“That sure sound good, chile,” Mrs. Conley said. She gave Wanda Nell the address and told her how to find the house. She lived a few miles east of Tullahoma in a small black community that had sprung up in the 1970s.
“I know just where that is,” Wanda Nell said. “How about if I come in about thirty or forty minutes?”
“You just come on when you can,” Mrs. Conley said. “I ain’t going nowhere.” She chuckled again, and Wanda Nell said good-bye.
It would have been a lot easier if Mrs. Conley had given her the information over the phone, but Wanda Nell didn’t begrudge the old lady her wish for a face-to-face talk.
She headed for the kitchen to tell Miranda where she was going, but halfway there she realized she had a problem. She couldn’t leave Miranda and Lavon here by themselves, just in case someone made another attempt to break into the trailer or do further damage than just spray-painting hateful graffiti. Mayrene was at work, and Wanda Nell didn’t want to ask T.J. to come, because he was working on something important.
Wanda Nell sighed. She had no choice. She would just have to take Miranda and the baby to visit Mrs. Culpepper, and if Miranda balked at that, then they could go with her to Mrs. Conley’s house. This was going to be a difficult morning.
Chapter 20
Miranda surprisingly made no fuss about taking Lavon to visit his great-grandmother. After Wanda Nell had ascertained that Mrs. Culpepper was going to be at home that morning and wouldn’t mind if Miranda and Lavon came over for a while, she hurried Miranda along.
While Miranda dressed herself and the baby, Wanda Nell gathered into the diaper bag the various things that Miranda would need for even a short stay at Mrs. Culpepper’s. They were ready to leave twenty minutes later.
On the drive into town, with Lavon secured in his car seat in the back, Wanda Nell explained to her daughter where she was going and why.
“If that old lady tells you how to find this girl,” Miranda said, “are you going to try to talk to her right away?”
“Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “I think I’d better. We’ve got no time to waste. We’ve got to find your uncle and make sure he’s okay.”
As she drove, Wanda Nell kept checking the rearview mirror. She kept expecting to see a black Mercedes somewhere behind her, but it wasn’t there this morning. The only vehicle behind her at the moment was a Ford pickup, but there were lots of those around. She relaxed and concentrated on driving.
“I don’t mind staying with Grandmother,” Miranda said. “She’s not so bad. Sometimes she watches Lavon and lets me take her car and go to the store for her.”
“I didn’t know that,” Wanda Nell said, though she wasn’t surprised. No wonder Miranda hadn’t balked at spending time with Mrs. Culpepper this morning. “Just be careful you don’t leave Lavon with her for too long.”
“I know, Mama,” Miranda said. “And I always check to see if she’s been drinking. I wouldn’t leave Lavon with her if I thought she wasn’t going to look after him.”
“I’m glad, honey,” Wanda Nell said. She didn’t add that she was surprised Miranda had even thought about it. Perhaps Miranda was more responsible about some things than she realized. “At least now, with your grandmother’s cousin staying with her, there’ll be someone to look after your grandmother and Lavon.”
“That Belle lady is something else,” Miranda said. “She’ll talk your ears off if you let her.”
“She means well,” Wanda Nell said. She had turned onto Main Street moments before, and they were soon approaching the Culpepper house. Wanda Nell pulled into the driveway and parked. Miranda freed Lavon from his car seat, and Wanda Nell gathered up the diaper bag and Miranda’s purse.
Wanda Nell expressed her gratitude to Belle, who answered the door, but she quickly made her excuses. She had to get away before Belle engaged her in conversation. Luckily for her, Belle was so busy helping Miranda with Lavon she paid little attention to Wanda Nell.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Wanda Nell said. She almost ran down the walk to her car and hopped into it. As she drove back the way she had just come, Wanda
Nell mulled over how much of the story she should tell Mrs. Conley. She wanted the old lady’s help, and she didn’t feel like lying to her. On the other hand, though, she didn’t want to get bogged down in a lot of detail if she could help it. Time was of the essence.
Glancing into the rearview mirror, Wanda Nell noticed a couple of pickups behind her on the two-lane highway. The one closest to her, about three car lengths behind, was not the truck she had seen earlier. The second pickup, another three or four car lengths behind, could be the one that had followed her into Tullahoma. She hadn’t noticed it following her down Main Street, but she hadn’t really been looking either.
She wasn’t completely sure the second pickup was the same one. It was far enough back that she couldn’t really make out the details. It was a Ford, she was pretty sure. But she couldn’t remember the color of truck she’d seen on the way to Mrs. Culpepper’s.
Her stomach beginning to knot up, Wanda Nell concentrated on watching for the road to Mrs. Conley’s house. It should be coming up in a minute or so.
When she reached the turn, Wanda Nell had to stop for oncoming traffic. Her turn signal clicked, and she glanced into the mirror again. The two trucks were still there, but the second one was hanging back a bit.
Would it follow her when she turned? What would she do it if did?
She certainly didn’t want to bring any trouble on poor old Mrs. Conley, but if someone was following her, they might try to find out from the old lady what Wanda Nell had wanted from her.
The oncoming traffic passed, and Wanda Nell made her left turn. She started counting the houses as she followed the winding road up the hill. Mrs. Conley’s house was the fifth one on the right, about a quarter of a mile from the highway.
She peeked into the rearview mirror, and then she breathed more easily. The truck hadn’t followed her, as far as she could see.
Just ahead was Mrs. Conley’s driveway. Wanda Nell turned into it and parked. She sat in the car a moment, collecting her thoughts. Then, picking up her purse and taking her keys, she got out of the car and walked to the front door.
Wanda Nell knocked and waited. She glanced around the neatly kept front yard, with its precisely laid-out flower beds and three pecan trees off to one side. The small house itself was freshly painted, a cheerful yellow with black trim.
The door swung open, and Wanda Nell turned to smile at Hattie Conley. Looking at her, Wanda Nell wasn’t sure of her age, though she suspected Mrs. Conley must be around eighty-five. She was nearly as tall as Wanda Nell, and she wore a gaily colored dress and comfortable slippers.
“You must be Miz Culpepper,” Mrs. Conley said. “You just come right on in here, chile, and let’s have us a talk.”
“Thank you for taking the time to talk to me,” Wanda Nell said, following her hostess into a parlor so clean it made her think guiltily of all the cleaning she needed to do at home.
Mrs. Conley seated herself in a rocking chair and motioned for Wanda Nell to sit on the couch near her. She started to rock gently. “It’s nice to have some company,” Mrs. Conley said, “and if I can help you, I’ll be right glad to do it.”
“This is a lovely room,” Wanda Nell said, casting an admiring glance around it. “I wish I could keep my house this neat and clean.”
Mrs. Conley laughed. “Chile, I wish I could, too! My granddaughter comes over here three times a week, and she cleans so much I swear dirt is scared to death of coming in this house. She won’t let me do a thing.” Then she winked at Wanda Nell. “You can see I’m so old and helpless I just can’t lift a finger for myself.”
Wanda Nell couldn’t help laughing with her. Despite her age, Mrs. Conley appeared spry and energetic. But she clearly enjoyed the attention she and her house received from her granddaughter.
“Now what can I do for you, chile?” Mrs. Conley said. “You said
you was looking for some girl.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Wanda Nell said. “I know her name, but I don’t know her. I know it sounds strange, but this girl came looking for me, and she ran off before I could talk to her. I think she may be in trouble, and I want to help her.” She paused for a moment. “Plus I think it has something to do with some trouble my brother’s in, and I want to help him, too.”
“What kind of trouble?” Mrs. Conley said, continuing to rock. Her eyes never left Wanda Nell’s face.
“Murder,” Wanda Nell said bluntly. “Have you heard about the two murders in town?” At the moment, she didn’t see any reason to call Simpson’s death a suicide. That would require too much explanation.
“I sure have,” Mrs. Conley said, nodding. “Terrible thing, two young men like that. Are you saying this girl knows something about these killings?”
“Maybe,” Wanda Nell said.
“And your brother? What’s he got to do with all this? What’s his name?”
“His name is Rusty Rosamond, and he knew both of the men back in high school.”
“I see,” Mrs. Conley said. “And you afraid your brother killed these men?”
“No,” Wanda Nell said. “I don’t think he did. But other people think so. My brother has disappeared, and I’m desperate to find him. I want to prove he’s innocent.”
“What’s this girl gonna know about all that? What’s her name?”
“Her name is Lily Golliday,” Wanda Nell said. “I’m not sure what she knows. But she must know something. Else why would she come looking for me, a total stranger? There’s got to be a connection somewhere.”
“Lily Golliday,” Mrs. Conley said. She turned her eyes away from Wanda Nell and looked out the window. “I know that girl.”
“You do?” Wanda Nell said. “Can you tell me how to find her? Do you know where she lives?”
Still looking out the window, Mrs. Conley said, “That girl has had one sorrowful life, Miz Culpepper. Her mama’s been bad on the drugs most of her life, and Lily ain’t had nobody else. Her grandmama and her grand-daddy died when she was just a baby, and they didn’t have no more children besides her mama.”
“That’s awful,” Wanda Nell said. She knew the words were inadequate, but there was nothing else to say.
“They’s a bunch of Gollidays around,” Mrs. Conley said, “but Lily’s mama, she don’t have nothing to do with any of ’em. She keep to herself, and Lily that way, too.” She shook her dolefully. “Yes, ma’am, they’s both powerful sad.”
“I don’t want to cause them any trouble,” Wanda Nell said gently, “but I have to talk to Lily. Maybe I can help her somehow. If she wanted to talk to me, it must be something important.”
“I know, chile, I know,” Mrs. Conley said. “I’ll tell you where they live. But Lily’s mama, Lavinia, she be kinda mean when she on them drugs, so you be careful when you go around to see Lily.”
“I will, I promise,” Wanda Nell said, though her heart sank at the thought of having to confront Lavinia Golliday if she was strung out on drugs of some kind. But she had no choice. She had to talk to Lily.
Mrs. Conley gave her directions, and Wanda Nell jotted them down on a piece of paper she pulled from her purse. “I don’t know if they got a telephone now or not. Lavinia don’t work much, and I don’t know if she be getting much welfare now. And Lily don’t work either. I don’t know how they gets by, I surely don’t. The Lord, He be looking after them somehow.”
“Miz Conley, I don’t know how to thank you,” Wanda Nell said.
“You just come back and see me,” Mrs. Conley said, “and tell me all about it. I be praying for you and your brother.” She held out a hand to Wanda Nell.
“Thank you,” Wanda Nell said, grasping the hand. She took comfort from the warmth and strength of it. If she were still alive, her grandmother Rosamond would be about Mrs. Conley’s age.
Still holding the old lady’s hand, Wanda Nell leaned forward. “Just in case, Miz Conley, I think I’d better warn you about something. Somebody’s been following me around, watching where I go.” She paused. “I’m not sure if they followed me here this morning, but I don’t want them to do anything to you.”
Mrs. Conley laughed. “Chile, if some fool shows up here asking about you, I’m just gonna tell ’em you was looking for a girl to help out your mama-in-law. That’s all they need to know, and the Lord will forgive me for lying, I know.”
Wanda Nell said a couple of prayers herself as she backed her car out of Mrs. Conley’s driveway a few minutes later. She’d never forgive herself if she had brought harm on that sweet old lady. If anybody did hurt her, Wanda Nell swore she’d hunt the bastard down herself.
Wanda Nell had gone about a mile on the highway back to Tullahoma when she spotted a Ford pickup about fifty yards behind her.
Was she being paranoid? It sure looked like the pickup she had seen earlier, but maybe she was just imagining things.
She couldn’t take any chances though. She didn’t want anybody following her when she went to talk to Lily Golliday. She just had a hunch that she didn’t want to lead anyone to the girl.
She could be completely wrong, and Lily Golliday could be working hand-in-hand with Bert Vines or Marty Shaw. But somehow she didn’t think so.
How was she going to get away from the person following her?
As she drove into Tullahoma, she worked out a plan to elude her pursuer. With her right hand she fished her cell phone out of her purse.
She hit the speed-dial number for Tuck’s law offices. After two rings, his secretary answered. She was new, a replacement for Mayrene’s cousin who had quit to get married. “Hi, Judy,” Wanda Nell said. “This is Wanda Nell Culpepper. Can I speak to T.J. or Tuck?”
“Hi, Wanda Nell,” Judith said, her voice annoyingly chipper. “I’m sorry, but T.J.’s over at the courthouse. Mr. Tucker is in, though. Let me put you through.”
Sending up a silent prayer of thanks that he was in the office, Wanda Nell waited for Tuck to pick up.
As soon as he said hello, she started talking, not giving him much chance to speak.
“Tuck, I need a favor, real quick. I need to borrow a car. Does T.J. have his truck at the office?”
“Yes,” Tuck said. “We drove in separately this morning.”
“Do you have a key to the truck?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Can you go and move it around the back of your building and wait there for me? I should be along in about five minutes. I’ll explain when I get there.”
“I’ll do it right now.”
Wanda Nell ended the call. Thank the Lord Tuck didn’t waste time on questions. She stuck her phone back in her purse.
She drove quickly but carefully downtown to the building on the square where Tick had his office. She parked in a spot across the square from the building and got out of her car. Making herself walk at a normal pace, she crossed the street and entered the building.
Once inside, she stepped to the side of the glass door and peered out. A Ford pickup was circling the square, and as she watched, the driver parked it across the square from where she had parked her car.
A man got out of the pickup, but he was too far away for Wanda Nell to see who he was. She didn’t wait to see where he was going. She turned and sprinted down the hall. She knew there was a way out to the back of the building, and she wanted to find it quickly.
The hall dead-ended in a dentist’s office, and Wanda Nell stopped and looked both ways down the intersecting hallway. To her left she spotted a red exit sign. She ran toward it.
One more turn and she had reached the back door. She pushed it open.
Tuck stood in the alleyway near T.J.’s truck. Trying to catch her breath, Wanda Nell hurried up to him.
“What’s going on?” Tuck asked.
“Someone’s following me,” Wanda Nell said, “and I don’t want him to see where I’m going next.”
“Where are you going?” Tuck han
ded her the keys to the truck. “Do you want me to go with you?”
Wanda Nell grasped the keys. “No, I think I’d better go by myself. As long as nobody’s following me, I’ll be okay.”
“Where are you going?” Tuck repeated his question.
“I’m going to talk to Lily Golliday,” Wanda Nell said, opening the door of the truck. She climbed inside and shut the door behind her. “Miz Conley told me where to find her. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve talked to her.”
“Be careful,” Tuck said. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to go with you?”
“I’m sure,” Wanda Nell said, cranking the truck. “You go on back inside, and try not to let anyone see you going back up to your office.”
Tuck grinned. “Agent Tucker at your service, ma’am. I’ll be invisible.”
Wanda Nell rolled her eyes at him, but he had already headed for the door. She put the truck in gear and accelerated down the alley to the street. From here it should take her only about ten minutes to get to Lily Golliday’s house.
She turned down a street away from the square and checked the rearview mirror.
No sign of the Ford truck behind her.
She sped on her way, feeling proud of herself for putting one over on her pursuer. Now she just had to hope her luck was holding, and that Lily Golliday was home and would talk to her.
Chapter 21
The closer Wanda Nell came to her destination, the more run-down the houses appeared. There was little traffic on the streets, but here and there elderly black folk sat on porches or on stoops. Their heads turned as Wanda Nell drove by, and Wanda Nell felt increasingly uncomfortable and out of place.
She tried to shake those feelings off, but the sensation of entering another world persisted. She could easily have driven out of the present day back into the 1950s.
At last she reached the street where Mrs. Conley had told her she would find the Golliday house. She turned down it and counted until she reached the fifth house on the right. Wanda Nell pulled T.J.’s truck up in front of it and sat staring at the house in dismay.
Best Served Cold (A Trailer Park Mystery Book 3) Page 19
