“I don’t think so,” Elmer Lee said slowly. “When I told him he had to stay in Tullahoma for a while, he said he didn’t plan on going anywhere.”
Wanda Nell’s heart sank. “Then something’s happened to him.”
“Now, don’t go borrowing trouble, Wanda Nell,” Elmer Lee said, his tone softening. “I bet ol’ Rusty’s safe and sound somewhere with an old friend. He’ll turn up before long.”
“I hope you’re right,” Wanda Nell said. But what if whoever killed Reggie Campbell had killed Rusty? She pushed that thought away quickly. It didn’t bear thinking about. “Call me the minute you find him.”
“I will,” Elmer Lee promised. “And you call me right away, too, if he turns up there. Okay?”
“Okay,” Wanda Nell said, then placed the receiver on the hook. Rubbing her temples with her fingertips, her eyes closed, she stood there for a couple of minutes trying to ease her headache.
It didn’t work. Wanda Nell found a bottle of aspirin in the cabinet over the sink, opened it, and rolled a couple of pills into her palm. Next she got a glass and filled it with Diet Coke. Maybe the combination of caffeine and aspirin would knock the headache out. Something had to, or she was going to have to go back to bed.
Fifteen minutes later when Juliet came into the kitchen for breakfast, Wanda Nell was feeling better. She had already set cereal and a bowl and spoon on the table for Juliet, and as her daughter sat down at the table, she retrieved the milk from the fridge.
“Are you okay, Mama?” Juliet asked as she poured milk over her Honey Nut Cheerios. “You look real tired.”
“I’m okay, honey,” Wanda Nell said. She filled her glass with Diet Coke again and sat down across from Juliet. “I didn’t sleep real well last night, but I’ll be okay.”
“What’s wrong? Is it Miranda?” Juliet asked between mouthfuls of cereal.
“Your uncle Rusty never came back last night.”
Juliet’s eyes widened in surprise. “Do you think something’s happened to him?” She dropped her spoon in the bowl, and a tiny drop of milk splashed onto the table. Barely taking her eyes off her mother, she rubbed at the milk with a finger, then stuck the finger in her mouth.
“I hope not, honey,” Wanda Nell said. “But I just don’t know. I don’t want to think the worst, so I’m just going to hope and pray he turns up soon, and that he’s not hurt or anything.”
“Me too, Mama,” Juliet said. She resumed eating.
“You try not to worry about it and concentrate on school,” Wanda Nell said.
Juliet nodded.
Miranda had still not put in an appearance by the time Juliet went outside to wait for the bus, so Wanda Nell tiptoed down the hall to check on Lavon. He was playing quietly in his crib, but he started chattering happily when he saw his grandmother in the doorway. He held out his arms for her.
Miranda was sound asleep and snoring, lying on her back in a tangle of sheets. Wanda Nell left her alone while she tended to the baby. As she suspected, his diaper was soaking wet. She changed him, not caring how much noise either she or Lavon was making.
Wanda Nell set Lavon on his feet on the floor and watched him toddle off toward the kitchen. He knew it was time for breakfast, and he was hungry. Smiling, she followed him.
Wanda Nell had finished feeding Lavon his cereal when Miranda wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her temples the way Wanda Nell had done earlier. “There’s some aspirin in the cabinet over the sink,” Wanda Nell said.
Miranda mumbled something as she walked over to help herself to the pain relievers. Once she had taken the aspirin, washed down with a glass of water from the tap, she turned around to face her mother.
“Well?” Miranda demanded, frowning. “Ain’t you gonna say something?”
“About what?” Wanda Nell asked, her tone deceptively mild.
Miranda’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “About me coming in late last night.”
“And being drunk?”
Miranda shrugged. “I had a few beers, maybe. That was all.”
“Who were you with?” Wanda Nell didn’t look at her daughter. She focused on wiping Lavon’s mouth. The baby blinked his big brown eyes at her.
“Just some friends,” Miranda said. “Jeez, it’s like living with the damn FBI around here sometimes. All these damn questions.”
Wanda Nell slowly got up from her chair and stood in front of Miranda. “As long as you’re living under my roof and living off me, Miranda, you’re gonna answer any question I feel like asking you. Especially when you go off and leave your baby and nobody knows where you are.”
Miranda wouldn’t meet her eyes. She kept her head turned away. “Maybe I’ll move out then. I could find me a place to live.”
“You probably could,” Wanda Nell said, holding on to her temper by a hair. “But how would you pay for it? And for food and clothes and everything for you and Lavon? Last I heard, you don’t have a job.”
“I don’t,” Miranda said, “but I could go and live with... with somebody, and Lavon could stay here with you and Juliet.”
Wanda Nell clasped her hands together to keep from either slapping Miranda silly or jerking clumps of her hair out by the roots. “And just who do you think you would go and live with? Have you got a new boyfriend?”
“Yeah, I do.” Now Miranda gazed defiantly into her mother’s face. “He wants me to come and stay with him, and I told him I’d think about it.”
“And I guess he doesn’t want Lavon to come with you?”
Miranda’s eyes shifted sideways. She mumbled something.
“What was that?” Wanda Nell said, her voice sharp. “I didn’t hear you.”
“No, he don’t,” Miranda said more clearly. She licked her lips while she waited for her mother’s response.
Wanda Nell stepped back a couple of paces. “Then I’ll give you something to think about, Miranda. You can go and live with this guy, whoever he is. But if you do, I’ll go to court and get custody of Lavon, and you won’t get him back. In fact, you won’t even be able to see him. I’ll make sure of that. You’ll be on your own, and you’ll be stuck with this guy, whoever he is. You can’t come back here the first time you have a fight.”
Miranda’s eyes widened in alarm. “You... you wouldn’t really do that, would you, Mama?”
Wanda Nell took a deep breath. As usual, it was obvious that Miranda hadn’t thought her little plan through.
“Yes, I would, Miranda,” Wanda Nell said, though in her heart she wasn’t sure if she could really go through with the threat. “You can’t walk out on your family and your responsibilities and not expect some kind of consequences.” She bit back the words she wanted to add: You’re just like your daddy.
“Then maybe I’ll just go and take Lavon with me,” Miranda said, “and you won’t ever see either one of us again.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“You could do that,” Wanda Nell said, fighting hard to keep her voice even. “But I don’t think that’s what either one of us really wants, is it, honey?”
Miranda began sobbing loudly. “I can’t ever do anything right with you, Mama. I’m always wrong. Juliet’s your favorite, anyway. You don’t even really want me here. All you do is fuss at me all the time.” The words came out in short bursts between sobs.
Wanda Nell stood and watched her for a moment. She was tempted to walk away and leave Miranda there. On top of everything else, this was too much. She was so tired of dealing with Miranda and her problems. Plus, she felt guiltily aware that Juliet truly was her favorite, though she loved all three of her children fiercely. She simply didn’t like Miranda most of the time.
Wanda Nell reached out and drew Miranda into her arms. Miranda stood stiff and resistant, but Wanda Nell wouldn’t let go. “I do love you, Miranda, and I always will. You’re my daughter, and I want what’s best for you. Always. But I can’t do everything for you. You’re almost eighteen now, and you’ve got to grow up and start acting like an adult.”
She
released Miranda and took her daughter’s chin in her right hand, forcing the girl to look at her.
“The world doesn’t owe you a living,” she continued. “Nobody’s going to take care of you for the rest of your life. What would you do if something happened to me? You’ve got to start learning how to take care of yourself. And your baby.”
Miranda threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry, Mama. I didn’t mean it, what I said about taking Lavon and running off. I wouldn’t do that. And you won’t kick me out, will you? Please say you won’t.” She started crying again.
“I won’t, honey,” Wanda Nell said, stroking her daughter’s head. “But you’ve got to straighten up. You need to get a job.”
“I will,” Miranda said. “I’ll start looking today.”
“That’s good,” Wanda Nell said, praying that Miranda would follow through with her promise. Most of the time she didn’t. “Now, you go and wash your face, okay? And come back and have some breakfast. You’ll feel better.”
“Okay,” Miranda said, rubbing her nose. She pulled away from her mother and walked over to Lavon’s high chair. She patted his head, then bent to kiss his cheek. “Mama’ll be back in a minute, sweetie.”
Her headache once again pounding, Wanda Nell watched Miranda go with troubled eyes. Had she finally gotten through to the girl? All she could do was hope.
The phone rang, startling her. Hand trembling, she reached for the receiver.
“Hello.”
“Wanda Nell,” Elmer Lee said. “That you?”
“Yes,” she answered. She could tell by the tone of his voice that something had happened. “What is it?”
Elmer Lee expelled a deep breath into the phone. “We found Rusty’s truck.”
Chapter 8
For a long moment Wanda Nell couldn’t breathe. “And Rusty?” She had to force the words out.
“No sign of him so far.” Elmer Lee’s words were curt. “One of my deputies found his truck about six miles out of town, on the highway going towards Calhoun City. It was down in a ditch. I’ve got some men heading out there right now to start looking in the area, and I’ll be on my way there in a few minutes myself.”
“What do you think happened?” Wanda Nell did her best to keep calm, but it was hard work.
“According to the deputy who found the truck, it don’t look like it was in an accident. He said it looked like somebody just let it roll into the ditch.” He hesitated a moment. “No sign of blood or anything like that.”
“Then maybe that means Rusty’s alive.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Elmer Lee said.
“You think maybe he’s been kidnapped?”
“Either that, or he’s done staged some kind of accident for some reason. You think he’d do that?”
“I don’t know,” Wanda Nell said. “I just don’t know. But who do you think would want to kidnap him? And why? Surely they ought to know he don’t have any money.”
“There ain’t much use in all this speculating, Wanda Nell,” Elmer Lee said. “There’s just too much we don’t know. Look, I got to head out now. I’ll let you know if we turn up anything important. In the meantime, you call me if you hear anything from Rusty yourself.”
“I told you I would,” Wanda Nell said. “I’m just praying I do, and that Rusty’s okay.”
“Keep on praying,” Elmer Lee said. The phone clicked off.
Wanda Nell hung up her receiver for a moment, then took it off again and punched in Mayrene’s number. The phone rang seven or eight times, and finally it dawned on Wanda Nell that Mayrene had left for work.
She glanced at the clock. It was just past eight-thirty, so Mayrene was probably still on the road. She’d call her friend later.
She punched in another number, and after a couple of rings, Tuck Tucker answered his cell phone.
Without preamble, Wanda Nell launched into an account of what had been going on.
“Pretty strange” was Tuck’s first comment. “I’ve got no idea what’s going on here, Wanda Nell. I know you’re worried about your brother, but for the moment, I don’t think there’s anything we can do except wait. Hopefully Elmer Lee and his men will turn up something soon, and then we can act on that.”
“I guess,” Wanda Nell conceded, “but I sure hate sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I feel like there ought to be something I can do.”
“Do you have any idea what this strange business is your brother is here about?”
“No,” Wanda Nell said. “All I can figure is that it has something to do with the past. Something that must’ve happened years ago, and now Rusty’s back in town to do something about it.”
“If we knew more about his reasons for coming back to Tullahoma, we’d have something to work with.”
“Bert Vines must know something about it,” Wanda Nell said slowly, remembering the scene she had witnessed between Rusty and Bert, plus the strange conversation she’d had with Bert at the Kountry Kitchen.
“I don’t know him that well,” Tuck said thoughtfully. “Do you think he’ll talk to you after that little scene at the restaurant?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Wanda Nell sighed. “I may not have much choice.”
“If we decide it’s necessary, we can go talk to him,” Tuck said. “I’ve got to get ready for court in a few minutes. In the meantime, let’s wait till we hear something more from Deputy Johnson. Call me as soon as you do.”
“I will,” Wanda Nell said. She hung up the phone, then stood staring at it for a moment, trying to make up her mind.
Miranda spoke from behind her, startling her.
“What’s going on, Mama? Who were you talking to?”
Wanda Nell turned around. “Your uncle Rusty’s disappeared. They found his truck out on the highway going toward Calhoun City. The sheriff’s department is out looking for him now.”
“Oh my Lord, Mama,” Miranda said, her face registering her shock. “I had no idea.”
“Well, don’t you worry about it,” Wanda Nell said. “Just say your prayers that Rusty turns up safe and sound.”
“I will,” Miranda promised.
“Look,” Wanda Nell said abruptly, “I’ve got some errands I need to do this morning. You think you and Lavon’ll be okay while I’m gone?”
Miranda nodded. “I guess so, Mama. I’m gonna call around and see about a job.”
“Good,” Wanda Nell said. “Why don’t you call out at Budget Mart first and see if they’ll take you back?”
“You think they would?” Miranda sounded doubtful. “They might,” Wanda Nell said. “Can’t hurt to ask. All they can do is say no. And if they do, then you can try someplace else.”
“Okay,” Miranda said. “I’ll try.”
Wanda Nell gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then headed to her room to get ready. She had a quick shower, taking care not to let her hair get too damp. After applying a bit of makeup, she dressed in a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. She might not have time to come home and change for her shift at the Kountry Kitchen, so she might as well be prepared.
There was no sign of Miranda or Lavon when she went back into the kitchen. She collected her purse and her car keys, made sure her cell phone was on and charged, then went out to her car, carefully locking the trailer’s front door behind her.
Tuck might think they should just sit around and wait for the sheriff’s department to find out something, but Wanda Nell had no intention of sitting still. She knew Elmer Lee would be aggravated with her when he found out what she was doing, but she didn’t really care all that much if Elmer Lee got mad at her. He’d been mad at her before, and he’d get over it.
Her first stop was Bert Vines’s insurance office, a few blocks down the highway from the Kountry Kitchen. She pulled her Cavalier into an empty space right in front of the door a few minutes after nine. The facade of the small building was mostly glass, and Wanda Nell could see Bert’s secretary, Karen Marter, at her desk. Wand
a Nell got out of her car and walked into the office.
“Morning, Karen, how are you?”
The secretary looked up from her computer and smiled. “Well, hey there, Wanda Nell, how are you? Marijane was just telling me this morning that Juliet is going to help her with her English assignment.” She pulled a wry face. “Marijane’s a good girl, but she has a hard time focusing on her schoolwork.”
“I know,” Wanda Nell said sympathetically. “When they’re that age, you never know just what it is they’re thinking about. I’m thanking my lucky stars Juliet’s not boy-crazy yet.”
Karen laughed. “You are lucky. All Marijane can think about is some skinny boy who’s crazy about basketball. Of course, next week it’s probably going to be some other boy.” She shook her head. “I’ll be glad when she’s not a teenager no more.”
Thinking of her own problem teenager, Wanda Nell sighed inwardly.
“Well, I’m sure you didn’t come in to talk about teenagers,” Karen said. “Can I help you with something, or do you need to see Bert?”
“I need to talk to Bert, if he’s available,” Wanda Nell said.
Karen glanced down at her phone console. “He’s on the phone, but soon as he’s off, you can go on in. Oh, the light just went off.” She jerked her head. “Go on in.”
“Thanks,” Wanda Nell said. She stepped past Karen’s desk and knocked on the slightly ajar door to Bert’s office.
Bert Vines glanced up at the sound of the knock. His slick salesman’s smile faded the minute he recognized Wanda Nell. “Morning, Wanda Nell. Something I can do for you?”
“I sure hope so, Bert,” Wanda Nell said. She closed the door carefully behind her, then advanced into the room. From what she could see in the office, Bert was doing really well for himself. The desk and all the furnishings looked expensive, and Bert appeared to be spending plenty of money on himself. Wanda Nell noted the watch he was wearing, as well as the heavy gold-link bracelet he sported on the other wrist. A wave of cologne hit her as she moved closer to the chair in front of the desk.
Bert eyed her warily. “So what can I do for you?” Wanda Nell didn’t answer immediately. She had been thinking about how she should approach Bert, and she had finally decided that making up some story wouldn’t work. She might as well tell him the truth and see what that got her.
Best Served Cold (A Trailer Park Mystery Book 3) Page 7
