by Randy Rawls
Wanda and I grinned at each other. Chip gave us a knowing look, then looked away.
Frank stuck his head in the door. “Mr. Edwards, there’s a man here to see you. He asked me to bring you outside.”
“A man? For me?” I might be a hero, but I could still stammer with the best. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know, sir. He wouldn’t give me his name. Just said to tell you he’s off the case.”
I was puzzled, then a light flicked on. “Is he driving a big black pickup that’s never done an honest day’s work?”
“Yes sir.”
Wanda and I grinned at one another. I said, “Tell him to come in, Frank. You may have to assure him it’s safe.”
Frank gave me a funny look, then disappeared.
“What the hell was that all about?” Chip asked.
Wanda replied for me. “We think it’s the Dallas PI that’s been following Ace.” She turned to me. “That’s what you think, right? Wonder why he’s here.”
I shrugged. “We should know in a few minutes.”
The door opened, and Frank ushered Richard Johnson through the doorway.
“Hey, Ace. Congratulations,” Richard boomed. “You’re the talk of Sam’s Diner. Folks in Canton think you’re hot stuff.”
“How about you?” I asked.
“Hell, you cost me easy money. I was fired soon as word got out that Melon was arrested.”
“Won’t you have a seat?” Chip asked causing me to give him a nasty look. “I’ll ask Annie to get you something to drink. What’s your pleasure?”
“He won’t be here that long.” I looked at Richard, who grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Okay, it’s over. Who were you working for?”
His grin never wavered. “Still ain’t gonna tell you. Might be a chance for another job in the future. Can’t take a chance on ruffling feathers. The money’s good and the pay is quick.”
“So, why are you here?” Wanda asked. “I’m sure Ace could’ve figured out you weren’t following him anymore. You weren’t hard to spot.”
“Oh, I took it easy on my old buddy, but that is an excellent question, little lady,” Richard replied as he leered at Wanda’s generous endowments. “I came by to congratulate Ace and give him this.”
I hadn’t noticed he had one hand behind him as he stood in the doorway, but when he brought it forward, I reached for my Beretta. Halfway to where my shoulder holster should have been, I remembered the Beretta lay on the hall table in the cottage where I’d left it when Wanda showed up last night. Events after her arrival had erased a lot of things from my mind.
“Relax, Ace,” Richard said. “Damn, you’re sure jumpy. You look like one of them feds you see around the President.” He swung a brown plastic bag from behind him making me feel like a fool. “This is for you.” He thrust the bag toward me. “You did a fine job. I was in Canton and heard all the talk. Everybody thought that jackass killed Peanut.”
I glanced at Chip who was busy scowling at Richard. In another life, I might have warned Richard that Chip didn’t appreciate anyone calling Joseph a jackass. But not this time. I was too busy gaping at Richard. That changed to a grin when I accepted the bag and saw a six-pack of Killian’s. “Thanks, Richard. Maybe we’ll work together again sometime.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice. But I get to pick the case—and the beer afterwards.” He turned toward the front of the house. “Okay, that’s it. I’m outta here. I’d like to stay and party with you guys, but I got work in Dallas. Like I say, ‘Hasta la vista, mutherfugger.’ Take good care of this here little lady. She’s more than you’ll ever be able to keep up with.” He gave Wanda a last leer and walked out.
I started to say something of historical note, but Chip interrupted. “Damn, you sure make strange friends, Ace. Was he the guy following you? Hell, I’d have thought he’d hightail it out of here without coming near you.”
Wanda looked from me to Chip as she replied through her giggles. “You see, even the guys on the other side respect the hero of Van Zandt County.”
“Knock that crap off,” I said. “I’m relieved to know he’s gone, but I’d sure like to know who hired him. There’s somebody out there tracking me. How do I know they won’t bring in someone else? That doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Chip said. “I know who hired him.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Wanda and I both spun as one to stare at Chip. “You know? Who?” It sounded like we’d been rehearsing to get the timing perfect.
“Take it easy, you two,” Chip replied. “Ace, have a seat. You’re pacing like an expectant father.” That must have triggered a thought because he cast a suspicious look at Wanda before turning to me. “Hell, you ought to be feeling cool, calm, and collected. You saved my burro and earned yourself a nice bonus.”
I realized he was right. I dropped into the chair nearest Wanda. “Okay, I’m down. Do I find out who it was?”
Chip sat with a grin on his face, saying nothing.
Wanda jumped up and stormed over to him. “Speak up, Big Brother, or I’m going to cut you down to size. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.”
“You’d better do what she says,” I added. “Remember what I told you she did to that big guy in the Robin Hood.”
Chip looked at Wanda who stood over him with her fists on her hips. “Okay, ease up. Can’t a fellow have any fun with you two? This might come as a shock, but it was…” He paused for effect, then said, “Candi.”
“Candi?” Wanda and I did our parroting routine again.
“Why?” I asked.
“How’d you find out?” Wanda asked.
I liked Wanda’s question better since the last I’d heard, Candi didn’t share secrets with Chip.
“Judging from the look I’m getting from Wanda, I’d better answer her question first.” He picked up his coffee and took what seemed like a long, slow swallow. I didn’t know whether he was stalling, trying to draw out the suspense, scared of Wanda, or just thirsty.
Her patience appeared to run out. She opened her mouth, but Chip cut her off. “Last night after I spoke with you, Ace, and long before you slipped out of the house, Wanda, Candi called.”
I ducked my head at his reference to Wanda’s three a.m. sneak around.
Chip ignored my embarrassment. “She said she was calling to congratulate me on getting Joseph back and to let me know she was dropping the suit. We got to chatting, then decided to meet at the Robin Hood for a drink. One thing led to another and, well, we decided to give it another try. We’re going into Dallas for dinner tonight. Maybe this time…” His voice drifted away, but the grin on his face told me how he felt about this change in circumstances.
Wanda plopped into a chair. “I’ll be damned. Can you trust her? I mean, after all the crap—”
“Trust her?” Chip said. “Maybe the question is, can she learn to trust me again? After all, I humiliated her in front of her family, her friends, and the world when I left her at the altar. I think if she can trust me, I can trust her.”
I couldn’t argue with his logic, but his taste in women was another case. But who was I to voice an opinion? I was torn between a dead woman and a very much alive one.
“I don’t want you hurt,” Wanda said, her emotions showing in her words. “You might be a lunkhead, but you’re still my big brother, and I love you. I don’t trust her.”
“Hey,” I cut in. “Remember me. I hate to interrupt this family togetherness session, but I’d still like to know why she had Richard on my butt.”
“Bullshit, Spaceman. I’d think a hotshot private dick from Dallas could figure that out,” a voice from the doorway said.
I spun toward the voice and saw Annie standing with an attractive, slightly overweight brunette. Annie’s voice said she wasn’t sure about what was happening. “Mr. Jamison, I told her you were busy, but—”
“Bullshit. You better get used to me around here, little lady. Hell, I mi
ght just take over this spread,” the brunette said, softening it with a chuckle.
I stared. The voice was familiar and the bullshits were more than familiar. Could it be? Yes, it was Candi. It was my good fortune that she didn’t seem to notice my stare. She focused first on Annie, then Chip. She looked little like the woman I met in Sheriff Galoway’s office. Today, she wore a stylish navy blue pantsuit, a white fluffy blouse, and one inch heels. Her hair looked nice, brushed and hanging to her shoulders. I remembered the brown tent she’d worn when we met. It had made her look a lot heavier and about as undesirable as any woman could look. This Candi was…well…she looked good. Still needing a diet, but good.
As I stared, another vision flashed into my mind. It was the day I told the boys about Richard following me. I’d challenged them to tell me who hired him. Sweeper had countered by finding a brown paper bag and hiding in it with his head sticking out. Could he have been trying to tell me? No, no way. How could he have known? Still…
My musings were interrupted by Candi. “I heard that last part about leaving me at the altar,” she said. “That’s the sweetypoo Chip I used to know. I knew he was buried under all that bullshit, macho rancher-stuff somewhere.”
I looked at Wanda and did a double take. How could the beautiful woman I gotten to know, look so insipid? I swear her eyes were crossed, her mouth hung open, and her face looked like something out of a high school yearbook, freshman class.
Chip must have noticed the same thing because he came to her rescue. “Wanda, you remember Candi, don’t you? And Ace, I know you’ve met her.”
Wanda snapped out of her trance and closed her mouth. “Yes…ah, yes…of course. Forgive my manners. It’s so nice to see you again.”
My Wanda was back, dripping sincerity onto a situation that, at best, was science fiction. “Can I get you something to drink?” she added.
“No, if I drink too much, my bladder goes nuts, and I don’t like all those trips to the john,” Candi said.
I watched Wanda flinch, but she kept her cool. I decided to step in. “Okay, why did you hire Richard? I think you owe me an explanation.”
“Bullshit, Space.” Candi grinned. “Hey, that’s a great name—Bullshit Space. Sounds a lot more masculine than Arty.” She laughed, her cackle echoing around the Texas Room. “Hell, your initials would be BS. I love it.” She turned toward Wanda, oozing sincerity. “Don’t you think so, dearie?”
Wanda clinched her jaw, saying nothing.
I stepped between them. “Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts,” I said with a grin, hoping to defuse anything that might need defusing. “Back to why you hired Richard.”
“Okay, I checked you out,” she said, a serious tone taking over her voice. “When I discovered what happened in Eastland County, I decided you might be better than my first read.” She grinned again. “You sure didn’t make much of an impression when we met in the sheriff’s office. I thought you were dumber than the doughnut holes you were nibbling around.”
She turned to Wanda before I could give her one of my snappy answers. “Maybe I would like something to drink. Water with a twist of lemon. But put it in a beer bottle so I can pretend. This diet I’m on doesn’t give me much of a choice.”
I had to admire Wanda. She smiled and said, “Of course.”
Candi continued. “I thought you might stumble onto something that could hurt my case, so I decided to keep up with you. I asked around and came up the name, Richard Johnson. My friends said he’d do anything for a buck.”
“Yeah, that sounds like him,” I said.
“I thought you were anxious to hear this story,” Candi reminded me. “Quit interrupting and let me talk. You oughta know us lawyers love to make speeches.”
I held my forefinger across my lips, signaling silence.
Candi gave me a hard look. “I hired him to find out what you were doing. I was hoping to stay one jump ahead by knowing what you were up to. That way, I could do a better job with my suit against Chip. That’s it. That’s the whole story.”
“Did you stay ahead of me?” I asked. “Did you and Richard figure out Melon was the killer, and how I planned to bring him down?” It felt good to rub it in.
Candi chuckled. “No. In fact, I was rather disappointed with Johnson’s reports. He told me where you’d been, but didn’t have a clue what you’d do next. I wasted my bullshit money.”
“Serves you right,” Wanda said, handing her a longneck beer bottle.
Candi took a sip. “Good old Van Zandt water. Somebody ought to bottle it.”
I let that pass although I wanted to remind her that somebody did.
Wanda turned toward Chip. “You’d better watch out, bro. I get the feeling Candi’s a woman who doesn’t like to lose, and you already have two strikes on you.”
Chip grinned as Candi and I laughed. Wanda’s look was less charitable.
TWENTY-NINE
The day flowed by as we chatted like four old friends. I found myself beginning to like Candi in a strange sort of way. Wanda warmed toward her a bit, but they remained like two cats circling in the night. Annie served one of her high calorie, high taste, high everything lunches. Candi ate a salad.
Annie treated me like royalty, so I supposed she’d blessed me again. Frank reported he’d taken the boys for a walk and fed them. He allowed how he’d miss them after I was gone.
“Here, you’ll need these,” Frank said, handing me two leashes. “They love the body harness and heel as well as any dogs I’ve walked.”
I tried to picture that, but gave up. Sweeper and Striker on a leash, heeling. It was too mystical for me. I switched my attention to Frank. I noticed that for the first time since I met him, he wasn’t wearing a drugstore-cowboy shirt. I didn’t ask.
About five o’clock I couldn’t think of any excuses to prolong my stay so I announced I needed to gather my stuff and head for Dallas.
“I’ll help you,” Wanda volunteered.
“I hoped you’d say that.”
“Good luck, Ace,” Chip said. “I’ll give Jake a call and tell him you performed like he said you would. And thanks.”
I wasn’t thrilled to think he felt obligated to report to Jake, but I did owe Jake for turning Chip on to me. I swallowed my objections. My financial status, remember?
* * * *
At the cottage, it took a few minutes to throw my stuff into the overnight bag I’d brought. Getting the boys into their carrying cases took longer. After Wanda and I corralled them, I was ready to go.
We were standing in the living room, and I pulled Wanda to me and kissed her. “Thank you for making this such a wonderful experience. I’d like to call on you if you don’t mind.”
She lowered her head and a tear slipped down her beautiful cheek. “No, Ace. When you leave today, don’t come back to see me. If you drop by to see Chip, I won’t be here.” She pulled away and turned toward the door.
“What do you mean?” I was flabbergasted. “I thought we had something going, something sweet and wonderful that might grow, that might last.” I put my hands on her shoulders.
She placed a hand over mine, but didn’t turn around. “We do, and that’s why it has to end today.” I could hear her sobbing. “It has to end while it’s new, exciting, and oh, so precious.”
“I don’t understand.” I spun her to face me, wiping tears from her cheeks. “What have I done? Why are you doing this?” I was lost and my stomach felt like I’d been sucker-punched.
“You want to know what you did?” She stepped back again, but didn’t turn away. “Okay. You came into my life too late. You captured my heart after yours was in chains.”
“Please, Wanda. I’m confused. I don’t understand.”
“You will. Before you hit the interstate, you’ll understand and be glad I did this. You’re a one-woman man, Ace Edwards.”
My mouth must have dropped open because she reached over and pushed upward on my chin.
She smiled. “I’ve known since
just after I met you. When I researched the Cisco case, I found the name Terri Hart. I had Chip ask Jake and he told us you and Terri were in love and headed toward marriage.” She sniffled again. “At that point, it didn’t matter. I figured if I cared enough, you’d forget Terri and love me. Little did I know how wrong I’d be. Do you know that last night, you said her name in your sleep—after we finished making love? You lay there, mumbling her name. Can you imagine what that did for my ego?” She stopped as the tears flooded her eyes again.
“There’s only room in your heart for one woman at a time. You’re a precious man. Not many like you around these days. I love you so much I’d fight any woman alive to win you. But the one thing I can’t fight, no woman can fight, is a specter. I can’t fight the dead. I can’t fight Terri Hart.”
I remembered the dreams, the dreams of Terri that came almost every night. There was nothing I could do about them, but I felt guilt. I searched for something to say, the right words, but as usual, when I needed them, none came. Tears trickled from my eyes. All I could think of to say was, “I’m sorry, but we can still see each other. Maybe—”
“No. That’s the worst thing I could do to you. It would make you feel guilty about loving her, and that would make you hate me.”
I tried to pull her to me, but she stiffened, so I relaxed my hold.
“It’s over, Ace, all over. Maybe some morning in the future you’ll wake up and be free of her. If you do, I hope you’ll think of me. But I don’t see that happening for a long time, maybe never, so I can’t hang my life on that distant star.”
She stepped closer and looked into my eyes. Her fingers brushed the tears from my cheek. “That won’t do. The hero of Van Zandt County should never show weakness.” She smiled.
She moved away from me, then from a distance of three feet, said, “It’s been wonderful spending time with you and watching you operate. I’m so glad you saved Joseph. I bet you were one hell of a cop.” Her tone had turned matter-of-fact and the tears had stopped.
