“There’s always a first time,” Tuck said in a self-deprecating manner.
“Don’t listen to him,” T.J. said fondly. “If he wasn’t such a great lawyer, he could open his own gourmet restaurant. You wouldn’t believe how much I have to exercise because of his cooking. If I didn’t, I’d be as big as the side of a barn.”
“I don’t see how you have time to do all the things you do.” Elmer Lee’s tone betrayed his envy. “And cook, too. Heck, I eat out of a can most of the time at home, or else heat up a frozen dinner in the microwave.”
“I love to cook,” Tuck said. “It’s a good way for me to relax.” He grinned. “And it doesn’t hurt to have someone to clean up after me, either.”
T.J. sighed and shook his head. “Now you hear the truth. He just keeps me around to clean up the mess he makes in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, right,” Juliet said amidst the laughter her brother’s remark had evoked. She held up her right hand, rubbing her thumb and index finger together. “You see this? This is the world’s tiniest violin, and it’s playing “My Heart Bleeds for You.’”
T.J. turned to Tuck. “Are you sure that’s just iced tea in her glass? She’s sounding pretty big for her britches.”
Juliet giggled, and the others laughed with her.
“Let’s eat,” Tuck said. He turned to lead the way to the dining room. “Juliet set the table for us, so if everything’s in the wrong place, you’ll know who to blame.” He turned to grin over his shoulder. Juliet retaliated by sticking out her tongue at him.
In the dining room Tuck stood at the head of the table and directed everyone to his or her seat. T.J. sat at the foot, Wanda Nell on his left and Jack on his right. Elmer Lee took the chair to the left of Tuck, and Juliet was on Tuck’s right. “Help yourselves to the bread and butter,” Tuck said. “T.J. actually made the bread. I’ll be back with the salad.”
“I’ll help you.” T.J. followed Tuck out of the room.
“T.J. actually made bread?” Wanda Nell asked, impressed. “I didn’t know he could do that.”
“He used the bread machine,” Juliet said.
“It looks delicious.” Elmer Lee picked up the basket and parted the linen cloth to peek inside. “And it smells great.” He served himself a piece before offering the basket to Juliet.
Tuck and T.J. returned moments later, bearing trays. They served the salad, and Wanda Nell inspected hers with interest. There was no lettuce. She had never had a salad like this before. It consisted of at least three kinds of peppers, with onions, olives, and tomatoes mixed in. There was also some kind of cheese. And she thought she detected a smell of vinegar.
“What kind of salad is it?” Elmer Lee asked. He appeared as fascinated by it as Wanda Nell.
“It’s a Greek salad,” Tuck said. “The dressing is red wine vinegar mixed with olive oil. There’s feta cheese, onion, cucumber, tomato, and three kinds of peppers in it.”
“It’s really good,” T.J. added.
“It looks delicious,” Wanda Nell said. “And so does the bread.”
T.J. grinned. “This isn’t my first attempt, so it should be okay.”
Over the salad they chatted in desultory fashion. No one had yet broached the subject of murder, and Wanda Nell was enjoying a break from talking about, or even thinking about, the case.
The salad course finished, T.J. and Tuck cleared away the remains. They returned several minutes later, again bearing trays, this time loaded with pasta and fragrant meat sauce. Once T.J. had emptied his tray, he returned to the kitchen for more bread. Tuck refilled glasses before passing around a bowl of grated Parmesan.
“This is great,” Elmer Lee said after his first taste of the meat sauce. “And what kind of spaghetti is this? It tastes different.”
“It’s whole-grain linguini,” T.J. said. “The whole grain is better for you, and that’s about all we eat.”
“It’s good,” Wanda Nell said. “It’s got a real nice texture to it. But this meat sauce is what makes it so wonderful.”
Tuck smiled at them, obviously pleased with their response. “This is one of my favorites. I’m glad you’re all enjoying it. And we have a special treat for dessert. At least I hope it will be a treat. Does everybody like homemade peach ice cream?”
Jack and Elmer Lee groaned at the same time. Startled, they looked at each other. Elmer Lee grinned. “It’s about my favorite thing in the world, that’s all.”
“I love it, too,” Jack added. “I hope you made a lot of it.”
Laughing, T.J. said, “Don’t worry, there’s plenty.”
They took their time over the pasta, savoring the rich flavor, again talking of things other than murder. Finally, when all the plates and the bread basket were empty, Tuck pushed back from the table. “Is everyone ready for dessert?”
“I am,” Elmer Lee said.
“You sound just like a little boy, Elmer Lee,” T.J. said teasingly.
Elmer Lee grinned. “Can’t help it. I love peach ice cream.”
“Y’all go on into the living room,” Tuck said. “We’ll have dessert in there. Would anyone like some coffee?”
“I would,” Jack said, and Wanda Nell and Elmer Lee said they would, too. Tuck nodded as he headed for the kitchen.
“Can I help clear the table?” Wanda Nell asked, standing and starting to gather up plates.
“No, you cannot,” T.J. replied. He took the plates from her. “We’ll have plenty of time to clear up later, Mama. Y’all go on to the living room, and don’t worry about this.”
“Okay, honey. I’m not going to argue with you. I’m too full of good food.” Wanda Nell kissed his cheek.
Ten minutes later they were all seated in the living room, enjoying the freshly made ice cream, along with coffee.
“We’ve waited long enough,” Tuck said, setting aside an empty bowl. “I know we’re all curious about what’s been going on.”
Elmer Lee nodded. “I sure am. I want to hear all about what you two have managed to find out.”
Wanda Nell glanced at Juliet. She was sixteen now, and old enough to be a part of this discussion if she wanted to be. “Honey,” she said, “do you want to hear about all this?”
Juliet nodded. “I guess I ought to. If Jack’s going to write a book about it, I’d like to know about it ahead of time.” She shrugged. “And who knows? There may be some way I can help.”
“Okay, then,” Wanda Nell said. “But if anything bothers you about any of this, I want you to talk to me about it, okay?”
“I will, Mama.”
Reassured, Wanda Nell nodded at Jack. He set aside his empty bowl and took a sip of coffee before he started.
Jack gave them a quick rundown of what had happened since Saturday morning. Wanda Nell occasionally chipped in with a detail or two, but Jack gave a very clear picture of the case. The others sat, very attentive, until he had finished. At some point, Elmer Lee had pulled a pen and a small notebook from his pocket and started jotting down notes.
“Just as we were coming up the walk to the front door,” Jack said, concluding his summary, “my phone rang, and it was Sandra June Baker. She’s going to meet me tomorrow to talk. And I hope she’ll tell me where her brother is.”
“So you’re pretty sure he’s still alive?” Tuck asked.
“We think so,” Wanda Nell said. “She didn’t tell us he wasn’t. All she would say was that he was gone.”
“If she was as drugged up as you say,” Elmer Lee said, “that’s probably about as clear as she was going to get.”
“That’s what we thought,” Jack said. “The fact that she’s willing to talk to me tomorrow is a good sign. She’s obviously got something to say.”
“And if she tells you where her brother is, what then?” T.J. asked.
“I want to find him and talk to him. I’m just hoping that he’s somewhere not too far away. If he’s several thousand miles away, or in another country, I might not be able to find him.”
“I
’ll bet you he didn’t go that far away,” Tuck said. “More than likely he went to some big city, like Atlanta or Memphis, or maybe Houston.”
“I hope so,” Jack said. “I can afford to get to one of them without much trouble.”
“What will you do if she doesn’t tell you where he is, or if she doesn’t even know?” Juliet asked.
“We’ll have to go to Plan B,” Jack replied with a rueful laugh. “Not that I have a Plan B right this minute.”
“We’ll figure out something,” Wanda Nell said. “If she can’t lead us to him, we’ll find him some other way. Can’t you get on the computer and try to find him that way?”
Jack shrugged. “That was what I was doing this afternoon after we got home. I wasn’t having much luck, but that’s not to say there might not be traces of him somewhere. The problem is, he probably changed his name. That makes it a whole lot harder.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Wanda Nell said.
“It’s pretty common,” Elmer Lee explained. “But pretty often you’ll find it’s something similar. Like they’ll use the same initials, or maybe some variation of their name. Most people don’t have a lot of imagination when it comes to making up names for themselves.” He smiled. “And I bet you Roscoe Lee Bates is one of them without a lot of imagination.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jack said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
“What about Grandmama?” T.J. asked. “It sure sounds like she knows something.”
“It’s very likely,” Wanda Nell replied. “Otherwise, I don’t think she would have reacted like that.”
“Would you like me to try talking to her about it?” T.J. asked. “She might tell me something.”
Though she had come to love her two granddaughters, Mrs. Culpepper still made it pretty clear that T.J. was her favorite grandchild. Sometimes she even forgot and called him Bobby Ray. T.J. was very good with her, and his attention to her was one of the reasons she had mellowed so noticeably over the last year or so. At least, that was Wanda Nell’s theory.
“If she really knows something that could help us,” Jack said, “of course I’d love to know what it is. But I don’t want to make her ill over this. We may be able to find out what we need to without asking her about it again.”
“I’ll feel her out a little,” T.J. offered. “She’s a lot tougher than you think she is. But I don’t want to see her upset any more than you do. I promise I’ll be careful if I talk to her about it.”
“Well, you know her better, really, than any of us,” Wanda Nell said. “I know you’ll use good judgment.”
T.J. nodded.
Elmer Lee stood. “I got to be going. I sure have enjoyed this evening.” He faced T.J. and Tuck. “Thanks for inviting me. The food was great, and the company was even better.” He smiled.
Tuck and T.J. stood to shake Elmer Lee’s hand. “We’re glad you could come,” Tuck said.
“Wanda Nell, Jack, Miss Juliet,” Elmer Lee said, “I’ll be talking to you. Call me”—he looked at Jack—“after you’ve talked to Miz Baker.”
“I will,” Jack said, standing to shake his hand.
“I guess we ought to be getting home, too,” Wanda Nell said. “Now are you sure you don’t want some help cleaning up? It won’t take us but a few minutes, and we can get it all done.”
Tuck shook his head. “No, we’ll do just fine. Y’all go on home and get some rest. You’ve had a busy couple of days. It won’t take me and T.J. long to get everything put away.”
After a few minutes of more thank yous and goodbyes, Wanda Nell, Jack, and Juliet left. The ride home was quiet, and all three of them were yawning by the time they walked in the front door of the trailer.
Mayrene’s trailer was dark and quiet. Only her car was parked beside it, and Wanda Nell hoped her friend had been able to patch things up with Vance. If that was what she wanted, of course. Sometimes she wasn’t quite sure just what Mayrene really wanted.
Monday morning dawned clear and hot, and after a leisurely breakfast around eight, Jack and Juliet cleared up while Wanda Nell got ready for work. She headed off to the Kountry Kitchen at nine. Jack would be there by ten, and Juliet was going to spend the day at home.
At the Kountry Kitchen, Wanda Nell greeted her boss, Melvin Arbuckle, and the two morning-shift waitresses, Betsy Estes and Patsy Ferris. They were both new, both in their late twenties, and both good-looking. Melvin’s breakfast and lunch business had grown, once word had got around about the two pretty new waitresses.
Wanda Nell enjoyed working with both of them. Neither one of them shied away from hard work, and they treated her with friendly respect as the more experienced worker.
The breakfast crowd was thinning out, and Wanda Nell helped the two girls get the place ready for the lunch crowd. Many of their regulars started coming back for lunch around eleven-thirty, and they would stay busy until at least two.
Wanda Nell kept an eye on the clock as she worked, watching for her husband to come through the door. At ten minutes to ten, he did.
He took a seat at the counter, and Wanda Nell brought him a cup of coffee. They chatted for a moment before Wanda Nell went back to work.
The clock hit ten, and both Wanda Nell and Jack had anxious eyes on the front door. Five minutes ticked by, then ten, and Jack’s shoulders slumped. Wanda Nell commiserated with him.
“She could still be planning to come,” she told her husband. “Give her a few more minutes.”
“I’ll have to,” Jack said. “I don’t really dare go back to her house. I don’t want to cause her any trouble with her husband.”
The front door opened then, and they both turned to look. Jack sighed with relief.
Sandra June Baker stood there, staring at them.
Fourteen
While Sandra June Baker continued to hesitate in the doorway, Wanda Nell moved quickly to greet her. She eyed the woman’s faded, worn dress and old shoes with pity. The man wouldn’t even allow her to dress decently. Surely he could afford better clothes than this for her.
“Good morning, Miz Baker,” she said, pulling the door open farther. “Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?”
Mrs. Baker seemed to collect herself with an effort. “I sure would like a Coke,” she said. “I don’t get to drink them at home.”
The wistful tone of those words made Wanda Nell’s heart ache for the poor woman. “Of course you can have a Coke,” she said, laying a gentle hand on the woman’s arm. “Come on in. Jack’s here to meet you. We’ll find y’all a quiet place to talk, and I’ll bring you as many Cokes as you want.”
A brief smile hovered on Mrs. Baker’s lips, and she allowed Wanda Nell to lead her into the restaurant. Jack came up to them, and when he spoke, his voice was soft. “Good morning, Miz Baker. Thanks for coming to talk to me.”
Sandra Baker stared into his face for a moment. “I didn’t take my pills last night or this morning,” she said, sounding almost surprised. “My head is clearer today.”
“That’s good,” Jack said. He took over from Wanda Nell and led Mrs. Baker to the back room of the restaurant, where there were a number of empty tables. He selected one well away from any occupied ones, and they waited until Wanda Nell came back with Sandra June’s drink.
“I’m going to be busy back there for a few minutes,” Wanda Nell told Betsy Estes. “Do you mind covering for me?”
“Sure.”
Smiling her thanks, Wanda Nell took a glass of ice and a can of Coke back to the table where Jack and Mrs. Baker sat.
“Thank you,” Sandra June said as Wanda Nell poured the soft drink into the glass for her. “That sure looks good.”
Wanda Nell and Jack exchanged quick glances. Though she still appeared timid, at least Mrs. Baker seemed a little more alert today.
“I know you don’t have much time, Miz Baker,” Jack said. “I don’t want to rush you, but I don’t want to cause any trouble for you, either.”
“Call me Sandr
a,” she said, her voice a little stronger now. “I really hate the name Miz Baker.”
Wanda Nell wanted to wrap her arms around the woman to comfort her. She pulled out a chair and sat down beside her.
“Sandra, then,” Jack said. His smile was gentle as he continued. “You remember we were asking about your brother yesterday, and you told us he was gone.”
Sandra nodded. “I remember.” She took another sip from her drink. “I didn’t mean he was dead. He’s alive.”
“Do you know where he is?” Jack asked, and Wanda Nell found herself holding her breath, waiting for an answer.
Sandra nodded. “My husband don’t know about this—about Roscoe, I mean. I never told him any of that.”
“We certainly won’t tell him anything,” Wanda Nell said.
“I don’t want Roscoe to get in no trouble.” Sandra’s face became more animated. “He was a good boy. He tried to look after Mama and me after Daddy ran out on us, but it was hard.”
“We don’t want to cause trouble for your brother,” Jack said. “But we’re hoping he has some information that can help us find out more about the dead girl. Do you know her name?”
“I used to, but my memory ain’t that good these days. I tried to think of it, but I couldn’t.”
“That’s okay,” Wanda Nell said. “As long as your brother can remember it.”
“I don’t imagine he ever forgot it. He thought she was the prettiest girl he ever saw. He was real upset about her getting killed. And I swear he didn’t do it.”
“We both think you’re right,” Jack said, “and we want to find out who did. And maybe if we can do that, your brother can come back here.”
For the first time Sandra’s face shone with a bit of hope. “That would be good.” The light faded after a moment. “I’d love to see him again.” She hung her head. “Though I surely would hate for him to see me like this.”
Wanda Nell stretched a consoling arm around her shoulders. “You don’t worry about that. He’d be so happy to see you, I’m sure.” And help you get away from that awful husband , she added silently.
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