The Traveling Corpse (29 page)

They discussed ‘Our Mystery' further, the
husbands questioning places that could use more clarification.
Finally, they lapsed into silence until Art said, “I guess you're
right, Annie. There's nothing for us to do but wait.”

Annie took no pleasure in being right.
But
what else can be done?
she wondered.
What have I
missed?

“And, I'd like to wait in front of the TV for
the University of Tennessee basketball game,” Doc was saying.
“DeeDee's converted me into being a fan. When it's football, I root
for Auburn U. When it's basketball, it's Tennessee.”

The men set their dirty dishes on the counter
and then settled themselves in front of Brad's big screen
television to watch the pre-show hype. The women helped Barb load
the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen before joining their
husbands for the game.

 

 

 

 

Monday rolled around, the last day of
January, 1994, and the seventh day of ‘Our Mystery.' Before one
o'clock that afternoon, Annie and DeeDee gathered at Barb's.
Everything was picture-perfect, as usual. Her décor was comfortable
modern done in black and white with accents of red and turquoise.
The Bridge Buddies were waiting for Verna to arrive to begin their
weekly bridge game. It wasn't like her to be late.

When Verna burst through the door, she was
talking as she speed-walked, “They are gone! Can you believe it?
They loaded their van yestahday. I nevah knew anyone could pack up
so quickly. I certainly couldn't, and my place is lots smallah than
theirs!”

“Who is gone?” Barb demanded.

“The Kreegahs! Kitty and Karl! They pulled
out early this morning.”

“You mean ‘gone' as ‘gone for good' from
BradLee?” asked Annie.

“That is exactly what I mean. They have moved
out of BradLee lock, stock, and barrel. Well, they took everything
they could fit in their van—left the rest. That's why I'm late
getting here. I wanted to find out all I could.”

“Poor Kitty,” DeeDee sighed. “I'm sure this
can't be her idea.

“Did they sell their house yet?” Barb
inquired of Verna.

“The BradLee Realty sign is still in their
front yard. So I guess not.”

“That is one lovely house,” DeeDee commented.
It'll be snapped up soon; houses don't stay on tha market very long
in our park. In fact, I wouldn't mind lookin' at it, but it would
prob'bly jest be a waste of time ta drag Doc through it ‘cause it's
not in a pet section. He keeps hintin' ‘bout getting' another dog.
Doc's never quite gotten over tha death of our beloved Tupper, that
was one extra special Golden Retriever. I miss ole Tup too, but we
travel so much in tha summer that I don't like leavin' a dog in a
kennel fer three or four weeks at a time.”

Her friends agreed with her that traveling
and pets are not an easy combination. DeeDee continued, “No, Doc's
happy where we are. I doubt that I could get him ta move. He
doesn't much like change. Now me, I'd move in a minute for a newer,
larger house.

The telephone rang. Barb answered it, and
then with a surprised look, handed it to Annie, saying with a
questioning look on her face, “It's for you.”

As Annie reached for the cordless phone, she
whispered, “I left a message with Sgt. Menendez that I'd be here
this afternoon. I gave her your phone number. Hope you don't mind.”
Annie was quiet for a long time listening to the sergeant while her
Bridge Buddies waited patiently. When she hung up, Annie said, “I
guess this is good news.”

“What?” Barb asked impatiently. “What did
Sgt. Maria have to say?”

“I'm not too sure I want ta know from tha
look on yer face,” DeeDee said.

Annie slumped down at the bridge table and
summed up the information the sergeant had just told her. She put
her fingers to her temple and said quietly, “It's over. ‘Our
Mystery' is officially solved.”

Her friends sat in silence, waiting for her
to explain more fully. “Maria Menendez told me she was there when
Pete cut the alligator open. Twila's gold link bracelet, the one
with the heart charm on it was in the beast's stomach. They also
found her wedding ring and the ruby ring I saw on her index finger.
Doesn't that just set your teeth on edge? Also, the forensics
people found hair in the alligator poop you spotted, Verna. They
tested it for DNA, and it was Twila's. Definitely, Twila's. They
compared it with the hair you found in that new toilet room on the
golf course and also with some they took from a hairbrush in her
own bathroom. Maria says that is plenty of proof.”

The women shuddered involuntarily. Annie
continued, “Menendez has asked to have a diver go in the pond to
see if there are any body parts remaining under the water, but
whether or not they find anything more, she claims this solves our
case of ‘The Traveling Corpse.'

“Oh, dear me!” exclaimed DeeDee, half closing
her eyes in imagined pain.

“It's nice to know we were right all along,”
Annie said, “but, as I've said before, I'd rather we were wrong and
still have Twila and Jiggs alive.”

Barb asked, “What about Karl? Actually, I
have two questions. First: Did they find any fingerprints on that
blue comb the sergeant found?”

“No luck there. Maria said the rain and dew
destroyed any prints it might have had. It's probably Karl's, but
they can't prove it.”

“Too bad,” Barb sighed. “Here's my next
question: Did they find anything on his golf cart to tie him to
Twila's disappearance?”

“Yes, the lab put a priority on the cart and
finished their examination of it this morning. Are you ready for
this?” Annie asked her friends. Without waiting for them to answer,
she continued, “They found one auburn hair. Only one, but that's
enough. The DNA matches the hair from her hair brush and those in
the restroom. That one hair was caught up underneath his golf cart.
Karl had vacuumed and cleaned the seat cushions, but he didn't
check underneath thoroughly. He must have driven over the
body—maybe when it fell out that night in the farmer's field. This
doesn't prove that he killed her, but it certainly makes him an
accessory to the murder. His cart is definitely linked to the
corpse.”

“But he's gone!” Verna wailed.

“Menendez knows,” Annie calmed her.
“Evidently, the Sheriff's Department has been keeping closer tabs
on Karl than we realized. They'll find him.”

“Poor Kitty!” DeeDee lamented. “She's
innocent, but she'll be dragged through all of this. An' he's
makin' her move away from her home. I don't feel a bit sorry fer
him, but I do pity, Kitty. Poor thing.”

“I just hope he doesn't start drinking
again,” Annie added. “Kitty told me he's been sober since they
moved to Florida.”

Barb added, “I know he goes to AA meetings
faithfully. Brad has a friend who sees him there.”

“But, if all this pressure on him gets to be
too much, he could cave in and reach for a bottle,” Annie said
wearily. “If that happens, that's when I start to pity Kitty. I've
heard that he was a mean drunk, and I didn't like the way he
treated his wife when he was sober.”

“It's enough to make your heart break for
her, “Verna sighed.

“It makes me sad too,” Annie agreed, “but I
do have some good news to cheer you up. Sgt. Maria says she's
giving out all of our names to the press. She's so proud of us, and
she thinks we should all get credit for solving ‘Our Mystery'.”

“Do I really want to become a celebrity this
way?” questioned Barb.

“I believe we are in for it whethah we want
to be or not,” Verna stated. “Our telephones will be ringing
constantly once this makes the headlines!”

“Anyone fer bridge?” DeeDee asked, picking up
a deck of cards.

“If you don't mind,” Annie said, “I don't
feel up to playing cards now. I couldn't possibly concentrate on
Bridge. I'd like to go home and tell Art before he hears it from
somebody else.” Before she got up, she bowed her head in prayer.
“Lord, it's Annie and her friends down here. We praise You for
helping us through this week, and for letting us solve ‘Our
Mystery'. We give You the glory. Amen for now.”

As she started to rise from her chair, Barb
stopped her, saying, “Annie, Art's not home. He and Brad left this
morning for Sarasota. Remember? They're at a Shuffleboard
tournament. Won't be home until after dark.”

Annie crumpled back into her chair. There
were tears in her eyes. As she wiped them away with the back of her
hand, she apologized to her friends. “I'm sorry. I guess I lost it.
I really could use his support right now.”

DeeDee moved behind Annie's chair and wrapped
her arms around her friend, reassuring her, “Honey, we're all here
fer ya. Ya jest lean on us. What can I do ta hep?”

Annie squeezed DeeDee's hand and said,
“Thanks. Thanks to all of you. You've been wonderful. Solving this
mystery was a real team effort. I could never have done it by
myself. Sorry about the tears; guess I'm more stressed than I
realized.”

“I have just the remedy to cheer you up,”
Barb said. “Here's the latest joke from Mr. B.”

Annie managed a smile in anticipation as Barb
continued, “Two ladies were hanging out together, and one was
depressed. Her friend asked, ‘What's wrong?' The depressed one
replied, ‘I've been married four times, and every one of my
husbands has passed away.' The other lady asked, ‘What did they
used to do?' The depressed lady replied, ‘Well, my first husband
was a millionaire, the second was a magician, the third was an
evangelist, and the fourth was a mortician.' And the other said,
‘Oh, I see, one for the money, two for the show, three to get
ready, and four to go.'”

“Thanks, Barb, I needed that,” Annie laughed.
“And with that, I think I'll go home.”

Barb replied quickly, “Why don't you just
stay here, Annie? Spend the rest of the afternoon with me. We don't
have to play Bridge. You can rest; then we'll go over to my
parents' house for supper like we planned.”

Both Verna and DeeDee thought that was a good
idea, and Verna advised, “It's probably safah if you aren't alone
until Karl is undah lock and key.”

Reluctantly, Annie agreed. “Art wanted to
cancel out and not go to the tournament, but I promised him I'd be
with Barb and her folks for supper, that he could go and not worry
about me.” Shaking her head, she continued, “I've never lived
through a week like this in my whole life, and I hope I never have
to again. Much more of this, and I'll be ready for the rocking
chair.”

“That'll be the day!” Barb laughed as she
said good-bye to DeeDee and Verna. None of them could imagine
active Annie sitting and doing absolutely nothing. They never
dreamed that that was just what Annie was going to have to do.

Annie let Barb pamper her. She relaxed in a
comfortable black leather recliner. Barb tucked a colorful afghan
knitted in black, white, red, and turquoise yarns around her. Then
she put on a CD of Broadway tunes and handed Annie the crossword
puzzle and a sharp pencil before curling up in the matching
recliner. Soon the two senior women were snoring in light, rhythmic
breaths.

 

* * *

 

 

At four-thirty, they roused themselves and
got ready to leave. Annie rode her bicycle back to her house with
Barb following in the golf cart. Together they headed for their
supper party with Barb's parents. After the dishes were washed and
put away, they played Canasta.

As they were saying their good-byes, Annie
raved again to Barb's mother about the delicious strawberry
shortcake dessert, “Your homemade biscuits were sooooo good topped
with the first strawberries of the season! Those Florida berries
from Plant City are so tasty.” Then, as she climbed into the golf
cart beside Barb, she added her highest compliment, “Your
strawberry shortcake tasted just like my mom used to make.”

At Annie's house, Barb pulled her Club car
off the driveway and parked on the grass in front of the house.
Annie started to thank her and say good-bye, but Barb got out of
the cart, pocketed her key and said, “Your house is dark, and Art's
car isn't in the drive; so that means he isn't home yet. I'll stay
with you ‘til he comes.”

Annie started to protest, “You've been so
good to me. I'll be okay until Art gets back.”

Barb insisted, “Look, you're probably right.
But, until they have Karl locked up, let's not take any chances.
C'mon. Have you got your house key?”

Annie held it up to show her friend, then
stepped from the grass onto the cement drive. Before she reached
her side door, which was inside the screened patio located at the
end of the driveway, she heard a moan. Barb heard it too. Both
stopped and listened. This time Annie thought she heard her name. A
woman's voice coming from the far side of the patio was calling in
a weak voice, “Annie, help me. Help me.”

Annie shoved the key into Barb's hand and
hurried to find the source and put her nursing skills into use, if
necessary. She found Kitty crumpled in the fetal position on the
grass at the foot of a nandina bush. From the dim light of the
street lamp, Annie could see blood and bruises and what looked like
a broken arm. She dropped to the ground beside the battered woman
to cradle her and urged Barb, “Call 911. Get a blanket from the
hall closet. I'll stay with Kitty.”