by CC Dragon
“I know you didn’t do it, but I have to ask,” Gus said.
“I went straight home. Gran was sitting up watching TV,” I replied.
He reached for his wallet.
“No charge for cops,” I reminded him.
“Thanks. Anyone else see you come home? Gran is not impartial,” Gus said.
“She’s not a liar,” Martha butted in.
I patted her arm. “It’s okay. Can you get Lou a bigger bag?”
Martha slipped in the back.
“The band may have been home. Sunday nights are line dance lessons at the bar. Pretty slow. They might’ve been out drinking, but I think there were lights on in the RV. They may have seen me pull up,” I suggested.
As if to save my nerves, the band members all rolled into the shop.
“What brings you boys here?” Gran asked.
Dillon hugged her. “We’re going to an audition in Nashville this afternoon and we’ll be back for our set at the Buckle. But we wanted the best food in town and a kiss for luck.”
Gran blushed and kissed each of the band guys on the cheek.
Martha helped Lou bag up some muffins then got on the band’s order.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
Gus patted my hand. “I’ll ask.”
I felt like no one trusted me. Obviously, my taste in men was wildly suspect, but I wasn’t a killer.
Dillon and the band talked to Gus.
Gus walked over to me. “They confirmed an estimated time when you got home. Based on the drive from the restaurant and traffic levels, your whereabouts are confirmed for that night. We’ll round up some witnesses from the restaurant to be sure when you left.”
“That’ll be easy. Half the staff and plenty of diners saw. I bet they have cameras that cover the parking lots too. I did throw water in his face, but he was being a sexist jerk on top of pitying me.” I bit my lower lip. Everything coming out of my mouth was potentially viewable as motive.
“We’ll check it all out. If I were you, I’d stay out of this for now. I’ll come back to interview you more later.”
“Okay, I understand.” I nodded.
“Sorry for your loss,” he said.
“Okay. I feel bad for his brother.” I fought to keep my composure like a proper southern lady with all the conflicting feelings going on inside me. Finally, I understood the desire to faint on cue.
“You needed an alibi. Belle, I knew you were a bad girl,” Dillon teased.
“Yes, bad girls break up with the pastor. But I don’t own a snake or know anyone who does. So it wasn’t me. I got out of that relationship before I had anything to really be pissed at him about,” I explained.
“We told him the truth. We saw you go in the back door. The driveway angles so headlights hit the RV. We keep meaning to move it but then we forget. You were hotter than a rattler in a room full of rocking chairs. Never heard a woman slam a car door so hard.” Dillon winked.
I shook my head. “I’m a career girl now. Nine to five or twenty-four-seven.”
The guys kicked off an acapella version of Dolly Parton’s song that made everyone laugh and clap. This was very distasteful considering the news of Luke’s death, but sometimes people needed to smile and right now I needed it.
Once they were gone, Gran walked over and patted my shoulder. “You know you’re still a suspect in the town? Gus might believe you and try to clear you, but this won’t look good. People aren’t as nice as Gus.”
I smiled weakly. “This one has got to be easier to solve. Who has access to that sort of a snake?”
“I asked one of the band guys that. Those are very easy to get. Tons of those snakes got let loose and are breeding in in the wetlands of Florida. Pet shops will sell them as babies, ship them all over—illegally—and there you go. I’m sure there’s some illegal snake dealer in Nashville. Anyone willing could’ve gotten their hands on one. That person had to be crazy,” Gran said.
“I need to make sure I turned off the oven. I’ll be right back.” I slipped into the kitchen.
In the back, alone, I took a deep breath and blotted my eyes. I hadn’t been going to marry him and he hadn’t been the right guy for me. But Luke hadn’t deserved to die. Taking a deep breath, I held my head up. I was innocent—I wasn’t really a suspect this time, but I knew some wouldn’t simply accept my word. I’d be easy to blame and I had been very publicly seen with him the last time he’d been seen alive.
Bottom line, I’d have to help find the killer to prove I was in the clear. Working with Gus could be painful—I’d never exactly figured out my feelings for him when his ex-fiancée had shown up and flung a ring around. But if I had to prove my innocence, at least Gus believed in it too.
I went out front and word was already spreading. A couple who had come in were shaking their heads. They shot me a look.
“I can’t believe anyone would hurt the pastor,” she said.
“Clearly someone wanted him dead. Plenty of harmless but scary-looking snakes to slip in someone’s place if you just want to spook them,” Milan replied.
“He wasn’t the man I thought he was when he asked me out. Even pastors have secrets,” I agreed.
Chapter Four
The news spread all over town. I never left the shop, working and trying to digest the information. People gave me odd looks as they came and went, but no one was rude. I also worked the kitchen a lot so I had some breathing room.
I made another batch of Gran’s bread and whipped up a triple batch of corn bread. Looking for a project, I inventoried what we had and checked expiration dates. The profits were still slim and I wasn’t going to waste anything.
Gran came back and gently closed the fridge.
“I’m sorry. It’s still a shock,” she said.
“I wasn’t in love with him or anything. Honestly, I was more into Gus before. I just can’t believe Luke is gone. Like that. The irony and the creep factor.”
“Irony?” Gran asked.
“A pastor killed by a snake. That’s a touch of the old Garden of Eden, right?” I asked.
Gran hugged me. “I hadn’t thought about it. That’s why you’re so good at figuring out who did it when I watch Father Brown or my other mystery shows. You and Gus will solve it in no time.”
“I don’t want to encourage him. I have bad taste in men, clearly. I meant what I said. Career. This shop is our legacy and it will succeed. Our house might be on the modest side of town, but we have land and a business. I don’t need to have a husband.” I took a deep breath.
“No, you don’t. But you wouldn’t go out with a pastor if you didn’t want a good man in your life. I’m proud of you for not acting like Lurlene…all desperate for a wedding. Just don’t shut yourself off. I’m sure there’s a story with Gus and his ex-fiancée. There’s always more than one side. When you’re ready, you’ll hear it. Maybe he’s not the one either, but snap judgments do no one credit,” Gran warned.
“He had plenty of time to tell me about her when he was flirting with me,” I reasoned.
“Agreed, but men aren’t perfect. Plus, we all want to put our best foot forward when flirting in the beginning. You’ll see each other as human with flaws and bad choices soon enough. Don’t hide in here all afternoon. That corn bread smells like it’s done, by the way,” she said.
“I’ll check on it and be right out.” I smiled.
Before I got my oven mitts on, the oven dinged. Gran’s nose was priceless.
I walked out with fresh corn bread to Martha chatting with Megan from the church.
“Hi,” I greeted.
“Hi,” Megan replied.
“Do you need me for the afternoon? Sally is still MIA and they need someone to fill in at the grocery store,” Martha said.
“No, we’re pretty slow. Word is getting around.” I frowned.
“Word?” Megan asked. “Oh, about Sally. It’s probably nothing. She left a message with the boss she was taking her kids to visit family up in Indiana
while her hubby was on some extra-long haul. But she’s been gone two weeks and not a peep since. She won’t answer her phone. The school hasn’t heard about when little Christy or Ed Junior will return. We’re starting to worry but not panic just yet. We’re hoping she got away somewhere safe for good.”
“Got away from what?” I asked.
“You really aren’t a gossip. I thought maybe you’d helped her. Her husband is abusive. She hides the bruises really well and he never touched the children that we’ve heard of. Still, she had me holding some money for her to run off with and we’d all add to it when we could,” Megan explained.
Just when you thought you knew people. “That’s so great. I would’ve helped if I knew. Did she ask for the money?”
“No, that’s the odd part. Maybe she got a chance to move in with relatives but had to move fast or was worried her hubby might notice something strange. Controlling men like that are terrifying. They’ll check gas tanks, bank accounts, and have a friend watch their wife. Not that Ed has any friends.” Megan chuckled.
“None. What a jerk. Makes any guy who doesn’t hit women look like a prince, which is terrible, but…” Martha sighed. “I’ll take the shift.”
“Thanks. I’m not feeling so good. Super queasy. I hope it’s not the flu,” she said.
“Can I ask who her hubby was? I don’t think I’ve met Ed, but I’m sure I’ve seen them in church,” I remarked.
“You saw Sally in church with her little girl and son. Big Ed never bothered. Shaved head, ink on his arms, leather vest,” Martha replied.
“Oh, I’ve seen him in the bar.” I nodded.
“That’s Big Ed. Don’t get in his way. He’ll be gone on another trucker haul soon enough. He’s not a nice drunk, either. I’m going to get a Heavenly Hazelnut smoothie and a big hunk of corn bread, please. Maybe that’ll settle my stomach.” Megan smiled.
Martha served up the corn bread and pulled out the blender.
“Belle,” Martha said.
“Yeah?” I asked. The request for the pastor’s favorite smoothie threw my emotions into weird places.
“I can’t reach the smoothie stuff. Can you move, please?” Martha asked.
“Sure. Sorry. Long day.” I moved to the coffee side and pulled out a stool we tucked under the register for Gran. Sitting, I made myself an iced coffee. Maybe I’d wake myself from this crazy nightmare.
Whether I’d been close to the victim or not, whether I was involved in any way with the capture of the killer or not…we’d had another murder in our tiny southern town.
Megan got her goodies. “Thanks, and thanks again for taking the shift, Martha. I think we need to plan around Sally for now.”
“Absolutely, I’m happy to do it. But when you’re feeling better, you take on as many as you like. Don’t let others push you out. And let me know if you hear from her that she’s safe.” Martha waved.
Once Megan was gone, Martha turned away from the door and took off her apron. “I feel terrible.”
“Why? We’re quiet in the afternoons anyway. Everyone is talking about the pastor. It’s fine.” I waved it off.
“No, Megan doesn’t know about the pastor. You could tell or she’d be talking about that. Hell, she’ll be a mess,” Martha said.
Gran picked up her head. “Language. Not in the shop, please.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Baxter. Megan always had a crush on the pastor. I thought maybe they’d become an item, but it never happened. She’ll be a wreck. I’m going to grab my purse and use the washroom before I head out.” Martha ducked in the back.
She wasn’t there ten seconds before we heard a scream. I darted back there. Rolling pin in hand, Gran was behind me with her motley crew of suitors.
“Martha,” I called.
“Snake.” She stood outside the employee rest room and pointed. Luckily she hadn’t gone in and closed the door, or she’d be trapped.
“I got it.” Milan pulled a pistol from his ankle.
“No, you’ll hit the pipes,” I warned.
“Ladies, this is men’s work,” Milan insisted.
He took a shot while I grabbed the rolling pin from Gran and tried to convince her to go up front.
“Belle, we have to catch it. We’ll be shut down by the health department if we don’t,” Gran argued as she picked up an empty five-gallon bucket.
The rattler coiled tight with all the talking.
“Just hold still,” Milan warned.
“The back door was open. Someone might’ve done it on purpose,” Martha suggested.
Milan popped off another .22 caliber round and the snake reacted to the noise. Without thinking, I swung the rolling pin into its path and the snake chomped on the wood. I dropped it and looked for something else to defend us with.
But genius Gran got there first, slamming the bucket down on the snake. Within seconds, the bucket started to move.
“Belle, you sit on this thing now,” Gran ordered.
I sat on the bucket before the snake managed to knock it over or make a slithery escape.
“You call Gus and I’ll call Animal Control,” Milan said.
“So much for your marksmanship,” Martha teased.
Milan shrugged. “With my arthritis, all I can do is try.”
“No, you can’t try to hit things with a bullet. You need to be able to hit them or don’t fire the gun,” I corrected.
Gran scoffed. “Men around here act like guns are attached to them. I’ll go cover the front until you’re done here.”
Just then we heard, “Animal Control,” shouted from the front.
“Back here,” we all shouted in return.
“That was quick.” I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Small-town service, you can’t beat it in an emergency,” Gran said.
* * * *
When the snake was captured, Gus had his report, and the bucket and my rolling pin were in the trash—can’t use something that was in contract with rattlesnake venom, no way—we were nearly back to normal.
Martha got ready to leave again but my brain had been working overtime while I was sitting on that dumb bucket. I held up my hand. “On Sunday, Megan was taking stuff from the food pantry and said something about trying to get more hours. It’s really weird that she gave up a shift to you if she could use the money.”
“It’s not odd if she feels sick…you can’t work with the stomach flu. She could make other people sick,” Gran commented.
“If you need the money that badly, you work sick. But if she got enough from the pantry to hold her over—maybe she feels that bad?” Martha pondered. “I’ll tell my mom to give her Sally’s shifts as much as possible. That might put her almost at a full timer.”
“Will they hold Sally’s job?” Gran asked.
“No call, no show? Once she runs out of time off, she’s gone. My mom is a manager, but you can’t have one set of rules for everyone else and make exceptions for one. I hope she found a safe place to go and doesn’t come back. They’ll be better off without him,” Martha said. “I have to go pick up the kids, get them home and change for the store. Bye. Thanks.”
“Bye, thank you, dear,” Gran called.
* * * *
I headed to the bar after dinner. Gran didn’t ask and I didn’t offer the fact that I wasn’t working. I helped set up anyway. I’d been raised to be helpful. Besides, cutting fruit and wiping down tables wasn’t a big deal.
Katie walked in late and hugged me.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
She smiled. “I had a meeting with our liquor vendor. Trying to get better prices on what we use more of. I heard about the pastor, though. Are you okay?”
“Yes, thanks. I dumped him Sunday night, so I’m in the middle. But it was a snake.”
“I heard. Pythons crush. I had a boyfriend who had a boa constrictor once. Those go for the neck more. The freaky pets people can have.” Katie tied an apron around her waist and headed for the bar. “Just lie low and let G
us sort it out. You didn’t like it when my brother found those little garter snakes in the yard and wanted to show them off. You’d never touch a big or dangerous snake.”
“No. I wouldn’t, but I do have to help find the killer. I can’t let people think I was in on it. I can’t let another murder suspicion hurt the shop or Gran’s reputation,” I said.
“Belle, stop. You’re not behind it. Someone had a big grudge against him to do that. I mean, why wouldn’t the pastor just have left as soon as he saw it? Why didn’t he call for help?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know. Gus was investigating the crime scene with the coroner. Maybe it was kept in the bathroom or locked in the shower. His house only has one bathroom and I used it once when he showed me around the place. There was a bathtub and a shower, but the shower was square, small. From the floor to about shoulder height, it was ceramic tile. The door was white. Above the shoulder, the shower walls were glass all the way to the ceiling and there was a noisy fan. It was odd but functional.”
“Why would you need to run the fan?” she asked.
“Don’t you always run the fan in a bathroom when you pee around a guy for the first few times?” I asked.
“True. That shower could’ve held the snake for a bit, but it’d push on the door. Those aren’t exactly hard to open,” Katie pointed out.
I nodded. “Tie the handle to something with enough strength. Like the tub. It was old cast iron with clawed feet. Heavy.”
Katie laughed. “You’re so good at this. Don’t be too good or they’ll think you did it. Wait until you see what Gus has to say. Whatever they found and where.”
“Please, we had a rattler in the back of the shop today. Someone is trying to set me up or scare more people. Maybe hurt more.” I went behind the bar and practiced my girlie shot flavors. Then I tested one.
“A rattler. But you’re okay. Belle, are you working tonight?” Katie asked.
“Nope, not on the schedule. Yes, we’re all safe from the snake. Unless you need me to work, I don’t mind. I’m just practicing for that class,” I said.
