The police officer chuckled. “I told you she was psychic.”
The nurse folded her arms and used a firm, official voice. “Alright, listen up. This has gone far enough for now. I am taking Mr. Bell back to his room.”
Star crumpled her face. “Who is Mr. Bell?”
The nurse shrugged. “Alright, Dog Breath. What is with these ridiculous nick names. Really, you don’t even know his real name?”
Dog held up his hand to stop her. “Not yet. There are a couple of things I need to take care of. Guardrail, I took Slick’s oxygen tank and Lugnut’s heart pills. The hospital is testing them and we should be able to learn if they contained poison, or something that would kill.”
The nurse tilted her head back. “I almost forgot we were doing that.”
Edith smiled. “Well, looks like you made some progress, Dog. But we will take it from here since it looks like you're out of commission for the time being.”
Dog popped in his seat. “No! Don’t leave me here alone. Lugnut’s ghost said I was in danger, remember?”
Candy took Slick’s hand and fussed. “I’m staying here with you, baby. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Slick smiled back at her. “You are too good to me.”
Guardrail glanced at the two love birds, then looked to Edith. “Can you stay with Dog?”
Edith held up her bag. “Sure. I got my knitting right here and can use some quiet time.”
Guardrail stepped over to Star and touched her hand. “Are you going to be alright? Do you need an aspirin? I’m willing to bet a hospital might be a good place to get a couple if you do. Although they may cost $30 bucks each.”
Star grinned at him. “No, but that is sweet of you. So, what are we going to do next?”
Guardrail’s face became taunt. “We need to head back to the funeral home. Dog did a good job getting the heart medicine and gas to testing. But it made me think. If someone messed with Lugnut’s pills, they might be able to find traces of the poison in the body. We need to go back to the funeral home and talk with them. And we need to contact the state mortician.”
The VA policeman cut in. “I can help with that. I might know someone to call who works with the state morgue.”
Star added. “Guardrail, we should call someone, too. Ginger and Piper are at the funeral home. They can talk to whoever runs the funeral home and ask them to isolate Lugnut’s body. So, then the question is still, what do we do next?”
Guardrail shrugged. “I guess we accompany Dog back to his room and call Ginger. We can compare notes with the gang at Lugnut’s wake. If anyone could learn something from the people at the wake, it's Piper and Ginger. And with the test results from the pills and gas tank Dog found, maybe we will know where to go from there.”
The policeman glanced to the nurse. “Looks like we need to light a fire under the lab. We have a crime to solve.”
The nurse snickered. “We? So, you're a member of this?”
“No. Both of us are. Something is going on and we can help make sure no one else gets hurt. It’s the right thing to do.”
“Thank you, officer. There is danger and you are right. There is an evil presence that surrounds all of these events. We need to stop whoever is doing this before they hurt someone else.” Star’s voice showed genuine concern.
Chapter Thirteen
My phone vibrated as I nibbled on a chicken salad slider. Some mayo had oozed out onto my hands, and I wiped them clean on my jeans so I could take out my cell. “Hello?”
“Ginger, it’s Guardrail. We're at the hospital and we found Dog. But you aren’t going to believe this, he was admitted as a patient.”
My mind froze. “Is he alright?”
“Yeah, I can tell he is alright because he's ornery as ever.”
The surprises just kept coming and I felt my mental balance was off, like I was leaning back too far in a chair and was almost at the tipping point. “What happened?”
“To be honest, I’m not one hundred percent sure. But he’s not going anywhere. Edith is going to stay with him, make sure he is alright. But then what should Star and me do?”
“That’s a good question. As it happens, there is one thing I was told here at the wake that keeps bothering me. A nurse here told me that Dog and his friends may have been involved in some sort of top-secret mission while over in Vietnam.”
Guardrail’s laughter was so loud it hurt me ear. It took him a few seconds to settle down and say, “Dog? Really, he is the last man I would want to handle a top-secret mission in wartime.”
“Yeah, I thought so, too. But then I remembered they were younger back then, and maybe they were perfect for something like that working out of the motor pool. You know, not on the front lines but there and free to spy, or whatever. And Dog did say there were times that when he was out with Lugnut he thought they might die. I always thought that statement was odd, but if they were spying or doing something covert...”
“I hate when you make sense only to complicate things. How the heck are we going to look into something like that?” Guardrail let out a big sigh. “I can ask Dog, I guess, since we are here with him.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. And how about his friend, Slick?” You can ask him, too.”
“His wife, or girlfriend, or whoever she was, I don’t know. We were never really introduced, but there is another woman in the room. And they were acting like love struck teenagers. Talking to Slick might be more difficult.”
The huff of air I released was amplified by the receiver. “You can ask her to leave. Let her know you need to talk in private in order to follow up on all that has happened recently.”
Guardrail groaned. “I guess. I just don’t like being so forward.”
“Wait a minute. You don’t have to. Send Edith back to Slick’s room to question him. She has no problem getting to the point, even if it ruffles a few feathers. Just send her.”
“Bingo, and Star and I will try to get the test results while she does.”
“Great! Wait, what test results?”
Guardrail chuckled. “Dog somehow managed to get Lugnut’s heart pills and Slick’s oxygen. The hospital is testing them right now.”
“The bombshells keep on coming, don’t they? At least Dog left you guys hanging at the wake for a good reason. Alright, tell Edith to call us with whatever she learns from Slick. When you get all that test info, Grab Star and head back to Lugnut’s wake and meet up with us here. There are a couple of other loose ends we need to pin down, but we can address those when you get here.”
“Will do.” Guardrail must have been motivated because he hung up with even saying goodbye.
I turned to Piper. “This day has been so weird, so if I told you Dog was admitted to the hospital, would you be surprised?”
“Nope. He should have been admitted years ago.” Piper smiled at me but I could tell she was a little shocked. “So, what happened?”
“Guardrail didn’t really know, but he's going to meet us here in a bit. So, we will find out more then. And you probably heard, I asked him to ask both Dog and Slick about that odd comment from Linzi. You know, the top-secret thing?”
“We think alike. I kept going back to that. But Dog doesn’t seem like the spy type.”
“Yeah, but that is now. He was a lot younger back then, and probably a different man.”
Piper raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think of that. So, you’re thinking it makes sense to check it out just in case.”
“Yeah. And with everything that has happened, the unexpected seems to be the path we're on.”
Bianca took up a conversation with a well-dressed, older woman when I took the phone call. But now that I was off, she attempted to resume our conversation before I could tell Piper about the tests that were being run. Bianca asked, “You were asking if I got along with Linzi?”
The words failed to come to me, but Piper jumped in. “Yes, you know, was it awkward with her being so close to Lugnut as his nurse?”<
br />
Bianca chuckled. “Lugnut was married once before me, and he had a few girlfriends. I knew that going in. And Lugnut was my third husband, we were not exactly a young doe eyed couple. So, a nurse showing him some extra attention was not a big deal in my book.”
Piper continued. “So, why was Lugnut Linzi’s favorite patient?”
“It’s kind of complicated. The fact Lugnut was married did not bother Linzi. She liked him, a lot, so she pursued him even if he was married. She even asked me if I was happy in our marriage. But she figured out pretty quick it was not going to happen. However, it did almost come between Slick and Lugnut because Slick had a thing for Linzi for a while. But she wasn’t interested in Slick and he eventually moved on to Candy.”
I asked, “Did Linzi take being rejected by Lugnut poorly?”
Bianca paused, then answered. “Linzi didn’t take being rejected by Lugnut that bad. Just after it happened, she was kind of cold for a while when we went for checkups and things at the hospital, but eventually she got over it.”
Piper asked before I could. “How did you know Slick liked Linzi?”
Bianca chuckled. “Slick likes the ladies. And he wasn’t shy about talking about it. He must have said a thousand times while he and Lugnut were hanging out and drinking beers ‘I’m gonna make her my lady.’ Or something like that.”
Piper rubbed her temples. “I feel like I’m in high school again. That is like every conversation I had at lunch in the tenth grade.”
Bianca smiled politely at Piper. “You have to understand the military. These boys are special for what they sacrificed and risked. But you're right, they like to have a good time and can be a bit juvenile at times. Who’s got a bigger truck? Who can spit further? It’s all about competition and being the best. And Linzi likes being around it so she did provoke them a little. But like I said, Lugnut was never interested in her and Slick’s interest faded away when he found Candy. But Linzi still took good care of both of them, even coming out to the houses to help at times.”
I could see Bianca was trying to be nice, but she was tiring of the conversation. “We are just trying to figure out who might want to hurt Slick or Lugnut. And lover quarrels are always of interest. Sorry we asked so many questions.”
“It’s okay, Ginger. I understand. But for a lover’s quarrel, you’re better off speaking to Candy, Slick’s girlfriend. She and Linzi are like oil and water.”
“Thanks Bianca, for all the information and talking with us. This is a hard day for you and we appreciate you taking the time.” I reached out to shake her hand.
“You’re more than welcome. And I asked you more questions than you asked me. I can’t believe I talked your ear off about that pub of yours. I’m sure Lugnut is up there watching all this and he was thrilled to have you all here. He loved all of Dog’s stories and always watched the episode about the pub whenever it was rerun. He must have watched it twenty times.” Bianca reached out and hugged me. “We don’t shake hands around here, we hug.”
Piper giggled but followed suit and joined the hug. “Thank you from me, too. And we’re sorry for your loss.”
“What’s going on here? Looks like a group hug. I see you ladies have made friends fast.” Digger had a stupid look on his face.
Piper snapped back. “You jealous we can make friends and you can’t?”
“Au contraire, my pretty journalist friend. I made a good buddy and he told me a thing or two that was really interesting.” Digger folded his arms to show his confidence.
Dixie bounded up next to him. “Why did you take off so fast. I had that old soldier telling us his life story?
Piper squinted at Digger. “You made a good buddy?”
“Well, I was there! So, maybe it was more like Dixie and me.” Digger looked at his toes as his voice trailed off.
Dixie glanced back at the man they'd been talking to. “According to these guys, it seems that Lugnut and Slick were quite the duo at the VA. Everybody knew them and this nurse named Linzi. Seems the three of them were the life of the party.”
Piper let out a low indiscernible grumble. “So, if they were so popular, who would want to hurt both of them then? It makes no sense.”
I added. “Guardrail will be here with Star in a little bit. Maybe we can put our heads together with what they learned and see if we can piece it together.”
Bianca lit up. “Ginger, did you say Star was coming back? She said she might try to talk to Lugnut’s spirit for me.”
I nodded yes. “They should be here in a little bit. They were at the VA hospital and had a couple of things to do first, but then they were going to leave right after that.”
Bianca went and found the well-dressed woman she was talking to earlier. She said something in her ear and they both picked their heads up and giggled.
When Bianca was out of earshot, Piper spoke with a soft voice. “There’s an awful lot of love here in Statesboro. Too much if you ask me. This nurse going after a married man, Slick chasing multiple woman. And everyone seems amused by it all. Except Lugnut is dead, albeit maybe of natural causes. But then Slick is put in the hospital. My woman’s intuition is telling me some of the nooky went spooky.”
Dixie cocked her head to one side. “Did Piper just make a pun? Well, paint me green and call me a pickle. It wasn’t all that great, but not bad for a journalist.”
Piper glared at Dixie and shot back. “I don’t need to paint you any color to call you names. Watch it!” Then she smiled at the tough bartender and shrugged. We all allowed ourselves a short laugh, after which, we decided to check out the buffet to eat finger food and drink coffee as we waited for Star and Guardrail.
Chapter Fourteen
Star and Guardrail made good time and met us at the funeral home. The big guy was hungry and helped himself to the buffet. Star, on the other hand, didn't touch a thing. She looked tired and she grabbed a cup of coffee.
Guardrail pinched his eyebrows and shrugged. “I’m telling ya, there was nothing wrong with Lugnut’s heart pills. They checked multiple pills and they didn’t find anything wrong with them. To do more detailed testing they need more time, but the lab tech was pretty sure the pills are normal.”
Piper sighed. “Well, maybe he died of natural causes then.”
Star jumped in. “No, something happened to him. I can feel it. And all the pieces fit. The test results do surprise me, but that doesn’t prove it wasn’t foul play. We need to test his body.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who is going to ask the grieving widow?”
Digger cleared his throat. “Well, we don’t have to. Can’t we get the police to do that?”
Piper replied, “I suppose, but that will take forever.”
Dixie cut in, “Hey, if the hospital could test the pills, couldn’t they test his body?”
I whined and pointed across the hall to the room where the wake was being held. “The body is in the coffin. They are ready to bury him.”
Dixie continued, “Yeah, but this is kind of an emergency, or at least a special case. Right?”
Guardrail cleared his throat in a cocksure manner. “Are you all through here? I got it covered.”
Star nudged him. “We have it covered!”
The big man smiled back at her and continued. “Alright, we have it covered. The VA policeman we met is calling the local morgue. He is going to let me know, but he was pretty sure they would follow up on it and test Lugnut after what happened to Slick.”
“Alright, so we have a potential way to test the body. But we still don’t have a person-of-interest list.” I pinched my lips when done out of frustration.
“I know what you mean, Ginger. My current person-of-interest list all have strong ties to the VA hospital, but we know little about other friends and family.” Piper shook her head to emphasize the point.
Digger bounced from me to Piper with his eyes. “You have people of interest already?”
Piper shrugged. “Yeah, that nurse was a bit off, what was her
name? Linzi, that’s right. And we have Slick’s girlfriend who doesn’t get along with the nurse. And the nurse tried to steal Bianca’s husband. Any of those three ladies had some motive.”
Digger shook his head no. “I think the government is covering something up. That makes more sense. And they’re cleaning up things by getting rid of these guys.”
Piper moaned and threw her head back. “Really, Digger? The Vietnam war was over forty years ago. You honestly think the government is just getting around to covering up what they did back then now? I don’t think so. And Dog and his friends don’t strike me as the spy type.”
Guardrail waved his hands in the air. “Can we get back to the test results? We’re getting side tracked.”
I pinched my eyebrows and wrinkled my nose. “Why? The tests came up empty.”
“The pills did. But not the oxygen tank. In fact, the Army guys were very concerned that the tank had a top-secret gas in it. The VA police confiscated it and were very clear that we needed to turn over anything else that might have the gas, too. You could see there was a sense of urgency and concern.”
Dixie sucked in a short burst of air and blurted out. “Is anyone else adding this up. A top-secret gas and a weird story about a top-secret mission? Maybe it is not as out there as we thought?”
Digger’s eyes grew. “See, I told you it was a possibility. And those government agents don’t fool around to keep things secret.”
Guardrail huffed. “The gas is weird, yes. But I have known Dog for many years, like a brother. And there is very little I don’t know about him. He is no spy. But I've been thinking about the odd gas in Slick’s tank. Maybe Lugnut was not the target? Maybe it was Slick?”
Piper snorted out her nose. “You know, Guardrail, that is pretty insightful. From the start I have been cautious about Lugnut’s heart attack. It could have been just that, and nothing more. From the start, we've assumed it was more because of Star’s experiences. However, Lugnut’s ghost saying Dog was in danger could mean a lot of things. It doesn’t have to mean that Lugnut was murdered.”
A Whiskey Sour Wipeout Page 7
