Pretty, Hip, & Venomous

by Madison Johns

  “How is the investigation going?” Mrs. Canary asked.

  “We still haven’t made any real progress,” Agnes said. “Somehow I think there’s a connection to the robbery at the Pit Stop, but we haven’t found a darn thing to support it.”

  “Maybe you’re wrong and it doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

  Eleanor half rose from her seat. “Wrong?”

  “Sit back down, Eleanor, before we’re asked to leave. I’m hungry. Please make my hamburger well done.”

  “Don’t worry, Agnes, that’s the only way to eat a burger. I didn’t want to tell Pete, but I can’t stomach another medium rare steak. I’ve had a sour stomach all day. I just can’t digest food that well sometimes,” Mrs. Barry admitted.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.” Agnes winked in Mrs. Barry’s direction. “I hope Mrs. Barry won’t spill the beans.”

  “Would you girls stop it,” Mrs. Barry choked out. “Pete slept on the sofa, I tell you!”

  “Sorry,” Eleanor said. “It’s really none of our business, and Pete admitted as much. He’s quite a trove of information. Did you know he was sitting at Milly’s table the day she croaked?”

  “Eleanor!” Agnes groaned.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. But did you know Pete sat at Milly’s table at bingo all the time.”

  “I was shocked,” Agnes admitted. “Why didn’t Pete sit at your table, ladies?”

  “It’s not like any of us are dating the man,” Mrs. Peacock said. “He’s only an acquaintance.”

  “You invite an acquaintance to a night of poker at your home?” Agnes asked.

  “Well, Pete is a butcher,” Mrs. Canary said. “And he brings the steaks, so … .”

  “Since when is it a crime to be in the company of a man?” Mrs. Barry asked.

  “It’s not,” Eleanor said.

  “So what’s the story about Arness?” Agnes asked. “Are you in the need of a tool?”

  Mrs. Canary’s eyes protruded to the point Agnes feared they’d roll to the floor.

  “I meant because he owns a hardware store.”

  Eleanor chuckled. “At least he’s in possession of hardware.”

  “Stop it right now,” Mrs. Peacock said with shake of her head. “We’ve known Arness for years. He’s quite handy when something needs fixing.”

  “Even though he barely stays awake through one game of poker!”

  “That’s why we make sure he’s sitting in a padded lounge chair,” Mrs. Canary said. “One time he fell on the floor and it took all of us to roll him into the lounge chair.”

  “Do you need any help?” Agnes asked.

  “Oh you mean you’re not here for comedic relief?”

  “No, I can toss a mean salad.”

  “Good. You girls will find everything you need in the kitchen.”

  “Don’t forget the beer,” Mrs. Barry hiccupped. “I mean the soda. Did I mention I have a condition where I get the hiccups frequently and I can’t get rid of them no matter what I do?”

  Eleanor’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so it’s not because—.”

  “She’s tired,” Agnes interjected.

  “I can’t believe you’re being such a fuddy duddy, Agnes.”

  “I’m not. I just know a few people who can’t get rid of hiccups either.”

  “Water doesn’t work?” Eleanor asked. “Taking three tiny sips always works for me.”

  “Spoonful of sugar for me,” Mrs. Canary said, her sister agreeing.

  “I drink upside down,” Agnes said. Eleanor handed Agnes a glass with water. Agnes, without missing a beat, bent at the waist and drank from the far lip of the glass, and waved her hands afterward as if waiting for applause.

  “Apparently you’ve never seen what I can do with lettuce.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Agnes bounced Abigail on her knee gently as Kimberly walked on the area rug in a model’s pose. “Now it’s your turn, Katie,” she encouraged her niece.

  Katie was dressed in what resembled pink leggings, but much looser, paired with a matching pink-and-yellow floral shirt. She could almost be a mini Kimberly.

  Katie had one hand on one hip, the other swinging wildly.

  “Put your hips into it,” Eleanor said.

  “How about we don’t go there yet? She’s only six,” Betsie said with a smile.

  “It’s too late,” Agnes pointed out.

  “I should have known this would be a problem with Kimberly for an aunt,” Betsie sighed.

  “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t the one who told her to swing her hips.” Kimberly giggled.

  Betsie glanced at her wrist. “Would you look at that! It’s snack time.”

  “But we just had breakfast, mama.”

  Abigail began to cry and Kimberly picked her up, giving her kisses. “I think someone’s ready for a nap.”

  “See, Katie? We have to put Abigail down for a nap. I know Aunt Kimberly appreciates you helping me with the baby.”

  Katie wiggled her fingers. “I can’t wait until I’m older and I can do it all by myself.”

  “I’m afraid Abigail will be too old by then, but just think, it won’t be long before you can show her all your fabulous toys you’ll be sharing with her.”

  “Do I have to share all of them with her? Even my Barbies?”

  Betsie laughed. “Don’t worry, we won’t let her play with your Barbies. She’s too young for all those small pieces.”

  “I’m ready to go,” Kimberly announced. Her blue pregnancy dress stretched taut over her belly. She patted it. “I swear my belly grew overnight.”

  “It certainly looks like it popped out more,” Eleanor said. “We’d better get going before it gets any later.”

  “Hey weren’t we supposed to meet up with Christopher, the manager of the Pit Stop?” Kimberly asked.

  “Yes, but as Deputy Danworth pointed out we’re supposed to be investigating Milly’s murder not the armed robbery,” Eleanor said.

  “It’s not like it will hurt anything,” Agnes said. “Besides, I need a diet Coke.”

  “That’s a want, not a need,” Eleanor pointed out. “And we’ll have to skip it for now. The robbery doesn’t have anything to do with Milly’s murder.”

  They arrived at the Pit Stop five minutes later. A black Impala was parked near the building. Agnes parked in the handicapped space and put the paper sign up before they all went inside.

  The bell over the door jingled and they wandered to the cooler. “Be careful, there’s a broken bottle down there,” Agnes warned.

  Kimberly retreated to the counter, where a man behind the register glanced up and asked, “Can I help you?”

  “There’s a broken bottle of beer on the floor,” Kimberly pointed out.

  “Meadow, clean up on aisle one.”

  Meadow appeared several minutes later, pushing a mop bucket with a broom and dustpan under one arm.

  “Let me help you,” Agnes said as she swept up the mess for the girl. She held the dustpan with the glass and stinky beer until the man slipped from behind the counter with a trashcan. “I appreciate your help, but that’s Meadow’s job.”

  “Well, the poor girl can’t possibly sweep and mop at the same time.”

  The bells over the door rang and a thin man carrying a plastic bag of empty bottles slung over one shoulder limped in.

  “We don’t accept returnable bottles in plastic bags,” Christopher said.

  Agnes eyed the bin container where returnables were placed. “Why not?”

  The man waved a rubber glove. “I have a glove to do that,” the man said.

  “Those are the rules, and if you don’t like it … .”

  “You can go across the street and ask for paper bags to put your bottles in and then bring them back here … in paper bags,” Eleanor said with cocked brow.

  “Fine, but hurry up. I have to go to the bank.”

  Agnes swallowed hard as she exchanged a look with Kimberly. Why wou
ld the manager say such a thing in front of customers, especially when the door that led behind the register was wide open and a money bag in plain sight?

  “I’ll make the deposit,” Meadow suggested.

  “I don’t think so. You can’t even stop the place from getting robbed.”

  “Now that’s not her fault,” Eleanor spat as Agnes counted out the returnable bottles for the man.

  “And I suppose it’s not her fault that the camera didn’t capture any images from the robbery. Deputy Danworth gave me the news earlier. It shouldn’t take too long before Danworth comes back with an arrest warrant,” Christopher said.

  “That’s enough now. You can’t blame Meadow without proof.”

  “Well, I think it’s convenient that her aunt happens to drive by and cast the blame on Kane. She no doubt asked him to come in that day so he’d catch the blame.”

  Kimberly pursed her lips. “Meadow, you didn’t tell us you were related to Milly.”

  “It didn’t come up.”

  “There was only fifty dollars in the register,” Eleanor said. “She told us all about how the money is dropped into the safe, leaving the register with only fifty dollars in it.”

  “In theory that makes sense if Meadow dropped the money like she’s supposed to.”

  Meadow glanced sadly at Agnes, who said, “No wonder Deputy Danworth thought you were involved with the robbery.”

  “Think what you want.”

  “We can’t ask Milly if Meadow sent her down here,” Eleanor said.

  “Did you kill your own aunt?” Kimberly asked.

  “I didn’t kill Aunt Milly. Ask around. There are plenty of people who had an axe to grind with her.”

  “I suppose that’s what you’re hoping for, that we’d think someone else killed your aunt.”

  “I think you’d better call Deputy Danworth,” Agnes said to Christopher.

  “Can I just get the money for my bottles?” the thin man asked. “I don’t want to be here when the law shows up.”

  “Why, are you a wanted man?” Eleanor asked pointedly.

  “No, I just don’t like cops -- especially Deputy Danworth. He’s run me off the beach just for falling asleep on the bench.”

  Agnes felt a pull at her heart. It was obvious this man was down on his luck, but right now they had to get the deputy here. Agnes pulled out a twenty and gave it to the man, who happily left the store.

  “Keep earning those points to get to heaven,” Eleanor said with a chuckle.

  Meadow made a move toward the door, but Kimberly blocked her path. Agnes quickly pulled Kimberly out of the way before the girl knocked her down. Eleanor then body slammed Meadow to the floor.

  “Get off me, you cow!” Meadow shouted.

  Agnes helped Eleanor to her feet just as Deputy Danworth showed up.

  “What’s going on here?” Danworth demanded.

  “I believe you might want to speak to Meadow about the robbery. We know all about the cameras not working that day,” Agnes said.

  “How do you know the cameras weren’t working?”

  “We were just told,” Kimberly explained. “We also found out Milly Clark is Meadow’s aunt. She called her down here to catch Kane leaving.”

  “I think she might have killed Milly,” Agnes said.

  “She probably wanted to shut her up so she couldn’t tell anyone she set the whole thing up so somebody else would take the blame for stealing that money.”

  “I didn’t set the robbery up. I swear!”

  “Then why was five hundred missing when only fifty should have been in the register?” Christopher asked.

  “And I suppose I somehow made Samantha’s tire go flat so she couldn’t show up for work, too?” Meadow wailed.

  “Come back to the sheriff’s department where we can talk about it, Meadow,” Danworth said.

  “I can’t. I’m working.”

  “Not anymore you’re not. You’re fired, Meadow,” Christopher said.

  “Did you have to come in here again to try to find out who robbed the Pit Stop?” Danworth asked with a straight face before the edges of his mouth lifted into a hint of a smile as he left with Meadow.

  “I don’t suppose one of you know how to run a cash register?” the manager asked.

  “No, but if you call Samantha she might come back to work,” Agnes said with a smirk as they left after they purchased their pop.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Do you really think Meadow killed her Aunt Milly?” Eleanor asked.

  Kimberly's brow wrinkled ever so slightly. “I don’t know how. She wasn’t at bingo.”

  “And we know the Tiffs were working concessions that night. We don’t have a connection to Milly,” Agnes said.

  “It will take time for Deputy Danworth to find out if Meadow orchestrated the robbery at the gas station. I’d hate to sit idly by and miss a few avenues that very well might lead to the killer.”

  “Agnes is right,” Eleanor said. “So where do we begin?”

  “By questioning Beth Bentley. Pete said she was at bingo that night.”

  Kimberly rattled off the directions that led them into a rural area far from Milly’s house, which puzzled Agnes to no end. She was certain Beth was one of Milly’s neighbors.

  “Beth has been staying with her mother the last few days,” Kimberly explained.

  “Does that mean she’s abandoned her house to her husband Clark?”

  “I suppose we’ll have to ask Beth about that.”

  When they rattled up the driveway, Agnes gulped. A thick mist surrounded the two-story house, covering any semblance of grass and the gravel driveway.

  “This looks creepy,” Eleanor said as she gripped Agnes’s arm. “Why is this the only place we passed that has mist?”

  “That’s what everyone in town would like to know.” Kimberly smiled. “It takes much longer for the mist to dissipate here.”

  “You’d think they’d at least have landscaped the place.”

  Agnes winced as a rock struck her ankle. “They might have, for all we know. It’s probably hiding under the mist.”

  “I wonder what else might be?”

  Kimberly rang the doorbell and a hulk of a man answered the door. His eyes were dark and menacing when he glanced down at them.

  Eleanor gulped. “We were told Beth Bentley would be here,” she began, “if not we’ll just leave.”

  Agnes grabbed Eleanor’s arm before she had the chance to dart away from what very well might be a harmless man.

  “Daddy, you’re scaring them!” a short, dark-haired woman said. “I’m Beth Bentley. I wondered how long it would take for you to track me down. You’re the investigators I’ve been told who would be by, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Kimberly said. “Could we come in and speak to you? It’s quite damp out here. I don’t want Agnes and Eleanor here to catch cold, the poor dears.”

  “The poor what?” Eleanor said with a wrinkled brow.

  “Of course! Please come in. We can talk in the kitchen. I don’t want to wake the baby.”

  Agnes’s heart ached for Beth, but she followed Kimberly and Eleanor into the large kitchen fit for a chef, with more cupboards than Agnes would ever dream to fill and an island with sink, all the counters granite.

  “Agnes Barton, quit drooling over the kitchen and take a seat,” Eleanor ordered.

  Agnes joined Beth, Kimberly and Eleanor at a round table. She doubted the family ate their meals in here, but it would serve its purpose now.

  She had time to survey Beth’s appearance. Her curly hair and framed her fair skin, making her blue eyes stand out.

  “I’m sorry to stare,” Agnes said. “I can’t imagine any man who would—.” She swallowed hard.

  “Don’t feel embarrassed about that. I’m not,” Beth said. “It’s not a secret that Clark has a wandering eye, but I thought since we had the children that he’d really changed.”

  “Perhaps he has,” Kimberly suggested. “You
don’t have to give us any details.”

  “What?” Eleanor said. “I’d rather hear the details.”

  Agnes elbowed Eleanor. “I’m sorry. Eleanor has impulse control issues. She thinks everything in her head needs to come out of her mouth.”

  Eleanor glared at Agnes, who merely smiled. “I could mention a few of your flaws, old girl, but we’re not here for that. I hate to be blunt, Beth, but who told you Clark had strayed? There are people in this world who insist on sabotaging a happy couple.”

  “She’s so right,” Kimberly said.

  “Well, we made the mistake of buying a house right next door to Milly Clark. I believe our Realtor left her busybody ways off the disclosure.”

  “How long have you lived in your house?”

  “Two years. It takes time to get the goods on your neighbors.”

  “No it doesn’t!” Eleanor insisted. “I mean, that’s what happens in small towns.”

  “I’m afraid she’s right about that,” Agnes added. “Did Milly Clark spill the goods?”

  Beth sighed as she glanced out the window for a moment. “I still can’t believe I went over to her house for coffee, but I was trying to be nice and I’d refused her invitations many, many times.”

  “So she just came out with it?” Kimberly asked.

  “She did. Do you need cream with your coffee?”

  “Oh boy,” Eleanor sighed.

  “Of course I didn’t believe her at first, but she gave me the details. I had to prove her wrong, so I tracked his phone with an app to find his location. Clark’s car was parked at the IGA, but he wasn’t there. I waited around for a few hours before he pulled up with a blonde in a red corvette.”

  “I take it you confronted him,” Agnes said.

  “Not then I didn’t. I didn’t want all of Redwater watching me confront my husband in the parking lot of the IGA!” she exclaimed. “I told him to get out when he came home and tried to tell me the woman was helping him plan something special for our anniversary.”

  “Most men rarely even remember their anniversary unless reminded,” Agnes said.

  “That’s exactly what I told him. The last few years he didn’t have enough sense to yank the neighbor’s roses out of the ground to even act like he remembered.”