O’Hara.

“That’s a great idea. But when will I ever get any work done? Harv’s gonna’ kill me if I don’t touch base with him shortly. Remind me to call him later.”

“Okay. If you remind me to remind you.” She slapped her leg and guffawed. I just grinned.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and went in to fetch Nana. This time, we maneuvered the corridors like experts. Like all hospitals, the unappealing smell of antiseptics lingered in the air.

We walked through hallways where pictures of employees of the month hung. Portraits of past directors adorned another wall. My mind had traveled a million miles away when I opened the door to Dora’s room. Someone practically fell on top of me. I gazed into the gorgeous eyes of Dr. Rossi.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said.

“No, I’m sorry,” I sputtered. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

With a sweeping gesture he motioned for us to enter the room. He was a gentleman as well as a hunk. What a combination. I experienced a guilty twinge, as thoughts of Beau popped into my mind. But, I guess it doesn’t hurt to look.

“Don’t worry. No problem. If I had to fall on top of someone I’m glad it was you.” He stared straight into my eyes and grinned. Was he flirting?

“Uh…” I was speechless. Leave it up to Nana to fill the void.

“Well, I agree with you Dr. Rossi.”

Oh my goodness. What was I going to do with her?

“Nana!” I felt the heat travel from my neck to my cheeks. I realized I was probably tomato red. Being easily embarrassed had always been a problem for me. Never able to hide my feelings, I felt exposed to the world at times.

I glanced at Dee Dee for help. She stood with her hand over her mouth. Was that a laugh she stifled? I’d make her pay for being a traitor.

“Well, you ladies have a nice visit. The patient is coming along nicely and should be able to go home soon.” With that he left. He probably couldn’t get away from matchmaker Nana quick enough.

“Nannna! What am I going to do with you?” I wanted to throttle her, but hugged her instead.

“Ah, you love me anyway.” She hugged back.

I held her at arm’s length and looked her over good. “You got that right!”

Even though I loved Nana with all my heart, I understood how Mama became so frustrated at times. When my mother was young, her parents died and her mother’s sister, Nana, raised her.

After Nana’s husband died she went into a deep depression. Mama stepped in and insisted Nana move in with her.

Nana recovered nicely, but her strong will grated on Mama’s nerves at times. I was glad she remained at home to enjoy the peace and quiet. Now I was responsible for Nana’s care until we returned to Vans Valley. Thinking about Mama brought tears to my eyes. I owed her so much for her support over the past few years.

When Wade forced us into a financial nightmare we lost everything, including our house. When I didn’t know where I was going to live, Mama let me stay in her garage apartment. Suddenly, I felt a tremendous urge to call her.

“Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’m going to the visitor’s lounge to make some calls.” I reached in my purse for my phone.

“Sure. I’ll keep the girls company,” Dee Dee said. “And don’t forget to call Harv.”

Ugh, I’d forgotten, but that was probably because I didn’t really want to talk to him. Work was the last thing on my mind.

“Oh, I meant to tell you, Nana. We came to pick you up for lunch. When I get through with my phone call we’ll go to this place I noticed on the way over. It’s called Kountry Kousins and boasts the best home cooking around.”

I no sooner reached the end of the hall when my phone rang. I almost jumped out of my skin.

“Hello.”

“Hi, sweetie.”

“Mama. You are not going to believe this, but I was about to phone you. I had this gut feeling I needed to call. Is everything all right at home? Is Bouncer giving you any trouble?”

“No, dear. Your dog is fine. Everything is fine. I just wanted to check on you.” I could picture her sitting in her favorite recliner, feet up, as she talked. “Has Nana driven you crazy yet?”

“She’s playing matchmaker with me and Dora’s doctor. I have to admit he’s handsome, but I’m not interested,” I insisted. “Well maybe just a little.”

The melodious sound of Mama’s laughter floated through the phone, touching that homesick spot I hadn’t realized was there.