Down Home and Deadly

by Christine Lynxwiler

  That idea definitely had my vote.

  *****

  Midafternoon, I’d just gotten to the athletic club when Bob walked in, still in his rumpled clothes from the night before. “Jenna? I need to see you in the office.”

  I dropped the stack of towels I was putting away and hurried to the office on his heels.

  “I have something I want to ask you.” He shut the door.

  “Is it Lisa?” I blurted out.

  “Is what Lisa? Where?” Bob cast a confused look around the office as if he expected his jailed daughter to pop up from behind the file cabinet or crawl from under the ratty rug.

  “What did you want to ask me?”

  “Oh. Have a seat.” Uh-oh. This wasn’t sounding too good.

  I sank into a chair in front of the desk.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ve decided to sell you the club.”

  *****

  *****

  Chapter Nineteen

  Could’ve talked all day and not said that.

  If you want it, I’ll start the paperwork immediately. We agreed on a price three years ago, and I’ll honor that. I know I promised to finance, but I’m in a bind, so you’ll have to find your own financing.”

  My heart pounded. Now that I knew about Lisa’s gambling problem, everything made sense. And I couldn’t take advantage of Bob by buying his business at a time like this Even though I’d been waiting forever for Bob to actually come through with the sale, it bothered me that he was doing it under duress .

  He continued, “Any bank in town knows the Lake View Athletic Club is a solid business, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting backing. The books are in order, and I’ll send them to whatever bank or S & L you want me to.”

  I just sat there. I didn’t know what to say. My turn for throat clearing. “I appreciate the offer,” I finally choked out. “But I need to think it over. Can I get back to you on it?”

  “I need a decision by tonight. This is a one-time chance, Jenna. I’ve got other potential buyers, but I promised you first shot, so I’m giving it to you.”

  My eyes widened. He was going to sell the business. And quickly. To me or to someone else. “Can’t I have until Monday?”

  He shook his head. “I have to know by tonight.”

  “In that case, I’ll need the rest of the afternoon off.”

  He nodded. “I understand.”

  I stood, grabbed my purse from the filing cabinet drawer, and walked out to my car. My mind whirled as I drove away.

  When I got to the edge of town, I pulled my cell phone out and punched in Alex’s number. He had gotten home during the shower this afternoon. Straight to voice mail. I left a message and pulled into the Stafford Cabins’ drive like a homing pigeon.

  For a while, I walked the banks of the lake, mindlessly skipping stones until my phone rang.

  “Hi, honey, I got your message.”

  My heart warmed just hearing his voice. I still hadn’t fully realized the fact that I didn’t have to make big decisions alone anymore. “Welcome home. I’m sorry, I know you’re tired from your trip, but are you free for a few minutes?”

  “I’m always free for you. What do you need?”

  “An ear. You got one?”

  “Hey, you’re in luck! I’ve got two. Where are you?”

  I told him, and ten minutes later he was there, pulling me into his arms and kissing me soundly. “Oh wait,” he said as he released me. “It was my ears you wanted. I got confused.”

  I laughed, amazed by how much lighter my heart was already. Whatever we decided together, God would work it out.

  He took my hand, and we walked along the lakeshore. He glanced over at me. “So what’s on your mind?”

  I frowned. “Bob wants to sell me the club.”

  “So how come you’re acting like he sold it out from under you?”

  I tugged him to a stop. “Well, for one thing, he’s not financing it, which was part of the promise. For another, I have to let him know tonight. And he threatened me. Sort of. He mentioned that he has other people interested in buying.”

  “So what do you think is going on?”

  “I think Lisa’s been arrested and has a gambling problem, and he needs money.”

  He turned me to face him. “And why does that make this decision difficult?”

  “I don’t know. I feel guilty I guess, like a vulture circling its prey.” Even though no one was in sight, I instinctively lowered my voice. “I am the one who turned in the cell phone that gave John the motive to arrest her.”

  He brushed my hair back with his free hand. “Did you do that to hurt Lisa? Or because it was the right thing to do?”

  “Because it was the right thing to do.”

  “So that has nothing to do with this. From the way I understand what you’re telling me, Bob is going to sell the club. With or without you. Right?”

  I nodded.

  “Let me ask you something. If Bob had made this offer before you knew about Lisa’s problem and before she got arrested, what would you have done?”

  “Jumped on it with both feet.”

  “Well, then, get on your jumping shoes, water girl. If it was a good deal then, it’s a good deal now.”

  “What about all the paperwork?”

  He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Lucky for you, you’re looking at the king of paperwork. Let’s go find a banker who wants to get rid of some money.”

  “At this hour on a Saturday?”

  He grinned. “I’m also the king of connections.”

  “Who knew I was marrying royalty?” I held up one finger. “Just a sec.” I palmed my phone, flipped it open, and punched in a phone number. “Hello, Bob? It’s Jenna. I’ve made my decision. Start the paperwork, and I’ll start the financing process.”

  When I hung up, I looked at Alex. “I can’t believe it’s really happening.” I grinned.

  He put his arms around me. “You’re not going to get so busy with your new business that you’ll want to postpone our wedding, are you?”

  I smirked. “And give up my chance to be your queen? Never.”

  *****

  Monday morning Bob and I signed the initial paperwork.

  “We’ll keep this under our hats until it’s all finished,” he said.

  I nodded. “As far as everyone is concerned, I’ll just start back to work for you full-time today.”

  “Doesn’t your sister need some notice?”

  I laughed. “She practically pushed me out the door. She knows where my heart is.”

  “That’s one reason I’m so glad you’re the one buying it,” Bob said softly.

  “Thanks. The bank says they’ll have the financing by Friday. I’ll take that day off to take care of everything. We’ll sign the paperwork in Alex’s office that afternoon.”

  “And you can celebrate Friday night as the new owner,” Bob finished.

  I laughed. “Yeah, probably by just coming here and soaking in the fact that it’s mine.”

  Later that afternoon, Bob paged me to the office.

  He looked up from his desk when I came in, his eyes wild. “Jenna,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Gail can run the club awhile. I need you to drive me somewhere.”

  I took in the fine sheen of sweat on his brow and his pale complexion.

  “Bob?” The words “heart attack” flashed across my mind like a neon sign. “Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance?”

  “Ambulance? What are you talking about? Can’t you drive me downtown without making a federal case of it?” He gave me an irritated glance. Okay. Something was seriously wrong. Bob could be exasperating at times, but I’d never seen him like this. I grabbed my keys and followed him out to the parking lot. As I slid behind the wheel, I glanced at him. He looked more normal, but his hand shook as he fastened his seat belt.

  I put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot. “Look, Bob, if something’s wrong, it might help if you tell me about it.”

&
nbsp; “If something’s wrong? My only child is in jail and likely to go through a nasty murder trial. She’s taking the rap for someone else.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to fix that. Take me to the police department.” And he clamped his lips shut.

  I glanced at him, wondering if he had a weapon hidden somewhere. Was he going to bust Lisa out of jail? When we arrived at the station, I pulled up to let him out, but he motioned sharply to the small parking lot next to the department, and I obediently pulled in.

  “Come on. Let’s go in,” he said gruffly.

  I frowned. What did he think I was going to do? Play Bonnie to his Clyde?

  He glanced back at me. “I may need you to back me up. I’m not sure how this is going to go,” he muttered.

  I trailed him into the building.

  “I need to see Chief Conner immediately,” he barked to the young guy behind the desk. We were ushered into John’s office where John courteously offered us chairs.

  I sank into the ugly plastic chair, but Bob remained standing. He leaned over John’s desk, placing both hands flat on the surface.

  “John. I’m here to confess.”

  “What did you do, Bob? Let your business license expire?”

  “I’m serious. I killed that guy.”

  I was glad I was sitting down. John glanced my way with raised eyebrows. I held my arms out, palms up. I was just the driver.

  “Bob,” John said sternly, “what you’re doing is a serious offense. You can’t present false information to a police officer. Why don’t you go on home and think this over some more?”

  “What you’re doing is illegal, too. I confessed to a serious crime. You have to question me.”

  “Fine. What were you doing the night of the crime?” John spoke in an official tone.

  “Drat it, John. I’m serious.” Bob glared at him. “I killed a man. I’m confessing to it. You have no choice but to lock me up.”

  “Bob, go on home. Your daughter is fine.” John patted him on the shoulder. “Things will look better in the morning.”

  Bob’s sudden lunge was so unexpected that John had no time to react. I leaped to my feet. Two officers rushed into the room in response to the shouts, or maybe to the noise the chair and desk made when Bob turned them over. They cuffed Bob a little roughly, but their chief was nursing a bruised eye, so I couldn’t blame them.

  “Jenna. . .” Bob turned his head as they shoved him out of the room. “Go by and tell Wilma what happened.”

  Thanks a lot, boss.

  Wilma didn’t take it any better than I thought she would.

  “This is so crazy. First my child; now my husband. What is John thinking? Bob could no more kill someone on purpose than I could.”

  “Um, Wilma, to be fair, Bob didn’t give him much choice. He sort of slugged John.”

  “Oh my goodness. This is making Bob so crazy. He’s never hit anyone in his life. He was all about the ‘peace and love’ thing. What was he thinking?” She twisted the towel in her hands. “I have to do something. Let me see. What do I need to do?”

  “Why don’t you lie down?” I suggested. “I’ll get you a cold glass of water.”

  “Lie down?” She stared at me as if I’d suggested she leap off a cliff. “Why would I lie down? And I’m not thirsty, thanks. I need a plan.” She twisted the towel harder then stretched it out. She looked up at me as if she’d forgotten I was there. “Jenna, run along, honey. I’ve got things to do.”

  This family was in serious need of therapy. I left before I needed it, too, and headed back to the gym, where I spent the rest of my shift fielding questions about Bob from Gail and Dave.

  *****

  “This better be good,” I muttered. I hated being awakened by a ringing phone. My heart was in high gear and my brain wasn’t engaged. Never a good scenario.

  “Hello?”

  “Jenna?” A voice I didn’t recognize. I struggled to see caller ID, but my eyes were blurry from sleep. “I need your help.”

  “Who is this?”

  “Oh, sorry. This is John. Could you come to the station, please? I can send a car for you if you wish.”

  “I have a car, thanks.” This was a strange conversation, but I tried to be polite.

  “Did I wake you up?” John’s voice was tinged with amusement.

  “What time is it?”

  “Um, about 6:00.” He sounded a little sheepish.

  “Then you woke me up.”

  “Sorry. I’ve got a little situation down here, and I thought you might help me handle it. I didn’t look at the clock until just now.”

  “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” I rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

  I was only a couple of minutes late, and I knew I looked like a contestant for the police lineup. I was ushered straight to John’s office where Wilma occupied the chair I’d sat in yesterday. Compared to how she looked, I was ready for a beauty contest. Her hair stood out every which way, and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Almost as bad as John’s eye, I noticed.

  And she was crying. Not loud wails, just a soft, hopeless weeping. I took the chair next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

  “Wilma?” My mind went blank. What do you say to a woman whose husband and daughter are both in jail?

  “She came to confess.” John spoke wryly. “Tell us one more time what happened, Mrs. Pryor.”

  “I was mad at J.D. for breaking up Lisa’s marriage. I followed him to the diner and shot him with Lisa’s gun.” She spoke in a monotone, and her voice was so low I had to strain to hear it.

  “Will you sit with her just a minute, Jenna?” John left the room but returned shortly leading Bob. When Bob realized Wilma was in the office, he stepped forward and took her hands.

  “Honey, what are you doing down here? Didn’t you read the note I left?”

  “Note? No. I didn’t find a note.” She glanced at me and back to him again. “Jenna stopped by and told me where you were. I came to turn myself in.”

  “Turn yourself in for what? What are you talking about?” Bob looked at Wilma as if she had morphed into an alien. Or at least grown an extra head.

  “For murder. I killed J.D.”

  “Wilma,” Bob fairly roared. “You wouldn’t hurt a fly, and we all know it. Don’t we, John?”

  “Do we?” John retorted. “The way I remember it, if someone confesses, I have to take them into custody and question them. Isn’t that the way you heard it, Jenna?”

  How unfair. Leave me out of this. I tried to send telepathic messages to John, but he wasn’t picking up my signal.

  “Isn’t that what Bob said yesterday?”

  He didn’t get to be chief of police by not being persistent, obviously.

  “Wilma couldn’t have done it.” Bob cut John off. “We left the diner and went straight home to watch that ‘bad boys’ cop show.” He turned to look at his wife. “We watch it every Friday night. She was with me the whole night, and I’ll swear to that in any court of law you want to take us.”

  “Is that right, Wilma?” John asked gently.

  “Yes. He’s right, of course.”

  “Well, Bob, congratulations. You’ve given Wilma a good alibi.”

  “Now, honey, go on home and let me handle things.” Bob gave Wilma a peck on the cheek and guided her to the door.

  “Just a minute, Bob.” John’s voice hardened. “You do realize that when you alibied Wilma, you also alibied yourself?”

  Bob looked stunned. I guess a night in the slammer had diminished his thought processes.

  “Now, why don’t you both go on home and leave the police work to me?” He shook his head as he walked out of the office.

  *****

  Dear Pru,

  My boyfriend and I have been dating for three months. I have always known that he smokes dope now and then, but the other day he offered me a joint. I said no, thanks, and he laughed at me. He said I need to learn to live. I said it was more like learn to die. H
e hasn’t called me since. Should I call and apologize?

  Who’s the Dope?

  *****

  Dear Who’s,

  It’s not you. Unless you call and apologize. Then there will be two dopes in this equation. What you should do is thank your lucky stars that he quit calling you. Go out and make friends who have fun without depending on substance abuse.

  *****

  *****

  Chapter Twenty

  It’ll all come out in the wash.

  Funny how I’d thought it would be perfect if Bob would sell me the athletic club. I’d just never imagined that Lisa would have to be arrested for murder in order to make it happen.

  Bob had spent all week trying to get her out of jail, and I’d spent all week trying to get the paperwork through. I felt guilty that I’d succeeded and he hadn’t. But however it had happened, the bank called at four and said my money was ready. I had an in with the lawyer, so after I picked up the check, Alex stayed open late for Bob and me to meet at his office. Together we’d transferred ownership.

  Five minutes before closing time, I pushed the double doors open and stepped into the Lake View Athletic Club—finally mine.

  “Hey, boss, is this a sign of things to come? Showing up right before we close?” Gail asked jokingly as I walked by where she was gathering her things. “Bob told me. Congratulations.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.” No matter how overbearing and annoying Lisa had acted, it was hard to enjoy the victory knowing she was sitting in a jail cell.

  “There are a couple of stragglers. Want me to stay around? Or are you going to lock up?”

  “I’ll lock up. I’m not staying too long.”

  Seth and Ricky came by from the showers, gym bags in their hands. “Hey, Jenna. How’s it feel to finally own the place?” Seth asked, his cocky grin firmly in place. I hoped he’d gotten over his misplaced affection for me.

  “Good. Thanks.”

  Ricky nodded. “Congrats on your new venture.”