Bad Reputation, A (19 page)

“So you didn't owe him anything?”

“No, I wanted the ring. Pretty slick, huh?”

Oh, real slick. “Then if I were you, I'd walk away a winner.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” She started to walk away and turned. “You know, you're quite the con artist, too.”

Had she seen through my lie? “Oh?”

“You've got Jerry convinced you're the one for him. Have to give you props for that.”

“Jerry figured that out all on his own.”

She looked as if she wanted to say something else. Then she gave me her cocky salute and walked away.

I sincerely hoped that was the last I'd see of her.

Chapter Twenty

I went back to the theater to get Jerry. He and the young man playing Curly were going over one of Curly's big numbers, “People Will Say We're in Love.”

That's appropriate, I thought as I sat down in the front row. That's certainly what Honor was hoping. Now I was going to have to have a baby to keep her away.

Well, that's an exaggeration. Maybe I would. Could this be the last little push I needed? “Little push” made me think of delivering this phantom baby. What was I so afraid of? Women had babies all the time. If I could solve crimes and fend off crazed murderers with their deadly needles and guns and umbrellas, I could manage a baby, couldn't I? Strap that kid on my back and go fight evil!

That image gave me pause. Wait. Who am I really doing this for? Of course it will make Jerry happy and might be the very thing to settle him down. But what about me? What will I get out of this? Can I fit a baby into my life? Can I be a mom and an artist and a detective?

Damn right I can.

But wait again, Superwoman, I told myself. Isn't this just another case of wanting to control my entire universe? I don't want to end up like my mother, clinging to one single thing, because that one thing might decide to take charge of her own affairs, get up, and leave town. How about letting go? That's something my mother was never able to do. Let go and see what happens. If my agency succeeds, it succeeds. If my artwork sells, it sells. And if I have a baby, it will come along at the right time, and I'll be ready for it. That little push I feel? It's pushing me away from the control panel.

Let go and see what happens.

As if to underscore my new found determination, Curly launched into “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” If I needed a sign, here it was.

After the rehearsal, Curly thanked Jerry and left. Jerry gathered up his music and came down the steps at the side of the stage.

“I saw you out here laughing, Mac. What's the joke?”

“My life is a musical,” I said, “and I am the star.”

“Okay. Translation?”

I kissed him. “Let's go to Deely's. We have a lot to talk about.”

***

I didn't want to say anything to Jerry about my thoughts until he'd had a chance to talk with Deely. If a baby was in the future, we needed to take a good practical look at our finances.

The diner wasn't very busy, so we sat at the counter. Deely came out to greet us, all smiles.

“Say you can cook, Jerry?”

“Yes, sir. I enjoy it.”

“I've been wanting to try something different, see if I can get some more business in here. Georgia at the bookstore says you're a good worker. Willing to give you a try.”

I wasn't surprised that Deely had asked around.

“Okay.” Jerry sat back, his eyes on Deely. “What do you have in mind?”

“I say we start small, maybe eggs, bacon, toast, and grits, work our way up to pancakes and waffles. I got the equipment, even a waffle iron I got from somewhere and never used. I'll order in the supplies and you can start next weekend, and we'll see how it goes. Ever done short order before?”

“No, but I can work fast.”

“I'll ask Annie if she wants a few more hours. She can help you. I'm figuring six to ten in the mornings. Hope you don't have any trouble getting up early.”

“He's always up early,” I said. “And usually singing.”

“Well, if he wants to sing in here, I got no problem with that, as long as he gets the orders out. I've written down what we'll need to start a breakfast menu.” He slid the list over. “Anything you want to add?”

Jerry read the list. “Gotta have cheese.”

“You might have noticed we got plenty of cheese around here.”

Jerry handed him the paper. “That oughta do it.” The two men shook hands.

Deely gave me a nod. “Madeline here thought it would be a good idea to start serving breakfast, and I agree. More money comes in, I don't have to worry about dragging one of my boys into the business. They really got no talent for it. We'll see how you do. Worth a try, anyway.”

Jerry thanked him. “I'm looking forward to it.”

We got our cheeseburgers and fries and took our food to a booth. I raised my glass of tea in a salute. “Congratulations. You are now gainfully employed.”

“I hope so.” Jerry sat down and flipped his tie over his shoulder before applying ketchup to his fries. “Mac, I just thought of something important we need to talk about.”

Now that he had a job, he was getting to the subject of children right away, but that was all right. I was ready to talk about it. “We certainly do.”

“We're going to need another car.”

What? Oh. “Not exactly what I was thinking, but go ahead.”

He handed me the ketchup bottle. “You don't want to get up early and drive me to Deely's, do you? And if I take the car, you won't have it until after ten. Why don't I see if Fred has anything reasonable we could buy? Or I could get a motorcycle.”

I had to readjust my thinking. Jerry on a motorcycle. Disaster doesn't even begin to cover the possibilities. “Don't rush into anything. We'll work it out.”

“And we should probably go back to Tinlsey Acres and make sure Honor's left town.”

“She has. In fact, she came to talk to me at my office.”

He stopped eating. “She didn't give you any trouble, did she? Was she angry?”

“Maybe, but then I rescued her from the wrath of Aunt Louise.”

“Aunt Louise came after her?”

“Honor's crimes caught up with her at last.”

Jerry laughed and took the salt shaker. “I'm glad Aunt Louise unleashed her wrath on Honor instead of me.”

“She was fearsome.”

“What did Honor want to talk about?”

“She was annoyed at me for ruining your perfectly good reputation as a premiere con artist.”

He put the salt shaker down. “What did you say?”

Suddenly, I didn't want to tell him about my lie and how it might not be a lie. Somehow, sitting in Deely's surrounded by the incoming crowd wasn't the time or the place for such a major announcement. I wanted us to be somewhere private, somewhere significant. And I had to be absolutely sure I was pregnant.

“I convinced her that you were happy with your new life.”

“And she bought that?”

“Yes, and she was tickled with herself for fooling Big Mike.”

“Fooling Big Mike? Oh, about the sapphire.” He chuckled. “Well, let her think that for a while.” He pulled another napkin from the holder. “Now that Honor's out of the way, you can concentrate on your case.”

“This case has so many pieces I'm not sure where to look next. I still haven't heard from Daniel Junior about the building, and I'm very curious.”

“Because?”

“Originally Pamela wanted the building for her dress shop, but she couldn't afford it. Suppose someone else wanted it, but Wendall got there first. Wouldn't that someone be angry and want the gallery to fail? Or maybe so angry they'd kill Wendall?”

“Okay, but who? You'd need some serious cash to buy the building. Does Larissa have that kind of money? Does Bea?”

“Flora might.”

“Why would Flora want an old store in a small town?”

“I know, I know, I'm grasping at straws. I think—” Bea's gray VW came down the street, pulled over, and parked in front of Deely's. Ferris unfolded himself from the car and came into the diner. We heard him order a burger and fries to go.

“Ask him why his mother has a house full of secret jewelry,” Jerry said.

“I think I'll be a bit more subtle.”

I sat down at the counter next to Ferris. “Oh, hi, Madeline,” he said. “Glad I got to see you before I left town.”

“You're heading back to Raleigh?”

“Yeah, Mom needed some wheels while her Honda was in the shop, but now it's fixed. I didn't mind hanging around for a few days, but that's my limit. There's not a lot of room in her house, anyway.”

But there was room for me to take advantage of this perfect opening. “I agree, it's pretty full.”

His eyebrows went up. “Oh, you've seen inside? How did you manage that? She never wants company.”

“No, I found something that belonged to her and was returning it when I caught a glimpse. It looked amazing, though. I'm surprised she doesn't want anyone to see her jewelry.”

“Oh, she does shows all over Parkland. Bea's Baubles and Beads. That's a mouthful, isn't it? Guess Celosia's too small and she figures she won't sell enough here.” Annie handed him his order. He thanked her and put his money on the counter. “Nice talking to you, Madeline. Don't say anything about the jewelry to anyone. Mom's real touchy about it. Of course, if you know her, you know she's real touchy about everything.”

“This business with Wendall Clarke, if you don't mind me asking. Has she always insisted he was your father?”

“It's a recent development.” He grinned a wry grin. “She's been having these senior moments for some time now. The fact that Dad—my real dad—lost his money really threw her, you know? I'm perfectly happy with my life, but she's never been content. I'm sorry Clarke's dead, and I hope you figure out who killed him.”

Even if it's your mother? I didn't ask.

“Well, so long.”

I went back to Jerry and we watched the VW chug away.

“I couldn't hear what you said, but he was definitely checking you out,” Jerry said.

“I hate to admit it, but sometimes my looks can work to my advantage.” I flashed my best beauty queen expression.

His eyebrows went up in mock surprise. “Sometimes?”

“Back to the case, please. Ferris thinks his mom is sliding toward senility in regards to the father issue. And according to him, Bea has jewelry shows all over Parkland.”

“Okay, so she enjoys leading a double life. I can relate.”

“I can understand why she wouldn't want to sell her jewelry here, but I still can't understand why she wouldn't want to brag about her success.” Another thought occurred to me. “If she's very successful, then she'd have lots of money, which is very important to her.” I took out my phone.

“Are you going to call her and ask how much money she makes?”

“No, I'm going to call an expert on all things shiny.”

Billamena was home and delighted to hear from me. “When can I expect a visit?”

“Soon, I promise,” I said. “But I need your help on a case.”

“How exciting!”

“Have you ever heard of Bea's Baubles and Beads?”

Billie gasped. “Oh, my word! Madeline, that's only one of the classiest collections of jewelry in town. You should come to one of her shows. It's fabulous. She makes everything herself, so every piece is one of a kind. I have six or seven of her bracelets on right now.”

“So you go to someone's house for a jewelry show, like a Tupperware party?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Would you describe Bea? I want to make sure it's the same person.”

“She's a little round woman, and she always dresses in beautiful black dresses to highlight her jewelry. Very classy.”

“Is she short-tempered and cranky?”

“She's not the gushy overly friendly type, but I wouldn't say she's cranky. Reserved, perhaps.”

Jerry was right. Bea was living a double life. “What about the prices on her jewelry?”

“Toward the high end, but well worth it. The bracelets were around eighty dollars each, as I recall. I've seen your mother at one of the shows, so you know they're expensive little baubles.”

My mother never bought anything cheap. Instead of trying to find a bargain, she would search for days to find the highest price on an item she wanted. “Billie, let me know when the next show is going to be.”

“Are you on the lookout for some bling? Thinking of winning Mrs. Parkland's crown? It's mine, I tell you, mine!” She gave one of her braying laughs and said she'd call me when she found out about the next show.

I closed my phone. “It's the same Bea, only new and improved. Billie said the bracelets sold for at least eighty dollars.”

“So Bea is a lot richer than she looks.”

“Why, then, would she be so obsessed about having her dinky little pictures in the gallery?”

“You know how people are. They can have everything in the world except one elusive thing, and that's all they focus on.”

Deely called Jerry over to discuss a few more things about the breakfast menu. I sat thinking of all the little pieces in this case and how they were not fitting together. I had Flora, an avowed con woman but convincingly grieving widow. I had Larissa, the wronged ex-wife who was seen leaving the scene of the crime. Then there was Bea with her mysterious jewelry career and a yard full of dangerous bricks. And I couldn't completely rule out Pamela and her gold button. After all, she had ties to Big Mike and his shady world.

But I couldn't figure out a motive for Pamela. She was happy to have her artwork in the gallery. She had no reason to want Wendall dead. Unless, like Bea, Pamela was living a second life as a criminal mastermind.

I just didn't know.