by Tonya Kappes
Hettie excused herself as well and they walked out together.
“You are so lucky.” Tina happily sighed. “Jack has really grown up. You can tell in his eyes that he loves you.”
“He is sweet.” I smiled, softening my walls I had put up against her. Even if she wasn’t Jade, she was her best friend and it was hard for me to trust her.
“How on earth did you two get together?” she asked. Hettie brought her the iced tea she had ordered. “Is it sweet?” she asked.
“You did ask for sweet,” Hettie said.
“Yes.” Tina picked up the glass and took a long drink. There was satisfaction all over her face. “I do miss Zula’s tea.”
While she enjoyed her tea, I told her about how Jack and I started to date, leaving out the part where he caught me talking to my first Betweener client and how I helped him solve her murder.
“Jade was so jealous when we got back into town and found out the two of you were an item.” Tina set the empty glass down. She lifted her hand in the air and tapped the glass when Hettie noticed her. “She’d die if she knew I was drinking this sweet tea.” She laughed in remembrance. “What are you thinking? That has a million calories in it and you are going to get fat,” Tina said in her best Jade voice.
“Is she really making fun of me?” Jade’s eyes narrowed, her mouth gaped open. “I can’t believe she’s making fun of me.”
“I’m sorry you lost your friend.” I wanted to acknowledge the loss. “I’m sure it’s very hard.”
“I can’t imagine life without her. I mean . . .” Tina gulped. Tears settled on her eyelids. “She and I had lost contact when she got real big. I got married a year ago and sent an invitation to her agent. You couldn’t imagine how happy I was on my wedding day when I saw her sitting in the church pew when I walked down the aisle.”
Tina smiled. It was a warm smile.
“We talked every day since.” She moved her hand and let Hettie set the glass down on the table. She picked it up and downed the entire glass of sweet tea. Tears dripped down her face.
“Tell her she was a wonderful best friend.” Jade stood next to Tina and begged me to relay the message.
“I could tell Jade really cherished your friendship.” I interpreted what Jade wanted me to say in my own words.
“I’m sorry, Emma Lee.” Tina glanced at me. She bit her lower lip. Her hands trembled. “I’m sorry Jade was so mean to you when we were in high school.”
“I’m sorry too, Emma.” Jade nodded her head.
“It was her insecurities coming out in her. You were well liked by everyone and didn’t have to put on all that makeup to hide the hurt like she did.” Tina rambled on and on about how sorry she was for being mean.
“It’s fine.” I played off the real feelings I had. It wasn’t like I was ever going to see Jade again once I helped her cross over. There was no reason for me to ever see Tina again either.
“I dropped off an outfit for Jade’s funeral for Artie.” Tina got up. She brushed the tears from her cheek. “I forgot the tiara I think she’d love to wear, but I’ll bring it to the get-together tonight if that’s okay.”
“It’s fine.” I watched Tina leave the room before I got up to go to the kitchen to see Granny.
As I walked into the kitchen to say good-bye to Granny, I saw her and Jack Henry were sitting at the table. Granny was going over the events before she found Jade’s body.
“There was no noise, no nothing.” Granny’s head slowly shook side to side. “She never complained about the service she got here.”
“Is Keisha Venford still here?” Jack asked.
“She is.” She nodded. “She’s gone on a cave exploration tour with Patricia and a couple of the cameramen. Sandford Brumfield took them along with another group of Inn guests.”
Sandford was a tour guide and expert on all the caves our little town was known for. He had a sign-up sheet for his tours in the gathering room in the Inn for guests.
“They went on the flashlight tour last night.” Granny planted her hands on the table and pushed herself up to standing.
“What time was that?” Jack asked.
“Sandford picks everyone up around seven.” Granny moseyed over to the counter and looked at the new food orders Hettie had stuck next to the stove.
“Seven, huh.” Jack thumbed through his notebook.
“Are you sure, Granny?” I asked for good measure.
“As sure as I’m standing here breathing in this God-given air.” She was offended I questioned her.
“Then that means none of Patricia, the cameramen, or Keisha could have killed her because the time of death doesn’t match up.” My idea of Keisha or Patricia killing Jade because she was mean to them and they had reached their tolerance level just fizzled out.
“So that leaves us with Marla Maria as the only one left who had a public fight with Jade.” Jack tapped the notebook with the tip of his pen.
“I still want to talk to Beulah, so I’ll go see her and Marla Maria while you go and finish up the autopsy reports with Vernon so I can get started on dressing Jade for her funeral.” I got up from the table. On my way out I gave Jack and Granny a kiss ‘bye.
I headed back to Eternal Slumber, where I found the paperwork Artie left with all the signatures I needed to start the funeral arrangements. I called Mary Anna to let her know it was official and confirmed that I’d see her in the morning.
“This is fast.” The idea of her own funeral really seemed to bother Jade. “I mean he wants to get me in the ground super fast.”
“I don’t think that’s it. I think he knows all of our classmates are in town and it would be a fantastic send-off for you if they could all be there.” I ran my finger over the address Rolodex on my desk and stopped at the K for Kramer. I needed a horse for the carriage I had promised Artie. I’d worry about the horse now and the carriage later. Not that I had a lot of time.
“You need to find my killer.” She stomped her pretty little high heel.
“One minute you want your murder to be solved, and the next you worry about your appearance.” I had had it up to my chin with her as a Betweener client. “You have to help me by not disappearing on me.”
“Who disappeared?” O’Dell Burns stood at my office door. He looked around my office to see whom I was talking to. Jade ghosted herself away like she had been seen.
“This piece of paper I have been looking for.” I patted around my desk. “I should probably be more organized.” I stood up. “What can I do for you, Mayor?”
O’Dell Burns was a snake in the grass. I’d steered clear of him since he and Granny had a fallin’-out. Truth be told, they’d had several fallin’-outs.
Burns Funeral Home had been my only competition until I saw Charlotte Rae kneeling down, practically on her knees, begging Artie for Jade’s body. He and Granny fought over every dead person in this town. Even Granny’s dead husband, Earl Way Payne. Earl Way hadn’t changed his preneed arrangements once he and Granny tied the knot. When he died, Granny assumed he’d be laid out in the front window of Eternal Slumber, which is what she did. He looked mighty fine too, until the doors of the funeral home flew open and Ruthie Sue Payne, Earl’s first wife, came in with O’Dell pushing the old church cart behind her. Right then and there, before God and all of Sleepy Hollow, O’Dell Burns grabbed up poor old Earl Way’s dead body and carted him right on out of the funeral home and over to his.
Granny was mad as a wet hen when she saw that Earl hadn’t changed his funeral arrangements.
When our last mayor had been carted off to jail, Sleepy Hollow had held an emergency election.
O’Dell Burns threw his name in the hat and when Granny got wind, she marched on down to the courthouse and put her name on the ballot. Never run a day in her life and knew nothing about politics.
“How hard can it be? Just a bunch of gossip and you know I’m pretty good at that,” she had said, and winked.
Needless to say, Granny made it
her life’s mission to be a thorn in O’Dell Burns’s side for the rest of her life. She swears it was why God blessed the earth with her presence. I said she’s being ornery and mean. She’d say different.
“I wanted to congratulate you on securing the Peel girl for Eternal Slumber.” He gestured his hand toward the chair in front of my desk.
“Yes. Please sit down.” I eased into my chair. “Where are my manners?”
“I hear you left them back on the sidewalk in front of Girl’s Best Friend.” O’Dell snickered. “I’m sorry. Old habits.”
After I took over Eternal Slumber when Granny retired, O’Dell Burns took out his revenge for Granny on me. He did everything in his power to one-up everything I did. Just like Charlotte Rae.
She’d turned into O’Dell Burns and it tore up my insides.
“I wanted to come see what you were thinking in terms of arrangements.” He looked at his watch. “There are a lot of people angry that the reunion has been canceled. Not everyone was friends with Jade and they came here for the reunion.”
“I’m going to follow her father’s wishes and get the funeral ready for tomorrow afternoon.” I shrugged. “It’s just such bad manners to have a party when there has been a murder. I think we should go ahead and turn the reunion into a memorial. Food, dancing, seeing everyone and celebrating our class queen.”
“Goody!” Jade reappeared. She bounced up and down on her toes. “That is a much better idea than a reunion.”
It was just like Jade Peel to like anything that was just about her.
“That sounds like a very good idea. Sheriff Ross said he’d signed off on the body and was following some really good leads.” Mayor Burns nodded. I was sure Jack told the mayor what he wanted to hear to keep him out of his hair. “How will you be able to tell everyone on such short notice?”
“I’ll be sure to tell Beulah Paige. She’ll spread the word like wildfire.” I had intended to see her anyway since she had been with Jade yesterday when she rolled into town. Maybe she had a clue about something I didn’t. “Plus I have Granny.”
Both Mayor and I knew she was better than any newspaper article.
Chapter 21
Beulah Paige Bellefry lived clear on the other side of town in Triple Thorn subdivision. It was the fanciest subdivision in Sleepy Hollow. The next fanciest was the trailer park next to the cemetery on the back side of the town square.
Anyone who lived in Triple Thorn thought they were in high cotton, and they pretty much were right. And they let everyone know it.
On my drive over, I dropped off Jade’s funeral cards at the printers and gave Granny a call.
“Sleepy Hollow Inn,” she answered. “Zula Fae Raines Payne, proprietor, speaking. What can I do for you?”
“Granny, I don’t think you need all that information when you answer the phone,” I merely suggested.
“Emma Lee, I ain’t got time for you to school me in manners when you seem to have lost yours.” She wasn’t going to listen to any advice I had. “What do you need? I’m busy. I’m here alone, again.”
“I have a favor.” I hoped she had time to do it. “Can you go to the printers and get Jade’s funeral cards and pass them out at the town square?”
“Huh?” she asked.
“Artie Peel wants to have Jade’s service tomorrow since everyone is in town for our class reunion and the Sleepy Hollow News doesn’t print until next week, so I have no way of telling people.” I knew Granny would tell the Auxiliary women and they’d help get the word out too. “Instead of canceling the reunion, I wanted to make it a memorial service.”
“Sure, honey.” Granny pepped up. “It could be good for the reality show.”
“Granny, this is for a funeral. Do not make a spectacle of yourself or our town,” I said, just as I pulled up to Beulah’s driveway.
Granny harrumphed and hung up on me. Then I quickly dialed Dottie Kramer’s number. She didn’t answer, so I left a message on her machine about stopping by in an hour or so. More than likely, Dottie was home, but working out in her vegetable garden or flower beds.
Beulah’s bright red Cadillac was parked in her driveway and the Dusting Dixies van was parked on the curb in front of the house.
“Good.” I shut the engine off. “I can kill two birds with one stone.”
I had been meaning to call Dixie Dunn, owner of Dusting Dixies, since my visit with O’Dell to let her know that we were still going to be needing her cleaning service at the school for Jade’s impromptu memorial service.
I climbed the front porch and rang the doorbell. I stepped back and folded my hands in front of me.
“Emma Lee.” Beulah tossed her red hair behind her shoulder. She wore a long cheetah-print silk shirt over a pair of black leggings and black flats. Her face was as tan as if she’d been to the beach for a week. Her lashes curled to the heavens and batted down to hell when she closed them. “Why on earth do you have any business being here? I told you last week I hadn’t made my mind up about my demise.”
It was her fancy way of telling me that she wasn’t going to make any preneed funeral arrangements with me today. Recently I had been making my rounds throughout the community. Death was inevitable and no one wanted to hear about it.
“I’m not here for that.” Over her shoulder I could see Dixie dusting the wooden staircase. “I’m here to let Dixie Dunn know that I will be needing her services after all.”
That caught the ear of the town gossip queen.
“Why don’t you come on in.” Beulah couldn’t resist a little afternoon gossip. “I was just about to have some tea.”
She pulled the door wide-open and stepped back.
“I’d love to.” I stepped inside.
“Emma.” Dixie waved the feather duster in the air.
“Hi, Dixie.” I waved back.
“Dixie, dear.” I hated how Beulah talked down to Dixie. Dixie was older than her. “Emma has come by to let you know the reunion is still on. Isn’t that right, Emma?” She looked at me for confirmation and then walked down the hallway into her kitchen.
“Actually, we are turning it into a memorial for Jade.” I corrected Beulah. She was so good at assuming, but hey, it got me in the door. “I’m sure there will be a lot of people there so I wanted to know if you could help clean up afterward. And if I could hire you for the funeral tomorrow. Artie has asked for the service to be tomorrow afternoon at Eternal Slumber.”
“I’ll be there.” She continued dusting up the banister and disappeared when she made it up to the top step.
“In here.” Beulah passed me with a silver tray of whatnots to snack on and china teacups.
I followed her into the fancy sitting room. She placed the tray on the small coffee table. She took one of the cups and saucers off the tray, placing it in front of me.
My phone chirped twice. One message after the other. While Beulah busied herself with pouring the tea in the cups and making the treats look fancy, I read the messages.
The first one was from Shirley. She’d finally gotten back with me since this morning. She said she’d been busy cooking for the reunion and if it was canceled she’d use the food at Spare Time. I quickly texted back that I still wanted to use the food for tonight but instead of a reunion it was now going to be a memorial for our classmates to honor Jade. The second text was Jack Henry. He said that he still had no luck finding a car to match the description Jade had given in regard to the person from out front of the café the morning she got into town. He wanted to know what Artie had said or if I’d found anything else out from our little ghost friend.
“What on earth made Artie want to have the funeral with you, and so soon?” She sat on the chair, crossed her ankles and held the saucer in her hands.
“I guess he likes Eternal Slumber.” Was it so impossible for Beulah to think he’d laid Jade to rest with me?
“It wasn’t like you and Jade were the best of friends.” Beulah crossed her ankles, lifted her brows and let out a s
light sigh before she took a sip of her tea.
“Plus all of our classmates are in town so it was a good idea to go ahead with the reunion but make it a memorial in honor of Jade. Vernon has pulled all the necessary evidence to release the body.” I picked up the cup, holding it with both hands. The darn thing was so light and fragile, I was afraid of breaking it. “He asked my thoughts on having the funeral right away and Jade was so precious.” The words were bitter in my mouth. I took a sip of tea to wash it down and continued, “Just so precious that I know she’d want the funeral as soon as possible and with her classmates by her side. I think she’d really have enjoyed a memorial in her honor too.”
“My ass I do.” Jade grunted from the arm of Beulah’s chair. “I want you to stop running around town and figure out who killed me.”
Beulah’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to pull that good manners crap with me. Now I know you are putting me on.”
“You are ignoring me.” Jade walked over to the fireplace mantel and ran her hand down a crystal vase.
My hands shook. The teacup clinked as it rattled against the saucer. I tried to steady them. I tried to ignore Jade. She had been able to knock the tea glass out of my hand in the hearse, I could only imagine the scene if she knocked that vase off the mantel.
“Are you okay?” Beulah held the cup with her finger and thumb, curling her pinky out to the side.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just don’t know why anyone would do such a thing. To think someone strangled her.”
Beulah held her saucer in one hand. The other she used to massage her neck.
“I just can’t imagine she’d have any enemies.” I shrugged and took another sip of my tea.
“You don’t think Beulah killed me, do you?” Jade ghosted herself next to Beulah. “I mean, I used to play with her pearls.” Jade reached over and touched the strand around Beulah’s neck.
“Well.” Beulah put the saucer on the table and then touched her pearls. She did a little shimmy-shake and I could see goose bumps on her arms. “I was one of the first people to talk to Jade when she came into town. I even had her and Tina Tittle over for tea yesterday afternoon.”
