Laid Out and Candle Lit (3 page)

She glanced one last time in the rearview mirror, straightened her shoulders, got out of the car, and headed into Sweet Thangs. Ready to apologize, she rushed into the kitchen. Her mother Pattiecake McAlister, and her Aunt Sugarpie Monroe, though in their fifties, were as saucy and sassy as when they were in high school. They would scold her in a heartbeat.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I stopped at the station to offer Annie Mae’s baby-sitting services to Dan until Mandy delivers.” She took a deep breath. “Lord, I still can’t believe Marlene’s dead, much less
murdered
.”

Pattiecake lifted her brows. “After all this time, bank president Carl Weston is back on the market. Right now, every available woman in the county is lining up outside Carl’s house with a casserole.”

“Mama, that’s terrible,” Tizzy scolded, but still thinking how much better off Carl was. “Oh, by the way, while I was at the station, I met the Ranger who’s investigating the murder.”

Rayann Harrison, Tizzy’s best friend and employee of Sweet Thangs, flipped her long blonde hair back. “What’s he like, old and big-bellied?”

Tizzy widened her eyes and smiled. “Nope. He‘s thirtyish, tall, with broad shoulders and dark hair.” She hesitated, took a breath and spoke slowly. “He’s got these piercing blue eyes.” She took another breath, buying herself some time while trying to sound uninterested. “And looks like his face would break if he smiled.”

Rayann raised her hands in praise. “Oh my Lord! You kinda like him.”

“I do not,” Tizzy protested, adding some conviction to the denial.

“Oh yes you do. That’s the same look you get when you’re about to go to Neiman’s shoe sale and we all know how you love Neiman’s shoe sales. You definitely like him. Ladies, can I get an amen from the kitchen?”

Sugarpie paused from slicing coconut pie. “Is he single?” Her voice elevated. “Girl, don’t say you don’t know, because we’ve taught you better than that.”

“He wasn’t wearing a ring, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s single.” Tizzy donned her apron and tied the strings, filled the pockets with an order pad and pencil, then grabbed a stack of menus and started placing them on tables.

“I’m meeting him at the cemetery this afternoon to go over my statement,” she said, trying to make the announcement sound like a daily routine.

Sugarpie laughed, raising her voice another octave. “Whoa! Murder and an afternoon rendezvous. Sure sounds promising.”

“Okay, enough already,” Tizzy said. “I’m not looking for romance, and I certainly wasn’t looking for murder.”

Sugarpie eyed her sister. “You may not be looking for romance, but you need to be. Doesn’t she, Pattiecake? Gracie’s almost four. She needs a daddy, and whether you admit it or not, you need a man. Girl, you’re missing some of the best sex years of your life. Lor-dee, I remember sex at twenty-eight. What I’d give for a couple of weeks of that again. Wouldn’t you, Pattiecake?”

“Speak for yourself, Sugarpie. My sex life is just fine.”

“Get real, sis-tah, so is mine. For my age. I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind a little time travel back to
that
age. You remember how it was?” She closed and opened her eyes slowly, and stared dreamily into space. She placed her palm flat against her throat and spoke in whispered gasps. “You thought about it all day . . . you couldn’t wait for him to get home . . . the minute he stepped in the door, you were tearing at each other’s clothes . . . he couldn’t get to you quick enough . . . Whew! Damn! I think I need a glass of sweet tea,” she said fanning her face with both hands.

They all broke into laughter. “I think we all need a glass of sweet tea after that,” Pattiecake said. “Tizzy, Sugarpie’s right. Gracie does need a daddy and believe it or not, I agree you need a man, too.”

Tizzy stuck her chin out. “Okay, Mama, don’t start with me. Gracie has plenty of positive daddy figures in her life without me husband huntin’.” Tizzy frowned as she picked up the coffee pot and filled it with water. “I should have said the Ranger was old and big-bellied. For all we know, he has two ex-wives and six kids.”

“You’re right, Tizzy. But you need to keep an open mind.” Pattiecake wiped her hands and began placing pieces of Italian Cream Cheese Cake onto china desert plates. “At your age, every single man you meet should be a consideration. Besides, this murder concerns me. Marlene was found at Boone’s grave, for heaven’s sake. If you had a man around, I wouldn’t worry so much.”

Tizzy emptied coffee into the filter and flipped the switch. “Good Lord, Mama. I don’t think her murder has anything to do with me. Besides, the Ranger’s staying right next door, and that’s almost as good as having a man in the house. He’s just a scream away,” she teased.

Rayann stuck her head into the kitchen. “Heads up, ladies. I think we’re gonna get to see for ourselves how the Ranger looks, because here he comes with Dwayne and Dan.”

Tizzy positioned herself behind the counter, and folded napkins. Pretending to be unconcerned, she nervously studied her mom and Sugarpie from the corner of her eye. They made a beeline from the kitchen to the table where Ridge and Bubba were seated.

Pattiecake stuck out her hand. “Hi, welcome to Sweet Thangs. I’m Pattiecake McAlister and this is my sister, Sugarpie Monroe.”

“I’m her
younger
sister,” Sugarpie teased.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re younger and you grew
up
and I grew
out
,” Pattiecake huffed.

Dan waved her off as he spoke into his cell phone in a sweet tone. “Okay, baby. Okay, baby. Yes, baby. Okay, okay. I’ll be right home. I love you.” He walked to the table where Ridge and Bubba were seated. “I’m gonna have to run to the house a minute. It seems my four-year-old evil villain has been trying to kill my three-year-old island princess all morning, and apparently her magic wand is not powerful enough to stop him. Given Mandy’s delicate condition, she’s had all she can take.”

Dan followed her into the supply closet and closed the door behind them. “Listen, a word of caution. Today, when you meet Cooper at the cemetery, be careful what you say. I’m not saying lie to him. Answer his questions. Just don’t say more than you need to.”

His words of warning caused the hair on Tizzy’s arms start to rise. “What do you mean? Does he think I had something to do with this? That’s crazy. Why would I kill Marlene?”

He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. “All I’m saying is, don’t answer questions that aren’t asked. Rangers are arrogant sons-of-bitches, so be careful. Besides, he’s a Yankee and there’s no way he thinks we’re anything but a bunch of hicks from the sticks. He already knows you and Marlene had a history from your conversation this morning. That alone gives him reason to consider you a possible suspect. Do you understand?”

Tizzy’s eyes misted a little. “Yes.”

He wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. “It’ll be okay. Now, I’m gonna hafta take you up on your offer. I’m gonna get the kids and take ’em to your house for Annie Mae to keep.” He reached for the door, then paused. “Do you want me to come to the cemetery?”

“I don’t want him to think I have anything to hide, but now I’m worried. I never thought for a minute
I
would be a suspect. Maybe you should come.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll meet you at the cemetery.”

When Tizzy returned to the front counter, Rayann nudged her. “Here, deliver this order to Dwayne and the Ranger. I’m gonna watch to see if I pick up on anything.” She nudged her again. “Go on now, and strut a little bit. Give ’em something to think about, as if your Texas Ta Tas weren’t already enough.”

Tizzy nudged back and spoke through clenched teeth. “All right, already, I’m going.” When she approached the table, she heard Bubba explaining.

“Dan’s tough as nails when it comes to the law. But when it comes to Mandy, he’s like butter.”

Tizzy set the plates down. “One of these days, Bubba, you’re gonna find a woman who melts
you
like butter.” She glanced over her shoulder toward Rayann.

He jutted out his chin. “Maybe I’ve already found her. Have you thought about that?”

Tizzy rested the palms of her hands on the table and leaned forward. “I’m talking about a real woman, not one off
www.hotcrotches.com
,” she said. “You boys enjoy your sweet thangs.” She swept off before Bubba could get a word out.

He shook his head in disgust. “Damn woman! She knows those boobs drive me crazy.”

“Worse than awful. Boone never knew about the baby. Tizzy didn’t even know she was pregnant until weeks after his death. She was in bad shape at first, but Gracie saved her.”

“Gracie?”

“Yeah. Her baby. She’s a little doll. I’m sure you’ll meet her, since you’re staying next door. She’s a little social butterfly—and sassy, like her momma.”

Ridge kept his eyes on Tizzy. Wanting more information, he asked, “So . . . given your interest in Tizzy, you ever asked her out?”

Bubba did a quick head jerk and opened his eyes wide. “Naw. Tizzy wouldn’t go out with me. As a matter of fact, I don’t think she’s been out with anybody since Boone’s death.”

Rayann approached the table. “Can I get y’all anything else?” Taking her thumb, she wiped Bubba’s face at the corner of his lips. “You had a little whipped cream right there,” she said, “but I got it.” She brought her thumb to her mouth and licked it.

He fidgeted in his seat. “No, we’re ready for our ticket.”

Rayann tossed her hair back, laid the ticket on the table, then offered her hand to Ridge. “Hi. I’m Rayann Harrison, and welcome to
Browntown.”

“Ridge Cooper. Nice to meet you.”

“Be sure and have Dwayne bring you back for our Wednesday special. Of course, I’m sure he will. He never misses our Wednesday special. Do you, Dwayne?” She smiled sweetly.

Blushing, he mumbled. “Yeah, I’ll bring him.”

When she retreated to the next table, Ridge looked over at Bubba. “What’s going on between the two of you, and why doesn’t she call you Bubba?”

Bubba huffed.” I don’t know why she won’t call me Bubba, and there’s not a damn thing going on between us. Let’s just sit here a minute. I wanna finish my tea.”

CHAPTER FOUR

I
t was approaching the hottest part of the day, and vapor rose from the pavement in waves. Ridge parked his car next to Tizzy’s under a shade tree at Jenkins Cemetery and rolled down all the windows to keep the heat from collecting inside.

The secret to his investigative skills was his ability to appear cool, calm and collected on the surface, while underneath he concentrated on each facial tic, mannerism, and every intonation. He patiently waited like a trained assassin stalking his prey for the one little mistake that would make or break a case.

When it came to women, he approached his interrogations with a soft tone and a gentle manner. His easy nature drew them in. They didn’t feel threatened. Quite the opposite. They judged him trustworthy, unassuming and friendly. To his advantage, that was the biggest mistake they made. He solved cases because suspects were comfortable talking to him. He expected Tizzy Donovan to be no different.

He found her sitting on a bench with her eyes closed. A gathering breeze caused fine strands of her long dark brown hair to float about her face. With sunlight stroking her skin like a whispered breath, she was even more beautiful. As he approached, her scent wafted in the air. She smelled of fresh baked cookies. He closed his eyes and let the aroma settle on his tongue.

“Miss Donovan? I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“No. Why would you be interrupting?”

Moving closer to her, he removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I thought you might be . . . er . . . chatting with someone.”

She smiled. “I guess somebody told you I talk to the dead. You probably think I’m crazy. Right?”

He took another step toward her, focused on her face, studied her expression. “No. Not at all. Unusual . . . but not crazy. I’m thinking you could ask some of them to help with the case. Ask them if they saw anything.”

She moved to the end of the bench and patted the area next to her, inviting him to sit down. “Now, you’re just making fun, aren’t you?” Her smile appeared cemented in place.