A Murder State of Mind Boxed Set

by Jude Pittman

  An elderly woman, passing their table, gasped and clamped her hand to her mouth. Ignoring the woman, Marcy whirled and raced for the lobby.

  “Please call me a taxi,” she sobbed to the bewildered maître d’ before she raced out of the restaurant.

  * * *

  After giving Jim Forbes a call and asking him to dig up whatever he could find on Alex Wyatt, Kelly pulled on his boots and grabbed a jacket from the closet.

  “Best get over there,” he said and opened the door. Jake bounded down the steps to take the lead and the two of them jogged down the driveway.

  At the foot of the bridge across Indian Creek, Kelly stopped and leaned against a railing. Down below stood the ramshackle old building that had served as Bubba’s Bait House. During the cold winter months, Bubba and a regular group of Indian Creek’s hardiest fishermen passed the time by cursing the weather and consuming endless cups of black coffee.

  Up the hill from Bubba’s Bait House was the Hideaway, a ramshackle old beer-and barbecue joint owned by Kelly’s best friend, Cameron Belcher. The Hideaway had been a fixture at Indian Creek since before Texas joined the Union and it had been the center of Indian Creek’s social life from the day it had opened.

  When Cam took it over, he’d spruced up the original buildings a bit but he’d been smart enough to disguise the modernizing. Because of that, the old bar looked much the same today as it had in his grandfather’s day despite having many modern conveniences.

  Six years ago, when Kelly first came to the Creek, he’d been looking for a place of exile—somewhere he could hide and heal the wounds of losing his wife and walking away from his job with the Fort Worth Police Department. Over the years, he’d formed a tight bond with the Creek people, especially Cam and Bubba. Last year had been a tough one for all of them and there’d been times when Kelly’s involvement in a murder investigation had shaken the Creek residents to the core and severely challenged those friendships.

  It had been a hell of a year and one Kelly wouldn’t soon forget. He’d fallen in love for the first time since his wife Lynda had died, he’d been reunited with his old friend and former partner, Detective Augustus Graham and in the course of solving the case, he’d finally laid to rest some of the ghosts from his own past.

  Guess I’d better get moving. Kelly shook himself out of his reverie and stepped back from the rail.

  With Jake bounding ahead, Kelly trudged up the hill, climbed the front porch and pulled open the heavy wooden door. Smoke and country music drifted through the doorway, followed by Cam’s upraised voice.

  “There you are, Kelly. I was about ready to send out a posse.”

  Kelly lifted a hand to acknowledge Cam’s greeting and strode across the room to where Bubba, a sawn off shrimp with the face of a mischievous boy, held out a chair at the big round table Cam reserved for regulars.

  “How’s it going, Bubba?” Kelly took the little guy’s hand in a firm grip.

  “Ain’t got no cause to complain.” Bubba flashed his grin.

  “So what about you, Kelly?” Cam asked. “I hear you’ve got your PI ticket and you’ve told Shorty to start looking for a replacement security guard for the flea market.”

  “That’s right. I’ve been checking out a couple of deals. If they pan out, I’ll have plenty of work but still keep my independence.”

  “The offer to tag along with me to my new fish camp is still open,” Bubba said, jumping into the conversation.

  “I know it is.” Kelly gave him a warm smile. “But somehow I can’t see myself moving out of Texas. I’ve got an appointment with an insurance company down in Sugar Land. Matter of fact, I’m leaving for Houston in the morning. I’ll spend the weekend with Stella and meet with their managing partner on Monday.”

  “What about your cabin here?” Cam asked. “Are you gonna keep it?”

  “Oh, sure. The insurance company deal doesn’t call for me to relocate. I’d still live here at Indian Creek. I’ll just be traveling a bit more.”

  “I still think you oughta give Oregon a try,” Bubba grumbled. “Who knows though?” He brightened. “Maybe in a year or two you’ll get tired of chasing crooks and I’ll figure a way to lure you out there.”

  They all laughed and Cam picked up his mug. “Beer’s getting flat,” he said. “Here’s to Anna. She was a hell of a woman. We won’t forget her.”

  “Anna!” Kelly and Bubba lifted their glasses and clinked them against Cam’s.

  After he’d drained his glass, Kelly set it down on the table and pushed back his chair. “I’ll be leaving about six in the morning,” he said, “so I’d best be hitting the sack. I’ll catch you both when I get back in town.”

  “See ya, Kelly,” they said in unison.

  “Do you want me to keep an eye on Jake?” Bubba asked.

  “Thanks but I guess I’ll take him along this trip. Stella said he’d be welcome and I figured he’d enjoy a change of scene.”

  “Say... where is Jake?” Cam asked.

  Kelly shrugged. “He hightailed it over to your house on our way here. Isn’t this the day Mrs. Torbett comes to clean your cabin and do your baking for the week?”

  “Yep, damn sure is.” Cam chuckled. “That dog’s more person than animal,” he said and Bubba nodded agreement.

  Jake was a German shepherd crossbreed who’d shown up on Kelly’s porch right after he’d started to work as a security guard at the Indian Creek flea market. He and Kelly had taken a shine to each other and they’d been inseparable ever since.

  On the way back to his cabin, Kelly walked slowly, savoring the crisp night air. The moon glowed full in the sky and along the path, poplar trees decked in reds and golds brushed against deep green spruce. Marsh grasses, brittled by an early frost, sheltered the downy heads of bulrushes. On the water, a family of ducks floated along the glassy surface. The night held a special magic and Kelly’s thoughts turned to Lynda, the wife he’d lost in a fire six years ago. Surrendering to his memories, Kelly strolled slowly along the path until Jake, tearing out of the woods, danced a jig around his legs and brought him back to the present.

  “Whoa!” Kelly let out a whoop and double-stepped to keep his balance. “You’re sure full of piss and vinegar tonight,” Kelly said, reaching down to ruffle Jake’s ears.

  Jake gave a couple of short barks and Kelly frowned. “Something’s up,” he muttered.

  The mystery of Jake’s behavior unfolded as soon as they reached the cabin. Tacked to the door was a Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department envelope and inside was a note from Augustus Graham. Gus was Kelly’s former partner—the one who’d made him an unofficial assistant on the Anna Davis investigation.

  “Well, what have we here?” Kelly unpinned the envelope and ripped open the flap.

  The note was short. “Kelly, I’ve got a hell of a mess out in Rhome. Somebody broke into Jerry Thompson’s cabin and beat him up real bad. We’ve taken him to hospital but there wasn’t anybody around to look after his pup. Her name is Lucy. She’s a nice little shepherd and I figured you and Jake wouldn’t mind looking after her for a week or so.”

  “Oh, ho! I’m beginning to see the light.” Kelly smiled at Jake and pushed open the door.

  Inside, curled up on Jake’s rug was a frightened young female. Gus had left her leashed and fastened to the table leg. He’d probably been afraid to leave her loose in case she took off out Jake’s doggie door exit flap.

  “How ya’ doing, little gal?” Kelly said, stooping slowly to crouch on the floor in front of her. The dog trembled and she cowered away from him.

  “You’ve had a rough time of it, haven’t you, girl?” He kept his voice soft and soothing. Jake padded over and licked her snout. She whimpered and raised her warm black eyes to search Kelly’s face.

  “It’s okay,” he said, reaching out to unsnap the leash. “We’ll give you some time to get used to the place before we try to get acquainted.” He turned to Jake. “I guess you’ll be sleeping out here tonight.” Jake cr
ouched down on the rug and Kelly laughed. “Okay, I’ll take myself off to bed. I’m going to go ahead and latch your door though, just to make sure she doesn’t wander outside and get herself lost.”

  It was still dark when Kelly awoke the next morning. Stepping softly so as not to disturb the dogs, he padded over to his chair and picked up the telephone receiver. Two pairs of eyes followed him across the room then their owners snuggled back down into their rugs.

  The telephone rang several times and Kelly was about to drop the receiver back in the cradle when Bubba’s voice came on the wire. “Bait House. Bubba here.”

  “You busy?” Kelly asked.

  “Damn, Kelly, I’ve got more fishermen out this morning than Ma’s kitchen’s got cockroaches.”

  “I won’t keep you then but I’ll need to take you up on your offer to look after Jake.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  “I need an extra favor though. Some son of a bitch busted up one of the old-timers over in Rhome and there was nobody around to look after his dog, so Gus stopped by yesterday and left her with Jake.”

  “Damn dope fiends,” Bubba snapped. “It’s getting so there ain’t no safe place left in this country. Don’t worry about the little lady. I’ll take good care of her. I gotta run now but I’ll wander over there as soon as things settle down a bit.”

  “Thanks, Bubba. I’ll catch you in a couple of days.”

  Daylight was just peeking over the horizon when Kelly pulled his Chevy pickup out of the garage. Old Blue, Kelly’s pet name for the truck, was his proudest possession. He and Lynda had bought the truck new in 1979. It was ripe with memories and Kelly kept it in mint condition.

  It was just after six when he pulled onto I-20 en route to I-45. If luck was with him, the road construction would be light enough to get him to Conroe in time for breakfast and still make Houston by noon. The five-hour trip always depended on construction and Kelly had yet to see the day when some portion of the road wasn’t torn up and cut down to single lane traffic.

  “Job security,” he muttered, shaking his head and turning his attention to the business ahead.

  Traffic was light into Conroe and it was still short of eight when he pulled off the interstate and into Buck’s Truck Stop. He filled Old Blue’s gas tank, parked him beside the dumpster and headed into the restaurant for breakfast.

  Back on the road a short time later, his luck petered out just before Huntsville where he pulled up behind a mile-long line of cars inching bumper to bumper down a single lane of traffic.

  It took two hours to navigate the mess and Kelly nearly suffocated from breathing the hot, humid air thick with road dust. Old Blue didn’t have air-conditioning and by the time Kelly pulled off at San Felipe and headed up River Oaks Boulevard, his mouth was watering for a cold beer. Stella’s gates at the end of the street were a welcome sight.

  Chapter Two

  Stella was out the front door the minute Old Blue pulled through the wrought iron gates. Standing on the front porch, hopping from leg to leg, she reminded Kelly of a kid waiting for the ice cream truck. In her tightly cinched walking shorts and knit sweater, she made quite a picture. The sun lit up her coppery head and she gleamed like an antique kettle.

  “Looking good,” Kelly called as he climbed out of the truck and strolled over to the porch.

  Laughing, Stella took a leap from the top step and landed smack up against Kelly’s chest. “You smell good,” she murmured, nuzzling her nose against his neck and licking his skin.

  “Whoa there, girl.” Kelly plucked her off his chest. “Friends. Remember?”

  Stella tossed her head. “Just because a gal isn’t allowed to pick the flowers doesn’t mean she can’t smell them.”

  Kelly shook his head in defeat. What could he say?

  “I bet you’d like a drink,” Stella said, leading him into the house.

  “A cold beer would go down real nice right now,” he said. “Where do you want me to put my bag?”

  “Just leave it here for now. We can take care of it after you’ve had a chance to catch your breath.”

  Kelly nodded and dropped his bag against the staircase.

  “Lead on,” he said. “I had to fight traffic snarls and sign-happy flagmen all the way from Huntsville and I’m ready for a breather.”

  Stella led him into the kitchen and Kelly leaned against the wall and scanned the room while she went to the refrigerator.

  “So, tell me about this niece of yours,” Kelly said, following Stella to a small oak table in the center of the room and settling into a chair.

  “Marcy’s my oldest brother’s girl. He’s a veterinarian and he’s always understood animals a lot better than people. He and his wife Pat only have the two kids — Marcy who’s twenty-three and Josh who just turned seventeen. They live in Maryville. It’s a nice, little town about one hundred and fifty miles from Nashville. They’re church people and the kids have been supervised and sheltered all their lives.

  “A couple of years ago Marcy won a talent contest—she’s got a gorgeous voice— and she ended up getting a job as backing singer for the Livewires and moving to Nashville.”

  “They’re a hot group right now.” Kelly nodded.

  “I know and Marcy’s done well with them. That’s the good part of the story but the bad part is that Alex Wyatt—the married jerk who got her pregnant—owns the recording company who holds their contract.”

  “I see.”

  “I don’t know what to do Kelly. Marcy’s been seeing Alex for a couple of years now and of course, it’s going nowhere. He lives in Dallas, so he’s not around much but apparently when he’s out of town, Marcy spends her time sitting around Nashville waiting for him.”

  “Does she know about Wyatt’s wife?”

  “Oh, yes. She knows all about the very rich and very social Lorena Miller Wyatt but Alex has filled her head so full of shit she won’t hear a word against him. As far as Marcy’s concerned, Alex is the white knight and the only reason he hasn’t left Lorena is because he’s too much of a gentleman to dump her.”

  “How does your brother feel about all this?”

  “My brother doesn’t know a damn thing about Alex Wyatt and that’s one of the things that has me worried. There’s no telling what Bud will do if he finds out a married man took advantage of his little girl.”

  Kelly shook his head. “I’m afraid my talk with Jim wasn’t very reassuring. Alex is known as a high-roller in the gambling world and he’s been involved in a couple of business deals that have been just barely inside the law.”

  Stella let out a deep breath. “Poor Marcy. She’s in for a rotten time and it looks like it’s already started. She called me again, around two in the morning and she was damn near hysterical. She went out to dinner with Alex last night and told him about the baby. Of course, Marcy expected him to fall all over himself when he found out he was going to be a father.”

  Kelly raised his eyebrow. He could pretty well figure what was coming.

  “As you can imagine, Alex was not delighted. Apparently he came right out and told her to get an abortion.”

  “Brutal!”

  “Yeah. I know Marcy well enough to know she’d never be able to have an abortion. I’m not making judgments, you understand. Some girls can handle that kind of option but Marcy’s not one of them. Having Alex throw it at her the way he did was devastating.”

  “What’s she going to do?”

  “Stay with me, I hope. She told me last night she’d leave for Houston this morning. I’ve tried to call her several times and there’s been no answer, so I’m hoping she’s on her way.”

  “Poor kid.”

  Stella nodded. “Hopefully, we’ll hear from her soon. In the meantime, I imagine you’d like to freshen up a bit. I’ll let you get settled, then we’ll talk about what we want to do for dinner. I’d like to stick pretty close to the telephone but Maria makes some mean fajitas. I can have her fix everything up before she goes if it’s okay wit
h you.”

  “Terrific. I need to call Brad Meyer at American Mutual and confirm my appointment for Monday. Then I wouldn’t mind jumping into the shower and maybe stretching out for an hour or so.”

  “You go right ahead. There’s a private line in the guest room. I’ll either be downstairs in the TV room or upstairs reading. You know where my bedroom is if you need anything,” she said, winking at him.

  “I’ll take you up on the guest room,” Kelly said, getting up and starting for the hall to retrieve his bag.

  Once inside the comfortable orange-and-cream guest room, Kelly stripped to his shorts. Then he pulled the tassels free from the heavy brocade drapes and stretched out on the bed. Picking up the receiver of an antique telephone, he dialed American Mutual. Brad was in a meeting but a secretary confirmed Kelly’s ten o’clock appointment. Thanking the woman, Kelly asked her to tell Brad he’d called and stretched out on the bed.

  The next thing he knew Stella was shaking his shoulders and yelling his name. “What’s wrong?” He came awake with a jolt.

  “Oh, Kelly, it’s really turned into a mess. I just got a call from my brother Bud. The police called him a couple of hours ago to ask if he’d seen Marcy. Alex Wyatt was found bludgeoned to death in his car this morning. The cops are looking for Marcy and nobody knows where she is.

  “They finally got my brother’s telephone number from the recording studio and Bud’s about to have a coronary. Marcy hasn’t been seen since she ran out of the restaurant last night and Bud just called to see if I’d heard anything from her.”

  Kelly was wide awake now. He reached up and turned her face so he could see her eyes. “What did you tell him?”

  Stella flushed and her blue eyes gleamed defiantly. “I told him I hadn’t heard from Marcy in a month.”

  “Why did you lie?”

  “Because I don’t want a bunch of cops on my doorstep waiting for her if she does show up here.”

  Kelly nodded and reached out to stroke Stella’s hair. She must have been taking a nap when the call came. Her hair clung to her head in damp curls and her right cheek had a puffy pillow crease. Kelly ran his hand along her bare arm and she trembled under his touch. Stella had been through a lot this past year dealing with the aftermath of Andrew and Anna’s murders and this trouble with Marcy must seem like the last straw.