Laid Out and Candle Lit (25 page)
Read Laid Out and Candle Lit Online
Authors: Ann Everett
She smiled and wrapped a rubber band around her ponytail. “You got any proof . . . fingerprints, DNA, an eye witness?”
“Dammit, only one of us is taking this seriously.”
“Okay,” she said, facing him, resting her hands on her hips. “Let’s say I did it, not that I did. What are you gonna do, arrest me?”
He took a deep breath, focused on second base. “No.”
“Then what’s the point of this conversation?”
“Did you do it or not?”
“Oh, good grief, Ridge. People hack into computer systems all the time. Just because I volunteer at the clinic and can access records doesn’t make me guilty.”
“Tizzy . . .”
“You don’t believe me, do you? Well, let me ask
you
some questions. Was the envelope under the door yesterday?”
“No.”
“Did you spend the night with me?”
“Yes.”
“Then
ranger
me this. When was I able to put the envelope under your door?”
“Maybe you got someone else to do your dirty work,” he said, shaking his head.
“Does the list contain information that’ll help with the case?” she asked, slathering on sun screen.
“I can’t look. I would be an accessory after the fact,” he said, feeling some effect of watching her rub the lotion on her legs.
“What if something on the list proved someone lied about having access to insulin?”
“Doesn’t matter. The information hasn’t been obtained legally, so it’s a moot point.”
“Oh wow,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I’ve gotta go.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Remember, after the cancer thing, Rayann and I are going for a spa day. Tonight, I thought I’d grill some steaks.”
“Sounds good, but we’re not done talking about this,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a twenty dollar bill. “Here, take this. I’m a big fan of second base.”
* * * * *
Ridge pushed open the door to the station house and found Rita behind her desk about to open a pink marshmallow snowball.
“Wait! I brought you something from Sweet Thangs,” he said, passing her the bag. “Honestly, Rita, how can you eat prepackaged stuff when you’ve got homemade baked goods right down the street?”
“They’re not open when I come to work.”
“Is Bubba here?”
“Yeah, he’s in the break-room. Go on back.”
Ridge stepped to the doorway and found Bubba pouring himself a cup of coffee. He pitched the brown envelope down on the table. “I found this under my door about thirty minutes ago.”
“What is it?”
“A list of insulin patients from the clinic. You think Tizzy would be stupid enough to do this and get Rayann to help her?”
“Beats me. Did you ask her?”
“Yeah and she denied it. Wait a minute, she never actually denied the accusation, come to think of it.”
Bubba carried the envelope with him as they walked back to the front office.
“Oh Lord, Ridge, this muffin is delicious. Thank you.” Rita said.
Bubba added the brown envelope to some other papers and looked at Ridge. “I’m gonna serve a warrant. Do you wanna go with me?”
Before he could answer, Rita interrupted. “Oh my goodness, here comes Stella Easton.”
“Stella Easton? Why does that name sound familiar?” Ridge asked.
“She’s Ms. Town Talk. You’d better get ready. She fires off questions quicker than a machine gun,” Rita warned.
The door swung open and Stella stepped inside. “Hello, Rita, Bubba,” she said, then zeroed in on Ridge. “You must be Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper,” she declared, sticking out her hand.
Ridge shook and smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I enjoy your articles.”
“Thank you. Now, let me think. My goodness, you’re originally from Pennsylvania, but moved to Texas about four years ago, is that right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You and Tizzy are engaged, and you’re transferring to the Henderson County Office from Dallas, right?”
“Uh . . . yes, ma’am. How did you know? I only got the call about an hour ago.”
“I’m a reporter, so it’s my job. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna put anything in the paper, unless you want me to. How’s the case going? Poor Marlene. Just to think, while I was buying birdhouses from Carl, She might have been getting killed. It just blows my mind,” she said, waving her hands in the air.
“What did you say?”
“About blowing my mind?”
“No, the part about the bird houses. You were buying bird houses from Carl the night Marlene was killed?”
“Yes. My husband decided at the last minute we’d go visit my sister, Gwen, in Arkansas. She loves my birdhouses and comments about them every time she visits, so I thought my goodness, I’ll take her some,” she said, barely stopping for breath. “Even though it was late, I drove over to Carl’s to see if he was working in his shop. He does most evenings. I pulled into his drive and though you can’t see his workshop from the road, I could hear his saw buzzing, so I drove on up to the shop and sure enough, he was working away.”
“What time was that?” Ridge asked.
“Oh my goodness, it was about nine-thirty and we got so busy talking, I didn’t leave until about ten-forty-five. Anyway, Gwen loved the birdhouses. My husband put them up for her while we were visiting and she had birds already building in them before we left. Oh, goodness, I’m gonna forget why I came in. Rita, I need the arrest reports.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve got ‘em ready for you,” she said, handing them over.
“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Cooper. I’d better run along—my goodness, I’ve got a deadline.”
When the door closed behind her, Ridge shook his head. “Damn, that was a stroke of luck. Carl and Leah lied about the time of their alibis. I guess I need to pay Leah another visit.”
Rita held her hand up. “Sorry, Ridge, I’ve got some bad news and some good news. Leah’s serving on the grand jury. They have forty-three cases to rule on. She’ll be tied up until five o’clock. The good news is, no need to worry about where she is.”
Ridge stood up. “Well, guess I’ll go with you to serve the warrant, and I’ll plan on talking to Leah and Carl first thing in the morning.”
Rita stuck her pencil behind her ear. “Hey Ridge, what’s the deal with the transfer?”
“Oh, Jess Harden, the Ranger in Athens, wanted to move to a larger city, so we’re trading places. I haven’t even told Tizzy yet. I’m gonna surprise her with the news tonight.”
Rita shifted in her chair. “I’ve been meaning to ask, what did Gracie name her kitten?”
Ridge chuckled. “Cuddles.”
“Oh that’s sweet. Sounds just like a name Gracie would choose. Cat names are important because they reflect their owner’s personality.”
Bubba hooked his thumbs under his belt. “What are the names of your cats, Rita?”
She smiled. “Manson, Bundy, Sara Lee and Little Debbie.”
“You’re right. Those names certainly reflect what you’re all about.”
“Don’t make fun, Bubba. Cats are a lot less trouble than dogs.” Then she directed her question to Ridge. “You ever had cats?”
“No. Growing up, dogs were my pets of choice.”
“Well, be sure to spay and de-claw Cuddles. If you don’t, she will shred every piece of furniture and be having babies left and right. Not to mention the trophy hunting.”
“Whattaya mean, trophy hunting?”
Rita finished off her muffin and wiped her mouth. “Cats are natural hunters, but if you feed them all the time, they have no need to hunt for food. So, to win your love and approval, they’ll hunt and present the kill to you.” She wagged her head back and forth. “My mother used to scream bloody-murder when she’d open the door and find a dead bird or mouse lying there. But the worst one was a snake. She’d go completely crazy.” Rita broke into laughter. “If you get Cuddles fixed, she’ll just lie around and be content.”
“I’ll be sure and tell Tizzy. I stay in hot water with her enough. I don’t need litters and dead animals adding to the problem.”
* * * * *
Ridge got in on the passenger side as Bubba slipped behind the wheel and laid the folder between them. What started out as a nice day had taken a turn for the worse. Lightning streaked the sky, and a low rumble moaned the threat of rain.
Ten miles out of town, Bubba turned in at a mobile home park where all the trailers were shot-gunned into lots on both sides of the street. Each had small yards bordered by chain link fencing.
Ridge glanced down at the warrant. Connally Beckem, twenty-one, Caucasian, five feet, eight inches, one-hundred-thirty pounds, wanted for breaking and entering. “Is this his?” Ridge asked, pointing toward the trailer.
Bubba shook his head. “Grandma’s. He lives with her.”
Ridge stood behind Bubba while he knocked. An elderly woman opened the door and looked up at them with eyes that said she’d been disappointed by life.
“You here for Connally?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am. Is he here?” Bubba said.
“You gonna arrest him?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid so.”
“Good for you. He’s not here, but I’ll tell you where you can find him.” She stepped out onto the small porch and pointed back toward the main road. “He’s down there in that first trailer on the left, when you come into the park. You can’t miss the place. It’s the pink and purple one. He’s shacked up with that no good whore Lula Tucker. She’s put some kind of spell on that boy. Her husband drives a truck and he left this morning for California and won’t be back for two weeks. He hadn’t been gone thirty-minutes until Lula called and Connally high-tailed it down to her trailer. I’ve tried to get that boy into church, but he won’t go. I’ve told him God don’t take kindly to men who screw other men’s wives, but he won’t listen to me. So take him to jail. He’s better off there than he is with her.”
Bubba and Ridge returned to the car and eased down to the colorful trailer. When they stepped onto the porch, they could hear Lula shouting. “Oh God, you’re a stallion! You’re a goddamn stallion! Giddy-up, baby! Giddy-up!”
“Whattaya think?” Ridge asked Bubba.
Bubba shook his head. “Seems a shame to interrupt a man in the middle of a ride. Maybe we should give’em a minute.”
“Give it to me, you stallion! Giddy-up, baby! Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up!” Lula screamed.
They heard a loud moan and the trailer went quiet. Bubba knocked.
A large woman wearing a pink chenille robe and a cowboy hat opened the door. She had flaming red hair, “May I help you?” she asked, lighting a cigarette.
“Yes ma’am. Is Connally Beckem here?”
She took a long drag, aimed the smoke at the ceiling, and spoke over her shoulder. “Connally! They’s some men here t’see you, Sugar.”
Connally stepped to the doorway wearing nothing but cowboy boots. Bubba and Ridge slanted a look at each other both thinking the same thing. Connally
was
a goddamn stallion.
He focused in on them. “Shit! You here to arrest me?”
“Fraid so. Put some clothes on, boy,” Bubba said.
Lula walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Go with’em, baby. I’ll be down to get you out. You’ll be back with me by this afternoon. You know Lula’s not gonna do without you.” She gave him a kiss with lots of tongue, eyes open looking at Bubba and Ridge.
Once Connally was dressed, Ridge put him in the car, and they headed toward county jail.
The threat of rain passed. Now the air was thick and sticky without motion, and the sun was struggling to dominate the sky. After processing Connally into the county jail, Ridge and Bubba sat at a corner booth in
Bean There Bun That
café having lunch and talking.
“You questioned Carla Ferguson, huh?” Bubba asked.
“Yeah, don’t mention it to Tizzy, but Carla came on to me. She is a slut, and a good one,” Ridge said.
“Yeah, I had a turn with her back in the day. Hell, every guy did.”
By the time they finished lunch, the clouds had rolled in again and a fine mist was falling. Bubba looked down at the brown envelope lying in the seat between them. “You sure you don’t want to open it? If somebody’s listed who’s connected to Leah, that could be the last nail in her coffin. You’ve thought all along she was the best suspect.”
Ridge picked up the envelope and fiddled with the clasp. “Yeah, but even now, something doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on it. I thought with the information I got this morning, the feeling would go away, but no luck. Maybe after I talk to Leah I’ll feel better.” Ridge thought of Tizzy.
“What are you smiling about,” Bubba asked.
“Something Tizzy said. She thinks we met because of fate. She believes in that stuff, you know.”
“Whattaya mean? Fate you were assigned Marlene’s murder case?”
Ridge squinted his eyes. “Yeah . . .” He looked up in deep thought. “Yeah . . . she said of all the locations they could have left Marlene’s body, they chose Boone’s grave. A place she ran by every morning.”