The Gravedigger

by Kacie Clement

  Kamira blew Terrance a kiss and smiled as she slightly raised the front of her gown. Terrance laughed as she took her first step to walk down the aisle towards the man who had saved her life. And together, they would build a fantastic future.

  Kamira smiled happily at her guests as she walked past the church’s pews adorned with white toile and roses. She wondered what they would think if they knew there was a skeleton in the wall in the church’s basement. Thirty minutes later, she kissed her new husband, Terrance James, as the guests clapped in the background.

  The reception began in the church’s community hall. Guests stopped and signed the guest registry book that held a pen de flume and small bottles of bubbles to blow at the bride and groom.

  As guests entered the hall, the aromas of the lavish Cajun-style buffet filled their nostrils. Eloquently set, the buffet table was overflowing with platters of crawfish, boudin balls, crab, shrimp, brisket, chicken salad sandwiches, and a watermelon basket filled with cut-up fruits.

  A bar along the south wall was serving beer and a variety of sodas for the younger guests.

  After the meal and the heartfelt toasts from the maid of honor and best man, Terrance stood taking Kamira’s hand. It was time to start the wedding march.

  The sounds of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” filled the air as the newlywed couple strolled around the room, with their guests joining in the march. A traditional Cajun wedding custom.

  Willie Mae, Hannah and Hattie Bellow, and Suzie Beachum sat back at their table after the wedding march, joining Vittoria and the others from the DeLuca crime family. They watched as Kamira and Terrance moved to the dance floor center to begin their first dance as husband and wife.

  Hattie looked around at the eight-foot-long table, saying, “Isn’t it wonderful how Willie Mae was able to organize the change in the wedding venue so quickly. The electrician said we should have the electricity back on within a few days. I sure will be happy when we have lights again.”

  Willie Mae responded, a sense of anger filling her chest. “I would like to know exactly how that Gazebo burned to the ground, knocking out the electricity.”

  Looking at the table across the room, Willie Mae waved at Jack Thomas and Todd Carter, showing her intention to have the two men join them.

  Jack, seeing Willie Mae waving, turned to Todd and said, “We are being summoned. This evening could get even more interesting. Considering the DeLuca family is at their table.”

  Todd’s jaw dropped in surprise. “The New York DeLuca family? Here? What the hell, Jack? There’s a dead body at the wedding between two former FBI agents, and they have a New York crime family as guests? We need to talk at some point, Jack.”

  Jack roared in laughter. “Come on, Todd, it’s only about to get interesting.”

  The two men picked up their beers and walked to the table where Willie Mae was sitting. Jack held out his hand to shake Frank Gallucci’s.

  “Glad you could make it, Frank. I believe this stunning redhead is your wife?”

  Frank smiled and replied, “Yes, Maeve, this is Jack Thomas, Shadowbank’s Police Chief. Jack, meet my wife, Maeve.” Noticing how uncomfortable the gentleman with Jack was, he winked as he continued, “Who is your friend?”

  Jack looked at Frank and grinned widely. “Everyone, this is Todd Carter, Lead Investigator of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, here in Mississippi.”

  Maeve stood. Walking up to Todd, she took his hand and said in a strong Irish lilt, “Do not worry, Mr. Carter, your secrets are safe with us. Any friend of Jack’s and Willie Mae’s is a friend of ours. Now please sit next to me and tell me about yourself. Do you like to fish, Mr. Carter?”

  As Todd reluctantly took a seat next to Maeve, Willie Mae made room for Jack.

  As soon as Jack took his seat, Willie Mae stared at him, saying, “What happened last night, Jack? Who burned the Gazebo down?”

  “Now, Willie Mae, this is not the place or time to discuss this. What do you say I come by in the morning for some of your beignets, and we discuss it then?”

  Maeve, listening, said, “Beignets? Oh, Willie Mae, you must give me your recipe for those. We had them this morning for breakfast, and they melted in my mouth.”

  Before Willie Mae could respond, Hattie Bellow sat up straight in her chair, glaring at Jack.

  “As the owner of the Bellow estate and the woman who files the insurance claim, which, mind you, I will do Monday morning. I assure you I have every right to know what caused the gazebo to burst into flames. Spill the beans, Jack.”

  Jack’s shoulders tensed. “Now, Hattie, Ms. Bellow, all we know at this point is it may have been a small pipe bomb. We’re still looking at the evidence. When we know more, we will let you know.”

  “I could help you with that. I have a bit of experience with pipe bombs, Jack. Tell me about your evidence.” Maeve said while smiling shyly.

  Todd Carter, who was already wondering what he got himself into, looked at Maeve aghast.

  Jack, frowning, replied, “We found bits of a steel water pipe, and there was chemical residue on the pieces. We’re lucky it wasn’t more of an intensive explosion.”

  Maeve nodded her head. “Someone didn’t know what they were doing. Metals typically have a much higher bursting strength, which ends with a high concussive force. For example, Todd, a 25-millimeter steel pipe, has a typical working pressure of 1,010 psi and bursting pressure of 8,090 psi. So, my conclusion is someone didn’t seal the pipes correctly, and the pressure of the gas leaked, my guess through the detonator ignition hole. Therefore, only causing enough force to start the gazebo on fire. You got lucky. They were amateurs. Did you find the timer device?”

  Todd, his brow furrowed, asked Maeve," How exactly do you know so much about pipe bombs?"

  Maeve smiled brightly, “I used to be a part of the Irish Republican Army, Todd.”

  As Todd struggled with a response, Kamira, watching the table, and frowned from across the room.

  Looking at Terrance, Kamira, feeling her throat constrict, said, “I think we need to walk over to Willie Mae’s table. Todd looks a bit shaken.”

  Terrance smiled, “He’s talking to Maeve Donnelly Gallucci. He should be nervous.”

  “Why’s that, Love?”

  “Maeve Donnelly Gallucci was an active member of the Irish Republican Army in the ‘70s.”

  “Oh, good god!” Kamira immediately turned and strode up to the table, noticing the worried look on her auntie’s face.

  Bending over to kiss her auntie on the cheek, Kamira whispered, “Are you okay, Auntie?”

  Willie Mae patted Kamira’s cheek gently, replying, “I am fine. Kamira, this is your special day. Do not worry about me. Maeve wants my beignet recipe, and I was trying to remember my recipe.”

  Kamira, wrinkling her brow, looked at her auntie with concern. She knows that recipe inside and out. She’s worried about something.

  Terrance took her hand and said, “It’s time for our dollar dance, love.”

  Vittoria stood, tacking a thousand-dollar bill onto Terrance’s lapel, “I get the first dance with this handsome man.”

  Howard laughed, standing, “Really, Vittoria?” Attaching three thousand-dollar bills on the veil Kamira still wore, he said, “Then I must dance with the beautiful bride.”

  As Kamira and Terrance moved to the dance floor, Willie Mae pondered the recent events of the past 24 hours. What happened last night? It has to have something to do with George Buchanan. Alyce Ann may have said George was sorry for Clifton’s death. Still, she knows he wouldn’t have handed over the five million dollars Alyce Ann gave her willingly.

  Willie Mae knew deep in her belly that her family was still a target for the State Line Mob with a sinking feeling. It was her job to protect them.

  When the clock struck midnight, Jack approached Kamira saying, “I will drive Willie Mae and the Bellow sisters’ home.”

  Kamira nodded silently. “See if you can find out what’s go
ing on with Willie Mae. She is anxious about something. We need to know what is going on before she takes action on her own.”

  “Will do.” As Jack turned to gather the older women to drive them home, he laughed. Maeve Gallucci and Todd Carter were dancing an Irish jig on the dance floor.

  Kamira turned, looking to see why Terrance was laughing. Seeing Maeve and Todd dancing, she shook her head, not believing what she was seeing.

  “What is with the DeLucas? They seem to charm everyone. I just don’t understand it.”

  Jack winked at Kamira, gently kissing her cheek. “Do not worry, my girl. Todd has had a few beers, and Maeve Gallucci is incredibly enchanting.”

  On the drive home, Jack glanced at Willie Mae, whose brow deeply furrowed. Pulling up to the front of the estate, he asked her, “What’s going on, Willie Mae? What are you thinking? Or more so, what are you planning?”

  Willie Mae looked at Jack with intense sadness. She replied quietly, “Don’t worry, Jack, I am just tired. It has been a long day.”

  Jack watched as Willie Mae went into the dark Bellow estate. A sense of dread filled his core.

  Chapter 3

  Kamira moved silently down the stairs early Monday morning, smelling the aroma of coffee coming from the kitchen. Seeing Terrance on his cell phone, she quietly poured herself a large mug of strong black coffee and sat down across from him at the kitchen table.

  Terrance was disconnecting the call and said, “Good morning, Mrs. James, aka Jackson.”

  “Good morning, Mr. James. Who were you speaking to so early in the morning?”

  Terrance smiled. “I was talking to the airlines. I couldn’t cancel our tickets to Aruba. But I could turn two first-class tickets into four economy seats and have them be open-ended.”

  Kamira tilted her head to the left, saying, “Four economy seats? Why would we need four?”

  Terrance smiled slyly. “I thought when we were able, and Keisha had the baby, the five of us could honeymoon together in Aruba.”

  Kamira laughed. “You want to take my cousin Billie, Keisha, and a new baby on our honeymoon, dear? Are you afraid to spend a week alone with your new wife? I think it’s a great idea. You and Billie could do your water sports, and Keisha and I could shop.”

  Terrance heard his phone ring. Looking up at Kamira, he said, “It’s Ben.”

  Pushing a paper pad and a pen over to Terrance, Kamira sat back in her chair, silently drinking her coffee.

  After Terrance disconnected his call, he looked at Kamira, saying, “Ben has identified the body in the church. The deceased is named Daniel Billings. He estimates he has been in that wall for over two decades. We will know more tomorrow after additional testing. Odd, his next of kin is a retired colonel, Dusty Williams. I have notified him of Billings’ death, and he would like to do a Skype call with us this morning at 11 am.”

  “Which means Daniel Billings was military at some point. Where is Colonel Williams located?” Kamira said, looking at the pad of paper.

  “He lives about five miles from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Say, we’re driving Willie Mae to work this morning. She called and said Harry was bringing her here at 7 am. He is due to start the remodeling of your office today. I am going to go jump in the shower and get ready for the day.”

  Kamira smiled mischievously, “I will join you.”

  Kamira and Terrance had just gotten back into the kitchen when Willie Mae and Harry walked through the screen door.

  “Morning, Kamira, Terrance.” Willie Mae said as she poured herself and Harry a cup of coffee."

  Kamira walked over and kissed her auntie on the cheek, “Good morning, Auntie. Ready for your meeting today? I hear the Mayor is coming.”

  “He is. We are going to talk about the sidewalks today in the old town. With all these tourists that will come soon, we need to repave them.”

  Terrance glanced at the two women seated at the table. “I’m going to take Harry upstairs and show him the blueprints that we have drawn out.”

  Kamira nodded her head and watched the two men go up the stairs. Looking back at Willie Mae, she asked, “Auntie, I know something is bothering you. Why don’t we talk about it before work? Maybe I can help?”

  Kamira watched as Willie Mae’s eyes took on a worried look. She listened as Willie Mae said, “There is nothing for you to worry about, girl. I am going out to the garden, and I need to call Mavis McDonald before work. I missed book club yesterday, and I want to apologize. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

  “Book club? When did you join a book club, Auntie?”

  Willie Mae stood and started for the screen door, saying sharply, “What is with all the questions Kamira? I have a life, you know.”

  Kamira watched as Willie Mae walked out the screen door. With a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her Spidey senses were going full blast. She raced to the master bedroom and quietly opened the window. Feeling guilty about snooping on her auntie, she knew she had no other choice if Willie Mae would not tell her what was wrong.

  Kamira listened quietly through the window as she heard Willie Mae begin her phone call.

  “Mavis? It’s Willie Mae, sorry I am calling so early, but I wanted to contact you before work. I have been trying to reach Alyce Ann with no luck. I know the ladies had book club yesterday, and I wondered if you had seen her?”

  Willie Mae listened to Mavis, then said, “That is odd. Alyce Ann would not forget book club when she was supposed to bring the dessert. When did you last talk to her?”

  Kamira jumped when Terrance whispered in her ear, “Kamira, what are you doing? Spying on your auntie?”

  Kamira raised her finger to her mouth to signal Terrance to be quiet. She watched Willie Mae through the curtains, and she was nodding her head. Listening carefully, she heard Willie Mae end the conversation with Mavis McDonald.

  “Friday, you say. Okay, well, if you talk to her, will you have her call me right away? Thank you, Mavis.”

  Kamira stood looking worriedly at Terrance. She whispered, “Something is going on with Willie Mae, and she won’t talk about it. I’m sort of worried about her. It could be nothing, but why would she be looking for Alyce Ann Buchanan?”

  Puzzled, Terrance asked, “Alyce Ann Buchanan? George Buchanan’s wife? Haven’t they caused enough trouble for one year?”

  Terrance looked at his watch, continuing, “We need to go, or we will be late.”

  Kamira stood, grabbing her tote bag. “Okay, I will mention this to Jack. Let’s go get Willie Mae.”

  The trio arrived at the office, walking through the doors to find Sally and Jack at the front desk visiting with the Bellow sisters dressed in violet matching dresses. The only difference was the hats they wore. Hattie had a wide-brimmed straw hat with a violet scarf tied around it, and Hannah had a small round hat covered in violet lace.

  Kamira smiled at the ladies, thinking all were dressed to the nines to meet with the Mayor. She giggled.

  Kamira, seeing Jack, said, “Morning, Jack, could I talk to you about a problem with the case in the church?”

  Jack looked at Kamira, watching Willie Mae walking to her office. “Sure, come on in.”

  Kamira, watching Willie Mae walking briskly to her office, said, “Let me drop my bag and grab the file, and I will be right there.”

  Kamira and Terrance walked into their shared office space. Kamira looked at Terrance and said, “Can you start the board? I want to talk with Jack about Willie Mae. It shouldn’t take too long.”

  “Sure, go ahead. I will set the whiteboard up and start the file. Take your time.” Terrance replied.

  Kamira grabbed an empty file and walked out of her office. Passing Willie Mae’s office, the door was ajar. She heard Willie Mae and the two sisters talking.

  “Hannah, Hattie, I want you to start the call tree. See when anybody last talked to Alyce Ann.”

  Kamira heard Hattie ask, “Alyce Ann? Willie Mae, why would you want to converse with that woman, after all the thing
s the Buchanan’s have done to you?”

  Hearing Willie Mae’s response worried Kamira further than she already was.

  “She missed book club yesterday, and I am worried about her alone now that George is up in prison. I got a text message from her the night of the gazebo burning. All it said was, ‘I need to talk to you tonight. Be careful.’ I texted her back to come to the estate, but she never came. The next day was the wedding, and I forgot to check back with her. I am going to get the meeting room ready. You two start the phone tree.”

  Kamira heard Willie Mae’s chair slide, and she rushed into Jack’s office, closing the door behind her.

  Opening the empty file in front of her, Kamira looked at Jack. “I think we have a bigger problem than we thought with Willie Mae.”

  Jack looked at Kamira and said, “Great, give me the details. I hope it is not too bad. Suzie and I have to get to work on the gazebo burning.”

  Kamira sat silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, mentally replaying everything that had happened over the last two days and what she had heard.

  Pressing her lips together, she let out a deep breath. “I think the gazebo fire and Willie Mae have a definite connection.”

  “WHAT?” Jack responded loudly.

  Kamira, grimacing, said, “Think about it, the gazebo fire resulted from a pipe bomb gone wrong. Then this morning, I heard her talking to Mavis McDonald, looking for Alyce Ann Buchanan.

  Alyce Ann had missed book club, and just now, I heard her tell the Bellow sisters to start the phone tree looking for Alyce Ann.”

  “Willie Mae is looking for George Buchanan’s wife? Why?” Jack asked, confounded.

  “I have a sick feeling. Willie Mae thinks George Buchanan is involved with the gazebo fire.” Kamira said worriedly.

  Jack’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Let’s hope not. I will put Marty on locating Alyce Ann Buchanan.”

  Kamira stood, saying, “Okay, just tell him to keep it between us. I don’t want Willie Mae to know that we are also searching for Alyce Ann. But Jack, we’re going to have to keep Willie Mae protected if it turns out George Buchanan is behind this.”