The Body in the Gravel

by Judi Lynn

  “If Darby had just sent one of us out to collect the sand and another truck to deliver the pea gravel, everything would have been fine. But Darby did the same thing with the customer that he was doing to me. He kept blaming us for his mistakes. The old man was losing it. His fights didn’t even make sense. Sometimes he’d stop in the middle of them, scratch his head, and walk away. He knew was being stupid. Something was on his mind that he couldn’t shake.”

  “Any idea what?”

  Colin shook his head. “I’d be surprised if his brain wasn’t pickled. He drank too much for too long. I asked him once if he wanted to patch things up with Rose and his kid, suggesting that maybe he felt bad about how things had ended with them. He went ballistic.”

  “Did he threaten to fire you?”

  Colin laughed. “He did that every other day.”

  “What if he meant it the last time?”

  A shrug. “So what? The ski resort keeps wanting me to work year-round. I’ve never stayed in one place before. Spent a year at the most. It’s been nine here. If it’s over, I’ll move on.”

  Jazzi frowned. She couldn’t figure Colin out. “Do you have family around here? Wouldn’t you miss them if they weren’t close?”

  He barked a laugh. “My old man was fifty when I was born. Mom was forty-eight, didn’t think she could get pregnant. I came as a shock. She kept telling me I almost killed her, moved around a lot inside, and then she had a hard time giving birth.”

  “Did they dote on you since you came so late?” He didn’t strike Jazzi as a kid who’d been spoiled.

  “No, I just wore them out. I had ADHD and drove them nuts. When Mom hit fifty-five, she had one health scare after another. It was a relief when I moved out.”

  Jazzi put a hand over her heart. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him when he was a kid. “You don’t seem bitter.”

  “Why would I be? It wasn’t their fault. They were just too old, and I was too scattered. I was too much for them.”

  How many kids would look at it that way? Be that generous? She liked Colin more. “Do you ever see them?”

  “I go home every holiday, make the drive to Ohio. I take them out to eat. Mom shouldn’t have to cook anymore. And that’s enough to satisfy all of us.”

  Gaff frowned at him. “Why don’t you and Andy get along?”

  “Because the weenie never stands up for himself. He has that stupid victim mentality. I want him to grow some balls. He complains all the time that his mom loves his kid sister more. The girl had two kids with her boyfriend, then the creep dumped her, so she moved back home. Her mom loves it, dotes on the grandkids. But she doesn’t want anything to do with Andy’s boy. Says she doesn’t know what to do with him. He’s the kid who needs the most love.”

  “What about Andy’s dad?” Gaff asked.

  “He’s a bigger coward than Andy. Goes along with whatever his wife says and hides in the basement with his toy train sets.” His voice rose the longer he talked, and he blinked, surprised. “It really gets to me, okay? I keep waiting for Andy to tell them to take a hike.”

  “He’s not like you,” Jazzi said.

  “That’s a good thing. I’m no prize, but Andy deserves better.”

  Gaff shut his notepad. “Anyone else you think we should talk to?”

  Colin shifted in his chair. It looked like he was trying to make up his mind about something. “You know Bea has a thing about men touching her without permission, don’t you? Gets a little squirrely about it. Earl’s hinted her first husband was abusive. She poured scalding water on him while he slept the night she left.”

  Gaff clicked his pen to make another note. “Did he file charges?”

  “Nope, because she had a fractured rib and a black eye.”

  Gaff shook his head. “There’s too much domestic abuse in our country.”

  “In our country? We’re only a drop in the bucket. Men with tiny penises have to pick on someone.”

  Jazzi liked Colin more and more.

  Gaff stood. “We might as well go to see her next. I’m questioning everyone again. Then Jazzi and I will go to the bar.” He was turning to leave when Andy brought him a piece of paper with the angry customer’s name and information on it.

  “Good luck,” Andy said. “I hope you find whoever killed Darby. I’d like this to be over.”

  “So would I.” Gaff nodded thanks, and Jazzi followed him to his car.

  Chapter 33

  Gaff flipped through his notepad, found Bea’s number and address, and called her before starting his car. He talked on his way out of the driveway, and Jazzi gladly listened in.

  “I’m questioning everyone a second time about Darby’s death. I need more leads, and you might know something that could help. Will you be home for a while?”

  When she agreed to see him, he put his cell in the car’s drink holder. “That woman must have a lot of anger built up in her. It had to be horrible for her when Darby tried to force a kiss on her.”

  “Do you think she got so upset, she came back to put him in his place?” That wouldn’t be a smart idea, but people didn’t always make rational choices when they were afraid or furious.

  Gaff crossed the highway and stayed on Hillegas.

  Jazzi glanced at her watch. “You remember I’m going out with my sister tonight, right?”

  He nodded. “This probably won’t take long, and Bea lives on the way to your house. If I have to, I’ll cut the interview short.”

  Satisfied, Jazzi leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. She drove this route a lot, but she noticed so much more as a passenger. They passed Chevy’s, where the guys went to get sausage rolls. Once they crossed the bridge, woods lined both sides of the street until subdivisions started appearing. Bea lived in a small white house a few blocks past the place where Jazzi got her cats. There was a small side street that ended in a cul de sac. When Gaff parked in the drive, Jazzi studied the area. All the houses were well kept, including Bea’s.

  As they walked up the steps to the front porch, Bea opened the door for them. Her living room was a small square with a doorway on the left leading to a galley kitchen. Bea motioned for them to take the sofa, and she sat in a rocking chair across from it.

  Gaff reached for his notepad. “I’ve already questioned all three drivers, so you were next.”

  She gave him a steely look. “Someone told you about my ex-husband. He deserved a few scars. He left me with a lot of them.”

  “Was he always abusive?”

  “Not when he was courting me. He was all charm and wonderful. Once I got pregnant and quit my job, he started pinching me when I annoyed him. After the baby, he’d give me a smack. I thought I couldn’t make it on my own with a kid to raise. When he caught me looking at job ads, he got me pregnant with baby number two. To make sure I was stuck with him, he threw away my pills and demanded his husbandly rights so we’d have baby number three.”

  Jazzi stared. “Did you have anybody you could run to? Somebody who’d take you and the children in?”

  Bea’s stony expression grew colder. “My parents were poor. Struggled to raise me and my brother. I wouldn’t burden them like that. When I visited, I never told them about C.L., but they noticed the bruises. When he split my lip, we didn’t talk about it. They respected my privacy.”

  Jazzi tried to imagine what would happen if she went to her parents with bruises and broken lips. It would be ugly. Her sister and Jerod might even be worse than Mom and Dad.

  Bea read her expression and tried to explain. “My parents loved me, but they didn’t have any resources. My brother was determined to do better and made a lot of money, but he divorced himself from us. We shamed him. We never talk.”

  How sad. Jazzi thought about Earl. “I bet Earl’s family will be happy to make you a part of them.”

  Bea
smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was on guard, waiting for Gaff to grill her. “I never thought I’d meet a man like Earl. He invited me for supper at his parents’ once, and they treated me so well. They made me feel welcome and told me to come back any time.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “You heard?”

  Jazzi nodded. “Earl told us.”

  Bea raised her hand. “No ring, but that’s fine with me. No need for one.” She rocked gently in her chair. “I’m ten years older than he is. That bothered me at first, but he doesn’t care about my age. And finally, I decided it doesn’t matter.”

  “It doesn’t. You both know what you want.”

  Bea’s smile returned, then she glanced at Gaff and grew serious again. “I’m sure you have more questions.”

  “How much did it bother you when Darby grabbed you? Enough to make you go back and argue with him?”

  Bea grimaced. “Darby was losing control. I was watching him unravel. So, yes, it bothered me, but I wasn’t stuck with him like I was with my husband. I could walk away if I wanted to. When Earl punched him, that was enough for me. And then Earl proposed and it didn’t matter. I’d drive to and from work with him. Darby knew better than to push Earl again.”

  Her explanation made sense to Jazzi. She glanced at Gaff. It seemed to satisfy him, too. He looked up from his notepad. “Anything else that might help me find his killer?”

  “You’re looking in the wrong place. All three drivers could get jobs somewhere else if they wanted to. So could I. Darby made us mad, but we tolerated it because we liked our jobs. Someone didn’t feel that lucky. He or she felt like Darby had them in a stranglehold, like they were trapped. Trapped animals and people show their teeth and fight back.”

  Gaff nodded. “You’re not the first person who’s said that.”

  “I don’t think any of us killed him,” Bea said. “You need to look somewhere else.”

  With a nod, Gaff closed his notepad and returned it to his pocket. “I promised to have Jazzi home in time to go out. We’d better leave.”

  Bea smiled at Jazzi. “Have fun tonight. Earl’s coming to help me move in with him in half an hour. My life’s going to be better.”

  As they walked out the door, Gaff said, “That woman deserves a happy ever after. I can’t stand men who hit women.”

  “Earl will put her on a pedestal. She’s probably never known the amount of love he’s going to give her.” Jazzi fastened her seat belt and looked at her watch. “Oh, boy, I’m going to have to throw on something decent and rush to meet Olivia.”

  “Sorry, Jazzi, but thanks for your help.”

  She was glad she’d gone with him today. The drivers and Bea had faced problems and grown stronger, better. It was inspiring.

  Chapter 34

  Ansel made a point of looking at the clock when Jazzi walked into the kitchen. “What was Gaff thinking, keeping you so long? You told him you were meeting Olivia tonight.”

  She kicked off her work boots and left them by the door. “I’m glad I stayed. It made me like every person who worked for Darby more.”

  Ansel’s frown deepened. “He didn’t have any right making you this late. You don’t even have time for a shower.”

  She glanced down at her work clothes. “I gotta move it. Wish me luck. Olivia’s going to give me grief when she sees me.”

  “You’re not the one she should lecture.”

  She wasn’t going to win this argument, so she ran upstairs. Ansel was usually easygoing, but if he thought she had been mistreated, he got protective. She’d better make herself look presentable or he’d hold it against Gaff.

  She tossed off her flannel shirt and worn jeans, hurried into the bathroom, and washed her face. A little foundation and blush made her look more polished, then she took more care with her eye makeup. She let her hair down to spill over her shoulders. A touch of lipstick, and she was ready to get dressed. She frowned at the clothes in her closet. What would please Ansel? She pulled on a long dress that was fitted to her hips before falling in soft folds to mid-calf. She chose knee-high leather boots to finish the outfit.

  When she walked downstairs, Ansel looked at her and shook his head. “You just did that to annoy me.”

  She frowned. “You don’t like the dress?”

  “I love it. You look gorgeous, and it only took you twenty minutes. You flew around to look good just so I couldn’t fuss about Gaff.”

  She shimmied her hips, making the skirt swirl around her legs. “Did it work?”

  He came to pull her close. “I almost wish we were staying home tonight.”

  Being surrounded by the Norseman’s arms, being pressed against his hard body, had definite perks. “Darn, you feel good.”

  He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. “It’s hard to stay mad at you.”

  She tipped her face for a kiss. “Good. That way, we can both have fun tonight.”

  His lips claimed hers, slow and delicious, sending shivers through every part of her body. The kiss deepened, and she could swear her bones melted. Then he stepped away. “You’d better get going. So had I.”

  Fiddles! She wanted more, but now wasn’t the time. Olivia would be on the way to Trubble Brewing to meet her. They walked to their vehicles and went their separate ways. Traffic was heavy as she drove into town and pulled into the brewery’s parking lot five minutes late. She rushed inside and saw Olivia sitting at a booth, waiting for her. A man hovered at her table, trying to flirt. Her sister, with a curtain of dark blond hair and a willowy figure, had to beat men off.

  “Sorry, I have a boyfriend,” she was saying. “I’m here to meet my sister for girls’ night out.”

  The man gave a smarmy smile. “Does your sister look like you?”

  “She’s taken, too.” Olivia looked toward the door and saw Jazzi walking toward her. “There she is. Time for you to go.”

  The guy didn’t budge. “Well, lookie here. One’s thin and the other one’s curvy. The best of both worlds.”

  Olivia’s brown eyes flashed a warning. “You’re not taking the hint. Do I have to call the manager?”

  His smile turned nasty. “I’m leaving. I hate teases.”

  When he turned and walked away, Jazzi sat down. “Did you lead that poor man on?”

  “Yes, I sipped my wine in a come-hither way.”

  Jazzi laughed. “How’s life? Did you have a good day at the salon?”

  Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Mom had a client come in who’d fried her hair trying to bleach it at home. It looked like straw. Took lots of treatments to make it even a little soft.”

  The waitress came, and Jazzi ordered a glass of zinfandel. Once they were alone again, she asked, “How’s Thane?”

  “Good, but he keeps hoping Gaff will arrest someone for Darby’s murder. It’s not like he’s the only suspect, but it doesn’t feel good being on Gaff’s list.”

  Her wine arrived, and Jazzi took a drink. “Gaff’s trying. There’s not a lot to go on. He’s going to start expanding his list of suspects.”

  “Good, because Thane can’t picture any of the drivers as a killer. He likes all of them. They were decent to him when he stopped at Darby’s to see Walker.” Olivia tilted her head, studying her. “You look good tonight. That dress would make a great style for your wedding. Maybe we can find one in white or cream on Monday.”

  “Monday?”

  Olivia blew out a breath of frustration. “We promised Ansel we’d take you shopping and find something decent for you to wear. You keep putting it off, so Mom and I have decided to kidnap you this Monday. We won’t stop shopping until you have a dress and shoes.”

  “It’s just that I’ve been away from the job site a lot in order to go with Gaff as he questions people. We’re close to getting everything on the outside of the house finished. Then we won’t
have to worry about the weather.”

  Olivia shrugged. “If you can go with Gaff, you can go with us.”

  Jazzi was about to argue that the Monday after this one would be better when the waitress came to take their order. Jazzi had spotted a specialty burger on the menu and went with that. Olivia ordered the macaroni and cheese with pulled pork on top. When her sister splurged on calories, she didn’t mess around.

  Alone again, Olivia said, “You’re going to buy a veil, too, aren’t you?”

  “For a wedding at home?” Jazzi had just finished listening to Gaff interrogate suspects, and now she was under the gun.

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be anything major, but you’re going to be a bride. Doggone it, you should look like one.”

  Her sister cared more about fashion than she did, but Jazzi was trying to up her game. “I’ll get a veil.”

  Olivia smiled. “And Mom scheduled manicures and pedicures for all of us.”

  “It’s too early. They won’t last. I kill my nails every time I rip out drywall or refinish floors.”

  “Wear gloves.”

  “I do for drywall, but they’re clumsy when I use a sander.”

  Olivia reached for her wine. So did Jazzi. They drained their glasses, and the waitress came to see if they wanted another glass. Instead of asking for a bottle, which seemed appropriate at the moment, Jazzi smiled and nodded.

  When the food came, Olivia dug in. “This is heaven on a plate.” She didn’t stop eating until the waitress brought their second glasses of wine. Then she narrowed her eyes, studying Jazzi. “How are you wearing your hair? If you tell me you’re going to pull it into a ponytail, I’m kicking you under the table.”

  Jazzi swallowed her bite of hamburger. Whatever the seasoning on it was, she’d love to be able to buy a bottle of it. “I haven’t thought about it.”

  An exasperated sigh. “Really, sis! Mom and I are both hairdressers. We can make it look any way you want it.”

  “Up in a loose knot? Soft and sexy?” Ansel liked it when she let her waves flow freely or, if her hair was up, when stray strands escaped her elastic band.