“I learned that the hard way this afternoon.”
She leaned over the map and orientated herself. “Okay. This is us.”
“Where?”
“Here. This is H & P’s.”
As Daisy put her finger down to show the location of the diner, Ethan shifted closer to her for a better look. His shoulder brushed her arm, and she felt a strong desire to pick up a fork and jam it into one of his rotten ATF eyeballs. But she restrained herself.
“Now over here is Highway 40,” she said. “If you—”
“Have you lost your mind!” Hank bellowed.
Daisy didn’t immediately turn around. Hank was obviously livid, and she understood why. He had come back from the kitchen and seen what she was doing. Instead of continuing to ignore their enemy, she now appeared to be cheerfully fraternizing with him.
“Have you forgotten what they did?” Hank snapped his teeth like a frenzied piranha. “What they took?”
Ethan gazed at her inquisitively.
“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” She spoke in a low tone, trying to find words that would appease Hank while at the same time dampen Ethan’s visibly growing curiosity. “I could never forget. I’ve said that many times before. But this has nothing to do with the past. It’s about laying poor Fred Dickerson to rest.”
Hank’s thick jaw sagged. “Fred?”
“Yes, Fred.” Daisy nodded. “That’s why Ethan is here. They sent him a copy of the autopsy report, and he’s following up on it.”
“But George told us there wasn’t a report from the autopsy.”
She could merely shrug. “You said it yourself, Hank. Sheriff Lowell’s only local. The ATF’s federal.”
“Why would the ATF be interested in … in…”
He stopped midsentence with a stammer. It startled Daisy. Hank never stammered.
“It’s standard procedure.” Ethan responded with a shrug of his own.
She didn’t believe that for a second. There was nothing standard about sending a special agent to the farthest depths of southwestern Virginia just because there was a question or two about an old man’s death.
“As I told Daisy,” Ethan went on, “I’ve got to take a look around here, talk to witnesses like yourself, and see where the deceased lived.”
The color drained from Hank’s face.
“That’s what Daisy was doing when you came in,” Ethan said. “She was giving me directions to Chalk Level.”
He turned to her for confirmation, but she didn’t give it. Daisy was too focused on Hank and his ashen complexion. Hank was always red. It may have been varying shades of crimson or burgundy depending on how hard he scrubbed the grill or how annoyed he got with Brenda, but it was still decidedly red and not white. There was only one time when Daisy could remember him being pale, and that was at her daddy’s funeral.
Hank blinked at her for a moment, then with a drawn mouth and pasty cheeks he reached for a newspaper. Instead of asking Ethan any questions or making a single remark about Chalk Level, he leaned against the counter and leisurely perused the Monday edition of the Danville Register & Bee, even though the counter lights had already been shut off. It was the strangest behavior Daisy had ever seen from him, until it occurred to her that she had in fact seen it before. The day Fred Dickerson had collapsed, Hank had done the exact same thing. While everybody else had been stunned and horrified, he had merrily flipped through the newspaper and snacked on peach cobbler.
It reminded Daisy of something else strange. Hank had been the first to positively identify Fred, and she had later wondered whether that meant Hank had seen the old man before he died. She had wondered the very same thing about Rick Balsam. And now she suddenly found herself wondering whether Hank—just like Rick—knew a lot more about all of this than he was letting on.
Ethan nudged her with his elbow. “You were showing me Highway 40?”
Daisy looked down at the map, but her mind pictured Aunt Emily instead. She saw her shrewd blue eyes and the unconcealed excitement as she had talked about Hank poisoning Fred. Daisy hadn’t believed a word of it then, and she still didn’t believe it. But the whole thing was undeniably fishy. Hank’s strange behavior. Aunt Emily claiming that old man Dickerson was responsible for the death of her daddy. Rick warning her about bad moonshine. It seemed as though it all had to add up in some peculiar way, except she didn’t know how, and she had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t good.
Staring at the blurry roads and towns, Daisy came to a decision. If she was going to have any control over the consequences of Fred Dickerson’s death, she couldn’t toss Ethan out into the night with a set of directions and simply forget it. Not if Hank was somehow involved. And certainly not if Rick was right about Fred’s ’shine. If old man Dickerson’s home brew really was bad and somehow lethal, and Ethan tasted it, then got sick and possibly even died, not only would it be on her conscience for the rest of her life, but it would surely bring a storm of trouble down on her and everyone she cared for.
She had to be careful. That she understood. She couldn’t let the pain of the past cloud her judgment now. Nothing would mend the old injuries. No amount of yelling, or stomping her feet, or even a hefty dose of lovely retribution. Daisy couldn’t undo what had happened, and she realized that neither could Ethan. But if she played her cards right and helped him, she might at least be able to obtain a better grasp on the future, if only by finding out what Rick and Hank already seemed to know.
“So are you going to tell me where Chalk Level is or not?” Ethan asked impatiently.
Daisy raised her eyes to him and smiled. “I’ll do you one better. I won’t just tell you where it is. I’ll take you there.”
CHAPTER
11
“So you live here? At the inn?” Ethan asked her the next morning as they climbed into his car. “This is your actual address?”
“It is,” Daisy answered.
“But you didn’t grow up there, right?”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Well”—he hesitated—“it’s kind of an odd place to call home.”
“It’s a gorgeous old house!” she protested, shifting in her seat to admire it. “With running water, heat and air-conditioning, beautiful antique furnishings, and it’s surrounded by a fabulous garden complete with a stable full of horses. How much more do you want? Granted, the floor and stairs do creak and groan a lot, especially in winter. And the wiring isn’t the most modern, which we’re reminded of every time there’s a big storm and we lose the lights. But it’s still an awful lot better than some of the places people end up living, like under bridges in cardboard boxes or rat-infested apartments with no windows.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s a great bed-and-breakfast. But that’s just it. It’s a bed-and-breakfast. There are people around all the time. Wouldn’t you rather be alone with your husband?”
It was Daisy’s turn to hesitate. She wasn’t sure how much to tell him about Matt. But then she shrugged to herself. What difference did it make really? She might as well just be frank about the state of her marriage.
“Unfortunately my husband doesn’t want to be alone with me,” she said.
Ethan frowned, not understanding. “So he’s gone a lot? Is he a long-haul trucker or something?”
“Or something,” Daisy muttered.
“Huh?”
“My husband, Matt, left me. He drove off one morning and never came home again.”
Ethan stopped fiddling with his car’s GPS and looked at her. “Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously.” She shook her head at him with a touch of annoyance. “Why would I joke about that?”
“I don’t know. I guess you wouldn’t. I just can’t imagine someone leaving like that. It’s so … so…”
“So cruel?” Daisy suggested. “So selfish and unkind? So weak and utterly pathetic? Well, you can imagine it now, because that’s exactly what Matt did. No hint beforehand. No note or ph
one call afterward. No explanation. Ever.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, when was this?”
“About four and a half years ago.”
“And you haven’t divorced him?” Ethan was incredulous. “Why would you want to stay married to a person who treated you that way?”
She responded with a light laugh. It was a question that she had asked herself dozens of times, and she had an equal number of constantly varying answers.
“For what it’s worth,” he said after a moment, when he didn’t get more of a reply, “I think you deserve better.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but are we going to head out anytime soon? Or should I run back inside and ask Aunt Emily to pack us a lunch and possibly even a supper?”
Ethan returned his attention to the GPS. “I was trying to type in Chalk Level.”
“I thought that was why I was here,” Daisy remarked dryly.
“It is, but just in case there’s a problem.”
“Don’t you mean, just in case I get you hopelessly lost?”
He grinned. “Electronic navigation is a lot better than following a trail of bread crumbs sprinkled from the car window.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she retorted. “Not around here where the satellite gets blocked by every third hill. And anyway, you’ve got me with you. How could I get you lost without also getting me lost?”
“We could be on a tiny back road in the middle of absolutely nowhere, you could suddenly jump out and dash off to a friend’s cabin hidden in the woods, and I’d end up driving around in circles again for another whole day.”
“A little paranoid, aren’t you?”
Ethan shrugged. “You did make it pretty clear in the diner last night that you hate the ATF.”
Daisy restrained a smile. At least he was aware of how she felt.
Having finally finished setting the GPS, Ethan shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the row of parking spaces at the side of the Tosh Inn. They didn’t make it more than ten feet down the driveway before he stepped on the brake.
“We’ll be okay in a sedan, right? We don’t need some heavy-duty truck with four-wheel drive and monster tires?”
Her smile grew so big that she didn’t bother trying to conceal it anymore. “Wow, you really are paranoid.”
“I saw the condition of some of the smaller roads yesterday,” he shot back defensively. “I don’t want to get stuck for an entire afternoon in a pile of mud up to my bumper.”
“Don’t worry,” Daisy reassured him. “We’ll be fine. Chalk Level may have its quirks, but it’s passable by foot and car. An all-terrain vehicle—or tank—isn’t required.”
With a dubious grunt, Ethan moved his foot to the gas. At the end of the driveway she told him to turn left.
“Are you sure it’s left?” he questioned her. “Because the arrow on the map points to the right.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. It was going to be a painfully long day if their first half hour together was any indication.
“So right then?” Ethan persisted.
“No, left.”
“But it—”
She opened the car door and began to climb out. “Go ahead. Turn right. Don’t listen to me, even though I’ve lived here all my life. Don’t rely on my directions, even though I told you I would take you there. Trust the machine and see what convoluted route you wind up following until you suddenly discover you’ve crossed the border into Tennessee or maybe West Virginia.”
“Wait,” he said.
Her feet were already on the ground, and she was heading up the driveway toward the inn.
“Daisy, come back!”
She stopped with a growl. She didn’t need this crap.
“I’m sorry,” Ethan called. “You’re right. You know where you’re going.”
Daisy sucked on her teeth. Hank had given her the day off to deal with Special Agent Kinney, but she was sorely tempted to climb back into bed, sleep through the rest of the morning, and spend a peaceful afternoon on the porch together with a cool beverage instead.
Ethan shifted the car into reverse and pulled up the driveway next to her. He leaned toward the open passenger-side window.
“Do you want me to say it again? I’m sorry. Of course you know the best way to get there.”
He sounded genuinely apologetic, but Daisy doubted it. He was probably just being pragmatic. After all, there was no question that she knew a whole lot more about Chalk Level than he did—with or without his GPS—so it was obviously better to have her with him, even if it meant having to defer to her directions.
“Will you get back in?” Ethan stretched out his arm and pulled the latch on the door for her. “Please?”
She wavered but only for a moment. If he could be pragmatic, then Daisy figured that she could too. She reminded herself of the original plan. The faster Ethan got what he came for, the sooner he would leave. Permanently. And she was still hoping to get some information in the process. As she climbed inside the car, Daisy checked her watch. Even with the minor delay, it was early. If she hurried things up a bit, there was a chance that she could get rid of Ethan and enjoy a peaceful afternoon on the porch together with a cool beverage.
This time at the end of the driveway he turned left without any prompting or dispute. The next few turns were guided by Daisy’s forefinger. Neither of them spoke until they reached the main road.
“Thanks, by the way,” Ethan said.
“I told you I’d take you to Chalk Level,” she responded curtly, “and I’m taking you to Chalk Level.”
“I appreciate that too, but I meant thanks for showing me the inn last night. I’m not sure where I would have stayed otherwise.”
“You would have stayed in your car in the diner’s parking lot or on the side of the road somewhere. The nearest motel is thirty miles in the opposite direction. It’s nearly impossible to find in the dark, and trust me, you don’t want to find it. It’s crawling with bugs and covered in mold.”
He glanced at her sideways. “So you were being nice by recommending the inn? I thought maybe you were trying to keep an eye on me.”
“There’s that paranoia of yours again.”
Daisy said it with a laugh, but she couldn’t truthfully deny the accusation. Perhaps a part of her had meant to be kind by providing him with a cool, comfortable bed and a home-cooked breakfast served on a silver tray. If that was the case, it was a very small part. Infinitesimal. The rest of her had done exactly what he supposed—kept a sharp eye on him. If Special Agent Kinney shared the same roof as she, then he couldn’t do any snooping or interrogating without her knowing about it.
Her only concern in taking him to the inn had been what her momma and Beulah and Aunt Emily would think—and say—when they learned who Ethan was and why he was in Pittsylvania County. But in that regard Daisy had been lucky. Her momma had been even more tired than usual and gone to bed early. Beulah had been out on a date. Only Aunt Emily had been awake and on the premises.
She had listened to Daisy’s hurried, whispered account of the stranger sitting in her parlor, and instead of promptly reaching for her beloved shotgun as Daisy feared she might, Aunt Emily had offered Ethan a room, albeit at an exorbitant rate. Unlike Hank, she hadn’t been at all upset that Daisy could stand next to a man from the ATF without trying to gut him like a fish. One look from her shrewd blue eyes and it had been clear to Daisy that Aunt Emily understood her plan. She even complimented her on it.
“It’s very clever of you, Ducky,” Aunt Emily had said. “That’s precisely the way to do it. Watch him, so he can’t go rooting around and dig up any turnips we’d rather have buried. It’s just like that old saying—keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Her advice had been simple.
“Get more than you give, Ducky. He’ll want to know all about us and the neighborhood. But for every one thing you tell him, make sure he tells you three in return. Then you’ll never be the l
ast hog in line at the feed trough or the first at the door of the slaughterhouse.”
Pig references aside, Daisy was rather happy to have Aunt Emily’s approval. She had begun to feel slightly guilty. Maybe by helping Ethan—even strategically—she was being a traitor to her own family. But Aunt Emily’s praise and approbation quieted her conscience. It reaffirmed to Daisy her own conclusion that she wasn’t a traitor for taking Ethan to Chalk Level, if by taking him to Chalk Level it kept the ATF from causing her and her friends and relations any more trouble.
“Which way?”
“Hmm?”
“Which way?” Ethan repeated.
Daisy turned to him, almost startled. For a minute she had forgotten where she was and what she was doing.
“Are you okay?” he asked her. “You seem a little—confused.”
“I’m fine. I just … never mind … it doesn’t matter. How far have we gotten?”
She looked out toward the road. They were stopped at an intersection. On one side rose the gleaming white spire of the Round Pond Baptist Church. On the other side stood a faded pink double-wide with a dozen matching plastic pink flamingos scattered around the front lawn. It was Highway 40.
“Left,” she said.
The car turned left, and as it did so, Daisy took a long, deep breath. She hadn’t gone left on Highway 40 in more than four years. It looked the same. The overgrown playing field was still next to the church. Across the way the pastor’s house was still painted lemon yellow with a sky-blue door and shutters.
Ethan glanced at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Daisy nodded.
“Because you’re kind of pale.”
“I—” She sighed. “It’s been awhile since I’ve come this way.”
He connected the dots as far as he could. “Did you used to live around here with your husband?”
“No.”
It wasn’t a lie. She had never lived in that area with Matt. But the question came so perilously close to revealing the truth that Daisy realized she had to pull herself together. She couldn’t let Ethan know how strong of a connection she had to the place that they were going or how vulnerable it made her.
Murder and Moonshine: A Mystery Page 10
