Found Dead in the Red Head Read online

  She muttered. “Comin’.” She cracked the door open an inch. “Oh? It’s you.”

  “I got your message.”

  She opened the door and stepped back. “Come in. I guess you’ve seen the news.” She nodded toward the parking lot.

  “Yeah. I wanted to talk to you first. Things have…” I teared up, entering her overly warm condo.

  “They’re fine.” She closed the door. “Winds blowing.”

  As much time as Anita spent at my condo, I rarely visit her. She bakes and delivers several times a week. Since I’m so busy at the Row, talking to ghosts, galavanting and chasing bad guys, I felt bad for visiting empty-handed.

  “I just made hot tea. Want a cup?”

  “I’d love a cup.” I flopped into her overstuffed chair. Another of her many crochet projects lie across its arm. “What beautiful work you do.”

  She rustled in the kitchen. Our condos were identical, other than the color scheme, mine was beige and hers was green.

  “I’m raffling it off. Raising funds for the Garland County Historical Society.”

  Thank goodness she wasn’t giving it to me.

  She carried two mugs of steaming tea and set them on coasters on the coffee table. “Lavender mint. Let it steep a sec. So, I guess you want to know what happened?”

  She sat in her recliner, grabbed her crochet and found where she left off.

  “I don’t, really.” Even though those kids need privacy, I wouldn’t need to pry her.

  “Heck, I know better. Don’t lie.”

  I picked up the hot mug because I needed to hold onto something. Lying made me uneasy, so I said, “Okay. Tell me what happened.”

  “Walker found out about Allison. Showed up here after we got back from the cellphone store.”

  That was matter of fact. Not what I expected to come from her. She usually embellishes her story telling.

  “Did Sandy tell you about my phone?” She changed the subject fast enough.

  “Yeah. Did you get the new one up and going?”

  “It’s on the charger. I’m afraid to go near water with it.”

  I giggled a bit. “Dropping it in the toilet will do that to you.”

  “It ain’t funny.” She crocheted a few loops, trying not to giggle.

  “He about knocked down your front door, banging on it.”

  “You were there?” I could only imagine his reaction to that rumor. Wonder who told him? Erica at Food-4-Less? I’d guess yes.

  “Ah, yeah. I wish I had videoed them. She fell into his arms. He cried like a baby, confirming his undying love for her. Very romantic.”

  Chills lifted the hairs on my arm. Even secondhand, there are some things a mother wasn’t supposed to know.

  Was I trying to control their reunion? Yes, I wanted it to be successful.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t control a single thing. If I could have, Ally would’ve never left Hot Springs. They would have had a big church wedding and an opulent reception at the Arlington with their famous dreamy wedding cake.

  “I politely excused myself.” She hitched her chin toward the wall behind her head, the wall our condos have in common. “It’s been real quiet over there. Nobody’s talking or moving about.”

  She probably put a glass to the wall listening. She might listen with a stethoscope Sandy loaned her.

  “Should I interrupt?”

  She crocheted, thinking. “Dunno. You wanna spend the night?”

  “Ah, no thanks. I’m worn slap out. Been another long day. I’m sleeping in my own bed.”

  “Spec so.” She counted her stitches and picked up the next loop.

  I sipped fragrant steeped tea, and for once Anita didn’t chatter endlessly. A few stitches later, she put down the crochet and picked up her mug. In blessed silence we sat together until I couldn’t stand her unusual quietness.

  “You okay?”

  She sat her cup down and picked up the crochet. “Not really. Things have changed.”

  My heartbeat ticked up a notch. I couldn’t handle more bad news, but I asked, “What’s that?”

  “Congestive heart failure.” She never hem-haws when it comes to somber news.

  “How d’you find out?” Nodding, I knew congestive heart failure always had the same prognosis.

  “It’s the sweats that gave it away. Anytime I exert myself, I get the sweats. It ain’t menopausal at this point.”

  “Have you gone to the doctor?”

  “Yep, yesterday. I haven’t told you. You’re so busy.”

  My mother suffered from congestive heart failure. It’s not pretty in the end, but it’s manageable for a while with the right medications.

  Sighing, I asked, “How far gone?”

  “About halfway. I booked a trip to Scotland. Always wanted to see the homeland.”

  “Pfft. You’re not Scottish, ol’ girl.”

  “If I die in Scotland, I hope it’s in a Highlander’s arms.”

  “Don’t make me laugh.”

  She grinned. “That’s the whole point. Scotland is where I want to die, and I want to die happy.”

  “You’re a horny old woman. Watching too many television series.”

  “Not horny. Just practical. Why die in a convalescent home when I can swoon in heather over Heathcliff and die of unrequited love?”

  She crocheted madly, enjoying her daydream. “You get now. You’ve got a grandbaby to love and a pair of lovebirds nesting in your roost. They need to gather twigs and get out of your hair.”

  “Guess so. I’ll set them free off the balcony.”

  “They’ll turn out fine.”

  I looked up at her. “That’s what Belly said.”

  She looked over the rim of her glasses. “He did?”

  “I told him about my worries over Ally. In our last conversation, he said they’d turn out fine.”

  I could never tell Anita about my experience with Belly on his showroom floor. Her heart might not make it to Scotland and into her Highlander’s strong arms.

  I got up and put my empty cup in the kitchen. “Don’t get up. I’ll see myself out since you’re such an invalid.”

  “I hope my Highlander spirits me away across the heather.” She placed her hand on her forehead, pretending to swoon. “It’ll be a good sendoff.”

  “Make sure you have someone video it, I’ll want to see that.”

  I walked across the catwalk between our condos and stood outside the door. Should I knock? Maybe I should clear my throat loudly? Or rattle my keys in the lock?

  The door popped open, and Ally tapped her foot. “Mom! What are you doing? I saw you come home. Where have you been?”

  My daughter sounds like me. “Next door. I got a message from Anita. She’s going to Scotland.”

  I stepped in putting my purse and keys on the sewing machine. “Guess Walker found you. I saw his truck.”

  Bare-chested, he stuck his head around the corner, running his fingers in his damp hair. “Patti. I’m not intruding, am I?”

  Tears burned in my eyes, but I kept it together. I just talked to this young man’s dead father, and I couldn’t tell him his father went to the Beyond. “Oh, heaven’s no. I’m so glad you two have met up again.”

  He pulled a t-shirt over his head. “Yeah. I heard the news and came right over.”

  I glanced at Ally trying to read her body language, but she seemed relaxed.

  “We’re taking it one day at a time.” He stepped back. “Be right back.”

  Ally fixed her t-shirt, dashing a look. “I was nursing the baby. He wanted to watch.”

  Many nosy questions sat on the tip of my tongue, but drilling Ally would only make her retreat. Relieved of keeping her and the baby a secret, I sat in my comfy chair and it enveloped me with hominess. “It’s perfectly natural.”

  Walker carried Allison into the living room. “Isn’t she just wonderful?” He sniffed her head and sat across from me.

  “She is. She is.”

  We had been
given a wonderful gift and in the midst of this trial, she brought hope back into our lives.

  Chapter 28

  Coup d’état

  In the kitchen, I opened a can of chicken noodle soup, putting cheese slices and crackers on a plate. Exhausted, it was the best I could do. We sat at the dining table and ate like old times when Ally and Walker would stop by to visit. Walker held Allison in his arms and ate with one hand like a pro.

  “Do you need help with the services?” I asked, pushing away my bowl.

  “No. Dad had it all set. He’s going to be cremated… when he can be.”

  No doubt Belly was still in the morgue chilled to a perfect thirty-three degrees waiting for the forensic investigators to finish their job.

  “Yeah, I thought so.”

  Walker smiled. “That ol’ man.” He shook his head even though tears brimmed on his eyelids. “His lawyer stopped by and delivered his will.”

  That was surprising, so I asked, “Did you know he had a will?”

  Allison mewed and Ally waved for her. Walker passed the baby over the table to her. “Yes. We have a trust, but he had added an addendum to his will. He told his lawyer to deliver if something happened to him.”

  Adding a last minute addendum meant Belly was afraid something would happen. His mention of threatening phone calls and text messages were foreboding.

  “I don’t know how to handle his last wishes, though.” He jostled Allison and passed her to Ally.

  “Why not?” He piqued my curiosity.

  Walker stood by the table. “He’s a joker for sure. He wants his ashes added to a paint job. Who ‘da thought that?”

  “A paint job?” Ally asked, bouncing Allison to soothe her.

  He turned the dining chair around and straddled it, folding his arms across the back of the chair. “He had an old car in the back. I hadn’t even noticed it. He wants it painted cherry red with his ashes mixed into the paint. Then he wants the car auctioned to cover the expenses of Bangor Floyd’s education. The kid wants to go to diesel mechanic school. Get away from his deadbeat family.”

  I about fell over, but managed to keep a straight face and stay in my seat. “Did it say… the will what kind of car it was?”

  “Yeah, it’s a Shelby Mustang.”

  Ally whistled. “A Shelby?”

  “Yeah. I was going to check in the back of the shop where Dad kept treasures, but I got the call about Ally and Allison. Guess it didn’t seem that important anymore.” He blushed grinning, admiring the new mother and his daughter.

  “As soon as I saw Ally… I dropped to my knee and asked her to marry me.”

  I lifted both eyebrows and looked at her.

  “I said yes.”

  Every bit of mothering I possessed popped from my mouth. “But you’re gonna get rid of the dreadlocks before the wedding, right?”

  “Oh Mom! I knew you’d get around to complaining about my hair. They’re only extensions. Removable…but I gotta work at it. Haven’t had time to worry with my hair.”

  Walker agreed. “Yeah, I’m not crazy about them either.”

  She winced and glared, but grinned at him. It was nice to see them so relaxed and happy together, but I had more serious things to attend to than wedding plans and dreadlock removal.

  “Did the will say where he got the Mustang?”

  “No, but Gary… that’s the lawyer… said he made the addendum just a few days before he died. He was in a big hurry to get it added.”

  “Is it possible to paint ashes onto a car?” Ally asked.

  He added. “I don’t know. Guess I’ll ask the painter if he can carry out that plan. If it’s possible, it would be cool.”

  Belly pulled off a grand coup d’état. He knew Gretchen was angry, but did he know she was angry enough to kill him or have him killed? What about Bangor’s mother? Did she know her child was wanting more than a drug-dealer’s lifestyle and a gangster’s reputation?

  Tomorrow, I’ll ask Fanny what else Belly might have told her before she sent him on to the Beyond.

  “Boy, things sure have changed fast, haven’t they?” I picked up the cheese and cracker plate. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Ally jerk her chin toward the door.

  Walker stood and righted the chair putting it under the table. “Yeah. Right. I gotta go… check on the shop.”

  I whirled. “No! Don’t go back there.”

  Panic struck as I realized that Gretchen not only had Belly killed, she wanted that car back. Was I the only person who knew about the secret hidden in the car’s trunk? Belly knew, but he was dead. Had Bubba guessed at Gretchen’s secrets? Or did he know about the Floyd’s activities and hadn’t had enough evidence to go after them… her?

  “What do you mean? The guys… Arnie… has a key.”

  Ally stood with the baby. “Mom. Don’t be paranoid.” She walked past the kitchen rolling her eyes.

  “Look your father was murdered for a reason. It could be tied to that car and his will. Don’t you think you should tell Dick about this news? It might lead to his murderer.”

  “I guess I didn’t think of that.” Walker followed Ally, but she turned giving him another look which I garnered to mean, they’d have more privacy later.

  “If you don’t call Dick, I will.” I had worried about how to handle the information Belly relayed, and Walker—or rather Belly—had laid it in my lap. “I don’t want you to go home. Somebody might be staking out your house.”

  “Really, Mom? Don’t be so overdramatic.”

  “Really. I had a talk with Bubba. He thinks Gretchen’s keeping secrets she doesn’t want out in the open.”

  Ally balked. “You’re nuts. A secret hidden in an old car, give me a break.” She flitted, tossing her dreadlocks and headed for the spare bedroom.

  I picked up my cell phone. “Young man, you’re staying the night if I have to sit on you. I’m calling my friend Teddy. He’ll come over too. We need protection.”

  From the bedroom, Ally moaned. Walker tucked his head. “Yes, ma’am. If you say so. I guess it’s okay.”

  Annoyed, I shook my head. “Look, you two were living together, don’t act so coy. Stay with your family.”

  Ally opened the bedroom door and stomped back. “You’re really spooked, aren’t you?”

  I typed a text message to Teddy in case he couldn’t answer his phone. “Yes, ma’am, I am serious as a heart attack.”

  Walker gently guided her toward the bedroom, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

  Chapter 29

  Teddy

  Waiting on Teddy, I paced between the front door and the patio sliding glass door which wasn’t far enough to help my angst. Walker and Ally retreated to the spare bedroom, and I hadn’t heard a peep out of them.

  Teddy knocked, and I opened the door relieved to see him. “Oh, thank goodness. I’m so glad you could come over.” For many reasons, my belly fluttered seeing Teddy standing on the stoop.

  “You sounded like a damsel in distress.” He grinned and his eyes sparkled.

  “Heck, aren’t I always in distress? It’s my new way of life.” I waved him into my world. “Sorry the place is a mess… I have guests.”

  He swiped off his ball cap. “Thanks for inviting me over, I thought you’d never ask.” He scanned the room assessing my living space. It wasn’t big or tidy, but it was the best I could offer him. He knows I’m rattle-brained and unorganized.

  “Wanna cup of something? Hot? Cold?” I waved at the sofa.

  “Naw. I’m okay.” He sat on my sofa which wasn’t broken down in the middle. “What’s up?”

  I sat in the chair to avoid sitting next to him. “Can you tell there’s something wrong?”

  “I can read you blindfolded.”

  “Where do I start?” Drumming my fingers on the arm of the chair, I sorted the facts by importance.

  “Walker told me Bangor stole a car from Gretchen. A Shelby Mustang.” That was a good starting point.

  He leaned for
ward. “Whoa. Really? Those are big-time collector cars. Was it from the empty spot in the junkyard?”

  I shook my head. “That I dunno. Seems likely, though. I don’t remember seeing another oddly, empty spot.”

  “There are plenty of odd things there, don’t you think? If it was where the Shelby sat, it was out of order.”

  “Order?”

  “Yeah. Nothing as new as a Shelby set on that side of the road. It must’ve been from another part of the junkyard.”

  Recrossing my legs, I said, “Maybe. Bubba came to visit. Lorena couldn’t take the cold on the lake, so he took her to the airport.”

  “Understandable. Cabin fever and Bubba would make me want to leave.” Squinting, he leaned back.

  I bit my bottom lip. “Bubba said Belly was dead because of Gretchen’s secrets.”

  “Uh-huh.” He rested his elbow on the sofa arm, covering his lips behind his hand and looked down, thinking and piecing together my scant tidbits of information.

  “Let me get this straight. So, Bangor stole a Shelby. Offed Belly because he knew Gretchen’s secret.” He grimaced shaking his head.

  “Muriel told me Bangor was shacking up next door. Wanted to ride her motorcycle. I called 911 and reported his whereabouts. He’s been picked up—but he’s innocent.”

  Teddy huffed. “Right? Go on.”

  In the spare bedroom, one of them coughed and he tilted his head in that direction. “Company’s awake.”

  “Yeah. It’s complicated.” He knew of my angst over Ally’s whereabouts, but I hadn’t had time to tell him of her return.

  “Okay.” He gave me a wonky look.

  “I’ll get to it.” I thumbed over my shoulder.

  “Sure.”

  “Belly’s attorney delivered his will to Walker. Belly added an addendum to it just days before he died.”

  “That’s interesting. How do you know this?”

  I glanced over my shoulder and whispered, “Walker told me.”

  “So is Walker hiding out in your spare bedroom?”

  Twinging, I puffed. “Pfft. No. What makes you think that?”

  Teddy snickered. “His truck’s parked in the parking lot.”

  Now, I chuckled. “You don’t miss a thing, do you?”