Murder on Calf Lick Fork
Page 16
“Didn’t you worry that Waylon would take an interest in Pete’s business or that he would keep the truck for himself?”
“Sometimes. Well, not about him keeping the truck. I knew he would keep his word and junk it. But the worry would hit me at odd times. I’d be helping a family pick a verse to include on the obituary cards or brushing my teeth and I’d think, ‘Waylon.’ I imagined all sorts of scenarios where he’d run into Gentry or one of the other guys who’d tell him about Jay. They’d mention the truck and Waylon would immediately put the pieces together. But it didn’t eat at me. I knew Waylon would keep to himself.”
“So, you felt as if you were home free?”
“Oh, no, not at all. The guilt would wake me in the night or stab at me when I talked to Gentry. I almost told him that day when he called and asked if I’d seen Jay. And one day,” Steve bent his head, “it wasn’t long before you first came here, I called him out of the blue with the intention of telling him. But,” he shrugged, “I didn’t. As much as I love Carrie and my sons and my mother, I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Mira. I love that baby. I loved her before she was born. I love her enough to kill for her.”
Before Maggie could digest that twisted observation, Steve said, “Let me ask you something. How did you know about Carrie and Jay?”
“I thought you said it didn’t matter.”
“No, I said it didn’t matter how you figured out I had killed Jay. I know you don’t owe me anything, but I’d like to know how you found out about the affair.”
“His second girlfriend told me Jay had another lady friend, a married woman named Carrie.”
Steve made a tsking sound with his mouth. “Jay had two other women besides Carrie. You’d think that would have been enough for him. But he just had to go too far. He just had to have Carrie, too. I’m not saying what I did was right or excusing myself, but if he had left her alone, he’d still be alive.”
“If he had left her alone,” Maggie said, closing her notepad, “there would be no Mira.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Gentry and Belinda Harris had been gushing over Maggie’s investigative skills since she joined them in the Dinner Bucket Diner thirty minutes prior.
“The police could learn something from you.”
Belinda agreed with her father-in-law. “Yeah, she did what they couldn’t – or wouldn’t – do.”
Maggie had spotted Seth sitting in a booth with other Jasper City Police officers as soon as she had walked into the restaurant. Gentry and Belinda didn’t use inside voices, and Maggie was sure the officers heard them. She hoped Seth wasn’t taking their complaints to heart.
“I’m just glad I could help you find out what happened to Jay,” Maggie said.
“You did more than that,” Belinda said, “you found Jay’s daughter.”
Maggie debated on whether to ask Belinda if she had approached Carrie about Mira. Belinda, who must have read the hesitation on Maggie’s face, said, “I called Carrie when I got to Gentry’s and told her I’d be in Kentucky for a few days. I told her I wanted to see my granddaughter while I was here. She said it wasn’t a good time for her. I said, ‘I know. Your husband was just arrested for killing my son and throwing him in a hole like he was a dead possum he found in his yard. But that’s not my problem. How does tomorrow afternoon work for you?’”
“That’s where we’re going after this,” Gentry said. “Over to Steve’s.” As he said the name, Gentry winced. “I never would have imagined Steve would have had anything to do with this. Back in the summer, after all this happened with Jay, he had one of the boys at the funeral home bring a load of gravel to the house. They filled in my driveway.”
“That was the actions of a guilty man,” Belinda said.
“I know, but he seemed to like Jay. Of course,” he sighed, “I can’t say I approve of Jay sworping and running around with married women. But he did not deserve to die for it. I also can’t believe that Waylon was messed up in this.”
“I guess he’ll ask a few questions the next time somebody shows up with a truck to junk.” Belinda balled her hands into fists. “When I think about how hard Junebug worked for that truck ... It was the only new vehicle he ever owned and he never missed a payment on it. That’s just another beautiful part of my life that Steve ruined. And the way he lied to you for all those months, Gentry. I don’t know how people live with themselves,”
“People can convince themselves of anything,” Maggie said. “I think the worst lies are the ones we tell to ourselves.”
Belinda and Gentry considered Maggie’s words a moment before Belinda said, “Gentry, we’d better get going. I can’t wait to get my hands on that baby.”
Standing, Gentry said to Maggie, “We sure thank you, little lady. Now, don’t you make a stranger of yourself. You and Sylvie better come over for supper one night. I make pretty good chili, if I do say so myself.”
Maggie promised Gentry she’d take him up on that offer and said her goodbyes. As she collected her purse and pulled on her coat, she imagined dinner conversation between Gentry and Sylvie and smiled. She was in the process of creating dialogue for them when she noticed Seth standing by the table.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m sorry if my dining companions said anything out of the way.”
“They didn’t say anything I haven’t said to myself.”
“You have a lot of cases and –”
Seth held up his hand. “The entire department is viewing this as a,” he smiled, “teachable moment. Besides, I’m just happy somebody solved this. No matter what the Harrises think of me, I’m glad you’ve given them some answers.”
“Me, too.”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I heard they’re visiting the baby. Carrie Fletcher doesn’t want to let them see her. But, get this, Steve told her it’s the right thing to do.”
“How do you know this?”
He grinned. “Guards eavesdrop on conversations between inmates and their visitors. As long as they’re not privileged conversations, of course.”
“Of course,” Maggie agreed. “I heard Carrie was standing by Steve. Maybe she thinks it’s romantic that he killed his much younger rival for her affections.”
“She’s standing by him for now. Her legs might get tired after he serves a few years in prison.”
Maggie laughed. “I also heard she’s running the funeral home.”
“For now. That’s another thing. She wanted to fire W.L. Murphy, but Steve told her to keep him.”
Good, Maggie thought.
“You know, I’ve been wondering how W.L. got that job. I can’t find the connection between him and the funeral home. You have any ideas?”
Maggie knew he was teasing her, but she refused to take the credit for helping W.L. get the job. “You’ll have to solve that mystery on your own, Detective Heyward.”
“Speaking of W.L., before you followed the clues and fingered Steve, I had this wild theory that Curtis Moore had killed Jay and attacked W.L. I interviewed W.L. and ran my theory by him, but he said his brother brained him.”
“Oh.” Maggie hoped her face didn’t look as hot as it felt.
“Yeah, he had some crazy story about G.L. turning him in for poaching and how G.L. had hit him in the head to make up for it. Then he quit talking and I asked, ‘Is that all?’ He said, ‘Yeah. It all makes sense, don’t it?’ It didn’t, but he refused to press charges, so I called it good and moved on.”
What a relief, Maggie thought.
“So,” Seth shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “I talked to Edie the other day. She shared her good news. At first, she said she was afraid to tell me. She thought it would make me sad. But that’s the best news I’ve heard in months. She also told me your news. I’m sorry, Maggie.”
She hunched her shoulders and held them in that position a few seconds before letting them fall. “It’s just one of those things.”
“I know you’re hurting, but give it some time. Then, if
you decide you want to talk, you’ll know where to find me.”
Other Books by Michelle Goff
Murder on Sugar Creek
Murder at Catfish Corner