Chapter 6
Wanda Nell barely got inside her door before Miranda was on the way out.
“I’ll see you later, Mama,” she said, hopping down the steps.
“Now, hold on a minute, Miranda,” Wanda Nell said, standing in the doorway. Miranda turned to stare up at her, the sulky look already forming on her face.
“For (me thing,” Wanda Nell said mildly, ‘I’ve got the car keys, and you’re not gonna get very far without them.” For all she knew, Miranda’d had a set made for herself, though if she had, she’d been smart enough to hide that fact from her mother.
“Oh, yeah,” Miranda said, her face clearing. She walked back a few steps to accept the keys from her mother’s hand. “Thank you, Mama.”
“And another thing,” Wanda Nell said as her daughter was turning away.
The sulky look came back. Miranda stood, hands on hips, waiting. Wanda Nell breathed deeply before she spoke.
“I just wanna remind you not to be out too late, honey. You’ve gotta get up and go to work in the morning, remember? I think it’d be a good idea if you were home by ten, then you can get plenty sleep.”
“Yes, Mama,” Miranda said in a bored tone. Wanda Nell was surprised the girl hadn’t started arguing with her, the way she used to. Thank heaven for small miracles, Wanda Nell thought
“We’re gonna have to work out something about the car for the next few days,” Wanda Nell said. “I’m gonna be working at the restaurant in the afternoon and closing out in the evening, and with you on the morning shift it’s gonna be hard for both of us to get to work and back.”
“I could take a week off,” Miranda said eagerly, “if that’d be a help to you, Mama. And then we wouldn’t have to worry about the car.”
Suppressing a sigh, Wanda Nell said, “No, honey, I can’t ask you to do that. I’m gonna talk to your brother and see if he can’t help us out somehow. We’ll manage one way or another. You can’t afford to be missing any work, and neither can I.”
Miranda frowned, but she didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she mumbled something under her breath. Wanda Nell decided to let it pass. “Now go on and enjoy yourself, honey,” she said. “Just try to be back by ten.” Without waiting for a response, she stepped inside and closed the door. Shaking her head, she thought about what Mrs. Vance had said about Fayetta. At least Miranda was making an effort however grudging, to straighten herself up a bit Fayetta apparently never had, to hear Mrs. Vance tell it.
Before calling TJ., Wanda Nell checked on Juliet and Lavon. Moving quietly down the hall toward Juliet’s room, she paused at the threshold and peeked inside. Juliet was busy doing something on the computer and Lavon crouched on the floor near her, playing with some of his toys. Deciding they’d be fine by themselves for a while longer, Wanda Nell stole away to the kitchen.
Hoping that her son would answer and not his grandmother, Wanda Nell punched in the number.
“Hello,” said an old, thin voice.
Wanda Nell grimaced. “Hello, Miz Culpepper, this is Wanda Nell. How are you?” She was going to be polite to the old biddy if it killed her.
“I was resting until the phone disturbed me,” Mrs. Culpepper replied, her voice stronger. “What do you want, Wanda Nell? I hope you’re not calling to bother TJ. He can’t be running over there every other minute when I need him here.”
Before Wanda Nell could get a word in edgewise, Mrs. Culpepper continued her litany of grievances.
“Since Chariesetta had the nerve to up and quit on me, I need TJ. here to help me. I keep thinking I’ll try to find me another woman to help out here, but you know the blacks these days have some uppity ideas. None of the young ones want to work like they ought to and the older ones say they’re too old to work in a house like this with all the stairs. You think they’d be honored to work here, but that doesn’t mean a thing to them.”
With that kind of attitude toward black people, Wanda Nell reflected, it was no wonder nobody wanted to work for the old woman. She was a dinosaur, but there were still a lot of people around who thought just the way she did. “Well, Miz Culpepper, Chariesetta is in her seventies,” she pointed out mildly, “and after she had that heart attack, the doctor told her she couldn’t work no more for you. Going up and down those steps like to’ve killed her as it was.”
“I’m just as old as Chariesetta, or near about,” Mrs. Culpepper snapped. “And I still make it up and down those steps several times a day.”
Wanda Nell decided there was no point in answering that. Instead she said, “If you can’t find some black lady to come in and work for you, maybe you could find some nice white woman or a girl who’d do it. There’s bound to be people out there looking for jobs.”
“I don’t know,” Mrs. Culpepper said. “I’m getting to where I don’t want strangers in my house. I don’t like the idea of some white trash coming in here and looking at my things and then stealing me blind behind my back.”
Gripping the phone tightly in her hand, Wanda Nell did her best to hold her temper. “At some point you’re gonna have to have some help, Miz Culpepper. You can’t expect TJ. to be there all the time, doing the housework and everything, not when he’s got a job. I mean, it’s only part-time right now, but he could maybe start taking classes at the junior college this fall and still work, too. Don’t you want him to improve himself?”
That was the old woman’s weak spot. She doted on her grandson, and even though she did her best to control him, she did sincerely want the best for him. Or so Wanda Nell believed and hoped.
“I guess maybe you’re right,” Mrs. Culpepper said, her tone grudging. “Maybe I’ll start asking around and find out if there’s a good Christian white woman who’ll come in and work for me a few days a week.”
“That’s a good idea,” Wanda Nell said. “And if I hear of anybody suitable, I’ll let you know.” Before Mrs. Culpepper could comment cm that she hurried on. “Is TJ. there? I need to talk to him for a minute.”
“No, he’s not here,” Mrs. Culpepper said, sounding aggrieved. “He’s with Mr. Tucker down at his office. They’re working on something down there, something to do with that boss of yours who hacked up that slutty waitress you work with. What’s her name?”
Though Wanda Nell couldn’t argue with Mrs. Culpepper’s description of Fayetta, she despised the tone of malicious glee in the old woman’s voice. “Her name was Fayetta Sutton,” Wanda Nell said, trying not to snap back at her.
“And no matter how she lived her life, she didn’t deserve to die that way.” She probably sounded self-righteous, but she didn’t care. Mrs. Culpepper had no call to talk like that about someone she probably had never even met Then a thought struck her.
“How do you know how she died?”
There was silence on the other end. Then Mrs. Culpepper hesitantly said, “I heard it.”
“Where did you hear it?” Wanda Nell demanded. Surely T.J. hadn’t told his grandmother anything. Was the story of Fayetta’s death already racing through the Tullahoma grapevine?
“If you must know,” Mrs. Culpepper said, her voice suddenly prim, “I just happened to overhear T.J. and Mr. Tucker talking about it right after T.J. came back from your place this afternoon.”
Rightly figuring that meant Mrs. Culpepper had been listening in on a phone conversation, Wanda Nell decided she’d better warn her son the old woman was probably listening to every phone call he made. He didn’t have a cell phone, but maybe he ought to get one if he wanted any privacy.
“You need to be real careful about talking to anyone about it,” Wanda Nell said, knowing that trying to tell the old witch what to do was a lost cause.
“For your information, Wanda Nell, I do not gossip.” The chill in her voice amused Wanda Nell, because she knew Mrs. Culpepper liked nothing better than to spread any kind of tale she beard, even about people she’d never met. “I guess I’ll try calling T.J. at the office, then,” Wanda Nell said. She started to say good-bye, but Mrs. Culpepper
interrupted her.
“Now, don’t be in such a rush, Wanda Nell,” the old woman said in a friendlier tone. “Since you’ve already disturbed me, there’s something I reckon you and I ought to talk about”
“What’s that?” Wanda Nell asked warily, ignoring the jibe.
“It’s TJ.,” Mrs. Culpepper said. “I’ve been introducing him to some real nice girls at church. They’re pretty too, so it’s not that They’re all from good families, the kind of girls he ought to be associating with. I can see they’re interested in him. After all, why shouldn’t they be? He’s a very handsome boy, just like his daddy was, and he’s a Culpepper, too, despite the way he was raised. I’ve been teaching him proper manners, and he knows how to behave with a young lady. But he won’t call any of them or go out with them.”
Wanda Nell ignored the thinly veiled insult, though she dearly wanted to slam the phone down. Instead, she waited a moment, then calmly said, “T.J.’s already got a lot on his plate, Miz Culpepper. He’s working, and he’s looking after you. That don’t leave him a whole lot of time to socialize.” She didn’t mention the fact that T.J. also didn’t have the money to be taking these girls out to the kinds of places they’d expect to be taken, although she didn’t doubt Mrs. Culpepper would come up with the money if T.J. would only cooperate. “Besides, he’s barely twenty-two. He doesn’t need to be rushing into anything. He’s got to figure out what he’s going to be doing with himself, and he doesn’t need some little ol’ girl hanging on his arm, wanting attention all the time.”
“I’m only thinking of his best interests,” Mrs. Culpepper said, her tone huffy. “After all, if he’s going to succeed in this town, he’s going to need to many the right kind of girl. Surely you of all people know that. If he marries the wrong girl, it could ruin his life.”
Wanda Nell thought the top of her head was going to come off, her temper flared so quickly. She wanted to say something, but she was so angry she couldn’t think clearly enough to respond.
“I guess I won’t try to force him,” Mrs. Culpepper continued, “because he’s as stubborn as his daddy ever was, the Lord rest his dear soul. But you try talking to him, Wanda Nell. Tell him how important it is to marry the right girl.”
Wanda Nell hung up the phone before she started screaming into it No one else had the power to make her this angry. She fussed at herself for letting Mrs. Culpepper get to her. She started taking deep breaths to calm herself. After a minute or so, she felt better, more in control.
She sat down at the kitchen table and stared into space. She sure would be talking to TJ., she decided, but she for damn sure wasn’t going to do what Mrs. Culpepper wanted her to. Instead she was going to let him know he wouldn’t be hearing any of that nonsense from her, and not to let his grandmother push him into something he didn’t want to do or wasn’t ready for.
She got up and poured herself some Coke. She drank half the glass before she went back to the phone. She consulted her list of numbers for Tuck Tucker’s office number and punched it in.
“Law offices of Hamilton Tucker,” TJ. said after the phone had rung three times. “How can I help you?”
“TJ., it’s me,” Wanda Nell said.
“Hang on a minute. Mama,” TJ. said before she could continue.
He must have put his hand over the mouthpiece, Wanda Nell decided. She could hear the sound of talking, but everything was muffled. She thought she heard somebody laugh, but she wasn’t sure. She was getting pretty annoyed with TJ. and was about to hang up when he came back on the line.
“Sorry, Mama,” he said, his voice a little breathless. “I, uh, I knocked something over, and we had to clean it up before it ruined some papers.”
“That’s okay,” Wanda Nell said.
“Did you need something?”
“Well, I need to talk to you about your grandmother,” Wanda Nell said, “but that can wait Right now I need to talk to Tuck about a few things.”
“Hang on,” TJ. said.
The line went quiet then Wanda Nell heard music. She couldn’t believe it, but he’d put her on hold. Surely Tuck couldn’t be that busy on a Sunday afternoon, even if he did have a brand-new murder case to work on.
After nearly a minute, the music cut off and Tuck came on the line. “Sorry for making you wait Wanda Nell. I was on another line. What can I do for you?”
Slightly soothed by the apology, Wanda Nell told him about her visit to Agnes Vance. She concluded by saying, “I need to be able to give her whatever Melvin owed Fayetta in wages. Is that okay? She sure sounded like she needed the money. I don’t know if she has a job or anything, but with them three kids to look after now, I’m sure she’s going to need anything she can get”
“I’ll talk to him about it,” Tuck said. “I’ll be going by the jail in the morning anyway, and if there’s anything else you want me to discuss with him, let me know.”
“Do you think I might be able to go see him?” Wanda Nell asked.
“I’ll see,” Tuck said. “It depends on the sheriff, but since he knows you, I’m guessing he’ll probably okay it.”
“Thanks,” Wanda Nell said. She needed to see Melvin for herself, talk to him face to face. If she did, she could put to rest any doubts she might have.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” Wanda Nell said. “You might want to write some of this down.”
“Shoot,” Tuck said. “I’m ready.”
She told him of the various arrangements she had made to keep the Kountry Kitchen running while Melvin was in jail. “I can probably get the suppliers to let us have what we need for a week, but after that they’re gonna wanna be paid, so we need to arrange for that somehow.”
“We will,” Tuck assured her. “I’m sure Melvin will be very glad to know that you’re handling everything for him, Wanda Nell. Just from the conversation I had with him earlier today, I know he has a lot of respect for you.”
“I’m just doing what anybody would do to help out a friend,” she said. Compliments made her uneasy.
Tuck didn’t embarrass her any further. Instead he said, “Just let me know if there’s anything else you’ll need at the restaurant. You have my cell phone number, don’t you?” Wanda Nell assured him she did, then before be rang off, she asked if she could speak to TJ. for a minute. “What is it, Mama?” TJ. sounded slightly impatient. Ignoring that, Wanda Nell explained the dilemma of having only the c»e car.
“What time do you wanna be at the Kountry Kitchen?” TJ. asked.
“By two, I guess,” Wanda Nell said.
"Then I’ll come pick you up and take you there,” TJ. said. “I’ll get me some lunch, and by then Miranda’ll be getting off work. She can come there, too, and leave the car for you, and I’ll take her home. Let me just check with Tuck.”
Wanda Nell waited while her son held another muffled conversation with his boss. "Tuck said that’s fine with him. He’ll only need me part of the day this week.”
“Good,” Wanda Nell said. “But what about your grandmother?”
“Don’t worry about Granny,” TJ. said. “I’ll work it out with her.”
“Thank you, son, I appreciate it,” Wanda Nell said, “and lunch will be on me, how’s that?”
“It’s a date,” TJ. said. “See you tomorrow, Mama.” “Bye,” Wanda Nell said and hung up the phone. She decided she’d wait till the next day to talk to TJ. about his grandmother and her plans for his social life. She glanced at the clock. It was about time for somebody to start thinking about dinner for her and Juliet and Lavon. She got up from the table and set to work.
After dinner, and after getting Lavon settled for the night, Wanda Nell wearily sat down on the sofa in the living room, planning to read for a while. Juliet was back in her room, playing with the computer again. Wanda Nell hoped she wasn’t going to put her eyes out with the dam thing, but she supposed it was good for Juliet to be learning about it. She picked up her book, a new one by Caroline Burnes, one of her favorite
writers, and tried to concentrate.
The closer the time edged toward ten o’clock, the less she could focus on the book. Ten o’clock came and went, and no sign of Miranda. No phone call either. Wanda Nell put her book aside, trying not to feel either anxious or angry.
Ten-thirty. She was pacing around the living room and kitchen, unable to settle down. She should have given Miranda her cell phone to take with her. Maybe she was having car trouble and couldn’t get to a phone. Next time she’d insist on Miranda taking the cell phone with her. Or maybe she’d suggest that Miranda start saving some money to get one of her own.
Ten-forty-five. Should she go out looking for her? Wanda Nell checked, but Mayrene still wasn’t home. She might be able to borrow a car from one of her other neighbors, but at this late hour, she hated taking a chance on waking them up.
She picked up the phone in the kitchen and punched in Mrs. Culpepper’s number instead. Her former mother-in- law usually turned the ringer on her bedside phone off during the night so no one would disturb her. It should be safe to call TJ., though she hated to wake him up.
The phone rang and rang. Wanda Nell let it ring fifteen times. Mrs. Culpepper didn’t have an answering machine, considering them vulgar devices. Frustrated, Wanda Nell put the phone back on its cradle. Why hadn’t T.J. answered the phone? Surely he ought to be home and in bed by now.
Maybe he and Tuck were still working at the office. Wanda Nell knew that Tuck sometimes worked long hours, and on occasion TJ. had stayed on to help him, long after Tuck’s secretary had gone home. She picked up the phone and called Tuck’s office.
The answering machine came on, advising her to call Tuck’s cell phone if this was an emergency. Wanda Nell, found the piece of paper where she’d written down the number earlier in the day. Should she call it? Maybe Tuck knew where TJ. was, but she hated to disturb him if he was at home and asleep. But, she reasoned, if he didn’t want to talk to anybody, he would turn the phone off.
Frustrated and not sure what else to do, she decided to call. The phone rang three times, and Wanda Nell thought she was about to get Tuck’s voice mail, when Tuck answered.
Murder Over Easy (A Trailer Park Mystery Book 2) Page 6
