Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 02 - Apple Pots and Funeral Plots

by Peggy Dulle

  “Only one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Tom’s got the keys.”

  “You are the most irritating woman I’ve ever met.”

  “I’ve heard that before, too.” I turned back toward him. “Don’t you have a car?”

  “Yes, but they’ll be looking for my car.”

  “That’s true.”

  The mayor shook his head, as if trying to make a decision as to what to do next. Then he said, “I’ve got it. Let’s go to the library and get Edith’s keys. She’s always there and I saw her drive her Jeep into town today. We can take that.” Then the mayor jabbed the gun further into my back. “Let’s go.”

  As we walked the four blocks to the library, the mayor grumbled the entire way. “I can’t believe my entire operation was stopped by you. You’re just a teacher, for God’s sake. It’s taken me years of planning and preparation to get it running so smoothly.”

  “Sorry.” I shrugged.

  “We should never have killed the teacher.” He shook his head and whispered. “You wouldn’t have come here if we hadn’t killed her.”

  I remembered a technique I had seen on TV. Get them to confess, hope you get away, and then you’ll have the answers to all your questions. It was worth a try. “Why did you kill her?”

  “None of your damn business!” He sneered and poked the gun deeper into my back.

  “I think it was because she discovered your whole operation and threatened to call the cops.” I said nonchalantly, hoping to irritate the mayor further.

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Hell, no. She wasn’t that bright.”

  “No,” I shook my head. “Teachers are some of the brightest people in the world. I’m sure she found out all about you and threatened to expose your whole operation.”

  “No way, she just heard the trucks delivering the apple pots and came to investigate. I’m not sure what she saw, we could never get it out of her, but we couldn’t take any chances.”

  Sally, James, and Danielle’s sister were probably killed for the same reason – being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could I goad the mayor into spilling that, too?

  “What about Sally and James?” I asked.

  “Shut the hell up and keep walking.”

  “And Danielle’s sister? Did you kill her too?” I kept prodding.

  “Keep talking,” he sneered. “And I’ll just kill you and then Edith, take her car and get away by myself.”

  I shut up. All those TV programs were wrong - the killer didn’t always confess everything to his hostage.

  The streets were deserted as we walked to the library. All of the businesses were locked up tight, with signs indicating that they had gone to the final eating contest and the last night of the festival. When we arrived at the library, I knocked on the door. The mayor stepped close to the building where Edith wouldn’t be able to see him.

  Edith came to the door. “Hello, Liza. How was the contest?”

  “Fine. Hey, Tom wants to stay at the festival for a while and I’m exhausted. I don’t want to walk back to the inn, so can I borrow your car?”

  “Sure, come on in. I’ll get the keys. I think Shelby’s wandering around on the first floor someplace.”

  I heard the mayor whisper, “No.”

  “I’m kind of in a hurry; can you just go and get the keys and Shelby?”

  Edith lowered her head and looked intently at me. “Sure, give me a minute.” Edith left the door open and I heard her footsteps moving away.

  The mayor snarled, “No dog.”

  I glanced back at the mayor. “If I don’t take my dog, she’ll know something is wrong.”

  Edith came to the door with the keys in her hand and Shelby stood next to her. As soon as she saw me, she ran out the door and barked.

  “Hi girl,” I patted her on the head and she sat down next to me.

  Edith handed me the keys. “Is everything all right, Liza?”

  “Of course,” I said. “I’m just tired and want to get back to the inn and crawl into bed.”

  “I can agree with that.” She yawned.

  I started to move away, but then stopped. “Wait. How will you get home?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She smiled and blushed. “I’ll give Bill a call and he can give me a ride home.”

  I started to make a comment about her dating Bill, but then I heard the mayor whisper, “let’s go.”

  It wasn’t loud enough for Edith to hear him, but Shelby whipped her head around and stared at him. Before she could growl, I put my hand on her mouth. “Quiet girl, you don’t want to wake up the sleeping neighbors.”

  I waved goodbye to Edith and she closed the library door.

  As the mayor stepped forward, he put his gun into his pocket. “Let’s just walk like two good friends, out for a stroll.”

  “We are not friends!” I grumbled, as I turned quickly and walked around the library and into the back parking lot. Shelby never left my side, but kept looking back at the mayor, following us.

  We got into Edith’s Jeep. I drove, the mayor rode shotgun, and Shelby sat in the back. She didn’t growl, but she never took her eyes off the mayor.

  I turned and looked at Shelby, then back to the mayor. “I don’t like to haul my dog in a vehicle without a harness. She might get hurt.”

  “Fine, we can just throw her out of the Jeep.”

  “No, that’s okay. She’s fine.”

  When I got to the street, I turned to the mayor, “Which way?”

  “To the right and out of town. And keep it under the speed limit. I don’t want any cop to stop us because you’re speeding.”

  I knew that the further I got away from the town, the more likely it would be that the mayor would kill me and dump my body. As we drove by each familiar building, my pulse accelerated. This was not the way I had envisioned my life ending. Killed and discarded? No way! I took a deep breath, calmed my heart, and tried to figure out what to do.

  Edith’s Jeep was a stick shift and even though I had learned to drive on one, I kept intentionally missing and grinding the gears, hoping that someone would hear it and come outside to check on the noise.

  “Stop that.” The mayor yelled.

  “I can’t help it,” I yelled back. “I haven’t driven a manual car in years.”

  As we passed by the inn, I noticed the light on in the office. I could scream, but I didn’t think that Joe would come to my rescue.

  At the edge of town, there was a stop sign. It was my last chance to do something, but what? So far the mayor still had his gun tucked inside the pocket of his jacket. Should I deliberately crash the Jeep into something? I didn’t much care about the mayor, but Shelby or I might get hurt or killed in that scenario. Shelby kept her eyes glued on the mayor. What would she do if he actually threatened me? I already knew she didn’t trust him by the way she had growled when she first noticed him outside the library.

  I needed to take some kind of chance. When we got to the stop sign I put the car into neutral, and then totally missed first gear. The grinding and noise was deafening.

  “Stop that!” The mayor yelled.

  “I’m trying, I’m trying.”

  The grinding of second gear was even worse. Edith’s Jeep would never be the same.

  The mayor pulled out the gun and pointed it at my head. “If you do that again, I’m going to shoot you.”

  I glared at him, eyes wide open, the desperation in my voice evident and real. “I said I was trying the best I can.”

  “Try harder!” He sneered and placed the gun at my temple.

  At that moment, Shelby leapt forward and sunk her teeth into the wrist that held the gun. The mayor screamed. It wouldn’t keep him from shooting me, but it gave me a few seconds to make a decision. I drove the Jeep directly into the nearest ditch.

  Chapter 29

  The Jeep struck something hard in the ditch and the mayor and Shelby went flying. Luckily I was strapped in and stayed
in my seat. I quickly unbuckled and scrambled out of the Jeep. The mayor laid in the ditch with Shelby still securely attached to his wrist. His gun lay just a few feet from him but he wasn’t reaching for it. He was too busy struggling, screaming and trying to use his free fist to pound Shelby on her head.

  I took the gun out of my front waistband and pointed it at the mayor. “If you hit my dog, I’m going to shoot you.”

  “Then get her off of me!” He screamed.

  Shelby didn’t have a release word like those trained Dobermans. I kicked his gun away from him and petted her on the head. “Shelby, let the nasty man go, will you?”

  She growled, bit harder and the mayor howled louder.

  “Come on, Shelby. He’s got to taste horrible and you’re going to get sick again.”

  Suddenly she let go and backed away from the mayor.

  A few seconds later, I heard a patrol car come screaming down the street. I stepped toward the road, keeping my gun and eyes on the mayor. The patrol car had its searchlights on, so it spotted me immediately. It screeched to a halt a few feet from where Shelby and I stood. Tom jumped out of the patrol car and toward me.

  “Are you all right?” he gasped.

  “Of course. How was the raid?” I asked.

  He slowed his steps. “Fine. We missed the mayor.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, have you seen him?”

  I tilted my head toward the ditch. “He’s down there.”

  Tom snickered, “You drove another car into the ditch?”

  “It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”

  “Well, thanks for rounding him up.”

  “No problem.” I handed him the gun. “I think I’d like to go home tomorrow.”

  “Your home or mine?” He asked with a slight gleam in his eyes.

  “I promised to spend a few weeks with you, so your home.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Tom put handcuffs on the mayor and dragged him out of the ditch.

  “That dog tried to take my arm off,” the mayor screeched while Tom pulled him toward his patrol car.

  “I know,” Tom said. “I’ve been trying to teach her to go for the throat, but she just can’t quite get her aim right.”

  The mayor gulped, slid quietly into the back seat of the patrol car, and didn’t say another word.

  Tom dropped Shelby and me off at the inn and went to the police station to deliver the mayor. Shelby lay down on the bed and I took a long hot shower. Then I slipped into bed and waited for Tom. Eventually I fell asleep.

  In the morning, Tom slept next to me. I hadn’t heard him come in and neither had Shelby. She usually barked at every little noise. Maybe she had been exhausted, too.

  I sat up, stretched, and noticed my little fancy pot sitting on the table by the window. I poked Tom in the chest. No response. I poked him again.

  The third time he grabbed my finger. “Poke me again and you’re in serious trouble.”

  I knew if I responded to that, we’d end up rolling around in bed for hours. But I really wanted to know what happened so I ignored his comment. “What happened last night?”

  “The FBI and DEA agents rounded up the lieutenant and a couple of his officers. They also arrested Doc Gordon. He was the one who gave Danielle the Sodium Pentathlon. I’m not sure he actually knew they were going to kill her, but he’s an accessory just the same. He also gave the drugs to Joe that made Shelby sick.”

  “Did the mayor tell you all of that?” I thought about all the things the mayor hadn’t told me, even when he thought he’d be killing me later.

  “No, he’s as tightlipped as they come. The lieutenant spilled it all. You were right about the other deaths. Sally, James, Danielle and her sister were all killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, seeing the wrong thing. Of course he’s blaming it on the mayor, who I’m sure will start blaming him as soon as he finds out the lieutenant talked.”

  “There’s no honor among thieves.”

  “Never.”

  “What about my gun?”

  “The lieutenant was the one that took the gun out of the safe in your room.” Tom smiled at me. “I got it back for you.”

  “Thanks, I would have missed it so,” I said sarcastically. “How much of the drugs did you confiscate?”

  “We stopped ten huge trucks that were filled to the rim with boxes of apple pots.”

  “Wow. There’s going to be a lot of angry buyers out there.”

  “You got that right, especially since, according to the lieutenant, the mayor has already been paid for the drugs.”

  “Oh, that’s not good.” I got up, picked up my fancy pot from the table, and sat back down on the bed. “An entire operation brought down by a little pot.”

  “And a smart lady who put it all together.” Tom reached over and stroked the side of my face. “Are you ready to go home, honey?”

  “Yes.”

  “Me, too.”

  We dressed quickly and piled into Tom’s patrol car. Shelby rode in the back. On the way out of town, I spotted Bill and we pulled over. I got out and walked over to him.

  “Going home, Liza?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you hear about the mayor and the lieutenant?” he asked.

  “Yes. I guess you won’t be getting that big check this year.”

  “That’s okay. If I had known it was coming from drugs, I never would have taken it.”

  “What’s going to happen to the town?”

  “We’re going to be okay. Luckily the mayor greased several legislators’ palms before he was arrested. We’re getting a new road into town and several of the buildings, including the library, are going to be established as historical monuments. That will bring in people. And Edith and Kate are going to reopen the mine as a tourist attraction.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Yeah, we’ll be okay.”

  “How are you and Edith getting along?”

  Bill blushed and smiled. “Okay.”

  “Did you get Edith’s Jeep out of the ditch?”

  “No problem. There wasn’t a scratch on it.”

  “I’m glad.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks again for getting me out of that ditch.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming to town and cleaning up the riffraff.”

  I smiled and waved as I got back into Tom’s patrol car. Tom started up his car and we drove toward the interstate.

  When we got there, I put my hand on Tom’s arm. “Can we take a small side trip before going home?”

  Tom cocked his head and looked at me. “Where?”

  “I’d like to visit Centerville.”

  “The place where Danielle was a teacher?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” He turned the car north. “I hear it’s near the coast. It should be nice and cool there.”

  Chapter 30

  A couple of hours later we pulled into the town of Centerville.

  Tom looked at me. “Where to?”

  “According to an article Justin found, there’s a wall at the school district that has plaques dedicated to employees who have died. I’d like to go there.”

  “Okay.” He handed me his cell phone. “Find out where it is.”

  I called the district office and got a recording of the directions to the memorial wall. We were there within minutes. It was a large brick two-story building. The grounds were beautifully manicured and there was a small sign at the front: Memorial Wall in the back.

  Tom, Shelby, and I got out and walked around to the back of the building. The entire wall was covered in brass plaques. On the top was an engraved stone that said, Our Family’s Funeral Plot. Dedicated to the memory of the people who have touched our children’s lives. The plaques glistened in the sunlight and between each of them was a small crystal vase that held fresh flowers. It was beautiful. There had to be at least two hundred plaques. There weren’t any dates on the plaques, ju
st names, occupations and a few small symbols. I saw coaches’ names with soccer balls and footballs, janitors’ names with mops and stars.

  About halfway down I saw Danielle’s plaque. It said her name and that she was a teacher. There were three symbols under her name: a beagle, some math symbols, and a small hand. There was a bench in front of her plaque, so I sat down.

  Tom touched me on the shoulder. “I’m going to take Shelby for a walk. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  I put my hand on his. “Thanks.”

  A few minutes later someone tapped me on the shoulder. Was Tom back already? I glanced up. It was an older man with graying hair. He wore blue jeans and a white polo shirt. “May I sit with you?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  We sat in silence for several minutes and then the old man spoke. “It’s a beautiful wall, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s a wonderful tribute to so many good people. But why aren’t there any dates?”

  “When the wall was first envisioned we thought about putting dates on them but then decided against it.” He gestured to the plaques. “These people touched the lives of the children they encountered, not just while they were with us, but even today. Many kids and adults still come to this wall to thank someone for helping them through a rough spot or just being there to listen to them.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes. “That’s so nice.”

  “Which one brought you here today?”

  “Danielle Slammers.”

  “She was a nice lady.”

  “You knew her?”

  “I know everyone.” He waved his hand in the air. “I’ve been around for a long time.”

  I pointed to Danielle’s plaque. “I know that the beagle is for Sadie, her dog. And the math symbols because she loved math. But what is the small hand for?”

  “Danielle always extended a helping hand. She never hesitated to open her heart and her abilities to help someone out.” He lowered his head and shook it. “Unfortunately, she never accepted help from others and that’s not good.”

  “No.”

  “Everyone needs helpers, don’t you think?”

  “Sure.”

  “It was sad, the way she died. So violent.”

  “Yes.” I nodded.