Southern Sass and Killer Cravings

by Kate Young

  “She was at Judy’s funeral last week. You haven’t heard from her since?”

  “No. That’s what concerns me.”

  “Are you worried she’ll be a no-call-no-show?” People not calling and not showing up for work was common in the food service industry.

  “That would be completely out of character for her. Finding work in Peach Cove can be arduous. That was one of the points Tally Waters used in her attempts to persuade residents.”

  “You think she’ll be back?”

  “Tally Waters?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe. She was close to having a majority.”

  “We’ll be ready for her when and if she does. She’ll be in for the fight of her life.”

  Jena Lynn agreed.

  “Back to Heather,” I said. “I’ll try her again in a few and I’ll let you know when I hear from her.”

  “Thanks. Lock the door,” she yelled through the closed door, tapping on the glass.

  It astounded me how she had readjusted. I was thankful. Jena Lynn walked to her car with a spring in her step after I secured the lock. Mama hadn’t made another appearance. Maybe she was gone. Crossed over or whatever.

  I had just finished stacking the last of the ketchup when there was a tap at the door. Rising from the floor, I stretched. Calhoun was waiting patiently for me to mosey on over.

  I opened the door. “We’re still closed.”

  “You alone?”

  “Yes.” I moved aside to allow him to enter and relocked the door behind him.

  “You wouldn’t return my calls.”

  I lifted my hands, palms upward. “What’s to say? Besides, I thought you would be long gone by now.”

  “Why?”

  I moved over toward the pot of coffee I’d brewed earlier. I placed another mug next to mine and filled both. “There’s no story. Jena Lynn’s free. The detective’s gone. It’s over.”

  He took a sip from the mug. “You don’t believe it’s over.” More sips.

  “My back is tired.” I moved around the counter in favor of a booth. “Let’s sit back here.” I slid onto peach vinyl. “So, tell me what you’re still doing here. Eddie told me Detective Thornton has been reassigned. Why aren’t you wherever he is?” I rubbed my neck.

  “I can’t get this case out of my mind. The suicide doesn’t feel right. You don’t suspect me anymore, do you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Good. It kept me up nights.”

  “Why?”

  “You know why.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t,” I said.

  Behind his lenses, he pierced me with his green gaze. His pupils were visibly dilated. Uh-oh. My pulse sped up, slightly. “Fate, or whatever you want to call it, brought us together.”

  “Fate, huh? I thought it was a cold-blooded killer.”

  “And that cold-blooded killer is still on this island. How can I go knowing that?”

  I didn’t respond.

  “I went by Joseph Ledbetter’s residence. It had been ransacked.”

  I leaned forward. “His villa or his house?”

  “The villa.” Intensity seeped from him. “I bet that’s where he kept those extra file copies. The house, not the villa.”

  “We really should leave this alone,” I said half-heartedly.

  “I can’t. And, quite frankly, I’m surprised your father has.”

  Neither one of us knew for sure if he had. I, for one, didn’t believe for a second Eddie would just let a case like this go. Let the public believe he had, perhaps. Not that I would let Calhoun in on my suspicions.

  I wrapped my hands around the warm mug and debated how to broach the subject of his brother. The more information I had, the better I would understand this man sitting across from me. “How old are you? Thirty-seven, thirty-eight?”

  “I’m forty-one.” He pushed his mug around on the table. “You’re wondering why a man of my age is still in the field chasing stories?” He read me well. “I love the field. Sitting in the office managing writers isn’t for me.”

  “So, it’s the chase that has you hooked?”

  “That and exposing the truth to the world. Too many writers are in the pockets of those in power. They’re more interested in lining their own pockets than embracing our First Amendment rights. If we stop utilizing the freedom of the press, then we’re no longer the country we were intended to be. My brother’s story was shut down.” He gripped the handle of his mug so tightly, I feared it might break. “The other man found at the scene who was arrested the very same night as Timothy had his arrest expunged. There’s no record of his involvement whatsoever.”

  He had my full undivided attention. From my searches, I saw no record of another man being at the scene who had also been charged with his brother, Timothy.

  “Someone with clout had it erased?”

  He nodded. “He was the son of a state senator.”

  “You believe Detective Thornton led the investigation deliberately away from the senator’s son and falsely toward your brother? That’s why you said he was dirty?”

  “I do.”

  That detective had some nerve criticizing any of us.

  “So, why not go after him instead of concerning yourself with what’s going on in Peach Cove?” I got up and retrieved the coffeepot.

  “Like I said, I can’t stand by and allow the truth to be swept under the rug. And you’re here.”

  I warmed up his coffee but didn’t meet his intense gaze.

  “Forget about my interest in you for a second. That doesn’t mean anything to you, yet.”

  I looked up.

  “Don’t you want to know the truth? Expose whoever is behind this?” He was already aware that I did. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting here.

  “If someone else dies because we sat on this information, I don’t think I could live with myself.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “Neither could I. On the other hand, I’m also afraid of what I might find. Or perhaps stir up.” I sat the pot on the table.

  “You don’t strike me as a person who sticks her head in the sand. Why isn’t the sheriff’s department uncovering anything about this file Joseph Ledbetter had?”

  “We don’t know what the department is doing. And we have no evidence it’s even a file we’re looking for.” But it had been weeks.

  Alex hadn’t had any new information on that front. I certainly didn’t believe it was because Eddie was incompetent. My thoughts drifted back to Calhoun’s story. Was it possible we had our own sort of corruption in the department? Could it be that Eddie was blind to what might be happening? Could Felton or even Alex be bought? No. Alex couldn’t. Felton had grown up scrounging for anything and everything he possessed. His father had been cruel when his mother left, no longer able to handle her husband’s abuse. I recalled Felton not having lunch on many occasions, and teachers bought it for him. He also had a mean streak if you crossed him. Maybe Carl bought him off.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Did I trust this man before me? If I divulged my thoughts, could it hurt anyone or anything? Trust didn’t come easily for me. But letting him in on my train of thought certainly wouldn’t cause harm. That I could see, anyway. I relayed my thoughts.

  “Do you think Felton would purposely derail the investigation? Is he capable of that?”

  I drummed my nails on the table. “Maybe. Felton was always so sweet on the outside. But you never felt like you really knew him. Heather would be a better judge of the man he now is.” I leaned against the booth. “You know, I haven’t seen much of Heather since the diner closed. And Jena Lynn said she left messages on her voice mail about the shift schedule.”

  “Would it be odd for you to drop by her house and check on her? Ask some questions while you’re there?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He had me. I wanted to find out the truth. Not just for myself. Also, to expose who had put my family through such an ordeal and
for Judy. Then there was Mr. Ledbetter. As much of a cad as he was, no one deserved to be murdered.

  Calhoun slid out of the booth. “Think on it.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to drive back into the city. My editor in chief isn’t happy with me at the moment.”

  “Thanks to Eddie,” I added.

  “I should be back the day after tomorrow.”

  Now that Calhoun was leaving, I second-guessed my decision to tell him anything. It must have shown on my face.

  “Make no mistake that I’m invested in this. And my feelings for you are real.” I opened my mouth to refute his claim but he cut me off. “I know, it’s fast. Too fast.”

  Then, to my surprise, he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. His lips were soft and tender at first. Then he pulled me tighter and kissed me with more urgency.

  I was breathless when he released me.

  “I’ve been dying to do that since the first moment I saw you.”

  “Calhoun, I—”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I have no expectations. Hopes but not expectations.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “See you in two days, three at the most.”

  Chapter 23

  The old Ledbetter place was a large beach house sitting on the west side of the island. An elevated two-story, low-country-style cottage with a large wraparound porch. It was painted a pale blue with gray storm shutters. It had been glorious in its day, but time and salty air had taken a toll on the old place. A couple years before I was born, to preserve wildlife, the area around the Ledbetter home was zoned and protected by conservation efforts. In school, we were brought here on a field trip to watch sea turtles hatch and migrate back to the ocean. It was a real private place, and the more I considered what Sally had told me, the more I was convinced I needed to see for myself that what Mr. Ledbetter had given me was nothing. Or at least I’d convinced myself that even if Calhoun hadn’t sparked my curiosity, I would be checking this out anyway. I’d gone by Heather’s place. She hadn’t been home. Her niece was there babysitting the kids.

  The weathered wooden staircase creaked under my weight. I took a moment to take in the ocean view. The breeze coming off the ocean was glorious, and the moonlight dancing on the wave peaks was a sight to behold. How had I ever left the island of my birth? I was a Georgia coastal girl through and through.

  The front door opened with the barest of touches from my fingertips. My heart was beating in my ears. I fought to keep my legs from shaking. It wouldn’t be like the Ledbetters to leave the place unsecured, especially since he was interested in selling. What was I doing coming here at this time of night?

  Three schools of thought ran through my mind—one, I could call Eddie and he could send a patrol car over here and investigate the scene. Two, if Carl was involved in the death of his father or Judy and I sounded the alarm by making the call, I’d be in hot water for trespassing on private property. And three, if I waited to decide, and someone snuck up on me standing here, I could end up like Mr. Ledbetter. I listened at the door for about thirty seconds. No rustling sounds. No noise was detectable whatsoever, except for the waves and the chorus of insects.

  Still, part of me wanted to turn back. The other encouraged me to continue. That latter part won out. I clicked on the flashlight icon on my cell phone. It had been years since I had been inside this old place. But, from the way the contents of cabinets and drawers were strewn all over the floor of the large living-dining room combo, I was certain that, like the villa, this place had also been ransacked by evidence seekers. Perhaps those searching didn’t know exactly what they were after. I did.

  It could have been the sheriff’s department. Alex and Felton probably weren’t accustomed to cleaning a place up after searching for evidence. I stepped around the piles on the floor and shined the light on them. It just appeared to be a bunch of old bills and receipts. I moved around the large white leather couch to a door that led to the basement. Sally had said that was where Mr. Ledbetter kept his files.

  After a deep breath and a cross of my chest for good luck, I opened the door. “Do you honestly believe—”

  I let out a scream that would have rattled the rafters, if there had been rafters to rattle.

  “Good Lord, Marygene!” Mama huffed. “Get ahold of yourself.”

  I put my hand on my chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I panted. “I thought you were gone. It’s been weeks.”

  “Obviously, I’m not gone. I told you I can’t appear at will. I’m here now to try and talk some sense into you.” Mama frowned. “It shouldn’t be possible, but sometimes, child, you surprise me with your sense of logic.” Mama glanced around, turning her nose up at the mess. “You never were able to let sleeping dogs lie.”

  I snorted.

  “Maybe you should call Edward and have him come investigate this place.” Mama never addressed him as Eddie, like everyone else did. To her, he was always Edward.

  “Because, Mama, he can’t legally search the premises. That would be unethical. I don’t have the constraints the sheriff’s department does, so I’m the one who should be doing the snooping.”

  “I’m not a fan of that tone.” She gave me the look. You know, that you should know better glare.

  “Sorry,” I grumbled.

  “What you’re looking for isn’t here, anyway,” Mama said. “So, you might as well run along home now.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “I know this, child, because I have knowledge of who has possession of the file.” Finally, she was going to use her ghostly handicap to assist me.

  “I’m waiting.”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  I let me head fall backward. “Then why are you even here?” I ground out between clenched teeth. “You show up at the most inopportune times with useless information. What the hell is the point?”

  “Don’t you use that tone and language with me, young lady.”

  Ugh, I refocused the light and went down the basement steps anyway. Despite her urging that the evidence was no longer in the house.

  “I honestly believe you’re actually here to hinder me.” The basement smelled damp and full of mold. My light reflected off several large spiderwebs. This place was majorly packed with old boxes and furniture. The minimal amount of light that came through the small square windows at the top of the wall wasn’t enough to illuminate my path.

  “I’m doing the best I can,” Mama insisted. “My predicament is far more complicated than you realize. It isn’t as if I can just pop in and solve your problems for you. They want me to work for this. To earn my place.” Mama kept prattling on about the difficulty in completing her task of making amends. Clearly, in her mind, this was all about her.

  “Cry me a bucketful.” I shoved a couple of boxes aside.

  “If you’re going to be snippy, I won’t tell you where the file cabinet is. Not that it will do you any good.”

  I put a hand on my hip and shined the light directly on her reflection. “There’s nothing in there I can use? That’s what you’re telling me?”

  “I didn’t say that. On the back wall.” She pointed to the opposite side of the room. “There.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I gave her an exaggerated eye roll.

  My shin hit something extremely hard, and I yelped. My yoga pants weren’t much protection from whatever had left an imprint on my leg. I rubbed the sore spot and shoved a large metal umbrella stand aside. Against the back wall stood six metal filing cabinets. I started with the first one.

  It took me nearly an hour to get through all the files. Mr. Ledbetter obviously didn’t believe in filing things in alphabetical order. It contained mostly copies of billing receipts and business documents. Then, in the last cabinet, there were loads of documents about Carl, Carl’s mother, and several other women in the community who were no longer with us. All were labeled with letter and number combinations similar to what Mr. Ledbetter had given me. It was a file he had led me to.
>
  I came to one on Miss Sally.

  “What’s in there?” Mama asked over my shoulder the second I pulled the file. She obviously wasn’t privy to everything.

  “It appears to be medical records.” I flipped through several documents. “Here’s a record of Sally’s hospital stay and what she was treated for. Complications after a D&C procedure.” Poor Miss Sally.

  “How could Mr. Ledbetter get his hands on her medical records? Those are sealed to everyone except the patient.” I considered having a word with Doc Tatum. Her uncle preceded her as the practicing physician in the family practice.

  “It hasn’t always been that way. Plus, Sally could have signed a document allowing him access.”

  “Why on earth would she have consented to that?”

  Mama gave her head a sad shake. “Sally loved that man, and for the life of me, I have no idea why. He warmed her bed when Evelyn had enough of his shenanigans and threw him out for a few weeks. And, from the rumors, Sally wasn’t the only one,” Mama said.

  I flipped through a stack of pictures, some of which should never see the light of day. “She should have never allowed him to take these of her.” I put the pictures back.

  Mama agreed. For her protection, I considered taking them with me and burning them. But, that would be unwise.

  In the back of the folder, I found a death certificate. According to this, five years after her procedure, Sally had given birth to a girl. She had been stillborn.

  “Did you know about this?” I asked Mama.

  “No. Poor Sally.”

  Miss Sally sure had her own crosses to bear.

  “Well, this doesn’t explain what the twins overhead about another son. Mr. Ledbetter said Carl wasn’t his only son, not his only child,” I told Mama. “And this particular child didn’t survive.”

  Respectfully, I placed the file back into the cabinet. That was when I spotted a torn document lying at the bottom of the drawer. I reached in and extracted the remnant. It must have been torn on the jagged edge, perhaps taken out in haste.

  “It’s part of a birth certificate,” I turned to Mama.