by Tonya Kappes
“Sheriff’s department,” she answered.
“Betty, it’s Kenni.” I’d left the walkie-talkie at home so she didn’t know it was going to be me.
“Mornin’. Where are you?” She asked.
“I’m out at Leighann’s crash site. I’ll fill you in on the details later. Is Deputy Scott there?” I asked.
“He is,” she answered.
“Can you tell him to come back out here? I’d like him to tape off the crime scene while Finn and I go check out some other leads.” It was nice having another set of hands so Finn and I could keep our heads together to keep working.
“Will do.” She clicked off.
While we waited for Scott to get there, I took pictures and picked up the panel for the evidence. I also gave S&S Auto a call.
“S&S Auto.” The secretary answered.
“Hi there, this is Sheriff Lowry from Cottonwood.” I was met with silence. “I wanted to know if you could tell me if your tow company had a call about eleven thirty p.m. to Cottonwood about three nights ago?”
“Is this about that SUV you had Frank tow?” She asked. Though I knew it was more out of curiosity, I figured I’d be nice and see if she’d give me the information instead of me having to get a subpoena.
“Yes. I found that side panel that’s missing and someone told me they saw a tow truck here and I wanted to check with you before I check with tows around here.” The sound of a car about to go around the curve caught my attention.
“We didn’t. The only call we’ve gotten from Cottonwood this week was from you,” she said through background noise of ruffling papers. “I hope that helps.”
“More than you know.” I clicked off and put my phone back into my pocket. “She said no,” I said to Finn as we walked towards Scott’s car.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Finn choked out the words that were swirling in my thoughts.
“Yes. That sonofabit...” Poppa started to go off on Sean Graves, but I gave him the look.
“I’m sickened at the thought. But we need more than just this.” It wasn’t enough. I knew it in my gut that something wasn’t right.
In the beginning of me seeing Poppa, it was enough that I found the killer and he’d disappear back to wherever he’d been in the afterlife. The past few times, he’d sorta hung around until the killer was behind bars.
After Finn and Scott had a brief discussion about how we liked the crime scene to get taped off and how we liked the evidence bagged if he found some, we were back in the Jeep with Sterling and Duke on our way back to town.
“I’m starving.” Sterling rubbed his hands together and down Duke. “It’s so cold out there.”
“It sure is.” I flipped on the radio to keep me from discussing the situation with Finn. It was official sheriff business and it wasn’t appropriate to talk in front of Sterling.
“Brrrr, it’s cold out there.” DJ Nelly’s voice made my skin crawl. “The temperatures are dropping and making it ripe for the blizzard that’s still set to move in a few days before Christmas. I hear that Dixon’s Foodtown just got a new supply of shovels and sleds. Something for everyone.” She laughed like she was taunting me through the radio. “Be sure you’re ready for the storm of the century. Remember you can tune in here for all the storm updates while singing to your favorite carols on WCKK, Cottonwood’s only radio station,”
“She just gets on your nerves, doesn’t she?” Finn asked with a coy look across his face. He busted out laughing and bee-bopped his head when “Frosty the Snowman” came on and poked me with his finger in my rib making me laugh.
“No. It’s just that it’s my luck that this storm will happen. Trust me.” I gripped the wheel and turned into the open parking space on Main Street right in front of Ben’s Diner. “If we didn’t have a big trip planned, there wouldn’t be nary a snowflake.”
“It’s gonna snow,” Sterling said as matter-of-factly as anyone could. “I’ve lived most my life outside and in many winters. The air feels different.” He continued to talk and talk about the air as we sat down in one of the diner’s tables near the front window.
“Flip your cups,” Ben Harrison, owner of the diner that was his namesake, instructed with a pot of coffee in his hand. Not just any pot like those black plastic ones, it was the glass carafe that sat in the coffee pot itself. It was full to the brim.
“Keep it coming.” Sterling nodded and licked his lips. “It’s on the sheriff today.”
“Is that right?” Ben grinned, showing off those cute dimples.
“Mmmhhhh. Sterling has been a big help this morning.” I nudged Finn who’d sat down next to me. “Ain’t that right, Finn?”
“Sure is,” Finn confirmed.
Ben pulled the pencil out from behind his ear.
“Do you know what you want?” He asked.
“I want you to put in an order of a big heat wave.” I joked and turned when I heard the bell over the diner door ring.
“He makes a lot of things around here, but no way in hell is he going to cook up some warm weather.” Ruby Smith’s orange-lined lips were flapping, and she rubbed her elbow. “My elbow can tell weather better than any meteorologist and I’m telling you right here and right now, there’s a blizzard a-coming.”
“You heard it here first.” Ben pointed to Ruby, who’d already moseyed on by and continued to rub her elbow up to the counter where she eased down into a stool. “Now, what do y’all want?”
“I’m gonna eat four pancakes, side of bacon, couple of biscuits and some fried eggs.” Sterling truly didn’t hold back.
“I’ll have that too if it’s on Kenni,” Finn said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Make it three. When in Rome.” I smiled.
Chapter Twelve
“This seems to turn our plans around today.” Finn clicked his seatbelt in place after we’d taken Sterling back to the shelter, so he could get on with his day with his full belly.
“When is he going to learn that in the south, you’re supposed to respect your elders? And by right,” Poppa was perched on the edge of the backseat with his head stuck up between me and Finn like Duke did. “This is my Jeep and if you’re driving, which I love, then I should be right up front.”
My eyes stayed focused on the street, but my mind drifted off to how I was going to handle Sean Graves when I did announce he was our number one suspect.
“Do you want me to get Sean Graves and bring him in?” Finn asked like he was reading my mind.
“He does seem like the obvious suspect,” Poppa said. “In case he lost his temper and maybe hurt the girl. Does he have a spare key to her SUV?”
“You know,” I couldn’t believe that I didn’t think of that. “I do want you to go out and interview them. I want them interviewed separately.” I wasn’t sure if Jilly would be able to talk freely with Sean there. “You know what,” I changed my mind. “Why don’t you go out and interview them. I’ll get Jilly alone at some point within the next day or two, but I really want to go to see Rachel Palmer.”
“Sounds good.” Finn shook his head. “I hate to say it, but since Sean admitted to hitting his wife and daughter, I see him in a different mirror. One that’s not favorable.”
“Darn right it’s not favorable. Favorable? What kinda word is that?” Poppa spat. “Is that one of them northern words?” Poppa exaggerated northern so he’d get his point across that he listened to me earlier.
“I really wished I’d known this last year when we continued to take Leighann back to her house.” I’d never regretted anything in my line of duty since I’d been sheriff, not even when I’d accused or arrested someone wrongly, but this time, I wasn’t sure how I was going to forgive myself if Sean did kill Leighann.
Continuously, I took her back to her parents. I put her back in the danger she was apparently trying to get out of but didn
’t have the self-confidence to tell me. There was no sense in beating myself up about it. The only thing I could do was to get her murder solved and put whoever did it in jail for a long time. Even if it was Sean Graves.
When I’d dropped Finn off at the station, I stopped in real fast to update the white board.
I used the dry eraser to wipe off girl from dance and replaced it with Rachel’s name. Not that she was a suspect, but she was one I wanted to question.
“Can you get me the address for the Palmer girl?” I tapped the tip of the dry-erase marker on the board.
“I sure can.” Betty quickly flipped through her rolodex on her desk.
She loved to use that old thing and refused to even think about using the computer. Just like I wasn’t about to go to a more modern way of communicating to Betty. The walkie-talkie system worked well and it was one of the things I didn’t let Finn change when he wanted to bring the department up to the technology standards.
Next to Juanita’s name, I wrote down the feud details between them and the Graves. Under Sean’s name, I wrote down Sterling’s information about the tow truck as well as the prescription medication. Under Leighann’s name at the top, I made bullet points and wrote down the basics from Max’s report.
Betty would gasp with each stroke of my marker since I’d not fully told her the details.
“Just terrible,” she tsked and tried to act as though she wasn’t paying too much attention. “Here you go.” She handed me a piece of paper with the Palmers’ address. I stuck it in my pocket.
“I’m heading out to the tree lot first. If you need me, just call me because I don’t have my walkie-talkie with me.” I gestured to Duke, he was cuddled up on his dog bed. “Do you mind?”
“Of course, I don’t.” Betty went back to filing and I headed out.
On my way out to the fairground, I took the opportunity to give the Palmer girl a call.
“Hi there, this is Sheriff Lowry and I’m looking for Rachel,” I said to the woman who answered the other end of the phone.
“This is Cara, Rachel’s mom. Is she in trouble?” There was a nervousness to her voice.
“No, ma’am.” I put her at ease right off the bat. “I was going to stop by and talk to her about Leighann Graves.”
“Poor Jilly,” Cara’s tone turned from fright to empathy. “I just can’t believe it. When I told Rachel this morning, she was stunned.”
“I’d witnessed Rachel and Leighann in a little argument the other night, and I’d like to talk to her about it.” Even though I knew I didn’t need Cara’s permission to talk to her daughter since Rachel was eighteen, I still had enough respect that it was necessary on my part.
“Rachel had nothing to do with Leighann’s death,” Cara made sure I understood that. “She was at home with me and her father after the dance. She told us about the fight.”
“I just want to talk to her. Is she home?” I asked, wondering if I was going to have to change my plans this morning and stop by there first, then the fairgrounds.
“She’s not here right now, but do we need a lawyer?” She asked with concern.
“I’m just going to ask her about Leighann and what she was like since they were best friends. Can you tell me when she’ll be home?” I asked.
“She’s volunteering for her old cheerleading team at the tree lot at the fairgrounds,” she told me.
“Oh, I’m on my way there now. I’m going to ask her a few questions, but if you’d like to be present, I’ll wait,” I gave her the option.
“I’m fine with it as long as you don’t think Rachel had anything to do with Leighann’s death because she didn’t.”
“I have a few more questions.” I wasn’t about to back myself into the corner. I would have no idea until I talked to the girl if she led me to believe that she had anything to do with Leighann’s murder. The only thing I knew was that there was a fight and I wanted to exhaust all possibilities of other killers before I arrested Sean Graves. I wouldn’t know that until I talked to her.
The fairground was deep in the country off Poplar Hollow Road. We had our annual summer fair there when the carnival came to town. The 4-H club used it for their cattle shows as well, and the Boy and Girl Scouts used it for their camping excursions. There were barns and stalls used for any sort of livestock and there was even a stage under covering where the annual Miss Cottonwood Beauty Pageant was held during the summer.
It was also used for the local Farmer’s Market as well as the tree lot for the Cottonwood High School, which made me believe that there was no better time to check out what the team thought of Manuel. Just out of curiosity, of course.
I was actually surprised to see that there were a lot of vendors set up under the big tent already.
The church choir members stood next to the concrete fire pit with their red cloaks and mittens, both lined in white fur. They were in harmony and peered down at their song books.
It appeared Cottonwood was going all out for this Christmas season. Figured, since I wasn’t going to be here.
“One, two, three.” There was a voice over the loud speaker. I turned to see a man with a microphone in his hand directing something going on with the stage. “One, two, three. Step to the right. Wave. Step to the left. Wave. And don’t forget to smile, ladies. And bow at the end of the runway. Make your Southern mamas proud.”
“My Southern Mama has been dead for years.” I heard a familiar voice followed up by some snickers. Just as I walked in view of the tent, Viola White bent down to the ground in a curtsey. The red feather boa around her neck shed small little feathers as she struggled to get back up.
“I’m not going to be able to get back up and throw kisses to all my loyal supporters.” She finally got up and stuck her hand on her hip. She wore a bright yellow turban on the top of her head that perfectly matched the color of her wrap that was loosely draped around her shoulders. Barely sticking out from underneath the layers of feather boa was a gold necklace with balls the size of baseballs that had to’ve been hurting her neck. It made my neck hurt just looking at it.
“Get off the stage, Viola! Let the Snow Queen have her rehearsal.” Mama stepped up the side stairs, stage right. “One, two, three, one, two, three,” she repeated like a little girl that was in dance class as her legs glided like she was ice skating.
It was very odd and looked very strange. I stood behind a pole that’d been wrapped with garland and so many Christmas ornaments that no one was going to see me.
“Wave and bow.” She abruptly stopped. “Is it wave and bow or bow and wave?” Mama put her hand over her eyes so she could shield them from the lights that were shining on the stage.
“It’s step to the left and wave, then step to the right.” The man showed Mama.
“I know. You don’t have to show me. I was a debutant.” She sucked in a deep breath and stuck out her chest. “Move to the right. Wave,” she whispered and did that darn hand thing she’d been doing.
“Wait!” The man yelled. “What is this?” The man snarled and did the strange wave. “This is not appropriate.”
“It’s the Queen’s wave and I’m going to do whatever I want.” Mama was getting upset.
I closed my eyes and took a gulp in hopes I wasn’t going to have to step in because this man clearly had no idea who Vivian Lowry was and she by no means had any problem letting him know.
“I’m not sure,” The man started to say before I stepped out from behind the pole.
“Good early afternoon,” I smiled at him. “Hello, Mama.” I waved. “You’re looking mighty good up there.”
“Shep, that’s my daughter, Kendrick Lowry. Sheriff Lowry of Cottonwood.” Mama hated the fact I was sheriff but was more than happy to use the title when she felt like it was going to get her something.
“I just stopped by to make sure everything was okay out here,” I
said.
“We are fine. I was just showing Shep my wave like the Queen.” She continued to walk the front of the stage. “Elbow, wrist, elbow, wrist and then the wave.”
“She’s got it down pat doesn’t she?” I asked Shep. What kind of name was Shep? “She’s been practicing a long time.”
By the look of the light bulb going off in his head, I could see he knew that I was just telling him that it was better to let her go than to correct her.
“I’m sure you’ve got your hands full with all these women.” I turned my attention to him while Mama continued to do her ice skating moves and weird waves.
“Only with your Mama and Viola White. Those two might have a fist fight.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d stop it either. I’ve never seen two women their ages wanting so badly to be crowned queen.”
“I’m taking it that you aren’t from here or the South?” I asked.
“Neither, honey.” His nose snarled. “I’m doing this as a favor for the county pageant officials. Unfortunately, they decided to send me to nowhere Kentucky.”
“I’m sure you’ll find our little slice of nowhere to be quite charming if you’ll let it. How long are you in town for?” I asked and noticed Jolee’s food truck pulling into the fairgrounds.
“Only until after the pageant. I’m leaving that night on a red-eye back to California so I can be home with my loved ones for Christmas.”
“That’s nice. Well, if you do need anything, you give me a holler.” I pulled a business card from my back pocket since I was in street clothes.
“Holler?” He asked sarcastically. “As in a yee-haw kinda Kentucky thing?”
“Just a word of advice, Shep,” I leaned in real close and said real stern, “Around here, we take our little hillbilly world to heart.”
He drew back as if I offended him.
“You are referring to us as hillbillies,” I made no room for him to correct me. “And by no means take our accents as ignorance. We are very kind and smart people. If you just stay focused on why you are here and maybe take whatever stick is stuck up your you-know-what, you might find that you’ll enjoy our little town here in Kentucky.”
