The trees and houses passed in a blur as I sped south, grumbling when I passed a car and found a state police cruiser ahead of me. He was going below the speed limit, and activated his flashers and pulled over a car. I smiled when I saw it was Trooper Sales. I nodded as we passed him.
I pulled into Rosa Lee’s driveway and frowned when I didn’t find a black SUV parked there.
Eleanor and I waved at Curt and Curtis, who were working on their truck. Rosa Lee’s brows knitted as she held the screen door open for us. “I thought you were going to call.”
“I thought we’d stop by instead,” I said. “Bernice is awake and complaining about being stuck in the hospital.”
“It sounds like she’s back to her old self. I’d better call the girls.”
Eleanor froze, her tongue practically hanging out as she stared at blueberries piled on the table. “I smell blueberry pie.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t care for blueberries.”
“What about blueberry muffins? Blueberry pancakes?”
“You win. Blueberries are good in muffins and pancakes.”
Rosa Lee hung up the phone. “One piece of blueberry pie coming up for Eleanor,” she announced. She cut the pie and slapped it on a plate and handed it off to Eleanor.
“Do you have any Cool Whip?” Eleanor asked.
“Yup.” Rosa Lee slid the topping to Eleanor and wiped her fingers on a towel. “I suppose you’re back to investigating.”
“Bernice insisted that we get back to work.”
“Wilber was the love of Bernice’s life. I know she’s never let anyone know that. She’s never given any man a chance since they divorced.”
“You mean Bernice has other men in her life.”
Rosa Lee clucked her tongue. “Not the way you mean, but she’s gotten her fair share of attention through the years. She wasn’t always the Cat Lady, you know.”
“You and Bernice have been friends for a long time,” I said.
“We’re very much alike, although if you ask Bernice she’ll deny it. I volunteered at the hospital Bernice had been admitted to. She didn’t have anything to go back to when she was released.”
“You mean the mental hospital?” I asked.
“It wasn’t a mental hospital, only a wing of the hospital that specialized in treating people having a crisis. Bernice had a nervous breakdown thanks to Wilber taking her children. But she never said a bad word about him. She wanted them to get back together.”
“She must have been disappointed when that didn’t happen,” I said.
“Which is why I took her in for a time. My pa had a rundown house that he gave her to live in. We helped her fix it up real nice. My husband was alive back then.”
“I’ve never heard you talk about your husband before.”
“Not much to say, really. He died in a tractor accident, leaving me to raise my two boys on my own.”
“You’ve done a good job of it,” Eleanor said.
“They got themselves into trouble like many boys do, but I beat it into them if they strayed back to crime after they got out of prison that I’d take a switch to them.”
“It’s no wonder they toe the line with you,” I said.
“Oh they have their foolish moments.”
“Did you take in a boarder recently?”
“How’d you know about that?”
“Our investigation led us there,” I said. “Faith Fleur was seen a couple times a week at Wilber’s house.”
“Jimmy saw her there when he towed away Bernice’s old truck,” Eleanor said.
“That’s not the name the woman gave me,” Rosa Lee said. “We should mosey out there and ask her if she lied to me.” Rosa Lee frowned. “She’ll have to go if she’s not who she said. It’s bad enough she’s a distraction around here.”
As we walked outside I said, “I don’t see a black SUV here.”
Rosa Lee stopped walking. “The girl doesn’t have a vehicle. Curt and Curtis have been hauling her around. Boys, get over here. Miss Agnes and Miss Eleanor have a few questions for you.”
Curt came out from under the hood of his truck rubbing his head. “Dang it, Mom, you made me hit my head,” he complained.
“Oh, you poor thing,” I said, receiving a look from Rosa Lee.
“You oughta watch what you’re doing,” Rosa Lee said. “Where is that girl?”
“What girl?”
“Do you need to cut me a willow switch?”
“She went for a walk in the woods with Curtis,” he sighed.
“Then why did you say what girl?” Eleanor asked, tapping her foot.
“Ma don’t like us paying the girl any attention.”
Rosa Lee frowned. “You see what I’m talking about, a distraction.”
“I don’t suppose this girl has a name?” I asked.
“Course she got a name.” Rosa Lee pointed to the willow tree. “Her name is Gia Swanson. She’s a real sophisticated gal, and from New York City.”
“What’s she doing here then?” I asked. “And supposedly with no car?”
“She doesn’t have a car, I swear,” Curt proclaimed.
“That or she isn’t parking her car here,” Eleanor offered.
Curt rubbed grease off his chin with a rag. “Think what you want, but I’m telling you... .”
“Mind your manners, boy! I haven’t forgotten about that willow switch yet.”
“Where’s the trail? Eleanor and I could use a walk in the woods.”
Rosa Lee walked with us to the edge of the woods and pointed out the trail. “I best not go with you. I might have to whip Curtis if he’s doing more than kissing that gal.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor and I linked arms to help one another over the ruts and dips in the trail. I breathed in the scent of pine, and the needle-covered ground gave slightly under my feet.
“I don’t see Curtis,” Eleanor said, swatting a mosquito.
“We’ve only gone fifty feet. I can’t imagine Curtis would want to stick too close to home if he’s walking with a pretty girl.”
“Oh, what was I thinking?”
“You were thinking like an old woman who doesn’t get asked to walk in the woods.” I smiled.
“Curtis,” I called out.
Eleanor elbowed me. “Why are you calling his name?”
“Because I don’t want to catch him doing something Rosa Lee wouldn’t approve of.”
Eleanor laughed. “That’s messed up. Rosa Lee must know her sons are not children.”
“I know that, but she keeps them on a short leash.”
“Too short, not that I’d ever tell her that.”
We walked toward the remnants of a half collapsed cabin. On the other side, Curtis was picking flowers with a young woman with jet black hair.
“Hello Curtis?” I called out as Eleanor flapped her hand in greeting.
The flowers tumbled out of his hands, scattering to the ground. The color left his face to return in a blush. “What are you doing here, Miss Agnes and Miss Eleanor?”
“We’re looking for you,” I said.
“And here you are picking flowers. Not what I expected to find when a young man takes a girl for a walk,” Eleanor smirked.
“He was helping me find a particular flower,” Gia said.
I stared at the small purple flower. “You can’t find a violet by yourself?” I asked. “There are plenty scattered in the woods.”
“Leave them alone,” Eleanor scolded me. “We’re here to meet the boarder. I’m Eleanor and this is Agnes. We’re friends of Rosa Lee’s.”
“I’m Gia Swanson.” She threw up her arms in a cheerleader pose.
I rolled my eyes as Eleanor asked, “Where are you from?”
“New York City.”
“What brings you to Tawas?”
“I’m on vacation. I love the area, so I thought I might as well stay for a while.”
“How nice. Isn’t that nice, Ele
anor?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s very nice indeed.”
“How did you come to be staying at Rosa Lee’s?”
“I asked a waitress at G’s Pizzeria if she knew anyone who had a room to rent.”
“Curt and me told her about the spare room at Ma’s house and we brought her home with us,” Curtis said.
“Why would you go with two strange men?” I asked. “They could have been creeps or ax murderers.”
“I’m a good judge of character.”
My eyes widened. “Why are you really in town?”
“I just told you, for vacation.”
“How are bankrolling your visit.”
“Miss Agnes, be nice,” Curtis chided.
“I have money saved up. And I’m working at the Dairy Queen in town.”
“At least she’s not lazy,” Eleanor said. “I don’t remember seeing an extra car parked in the driveway.”
“My car broke down when I arrived.”
“What kind of car is it?”
“It’s a Toyota Camry. It got towed.”
I massaged my chin. “That’s interesting. Your car broke down, and Curt and Curtis just brought you to their mother’s house to rent a room. Curt and Curtis are good mechanics. Why not have one of them fix your car?”
Gia’s brows gathered in thought. “It got towed.”
“Curt and Curtis are friends with the tow truck driver. I imagine they could get your car.”
“Why are you asking me so many questions?”
“Because there has been a murder in Tawas City, and you’re a newcomer in town.”
“She didn’t murder anyone,” Curtis said.
“You couldn’t possibly know anything about this girl,” I said. “I think we need to have a talk with Rosa Lee. Gia could have bought a tent and camped out while in town.”
“Do you know a Wilber Riley?” Eleanor asked. “We found him murdered yesterday.”
“Wilber’s dead?” Curtis asked with widening eyes. “Does Cat Lady know?”
“Yes, Bernice knows,” I said. “She’s in the hospital over this fiasco.”
“I feel awful. We’d better head back, Gia,” Curtis said. “I need to help find the killer.”
Eleanor and I walked back to the house, stopping to catch our breath. “What do you make of Gia?” I asked.
“I didn’t believe one word out of her mouth.”
“That’s my thinking. I can’t say for certain she knew Wilber, but there must be a reason she’s here.”
“Curt and Curtis overheard her … .”
“It might have been a setup. Otherwise, why would she willingly leave with them? I love Curt and Curtis, but they hardly look like men you’d want to go off in a truck with. I just want to make sure my friends are safe and that there’s not another reason Gia is here,” I said.
“You think she has a motive for being here?”
“We have to think about Wilber being murdered recently and possibly another person.”
“What if Wilber murdered someone and buried the body on his property,” Eleanor suggested.
“He was shot in his bed. It wasn’t suicide.”
“Revenge is a motivator. Someone might have found out that Wilber murdered someone.”
“I don’t believe that scenario, but I think I have an idea of who might have been murdered at Wilber’s: Faith Fleur.”
“The woman we thought was staying here.”
“Exactly. I wonder why Jimmy led us to believe she was staying here.”
“What about the black SUV?”
“It looks like we need to speak to Jimmy to sort this out.”
Rosa Lee walked over with a smile. “What did you find out?”
“We were wrong. Her name isn’t Faith Fleur,” I said.
“That’s a relief.”
“Is it?” Eleanor asked. “You’re boarding a complete stranger.”
“She’s all right. A little lost, but she’ll get on track.”
“Did Curt and Curtis tell you they were bringing home that girl before they showed up with her?”
“They called me first. I didn’t care for the way it happened, but besides being a distraction for my boys she’s no trouble at all. I can’t say that for many of my boarders.”
“You have a soft heart, but I caution you to watch your back. I don’t believe Gia is who she’s leading you to believe she is.”
Chapter 8
Jimmy wasn’t at the office or in the fenced-in impound yard. The receptionist said he was home. Jimmy’s house was way out in the boonies. Sparsely spaced houses and trailers went by in a hurry as I floored it. It was hilly in this area and the station wagon seemed to be having trouble on the uptake.
Jimmy’s house was a mobile home that had seen better days, but I noticed a foundation had been poured lately. It’s about time he thinks about building that sweet wife of his a decent house. There’s nothing wrong with living in a mobile home, but Jimmy had built a good business and he also made money from the county to use part of his yard as an impound lot. I rather thought of that as a perk in our investigations, although Jimmy wasn’t always as helpful as we hoped. He could only do so much for us when cars were held for police investigations.
Dogs barked when we clambered out of the car, but I didn’t see any run toward us. Jimmy walked out of his pole barn and motioned us over.
“I can’t believe you’re skipping work today,” I said.
“I have to get this truck fixed or I can’t go anywhere. The Mrs. won’t appreciate it if I take her car again today.”
“I imagine not when she has young children and you’re impossible to get ahold of most of the day.”
“You sound just like her.” Jimmy laughed as he wiped his greasy hands on a rag. “What brings you by?”
“I was wondering why you told us Faith Fleur is staying with the Hills?”
“I told you before, that’s what Curt and Curtis told me.”
“We were just there. The woman staying there is Gia Swanson.”
“She has jet black hair,” Eleanor said.
“That doesn’t sound right. I met Faith and she has blond hair.”
“Could you have misunderstood what the Hills told you?”
“I don’t see how.” Jimmy scratched his head with a wrench. “I might not have been paying attention. I had Faith on my mind, I suppose. She’s a real pretty girl.”
“Don’t forget you’re married,” I scolded Jimmy.”
“Believe me, the Mrs. won’t let me forget.” He laughed.
“Take a look at this photo,” Eleanor said. She showed Jimmy a picture of Gia on her cell phone. “Is this Faith?”
“This girl is pretty too, but she’s not Faith.”
“How are we going to know for sure?” Eleanor asked nobody in particular.
“I’ll give Curt a call and ask him,” I finally said.
I called Curt and asked him about what he’d told Jimmy, nodding at his response ending the call. “Apparently you must have forgotten you met Faith at the K of C fish fry last week. You were there with the Hill brothers. She contacted them later about a room for rent too, but Gia was already staying there.”
“That’s right, I was there picking up food for the Mrs.”
“Why do so many women want to rent rooms at the Hill place?” Eleanor asked.
“I know neither of you are that old.” Jimmy laughed. “Don’t you know Curt and Curtis have always had the girls chasing after them?”
“Curt could barely ask Sally Alton out the one time.”
“I said the girls chase them, not the other way around.”
“We really appreciate your help, Jimmy,” I said. “I knew there must have been a mix up. You’ve never steered us wrong.”
“Hey wait. Don’t we have a few more questions about the black SUV?” Eleanor asked.
“That’s right. Have you seen that black SUV in town since two weeks ago?”
“I noticed yesterday that a bla
ck SUV was parked at Neiman’s Family Market.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Eleanor winked.
“Gia mentioned she’s on vacation in the area. She’s staying with the Hills, but she told us her car broke down in town -- a Toyota Camry.”
“I believe she told us it was towed,” Eleanor added.
“I didn’t tow it, but I’ll check tomorrow first thing if anyone else did. We’d hate for the girl to be stuck at the Hills longer than she wants to be.”
I shook my head as I laughed. “You don’t want the Mrs. to hear you say that.”
“And you’d better not tell her. Really, please don’t tell her.”
“I see you poured a foundation. Are you building a house after all these years?”
“Yes. I promised the wife I’d do that years ago, and I’m finally going ahead with it.”
“You’re a good husband, Jimmy,” I said.
Eleanor and I walked back to the car and left in a flurry of gravel and dust.
“You know what’s funny about Jimmy? He isn’t in charge of his castle, his Mrs. is,” Eleanor said.
“I can’t imagine he’s in the house much. Too much of grease monkey for that. I’m glad to hear he’s building a house finally. That trailer is in bad shape even though the wife keeps it tidy. It’s much too small for a family of five.”
My stomach was growling by the time we arrived at Neiman’s. A black SUV was parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot. How could I have missed it? Could it have been parked there for the last two weeks without anyone noticing?
Eleanor led the way inside, and dragged me to the bakery, where we selected doughnuts and poured the complementary coffee in the paperboard cups.
“Be careful not to slop the coffee on the floor,” I said because Eleanor did that every time we came here.
I walked to the back of the store and rang the bell at the meat counter, and asked to see the manager. I stared at the thick steaks, which looked even better on an empty stomach.
“Can I help you?” a man dressed in a white shirt and black tie asked. He wore a nametag that read “Darrell.”
“We’re looking for a black SUV. I noticed you have one in the parking lot. Do you know who it belongs to?” I asked.
“The vehicle belongs to us. We use it to deliver groceries. Why?”
“It was seen at a crime scene,” I said.
Hidden Secrets Page 6
