Carol Shenold - Tali Cates 02 - Bloody Murder (8 page)

“Tali, we were together. I didn’t take you against your will. You appeared to be as enthusiastic as I was.”

“That’s precisely the problem. I should have better control. How can I set an example for my kids, expect them to make good choices, have self control, if I don’t exhibit it myself?”

We both finished dressing without any more words and Aiden took me home. I jumped out of the car and ran into the house before he could come around to open the door.

Chapter Seven

I tossed and turned, dozed, dreamed weird things, woke up, dozed again. Aiden, Theresa, creepy feelings at the dressing room, everything passed in and out of my thoughts. Exhausted, I’d just about fallen asleep for the third time when I heard a noise. The clock shone four a.m.

I’d checked on Sean but not Cass or Mumsie. Mumsie slept like the dead. She’d never be up this early. I pulled on my robe and looked around for a weapon. If someone broke in, they’d have a problem. Anger still ran through me when I thought about the time someone painted
witch
on the front of the house a few months ago. I grabbed a giant carving knife as I crept through the kitchen, past the sliding door in the dining room, which was secure. I stood in the alcove next to the laundry room trying to hear any noise from the green room. A faint rustle told me someone was there.

I shivered, imagining any number of things, none of them pleasant. Dang it, the boys had me spooked. This was ridiculous.

I walked into the room and stood on the landing as my daughter, Cass, and the new boyfriend left nothing to the imagination with their antics on the couch. That was how Aiden and I must have looked.

I yelled. “Cassandra Mary Cates, put your clothes on, right now. You too, young man. What do you think you’re doing? Sean could walk right in on you. It’s not as if there’s a door you can lock, or a door at all.”

“And how long were you sneaking around watching us?” Cass jerked on her jeans. “That’s sick. Besides, you have no right to spy on us.”

“As long as you’re living with us, you have no right to act as if you’re the only one in the house. Banging around the house at four a.m., scaring me to death, is not considerate. And if you are going to do something requiring privacy, for God’s sake and mine, find some.”

“I can take care of that. I’ll go home with Chase. He won’t be so picky, will you Chase?”

So far, Chase had not said anything, and he grew pale at Cass’s question. “Well, honey, I have a roommate, you know, and I don’t think you could bunk with the two of us, not that it wouldn’t be nice and all that, but I don’t think you’d like it very much…” He trailed off, looking guilty and sneaky at the same time. What the hell was he hiding? I was so tired of secrets and mysteries.

Cass whirled on Chase. “You go then, and sleep with your precious roommate. I wouldn’t want to bother that arrangement.” Venom dripped from the words and he stepped back.

Chase reached for her hand and she jerked away. “Cass, you know I didn’t mean it that way. Listen for just one minute.”

“Don’t slam the door on the way out,” I said, ever the good hostess, and I left them to finish their argument. Chase looked more puzzled than angry.

Cass needed to learn to think things through, but I was angry at myself for overreacting. I had to stop screaming before I turned into the fishwife she thought I was. Aiden would say I had the right to get angry and show emotion but showing, expressing negative emotion was never encouraged when I was a child. Holding it all in was a difficult habit to break.

Since sleep had deteriorated into an impossible dream, I put on some coffee. It was a warm October. Sometimes we didn’t get a hard freeze until Halloween. I could put on my robe and sit on the deck. I didn’t want to hear the yelling in the living room, which wouldn’t last because I’d go in there and kill them both if they didn’t cool it.

After I brewed a pot dark enough to stand on its own, I took a large cup outside and sat at the picnic table, looking over the edge of the deck toward the football field. I inhaled the aroma of the rich, strong coffee. I always spent too much money on good coffee, and then I’d add whipped cream to the top.

The full moon lit the yard until the house felt dark. Everything stood out in stark detail: tree leaves, grass, even pecans hiding from the squirrels. I jumped at a movement until I identified a possum walking across the far end of the field. An early-bird wren called and a cardinal answered.

I faced a long day with the Duchess Contest this afternoon and the Queen Contest this evening. Errands stared me in the face—pick up trophies, check on flowers, make sure I had judging sheets for each contestant, enough fill-in talent.

Mothers were sure to call.
“Can Darla change her song? She picked a new one to sing. Can you come get the tape for the new song and give it to the sound man?”

Angst would rule when I said, “Bring the tape when you come and give it to the sound person then. It will work.”

Somehow I wanted to repair what tentative relationship I had with Aiden. My hesitation wasn’t his fault, or his problem. I couldn’t blame him because my hormones were raging and I was on him like a duck on a black bug. He shouldn’t have to deal with my lack of self-control.

I sipped on my coffee and watched the red sun take a last peek over the horizon before it popped up all the way to gold-tip the grass and cast shadows that snaked across the yard. I mentally planned the day. First, listen to messages, then get dressed and show up at Blooms to make certain flowers arrived on time today. No more waiting on Miss Incompetence to deliver on time.

I dressed in my jeans and tee uniform, discreet jewelry—not. I like gaudy so people look at the jewelry, not me. I jumped into my beloved red Cruiser and nearly had a heat stroke. Shit, today was going to be one of those North Texas October days that feel like high summer. I should have guessed by the thunderstorms that the weather was going to change one direction or the other.

The morning sun glared off car and shop windows, warning of things to come. Specifically of heat to come on a muggy day with the moisture left over from yesterday’s thunderstorm. Poor kids. Maybe we’d get some cloud cover at least for the contest itself, or the girls and the audience would be miserable.

I walked past my car and down to the flower shop. Inside, it was blessedly dark and cool. The scent of flowers filled the store, not cloying, just light and refreshing. Now this would be the place to work in the summer. How fun would that be, working with color and scent like that? The owner, Marilee, rushed in at the sound of the bell above the door. She looked distressed when she saw me.

“Oh, Tali. I meant to call you. Ray stepped off the curb this morning and hurt his ankle. We thought it was sprained but when we went to North Texas Medical, they x-rayed and he has a fracture. He’s going to need surgery.”

“Oh dear. I’m so sorry.”

I couldn’t breathe. How was I going to find an emcee in a couple of hours, for both contests? Damn, what else can go wrong?

No. Cancel the question. I don’t want to know.

“By the way, would you like to fill in for Ray, since I now need an emcee? And who will be delivering flowers for the contest this afternoon and this evening?”

She shook her head no. “Sorry, I have to take care of the injured hubby, but my daughter will be happy to do all the deliveries.”

“On time?”

“On time. I already talked to her about it. I can’t afford for her to lose us money right now, especially with the injury. We have to carry private insurance since we’re too small to qualify for group. It will mean a financial strain for sure.”

I left the shop, potential emcee names flitting through my brain like birds trying to escape from cages. Most of the people who came to mind were already doing multiple jobs for the fair board. There must be someone I could use, who everyone would like and trust, who wasn’t already spoken for.

Someone grabbed my arm and I whirled around. It was Cherilyn. Dang, If I hadn’t already roped her into being a judge, she could have emceed for me. “Come with me. You have to see this?”

“Where are we going? What’s up?”

“We’re going to the courthouse. Marcia’s husband has been arrested.”

“You’re kidding. What about the kids if they’re hauling him away?

“I’m not fooling and I don’t know. I’m not sure if there are any grandparents, aunts and uncles close by. They were new in town. They came with the first round of construction people working on the new prison outside of town.”

“Wonderful,” I gasped, out of breath trying to keep up with Cherilyn’s long legs and sweating like gangbusters. “How did you hear about it?”

“The girl who works at the funeral home called me. Evidently they picked up Don and the kids while they were casket shopping, and they’re due to arrive at the jail any minute.”

“Oh, nice. Can’t they at least let the family grieve? That’s the shits. What’s JT thinking?”

“Actually, that’s another thing. The city and county are fighting over jurisdiction, both groups think it’s their crime. It’s the new DA who is behind this early arrest, if my resources are correct.”

“Poor guy, poor kids.”

When we got to the courthouse, Cherilyn pulled me away from the already formed crowd. “They’ll deliver him to the back and I want a picture.”

“How did a queue happen so quickly? That’s morbid, and so is taking pictures.”

Cherilyn looked at me. “Haven’t you ever noticed how crowds follow bad things, dark emotions? It’s a rule of the universe. And my job is to document what’s happening, good, bad, or ugly—and this is ugly.”

Before I could answer, two city police cars pulled up and parked. Cherilyn zeroed in on a shot with her video cam and powerful zoom lens. I’d been prepared for the frantic paparazzi flashing instead of this intense and quiet moment as the dazed-looking girls were unloaded and bundled indoors.

The crowd evidently clued into what was going on. Running feet pounded around the corner behind us as we, and half the town, gathered to watch.

Someone yelled out, “Murderer.”

“Didn’t you think about your children?” another voice screamed.

Don didn’t look up when the officers took him out of the car. He stared down as he walked. He looked as if he’d lost his best friend and didn’t know what to do. He looked like a grieving widower.

Waves of sorrow rolled off him and slammed into us as he walked into the building.

I turned to Cherilyn as she lowered her camera. “Did you feel it? He’s truly grieving. I don’t think he killed anyone. JT has the wrong person and this will ruin Don’s life.”

“If you mean this heat wave, yes, I feel it. As far as his guilt or innocence—thank God it’s not my decision. Gotta run to the office with this shot. I’ll see you later.”

I stared after her, wondering where my friend was, the one who cared about stray kittens and fallen birds. Maybe this was a Laurel effect.

Chapter Eight

By the time I got home, I had a few hours before I had to be at the fairgrounds, check the amphitheatre to make sure nothing had been left from the night before.

Then, find something cool enough to wear and have lunch. Funny how food always landed at the top of my to-do list. Thank goodness for genes that tolerated my appetite without ballooning my hips too far.

I sautéed a chicken breast and made a sandwich, opting for the cool dining room rather than the hot deck. A tall glass of raspberry tea and I was set to relax for a good thirty minutes—until Sean came barreling into the room waving a book.

“Mom. Guess what? Love used to have a vampire. It lived right here.” He plopped a musty book with a moldy-looking cover on the table, sending up a cloud of something that smelled like old books and forgotten secrets.

“What do you mean, right here? This was always our house, Sean.”

He gave me the look, the one that said
, why do I put up with this idiot?
“No, not here, here, I mean here in our town. We had a vampire living here a hundred years ago. The guy next door could be the same one. Maybe he’s just now come out of hiding and is trying to get back into society again so he can feed on innocents.”

“Sean, I want every comic you have, and no more movie classics for you, at least, nothing else with monsters in it. I can’t believe you. I thought we already talked about this nonsense and agreed there was no such thing. And what’s that book? If it’s what filled your head with garbage, I’ll have a talk with the librarian.”

“We talked and you said there was no such thing. I didn’t agree, I just didn’t argue. If we go over there today, in the daylight, we could find out where his coffin or plot is and stop him from moving around at night.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“The usual way. A stake through the heart or cut off his head. Either one will work on the bloodsucking undead.” The cold look in Sean’s eyes made me sick. Who was this bloodthirsty child?

“Sean. I swear, if I thought you were serious, I’d wash your mouth out with soap before I put bars on the windows and grounded you for life. You are talking about one of our neighbors. Let’s put aside the whole vampire-coffin-bloodsucker idea. You really think you could just walk into Aiden’s house, find out where he sleeps, and cut off his head?”

“But Mom, he’s not human.”

“I don’t believe it for a minute. And what if you put a stake in his heart or cut off his head, and he
doesn’t
explode into a bunch of dust or slime or whatever they are supposed to do? Then tell me what you are going to do? Call JT and confess?”

“Oh, sorry JT. I thought he was a vampire so I walked in and stabbed him just in case. It was a little mistake. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

I looked at my son’s innocent face. “Honey, you are talking about playing with people’s lives here. We do not live in a movie. You cannot assume things about people because they are a little different. For all we know, Aiden’s a writer who keeps odd hours. If you jump to dangerous conclusions and spread rumors, it’s like what that preacher did in the newspaper article when he called me and Mumsie witches. And you know how you felt when the vandals wrote things on our house. You and Rusty have to put a stop to this obsession of yours.”