I tried to make small talk. “So what do you think of your future son-in-law Miss Dottie?”
Dottie shifted in her chair. “I don’t know…I haven’t met him yet.”
Paige and I looked at each other. “Why on earth not?” Paige asked.
“Stormi said he’d been working long nights and sleeping during the day. She promised to introduce us on his first day off.”
I do remember Stormi saying he’d been working nights for another officer who was off work sick.
“It’s too bad you have to meet him under these circumstances,” I said. “But he’s a wonderful man.”
Dottie wrung her hands. She was very nervous and I wasn’t sure if it was because of Mr. Pennington’s death, Stormi being questioned, or her being next in line for the interrogation. I’d seen Dottie under serious circumstances before and normally she was the rock of Gibraltar. When her husband left her with two kids to raise she buckled down, worked two jobs, and never complained. You could count on Dottie in an emergency or if you suddenly felt overwhelmed. She was there to take charge. Something she knew how to do so well. I guess there were many times that Dottie’s take over attitude had positive effects on the community. Like the time the Baptist church suffered smoke damage from a faulty furnace. Dottie stepped right in and offered to have the church service in the basement of her home until the church was fumigated. Another time some teenage boys were scaring their elderly neighbors by tossing rocks at their windows late at night. Dottie took it upon herself to stay up late and sneak around trees and light poles until she found the culprits. Word is she grabbed one by the ears and wouldn’t let go until he promised that he and his friends would cease and desist. Yes, there were times when Dottie’s take-charge behavior had been a welcome relief. I told myself I needed to remember that, even when she was overbearing about Stormi’s wedding. But this wasn’t like her at all. I moved to the chair next to her and put my hand on her shoulder.
“You okay Miss Dottie?”
Dottie took a lace hanky from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m just so worried about my Stormi. Finding Mr. Pennington like that. My poor baby.”
“Hey now, she’s made from strong stock,” I said patting her shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”
Dottie gave me a half-hearted smile. We heard the creak of the door of one of the interrogation rooms opening and Stormi emerged. She walked over to us and sat down.
“I think Jerry thinks I did it,” she whispered.
“Did what?” Paige asked.
Stormi peered at Paige impatiently. “He thinks I murdered Mr. Ping Pong.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Paige replied. Then she looked sternly at Stormi. “You didn’t did you?”
Stormi gave Paige the evil eye. “No I didn’t. Yes, I didn’t care for the man. He made my skin crawl and I wanted to boot kick him back to Atlanta. But no, I didn’t skewer him with the cake cutting knife.”
“So that was the murder weapon!” Paige exclaimed. “That silver plating sure sparkled off that handle. That’s too bad; it was a really pretty cake serving set.”
Stormi looked disappointed. “Yeah I know.”
“You guys are unreal,” I exclaimed. “A man is dead, likely murdered, and you’re mourning the cake serving set? What are we, a bunch of ghouls?”
I knew I shouldn’t have said it, but it just came out. I could see the look on Stormi’s face changing. Oh, crap…she was getting the giggles. Not now! You’ll definitely look guilty if you start snort/giggling. Too late…
Paige saw it too. “Don’t you dare kiddo…if you start it will trigger a chain reaction!”
I covered my mouth, trying to stifle the rising laugh gurgle trying to come forth. When Stormi started her nervous snorts and giggle, no one was safe.
Stormi grabbed the sides of the creaky chair and took a deep breath in an effort to squash the impeding explosion.
“That’s good,” Paige reassured her. “Just take deep breaths and calm down.”
Dottie looked at us. She was no longer wringing her hands, but her gaze said she thought we were nuts. “What in tarnation is wrong with you girls?”
That did it! Stormi could contain herself no longer. The snorts came forth, tumbling one after the other despite her attempt to hold them off. I could never keep from laughing at Stormi’s snort/giggles so I gave in before the top of my head blew off as well.
Paige rolled her eyes and said, “Good Lord.” Which only made us laugh even harder. Dottie was speechless for once and Paige mumbled something about getting new friends.
My stomach hurt from laughing and Stormi was finding it difficult to breathe. Then Greg, her fiancé walked into the waiting area. Stormi struggled to stand; suppressing her snorts and giggles as best she could.
“Honey, ummm…I want you to meet my mother, Miss Dottie Rogers,” Stormi said to Greg.
Now Greg was use to Stormi and her outbursts, so he took it all in stride. He held out his hand to Miss Dottie who smiled and took it. “Momma, this is Greg.”
“It’s nice to meet you Miss Dottie. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances however.”
Dottie shook her head. “So am I, but I am so happy to meet you. I’ve heard wonderful things about you from my daughter.”
Greg smiled at Stormi who had finally gotten control of her giggling. “I’m a very lucky man.”
Stormi smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way Greg, but I believe Jerry thinks I murdered Mr. Ping Pong.”
“Who?” Guess Greg hadn’t been let in on the name change.
Stormi shook her head. “I mean Mr. Pennington.”
“I doubt that,” Greg replied. “We’re still looking at all the evidence.” Greg motioned towards Dottie, Paige and I. “And I still need to get statements from these ladies.”
Greg stood to the side and motioned down the hall. “I can get all your statements at once ladies since you were all together at the time of the murder. Follow me this way.”
We followed Greg into an interrogation room and told him what we knew, which was very little. We had all left the shoppe together to go look at the new furniture next door, and when we returned the back door was open and Stormi was kneeling over Mr. Pennington. When we were finished, Dottie cornered Greg.
“Greg, you don’t think my baby had anything to do with this do you? She’s my angel, there’s no way she’d hurt a fly. Sure, she and Mr. Pennington didn’t get along and she might have spouted off to him that she’d like to twist his head off and use it as a hood ornament, but it was all talk. You know how she is.”
Paige grabbed Dottie’s arm. “I think we’ve done our civic duty Dottie. Let’s roll.”
Greg walked us to the front where Stormi was waiting. She and Greg talked while we waited outside for her. When she came out, she looked better. Greg had that effect on her.
“Greg said forensics just finished at the shoppe and they would go over everything right now.”
“So are you off the suspect list?” Paige asked.
Stormi sighed. “He didn’t act like I was on any list, but Jerry sure gave me a scare.”
“Well it did look funky…you kneeling over Mr. P. with a knife sticking out of his chest.”
“Paige, how could you say that?” Miss Dottie huffed.
“She’s teasing me Momma. That’s how we communicate.”
Paige put her hand on Dottie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Miss Dottie. I’m just trying to take the stress out of a well, stressful situation.”
“It’s alright dear. I’m just wound up as usual. I hate to think there might be a murderer lurking around.”
“But who in the world would want to kill Mr. Pennington?” I asked. “Nobody even knows him.”
“I’m sure there are a number of people that know him who would like to kill him,” Stormi stated.
“Stormi, that’s not a nice thing to say,” Dottie exclaimed. “The poor man is dead.”
“I know Momma, but I’m calling a spade a spade.
He wasn’t a nice man and he may have made some enemies. I’m sure there are quite a few bridezillas out there that he made enemies with.”
“But why come all the way to Caesars Creek to do him in?” Paige asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ve got to get to the shoppe and clean or call a hazmat crew,” I said.
“I don’t think he bled too much, at least I didn‘t see any on the floor,” Stormi replied. “The knife probably didn’t hit an artery, just his black heart.”
“Stormi, stop that!” Dottie patted the small beads of sweat from her face with a hanky. “You keep talking like that the police will toss you in the hoosegow for sure.”
Stormi waved it off. “Let’s get back to the shoppe and help Tara clean.”
Once we got back to The Frozen Scoop, I set mops, sponges and buckets out. We’d have to give the place a thorough cleaning before I could reopen. I had Dottie sit at one of the tables while we worked. She still seemed anxious. I called Brandon and told him what happened. He was out of town installing windows on a new house, but said he was on his way.
Not long after we finished cleaning, Paige went next door to Bruce’s office and then Brandon arrived. He hugged us, making sure we were all okay. “Don’t want anything to happen to my girls.”
Dottie looked at him quizzically. “Momma, I know this isn’t the best time to tell you, but there’s no sense in waiting.” Brandon walked over and put his arm around my shoulders. “Tara and I are dating.”
I wasn’t prepared. I thought we were waiting until that evening to tell her, but evidently, Brandon thought otherwise. I didn’t know what to expect from Dottie.
First, she appeared confused and then the realization sunk in. She clapped her hands and stood up to hug me. “Of all the girls, I couldn’t have chosen a better one than you my dear.” Dottie grabbed my hands, looked them over, then looked at Brandon. “Where’s the ring?”
Brandon turned all shades of red. “I said we’re dating Momma.”
Dottie pointed a finger at him. “You better not screw things up young man. Don’t you let a jewel like Tara get away.”
I had to help Brandon out of this hole he dug himself into. “We’re taking it slow Miss Dottie. You know, it’s better not to rush into things.”
That seemed to quell Dottie somewhat. “Don’t go to slow my son…you’re not getting any younger. Plus I wish one of my offspring would supply me with a grandchild.”
Brandon nodded his head towards Stormi. “How about the one about to get married.”
“Yes, she’ll do,” Dottie answered as she sat back down. She looked tired. This whole ordeal was taking a toll on her. I motioned for Stormi to come over and we all sat down at Dottie’s table.
“Are you feeling alright Miss Dottie?” I asked. “Would you like me to make you some tea?”
“Thank you dear, but no. I’m just feeling a little blue. I wanted this to be a bonding experience with my baby girl, but it’s turned into…well, something I never imagined. I should never have hired Mr. Pennington. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“I know you did Momma,” Stormi replied. “But sometimes you need to discuss certain items with people. You know, we could have went and picked out a wedding planner together. One that didn’t carp about my weight so much.”
“He what?” Brandon asked.
Stormi waved her hand. “Don’t get me started. But like Momma said, the man is dead now so I need to get over it.”
Stormi’s cell phone rang. “That’s Greg. Excuse me.”
Dottie and I explained to Brandon what occurred earlier in the day. How we found Mr. Pennington on the floor by the swing door. Brandon stood up and looked at the area behind the counter. “Which side of the door was he on?”
“He was on this side,” I answered.
“That’s odd. I could see someone getting the jump on him as he walked to the back of the store.”
“True, so it must have been someone he knew.”
Stormi raced out of the back of the store through the swing door and looked across the street. “Brandon, go get ol’ Charlie.”
My heart froze. “Oh my gosh I forgot! Charlie was here when we left this morning. He was here with Mr. Pennington.”
“You don’t think he did it?” Brandon asked.
Stormi gave Brandon a look of exasperation. “No Sherlock, but Greg is coming down and he wants Charlie here too.”
I raced to the window as Brandon left to walk across the street to get Charlie. “I turned and looked at Stormi and Dottie. “I can’t believe we forgot about him being here. Do you think he saw someone?”
“I’m sure that’s why Greg wants to talk to him,” Stormi answered.
“Wait,” I said. “How did Greg know Charlie had been here?”
Now Stormi looked confused. “Ummm, he didn’t say.”
Brandon opened the door making sure to duck out of the way of the bobbing slow moving sign attached to Charlie’s electric wheelchair. “Hello ladies. I was just getting ready to mosey on home when Brandon here said I needed to stop by the shoppe.”
“Yes Charlie, Greg wanted you to come over,” Stormi explained. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. Charlie, have you heard what happened here today?”
“Not sure, what do you mean?”
Stormi looked at me and I nodded. “Did you know there was a murder committed in the shoppe here today?”
“Again?” Yeesh! My shoppe was becoming murder capital in this small town.
“Do you remember the man that was here this morning? The short guy, we left him here with you when we went over to look at Bruce and Paige’s new furniture.”
“What? You’ll have to speak up,” Charlie announced. “My hearing aid went on the fritz yesterday and I’m waiting for a new one. What about the short fellow and someone’s furnace?”
Greg walked into the shoppe and said, “I see you’re already questioning my witness.”
Stormi looked like the kid with their hand in the cookie jar. “I was trying to move things along. Wait a minute…how did you know Charlie was here this morning.”
Greg was carrying a paper bag. “Because of this.”
Stormi’s face sagged. “A paper bag.”
“It’s what’s inside the paper bag.” Greg donned a pair of latex gloves, and then removed the item from the paper bag. Incased in a plastic bag was a shoe. Mr. Pennington’s shoe. I could tell because no one else around here wore the white patent leather shoes. Without removing the shoe from the plastic bag, Greg took it over to Charlie’s wheelchair and placed it next to one of the wheels.
“Brandon, come here,” Greg said. Brandon stooped over to see what Greg was pointing at. “See the tire treads on the shoe. Looks like a match don’t you think?”
Brandon nodded. “Looks like a perfect match.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. “How does Charlie’s wheelchair tire tie into all this?”
Greg put the shoe back into the paper sack. “After meeting with the coroner and finding out a few things from the forensic team, I’ve come up with a scenario. I wanted to come down here and see if it might bear fruit.”
Greg walked back over to Charlie and pointed to the wheelchair tire. “There’s a tread mark from a very thin tire on Mr. Pennington’s shoe. The wheel rolled over the tip of his shoe and left a mark. At first we thought it was a bicycle tire, but that seemed odd, then I thought of Charlie’s wheelchair.”
“I’m puzzled at why you thought of Charlie’s wheelchair.” I said.
“There’s another reason besides the tire mark that made me think of Charlie. Mr. Pennington had a gash on the side of his nose. It wasn’t deep, but it was a perfect small slice, like something sharp hit it.”
“What about the wedding cake knife?” Stormi asked. “Couldn’t someone have sliced him in the face before plunging it into his chest?”
“Here’s the thing. The knife doesn’t match the cut on the face. Plus, only Mr. Pennington’s prints are on
the knife.”
“But I picked up the knife,” Stormi said. “Wouldn’t my prints be on there too?”
“No,” I remarked. “I remember Mr. Pennington removing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping it off after you put it back on the table.”
“So how did he get the cut on his face?” Brandon asked.
Greg pointed to the slow moving sign that continued to bob lazily up and down on the back of Charlie’s wheelchair. He took a hold of the slow moving sign with his latex covered hands and inspected it. “Just what I thought. Charlie, I’m going to have to take your wheelchair in as evidence.”
Triple Dip Debacle: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 7) Page 4
