Act Two

by Denise Grover Swank

  “We’re not finished with this conversation, Magnolia Mae,” Momma called after me.

  Of that I was sure, but at least I’d bought myself some time. I had no desire to spy for my mother. In fact, the entire scheme seemed more like Tilly than her.

  I walked down the stairs from the second floor office and made my way through the empty kitchen. Thank goodness no one had been making spicy food in there today. Thanks to lots of water and enough ibuprofen to make my liver protest, my headache was nearly gone, but my stomach was still regretting last night’s excesses.

  I pushed through the swinging front door to the small reception area, fully expecting to find a passerby who wanted to talk to the Belles about catering. We had an appointments-only policy, but there was a sign on the door encouraging visitors to push the buzzer to speak to the staff and set up an appointment. The person who was standing there wasn’t a potential mother of the bride or a businessman wanting to get a quote for an awards dinner.

  It was Brady.

  There was no way he could have found out anything about my father this soon, which meant this was likely a personal visit. I took a deep breath, pushed it out, and then unlocked the door and opened it a crack. “We’re closed.”

  He looked slightly amused. “I can read the sign. Can I come in?”

  I took a step back and let him inside, closing the door behind him. “Can I help you with something?”

  He took a while to choose his words. Finally, he said, “I owe you an apology.”

  My eyes widened in surprise and I took a step back, feeling lightheaded from shock and fear. “Oh, God. Are you here to arrest me?”

  “What? No! No, Maggie. You’re fine.” He grabbed my arm to steady me, then realized what he’d done and slowly dropped his hand. “I assure you that you are not a suspect.”

  Still feeling lightheaded, I sank into the sofa Momma and Tilly kept for waiting guests. Brady sat down beside me.

  “Then what are you apologizing for?” I asked.

  “For treating you so unfairly. You have a right to your personal life. The night we took our walk, I asked you if you had a boyfriend and you said no.” His mouth twisted with a grimace. “It was presumptuous of me to assume that was still the case, especially since you made it perfectly clear that you weren’t interested after I told my partner about our conversation. And even more so after I told you that I was willing to wait. You don’t owe me anything.”

  “I was angry, Brady. And hurt,” I said, looking down at my clasped hands. “But you need to know that I’m not angry with you anymore.”

  “But you’re involved with Colt?”

  I sighed. Maybe I should lie and tell him I was desperately in love with Colt, but I doubted he would buy it. And in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. “It’s complicated.”

  “You implied he was just a friend with benefits. Do you want more with him?”

  “No.” I kept staring at my hands, wondering what I was doing. I’d given him the perfect excuse to leave me alone, and here I was ripping it to shreds. I needed to figure out a way to salvage this without lying. Because for some reason, I hated every lie that came out of my mouth with Brady. My hair fell over my cheek, and when I reached up to push it back, Brady’s deep brown eyes tracked the movement. “But I obviously don’t trust you. The first thought that came to mind when you showed up was that you were here to arrest me.”

  “What if I could rebuild your trust in me?”

  “Are you still investigating my father’s disappearance?”

  “Yes. But I’ll be turning everything I find over to Owen.”

  “The detective who’s in charge of Mr. Frey’s murder?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Owen Frasier. He’s a friend of mine, and he’s busy working on another active investigation too, so I convinced my boss to let me dig into your father’s disappearance. He agreed the coincidence is too great.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Is your mother here?”

  That caught me off guard. “Why?”

  “I need to speak to her. About your father’s disappearance.”

  “Oh.” I stood. “Right. Of course. She’s upstairs.” I wasn’t sure how Momma was going to take this. She’d made it very clear I needed to stay out of this, so she was liable to be ticked that I’d told Brady so much.

  I turned to head toward the kitchen, letting Brady follow me through the swinging door.

  He glanced around the sparkling clean kitchen. “You said your mother is upstairs?”

  “Yeah. This way.” I continued through the kitchen and up the stairs. My mother wasn’t going to take kindly to his line of questioning, especially after what we’d just discussed. I considered warning him, but he’d discover soon enough on his own.

  Brady followed, keeping a respectable distance between us.

  “Momma,” I called out as I stopped in the threshold of the office. This was not going to go well. For any of us. “Someone is here to see you.”

  She was sitting at her desk with a pen in her hand. “Who is it?”

  I stepped to the side, and Brady moved into the doorway. “Mrs. Steele? I’m Detective Bennett with the Franklin Police Department. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  Momma’s gaze darted to me before settling back on him. “What’s this about?”

  “Your husband’s disappearance. May I come in?”

  Tilly’s gasp filled the quiet, but Momma kept her steely gaze on him.

  “I gave my statement after he left. A long time ago. The case is closed.”

  He took several steps into the room. “Nevertheless, I’d like to ask a few more questions if you don’t mind.”

  “What does it matter?” Momma asked with an edge in her voice. “I had him declared dead several years back. It’s a done deal.”

  Brady moved even closer. “You’re correct, but it’s not closed. There were no bodies, and he and Mrs. Morrissey never turned up.”

  “So why look into it now?” she asked, but the look she shot me told me that she already knew. And she was not happy.

  “Magnolia told me that she set up a meeting with Walter Frey last night to talk with him about your husband. As I’m sure you know, Mr. Frey was murdered.”

  She lifted her chin, and her eyes hardened with irritation. “Magnolia is as mistaken now as she was fourteen years ago. Brian was not meeting Mr. Frey that night. This is her way of excusing her father for running off with that woman.” She turned her attention to me. “Your behavior was understandable fourteen years ago, but you’re old enough to know better now. Especially after that director stole your money and your dignity, only to fire you and replace you with someone younger and prettier.” Her jaw set. “Grow up, Magnolia. Men want the newest model. Your father was no different.”

  Tears swam in my eyes. I knew in my heart that my mother didn’t believe that—she’d pretty much admitted as much earlier—but why would she humiliate me like that? Especially in front of him?

  Brady cast a quick glance back to me, but I looked down, trying to avoid his gaze. He turned back to my mother and cleared his throat. “Nevertheless,” he said, his voice hard, “I would like to ask you some follow-up questions.”

  “I don’t suppose I can say no.”

  “It would suggest you have something to hide.”

  “How about it suggests I have something better to do with my time?” she demanded.

  “Ma’am,” Brady said, pulling out a notebook, “I’m sorry, but I still have to insist that you answer my questions. It might help lead to the apprehension of Walter Frey’s killer.”

  “My answers aren’t going to help you do shit, but if you insist on wasting both of our times, then by all means . . .” She gestured toward the chair I had sat in earlier, then looked over at me. “Don’t you have a new job you need to get to?”

  I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was only nine forty-five, but it definitely couldn’t hurt to show up early on my first
day. Besides, I was more than ready to leave. I grabbed my purse from beside Brady’s chair and took off without a word.

  “Maggie,” Tilly called after me.

  I practically ran down the stairs, but I heard Tilly clomping behind me, so I stopped and waited at the bottom. I didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to catch up with me.

  “She didn’t mean that,” Tilly said quietly.

  “Which part, Tilly?”

  “All of it.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not so sure she didn’t mean what she said about me.” I closed my eyes, close to breaking down. “She doesn’t want me here. I keep screwing everything up.”

  “That is not true, Magnolia,” Tilly said in a firm voice, pulling down my hands. “She’s so grateful you’re here.”

  “She sure doesn’t act like it.”

  I heard Brady’s faint voice. “Mrs. Steele, in your statement you said that your husband had been leaving frequently in the evenings.”

  Then Momma started to lay into him about his reading comprehension level.

  Tilly took my hand and pulled me deeper into the kitchen so we couldn’t hear their voices. “Magnolia, Lila is trying to protect you. Surely you can see that.”

  “I’m not a child, Tilly. I have a right to know what happened to Daddy. You and I both know he didn’t run off with that woman. Why wouldn’t Momma want the truth to come out? She hated how much people whispered behind our backs. They said such terrible things about Daddy and how he’d up and left us.”

  She grabbed my hands. “Sometimes we have to give up our pride to protect the people we love.”

  How much did Momma know? How much did Tilly know?

  My hand fluttered to my chest. Of course she’d tell her best friend. “You know. You know what Momma’s hiding.”

  “That your father had an affair and abandoned his family?” she immediately responded. “The whole town knows that one.” But the look in her eyes—confusion and maybe a little guilt—didn’t match her tone.

  I was desperate to find out what she knew, if anything, but she’d never betray my mother’s confidence. Besides, I already knew it was dangerous to press for information about Daddy’s disappearance. Someone had seen fit to kill Mr. Frey. What if someone I loved was next?

  Maybe I needed to let this sit.

  I pulled Tilly into a hug and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Tilly. You’re a wonderful friend to both of us. Thank you.”

  “You know I love you like a daughter.”

  I leaned back and smiled. “And you know I love you like a second mother.” I laughed. “Sometimes I wish you were my first one.”

  She gave me an uncomfortable look. “You hush that nonsense.” She gave my arms a squeeze and pulled away. “You need to listen to your momma and let this go. You hear?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I hear.”

  “You go to work and have a great first day. Break a leg.”

  She followed me out the front door and locked it behind me, leaving me with plenty to think about.

  Chapter 10

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to stand on the sidewalk and wait for Alvin to open the doors at ten. He praised me for my punctuality, and I resisted the urge to tell him that I hoped he didn’t get too used to it.

  Some things were best discovered on their own.

  He introduced me to an older woman named Rhoda, who gave me a skeptical look, making it obvious I was going to have to win her over. Then he told me about the merchandise, which was half-new and half-vintage home décor, and jewelry he purchased from antique dealers.

  “You’ll just work the floor today,” he said, then winked. “We’ll start you on the cash register tomorrow.”

  “Um . . . about tomorrow . . .” I said hesitantly. “I know we haven’t discussed my schedule yet, but I’ve been asked to help someone with an event she holds every Thursday morning. She says she needs me until noon. It’s only a couple of blocks away, so I can walk over as soon as I’m free.”

  His eyes widened. “An event every Thursday morning and only a few blocks away? Is it Ava Milton’s Thursday morning Bible study?”

  “Well . . . yeah. How did you know?”

  He looked ecstatic. “Everyone knows about Ava’s Bible studies. Are the Southern Belles catering? That’s surprising. Supposedly Ava always does her own cooking.”

  Crap. “The Belles aren’t catering.”

  “So you’re working for Ava?” he asked in surprise, then leaned closer. “Do you have any idea what goes on in those meetings?”

  “Um . . . they study the Bible?”

  He laughed and swatted my arm. “You poor naïve girl. You really have become a city slicker, haven’t you?”

  Did people still say city slicker? But I had more important things to worry about. Like what went on during those meetings. “So what do they do?”

  “The city’s finest women come together to determine everything to do with our town’s society.”

  “Franklin has society?” I asked in disbelief. I could see that kind of thing happening in Belle Meade, but Franklin?

  “Oh, just you wait,” he said, shaking his head. “I can already tell you’re goin’ to be a riot. Of course you can have Thursday mornings off, but I expect a full report.” He narrowed his eyes. “How did you get that job anyway?”

  “I’m living in the apartment over her garage.” Which reminded me that I’d never gotten around to asking my mother for the rest of my rent money. My check on Friday would more than cover it, but I hated asking her for an advance.

  “You’re living in Ava Milton’s apartment? How did you manage that?”

  I gave him a sidelong glance. “I needed an apartment and she had one?”

  “She doesn’t just rent that apartment to anyone. She’s extremely picky.”

  I couldn’t very well tell him that the goal of embarrassing my mother had probably been her motivating factor. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  “You lead a charmed life, Magnolia Steele,” Alvin said as he walked to the front of the store and reached for the “open” sign on the door. “Broadway star and Ava Milton’s chosen one all rolled into one beautiful package. I knew I made the right decision when I hired you.”

  Rhoda glared at me, but I turned away to straighten a stack of scarves. I already had enough negativity in my life, and Alvin’s enthusiasm wasn’t any less worrisome.

  Our first customer pushed open the door as soon as the sign was flipped over.

  Of course it was Brady Bennett.

  I couldn’t seem to escape the man.

  “Detective Bennett,” Alvin said. “Did your mother like those candlesticks I suggested?”

  “Yes. She loved them. You were right. As usual.” He headed straight for me, searching my face before turning back to Alvin. “Can I borrow Magnolia for a moment? Police business.”

  Police business? Great. This was exactly what I needed on my first day. I hadn’t even lasted fifteen minutes. While I was curious about his meeting with Momma, she held on to her secrets like they were the presidential nuclear codes, so he probably didn’t have anything new to tell me. All this was going to do was make me look suspicious in front of my new boss. Still, I wasn’t about to tell him I wanted to wait. Maybe he had gotten something out of Momma.

  Alvin looked worried. “Of course.”

  “We’re going to head out to the parking lot,” Brady said. “I’ll only keep her for a few minutes.”

  Rhoda gave me a look that suggested she expected to see me led off in handcuffs, but Alvin nodded. “Yes. Of course.”

  Brady motioned to the back, and I pushed out a heavy breath as I preceded him. He held the back door open for me, then nudged a brick into the threshold to keep the door cracked once we were both outside. Without saying a word, he led me into the parking lot.

  “The parking lot?” I asked as I crossed my arms. We were in the shade, and the breeze had a slight chill.

  He gave a slight shrug. “Alvin is known for his
gossip.”

  The fewer people who knew about this, the better. Especially in light of poor Walter Frey’s fate—but I was presuming Brady was really here for official reasons. Maybe he wasn’t. “I hope this is about my mother. You’re going to get me fired on my first day.”

  He gave me a slight grin. “First day, huh? That explains why no one told me that you were working here.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I didn’t ask,” he volunteered. “But if you show interest in something, people in this town are always eager to share information.”

  “Great,” I grumped, wondering if that was how he got a lot of his information. I’d tuck that away for future interest. “I suspect everyone knows you as Detective Bennett. Do they all think I’m a fugitive?”

  He grinned. “You can’t be a fugitive if you’re living out in the open, and no, they don’t think you’re a criminal. They think I’m interested in you. A few have offered to try to fix us up.”

  I found myself smiling back, despite my better judgment. “And did you take them up on their offer?”

  His grin spread. “No. I don’t usually need help, but I’m a whole lot less confident in regard to you, so I’m starting to rethink matters.”

  “Thanks for the warning.”

  His smile faded and he glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. “Your mother wasn’t very cooperative, but I finally convinced her to give me a brief statement.”

  “Tell me your secret,” I teased halfheartedly. “I’ve been searching for the power of persuasion over my mother since the day I was born.”

  His lips twisted into a tight grin. “At the risk of losing your admiration, it took a threat of taking her downtown.”

  My eyes widened. “Would you really have done that?”

  His grin spread. “No, but she didn’t know that.”

  Too bad I didn’t have that trick up my sleeve.

  “Your mother insists you made up the incident with Walter Frey at your father’s office. She says she knew your father was having an affair with Shannon Morrissey, but that she kept it from you and your brother. The story she’s telling now doesn’t match with what she initially told the police, but she later recanted. Said she no longer saw the point of denying the truth.”