Bed & Breakfast Bedlam (A Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Twelve

There was much fanfare with Miss Vivee
leaving the house for the first time in twenty years. People were
congratulating her on leaving out and working on the Island. It was like Miss
Vivee had been crowned Miss Yasamee and there was to be a parade in her honor.
But no one knew the truth about why she was leaving the house.

Miss Vivee came down while I was still
hanging out in the kitchen with Renmar. She made me eat breakfast in the kitchen
with her. Then she took the rest of the morning to get ready, said it was “real
important” that she looked her best. Good thing too, because when we got out to
the main part of the house, the dining room was full of people waiting to see
her off.

She had on light pink lipstick, and a pink
coat and hat that fit down over her head. She wore a checkered lavender and white
dress and opaque beige stockings.

I just don’t know how she doesn’t have a
heat stroke. She wore a coat, granted a thin one, practically every day.

Her long hair had been pulled back into a
braid and pinned up at the nape of her neck. Her “pocketbook,” as she called
it, on one arm and Cat in tow, she made her entrance into the dining room like
she was the Queen of England.

“Looks like everybody got wind of this
momentous occasion,” she muttered as we walked out. “I know Renmar and Brie are
happy with all the customers.”

“Is this all because we’re going out?”

“This is all because
I’m
going out.
Nobody gives two hoots and a holler what you do,” she said. “But I could do
without all of this.” She waved her hand around and put a scowl on her face.
“Wonder will this many people show up at my funeral.”

Miss Vivee’s scowl couldn’t hide how
pleased she was with the people who came to see her off. Even I could tell
that.

“So how far does this Viola Rose live?” I
asked after I got her and her dog in the car, calmed down, and buckled in. She
didn’t like my Jeep at all. Said it was too high off the ground. She fussed a
good while about it.

“If I knew I was going to have to climb
into the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, I would have called a taxi,” she had said
grumbling.

“Two blocks over.” She pointed her finger
now. “Go that way. We’re not going to her house. We’re going to the diner.
Remember?”

“But -” I tried to protest. The way she
pointed wasn’t the way to the town square.

“You think you know this town better than
me?” She glanced at me. “Because you don’t.”

“I’ll go whichever way you want me to,
Miss Vivee,” I said and followed her direction.

“In this quadrant,” she said after sending
me on a circuitous route and ending up on the other side of the square without
going through it, “are streets named after trees. Ash, Oak and that one coming
up is Magnolia.” She watched with anticipation as we came up on Magnolia.
Halfway across it, she yelled, “Stop!” She said it so suddenly that it threw
both of us forward when I hit the brakes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to go down Magnolia,” she said.

“That’s why you yelled at me?” I mashed on
the gas and turned the steering wheel hard to maneuver around the corner and go
down the street I’d almost passed. “You could have caused us to have an
accident.”

“Accident?” She looked around out of all
the windows. “There is not one car coming this way. Who were you going to run
into?”

She got quiet and peered out of the window
as I drove down the street and in a barely audible voice she muttered, “I
wonder does it still look the same.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Just keep driving.”

I drove down the street. About midway down
it, Miss Vivee cried out again. “Oh no!” she said and tried to crunch down in
her seat. She was barely tall enough to see out of the window as it was. But
she moved fast, bending her neck and trying to lean forward so she couldn’t be
seen through the passenger side window. I don’t think she was limber enough to
get completely out of sight. And I do believe she would have dropped to the
floor of the car if she could’ve.

“What?” I yelled again as I slammed on the
brakes. “What’s wrong now?”

“Oh. Good Lord, don’t stop!”

I put my foot back on the gas.

“Hurry up! Get me out of here.”

“What is wrong with you?” I glanced over
at her as I maneuvered down the street.

“Nothing’s wrong with me.” She fixed her
hat on her head and stretched her neck to peer out of the window. Looking back
down the street she asked, “Do you think he saw me?”

“Who?” I asked and looked out the rearview
mirror. “That man with the cane walking his dog.”

“Yes! The man with the cane walking the
dog. Did he see me?”

“I don’t know, but he’s still standing
there, watching us drive away.”

“Oh Lord Almighty. I think I’m gonna
faint,” she said and started fanning herself with her hand. Turn on the air,
child.”

“Who is he?” I asked as I put the fan on
high and rolled up the windows. “Is he someone you know?”

“Can you just drive and not ask so many
questions. All I did was ask you to go down Magnolia and before I know it
you’re making a big production number out of it.”

“Me?”

“Drive to the diner,” she huffed. “You
think you can do that?” She strained to look out the back window as if to make
sure we weren’t being followed.

I checked the car mirror. “He’s gone,” I
said. 

“Who cares?” she said and waved her hand
at me. “Let’s just get to what we come to do. The diner.” She wagged her finger
pointing out windshield at the road ahead and nodded.

In other words, telling me to get a move
on.

Chapter Thirteen

“Land sakes alive, it’s true.” A waitress
met us at the door. “I do declare. Rumor mill said you were coming out and dang
blast it if you ain’t standing right here in my diner.”

“Mornin’ Viola Rose,” Miss Vivee said. And
waved her hand dismissing her comments. “You want to seat us, or just stand
here and gawk? I can’t leave my dog in the car all day while you gab.”

Stepping into the Jellybean Café was like
arriving in the Land of Oz. It was all in Technicolor. There were shiny chrome,
bright red leather-topped stools, placed a few feet apart underneath an
aluminum counter that ran the length of the restaurant. The booths were a
vibrant red, turquoise, purple and yellow stripe with radiant white Formica
table tops that matched the polished linoleum floor and were set in front of
huge picture windows that sparkled with colorful neon signs.

“Gus, look who’s here,” Viola Rose called
out. She grabbed two menus and headed toward one of the booths.

“Well, if it ain’t the matriarch of
Yasamee, Georgia,” Gus grinned. “Rose, you make sure you treat her like
royalty. Anything she wants, it’s on the house.”

“Don’t you think I know what to do?” Viola
Rose countered back.

Gus, who could pass for a munchkin, was
short, muscular and seemed to have a permeant scowl on his face. He worked the
flattop grill with skill, donned in a white apron, t-shirt and chef’s skull
cap. And if he was one of the citizens of Oz, Viola Rose was its good witch,
Glenda. She was pink and bedazzled – shiny lips, shiny eyeshadow and shiny
rings on every finger. Even her eyes sparkled when she smiled. Her strawberry
blond hair was teased high into a bouffant and she had several pens sticking
out of it.

“How long has it been, Miss Vivee?” Viola
Rose asked.

“Twenty years.”

“Oh my! Don’t that just beat anything?”
Viola Rose stopped in her tracks. “You venture out after twenty years and you
come to my diner,” She loosed a smile that was as wide as the Mississippi. “Here,
Miss Vivee.” She walked over to a booth that sat in the center of one of the
windows, a purple and pink sign blinking “Open” hanging in the middle of it.
“You sit right here. This was always your favorite booth,” Viola Rose said
patting the table.

“Now who you got with you? This Bay’s
girlfriend?” Viola Rose said eyeing me.

“Just because she black don’t mean she’s
dating Bay, Viola Rose. I know lots of black people. She’s an archaeologist,”
Miss Vivee said seemingly proud. “And she consented to having lunch with me.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Miss Vivee,”
Viola Rose said. “I was only asking. Not making any judgments.”

“Well you ask too many questions,” Miss
Vivee said.

“You not gonna rile me today, Miss Vivee.
I’m too happy to see you.” Viola Rose pulled a pen out of her hair and an order
pad out of her apron pocket. “So what can I get you ladies?”

“I’ll have coffee and she’ll have an iced
tea.”

“I’ll have a Pepsi, please.” I said. “Lots
of ice.”

“It’s a fountain drink, is that okay with
you?” she asked.

“Yep,” I said and picked up the menu. “You
want egg salad, Miss Vivee?”

“Oh my God, no! Why would you think that?”

“I thought you liked my egg salad, Miss
Vivee.” Viola Rose frowned up her face.

“Just bring us our drinks, Viola Rose.
Give me a chance to see what else you got.”

“If you want answers from her,” I leaned
in and lowered my voice after Viola Rose left. “Seems like you’d be a lot nicer
to her.”

“I’m going to need to you to run over to
Hadley Drug store,” she said ignoring me. “It’s right there on the corner.
See.” She pointed out the window. “I want one of those small notebooks that the
detectives use. You know it has the spiral wire on the top.”

“I haven’t ordered yet.”

“Well order. Then go get me a notebook,
please. And three No. 2 pencils. Already sharpened.”

“Okay,” I said. I sat and perused the menu
for awhile. Everything looked good. I remember Renmar telling me they had good
food here. “What are you having?” I asked Miss Vivee.

“An egg salad sandwich,” she said
impatiently tapping her fingers on the counter. She hadn’t even looked at her
menu. “Now. You tell me what you want and I’ll tell Viola Rose while you go to
Hadley’s.”

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t want any
egg salad?”

“Are you going to tell me what you want so
I can get it ordered for you?”

Geesh.

I let out a groan. “Okay. I’ll do a
cheeseburger and French fries.”

“Okay then. Now go. Shoo. And hurry back.”

Luckily Hadley’s Drugstore had the
notebook Miss Vivee wanted, but they didn’t sell pencils that were already
sharpened. I considered getting her a mechanical pencil, but when I said who it
was that wanted it to the sales clerk that was helping me, she wouldn’t let me
get one. She said she’d sharpen the pencils for me.

Miss Vivee controlled people with just the
mention of her name.

“We should make a list of suspects,” Miss
Vivee said when I got back.

“That’s a good idea,” I said taking a sip
of my coke. Viola Rose had waited to bring it to me until I got back. Miss
Vivee had downed half of her cup of coffee. “Did you order my food, Miss
Vivee,” I asked.

“Of course I did. You think I was just
over here twiddling my thumbs?”

Miss Vivee pulled the notebook and pencils
out of the plastic Hadley Drugstore bag. She opened up the notebook and licked
the tip of her pencil.

“Okay. Who we got so far?” she asked. Her
shaky hand perched over the paper.

“You want me to write?” I asked.

“Why would I need you to write? I’m
heading up this investigation. These should be my notes.”

Before I could say anything, Viola Rose
brought our food over.

“I put extra egg salad on there, Miss
Vivee. “I knew you were only kidding when you said you didn’t want any.”

“I don’t kid, Viola Rose. But I realized
my outburst wasn’t nice so I decided to eat some.” She looked up at the
waitress. “For the sake of your feelings.”

Viola Rose shook her head.

“Okay, you two enjoy.”

I put some ketchup on my fries, and on my
burger with a little mustard. I bit into it and the juice from the meat ran
down my arm. “Oh man. This is good,” I said through a mouth full of food. “You like
your egg salad, Miss Vivee?”

“It’s okay,” she said.

“You want more coffee, honey?” Viola Rose
came to the table with a steaming pot in her hand.

“No,” Miss Vivee said and placed her palm
on the top of the cup. “But I do want to ask you something.”

“Anything you need.”

“It’s about Gemma Burke.”

“Poor thing. I heard about what happened.
Terrible thing that it happened at your place. I reckon that Renmar was just
beside herself. ‘Specially with the Sheriff having to confiscate her famous
bouillabaisse.”

“Sheriff ruffled her feathers with that
one,” Miss Vivee said. “She wants to make sure no one finds out her secret
ingredients. And the thought of the county lab examining it practically sent
her off her rockers.”

Viola Ray set the coffee pot on the table,
put her hands on her hips and let out a laugh. “Renmar’d kill over somebody
trying to get her recipe. Come to think of it, sort of a coincidence, Gemma
asked me did I know how to make Renmar’s bouillabaisse. She said she’d do
anything to find out what’s in it.”

“Did she now?” Miss Vivee asked seemingly
intrigued.

“Tell me Viola Rose, what do you know
about her?”

“Who? Gemma Burke?” Viola Rose asked. “Probably
no more than you. You remember her before she left here to go to the big city.”

“Yeah, I do. But that was so long ago.”

“Well she hadn’t changed much. She still
was a nice girl. Quiet but polite. She was always smiling.” Viola Rose tilted
her head upward and squinted her eyes like she was thinking. “I asked her once
why she come back after she was so gung ho to leave and she told me she just
missed home.”

“So she hadn’t changed much, huh?”

“No way I could tell. Only thing I know
she did different was she had become what you called one of them, uhm,
runners.”

“Joggers,” Miss Vivee said and eyed me.

“Yeah, you know. But now that I think
about it she seemed quieter than before. Always keeping to herself. I thought
about that when I used to see her running out there.” She pointed through the
window. “Always by herself.”

“She’d run past here,” I asked.

“Yep. That’s was the last time I saw her. Her
going past my window. Every morning she’d come from her house and jog down
along past here. She did it on the day she died.”

“What time was that, Viola Rose?” Miss
Vivee asked.

“I know exactly what time it was. Eleven
thirty. Junior Appletree had come in for his lunch. Comes in everyday at the
same time. Funny, how I noticed her that day. Can’t say that I remember what
time she ran by here any other day.”

“But you do remember that she passed here
every day,” I asked.

“Sure do. Every day during the week. I
don’t think she ran on the weekend. Leastways I can’t say I remember her doing
it.”

“How’d she look when she passed?”

“How’d she look?” Viola Rose seemed
puzzled.

“I mean was she coughing. Did she look
like she was in any pain?”

“I can’t say.” She cocked her head to the
side. “But I guess if she was coughing or sickly I would have taken notice of
it.” She looked down at Miss Vivee. “So. Nope. I’d have to say she wasn’t. She
looked like she did any other day.”

“Wasn’t she staying in Gunner Hadley’s old
house?” Miss Vivee asked.

“Yeah, she was renting it. You know she’d
sold her parents’ house when she left.”

“Where did she go when she left here?”

“I don’t rightly know.” Viola tapped her
chin with her finger. “She said ‘big city,’ I’m sure it was Augusta. You know I
don’t like to pry into people business.”

“Yes. Viola Rose, I know,” Miss Vivee
said, obviously being sarcastic.

“She’s got a girl staying up there at the
house with her, though,” Viola Rose added. “Brought her back with her when she came
ahome.”

“Really? I don’t remember seeing any new
faces around here?” Miss Vivee said.

“Sweetie, you ain’t left the house in
twenty years, probably a lot of things around here you ain’t seen.” She stuck
her hands down in the pockets of her apron. “She’s come in here to eat plenty
of times. She’s a real bump on a log. Mousey. Quiet. I always wondered what her
and Gemma did together because they wouldn’t say two words to each other when
they’d come in here to eat. But Gemma was real nice to her. Gemma would always
pay for the food for the both of them.”

“What’s the girl’s name?” Miss Vivee
asked.

“Hmmm. Can’t say I know.” Viola Rose used
one of the pens stuck in her hair to scratch her head. “Don’t know if Gemma
ever said it.”

“Why was she staying with Gemma?” Miss
Vivee asked.

 “Well ain’t you full of questions?”

“It happens when you don’t get out much,”
Miss Vivee said matter-of-factly. “You just become overflowing with questions
almost to the point where you feel like you’re gonna pop if you don’t get them
answered. Plus,” Miss Vivee said and leaned forward to whisper to Viola Rose,
“I want to help Renmar and the Maypop keep their good reputation.” She touched
her on her arm. “Like you said, it ain’t good for her or our establishment if
people are dying.”

 “Don’t I know it. I just shudder at the
thought of that happening here. Someone dying right in one of my booths.” She
shook her shoulders.

“That’s why I came down here to talk to
you Viola Rose, I knew you could help me clear Renmar’s good name.”

“Miss Vivee. You know I’d do anything for
you or your family.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “No. I can’t say that I
ever heard either one of them say her name. But if something comes to mind,
I’ll let you know.” Viola Rose crossed her arms in front of her. “And I don’t
know why that girl is living with her either.” Viola Rose lowered her voice.  “Can’t
say that either one of them ever told me the reason. But I was figuring she was
broke, she seemed as useless as a screen door on a submarine.”

 “Has she been in here today?” Miss Vivee asked.

“No. She ain’t been in here today.” The door
to the diner opened with a jingle. “I’ll be right with you,” Viola Rose called
out to the couple that came in. “But I know she’ll be here later,” she said and
reached down and picked up Miss Vivee’s coffee cup. It’s Saturday. I serve
Shepard’s Pie every Saturday and she never misses it.”