Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (6 page)

Pattiecake grimaced. “No, I came back here and worked until
almost ten getting ready for the meeting today. He didn’t even know when I
crawled into bed. He was snoring to high heaven. Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Probably not. Now, I’ve got to ask a question and I
apologize in advance, but given Jay Roy’s reputation, did you and he ever . .
.”

Her hand flew to her chest. “Lord, no! Saint would have
killed him.”

“I figured as much, but I had to ask.”

“I understand. As far as I know, there were three of us who
didn’t.”

“You and who else?”

“Bonnie Rae and Paula Kay. And he went after Paula Kay hot
and heavy. She was a beautiful girl and he wanted to add her to the list. She
left town right after graduation and Bonnie was already married, so Jay Roy
didn’t pursue her.”

Ridge closed his spiral and slid an arm around Pattiecake’s
shoulders. “Will you do me a favor?”

“Anything you ask.”

“Today, during your party, find out where all the ladies are
staying while they’re in town.” Ridge’s phone chirped. “Cooper,” he answered.
“I’m at Sweet Thangs. Okay.” He ended the call. “That was Bubba. They have a
guy in custody who just confessed to the murder.”

As Ridge pulled into the police lot, excitement bubbled in
his stomach at the possibility of closing the case with a confession. However,
when Bubba called, he didn’t seem to share that emotion. That made Ridge uneasy
and suspicious.

He opened the door to his cruiser, grabbed his hat and
stepped out into the warm sunshine. The sweet smell of honeysuckle floated to
him on a hot, humid breeze. Rita stood on the porch dead-heading a pot of
purple petunias.

“Ahoy, Matey!”

She whirled around to face him. “You’re not going to let
this pirate thing go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“In that case, the scallywag is in the holding cell.
Paperwork’s on my desk. Dan and Bubba are inside.” Rita twirled an invisible
mustache. “Yo ho.”

Ridge laughed and hoped the confession panned out so he’d be
home at a reasonable hour, eating a home-cooked meal, and going to sleep with
Tizzy in his arms. Determined to keep those positive thoughts, he pushed open
the door and stepped behind Rita’s desk to get the papers. Then he walked down
the hall and stopped in the entrance of the small break room. “Gentlemen, I
hear we have a confession.”

Dan and Bubba snapped their heads up at the same time and
grinned at him.

“You wore out?” Dan asked.

“Uh-huh. Nothing a night in my own bed can’t fix.”

“I know that’s right,” Bubba said as his phone signaled a
call. “I’ll be right back.”

Ridge thumbed through the papers he held. “The confessor is
named Inky?”

“Inky Dee Odom,” Dan said.

“School must have been hell for him. Have you questioned
him?”

“Naw. He wrote out a confession and signed it, but we waited
for you to do the honors of interrogation. I’ll get him.”

Help. I didn’t do it!
The bird squawked through the
wall.

Dan passed Ridge and said, “That damn bird is driving me
nuts.” A few minutes later, he returned with Inky and handcuffed one of the
little man’s hands to a large eye-bolt at the end of the table.

He wrinkled his face as he studied the suspect. Odom was
skinny, close to five-seven, small-boned, leather-skinned, and filthy. “Mr.
Odom, I’m Texas Ranger Cooper. You’ve been informed of your rights?”

“Yes, sir,” the man croaked, and rubbed the un-cuffed hand
across his nose.

Ridge waved papers in the air then slid them across the
table to Inky. “I understand this is your sworn statement to the murder of Jay
Roy Hobbs and you signed it of your own free will. Is that correct?”

Help! I didn’t do it!
The bird screamed.

Ignoring the sound, Ridge repeated the question. “Is that
correct, Mr. Odom?”

Inky offered a toothy grin in need of serious dental work.
“I just taught Willie to say that. I like that bird.”

Rubbing his nose against the gust of Odom’s bad breath,
Ridge slid into the seat across from Dan, focused on Inky, and tapped the
papers. “I need a few more details of the crime other than your statement, ‘I
killed Jay Roy Hobbs.’”

He furrowed his brows as if confused by the question. “Like
whut?”

The hair on the back of Ridge’s neck prickled. Something
wasn’t right. He eyed Dan, and then scowled at Inky. “Like how did you kill
him? What was your motive?”

Inky’s black-brown eyes flicked up at the Ranger. “I killed
the guy, so you’ve got to lock me in the slammer. I waive my rights and all
that stuff.” He shook his head and greasy, unwashed hair flopped onto his
forehead. “I don’t want no lawyer. I don’t want no trial. I’m saving the city a
lot of money by solving the crime for you.”

“I appreciate that, Mr. Odom. But unless you can give me
details, I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?” Inky’s face pinched.

Here we go.
“Well, sir, according to your rap sheet,
murder is a big leap from robbing a Goodwill store. So tell me, how did you
kill him?”

Inky pointed his face toward heaven, then at the ranger
again. “I choked him.”

May as well play this out.
“Uh-huh and where did this
take place?”

“At his house.”

Ridge resisted the urge to laugh. “Uh-huh and where is
that?”

“Where you found the body.” Inky snorted and grinned at the
Sheriff.

Bubba came back and sat next to Dan.

Ridge nodded at Bubba and continued the questioning. “Where
in the house? Bedroom? Living room? Bathroom?”

“Umm, bedroom?” Inky replied, his voice shaky.

Dan and Bubba exchanged looks.

“So” Ridge went on. “You killed him and then what?”

“Whataya mean? He was dead, so I left.”

Bubba fingered his phone. Dan shifted in his chair. Ridge
studied them, rubbed his chin and stared back at Inky. “But you moved the body
before you left, right?”

Inky stared at the ceiling again as if waiting for an answer
from above, then constricted his beady eyes and said, “It’s past one. If we can
wrap this up, the sheriff here can take me to jail in time for dinner. They’re
having chicken today and they quit serving at two.”

Just as I thought.
“Okay. Let me get the facts
straight. You choked him at his house and moved the body to the field. Did you
carry him or drag him?”

Dan and Bubba leaned forward in their seats.

“I dragged him.”

And now for the last move.
Ridge kept a straight face
and said, “I’m guessing a handsome man like you must have disagreed with Jay
Roy over a woman and that was your motive.”

Inky laughed, the sound whistling between missing teeth. He
straightened and puffed out his narrow chest. “Yeah, the women love me, and he
was trying to move in on my territory.”

Dan and Bubba’s faces contorted.

“Well, that sounds about right to me, Mr. Odom,” Ridge said.
“I’ll get Rita to type up these new notes and you can sign them. Appears I’ll
be heading home early today, so thank you for that.”

Dan jumped to his feet. “I’m not sure he understands how
serious this is.”

Ridge gazed at Inky. “You understand because this is a
murder case, the state will ask for the death penalty. Right, Mr. Odom?”

Inky swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing under thin
skin. “Whut? The death penalty?”

“Excuse me, Inky,” Dan said, “We’ll be right back. Ridge,
could I see you in the hallway?”

“Sure.” Ridge and Bubba followed Dan outside. “You fed him
all the information. What’s wrong with you?” Dan asked.

Hook, line and sinker. When will these guys learn?
Ridge pulled lips tight against his teeth. “Who the hell are you to question
me? I’m in charge of this investigation and this guy says he did it. Just get
him to sign the damn statement.”

“I can’t do that,” Dan said.

“And why not?”

“C’mon, Ridge,” Bubba jumped in, “without your help he
couldn’t answer the questions.”

Ridge stiffened. “You’re both challenging my authority?”

They nodded.

“Really?” Ridge hooked his thumbs in his pockets and decided
to end it. “Well, the joke’s on you. How does it feel?”

“Sonovabitch!” Dan said. “When did you catch on?”

“The minute he answered the first question. Besides, any guy
who likes jailhouse chicken would never kill a chicken farmer. That’s biting
the hand that feeds you. The two of you need to work on your poker faces. Who
is this guy?”

“Sorry, man,” Bubba said. “Going from one case to the next
without a break, we decided you needed some levity. Inky showed up and we
decided to play it out. When he needs a meal, he comes in to confess. We
usually send him on his way, but today, we decided to have a little fun.”

Ridge reached into his back pocket, retrieved his wallet,
and removed a twenty dollar bill. “Here, take Inky by the café and get him some
chicken.” Ridge’s phone chirped. He read the caller ID. Damn. Vienna. He
ignored it.

Inside the lawmen heard Inky sob, “I didn’t do it. I didn’t
do it.”

Willie echoed.
“I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it. Damn! I
need to pee!”

Ridge’s mood lifted as he pulled away from the station,
thanks to the joke. He’d get even. Just a matter of time. His phone sounded
again. Tizzy. Come back to bakery.

With Sweet Thangs just two blocks away, he arrived within
minutes. When he pulled up to the building, three women were pushing and
shoving one another to get in the door. He jumped out of the car and called to
them. “Ladies! What’s the rush?”

The threesome swiveled to face him; one plain and plump, one
tall and thin, and one irritated redhead.

“You’re the ranger, right?” the plump one asked.

“Yes, he’s the ranger, you ninny. He’s wearing a gun,” the
skinny one said.

“You two butt out and let me handle this,” the redhead said.

Ridge snapped his focus from one woman to the next as they
shoved each other to gain control of his attention. “Ladies, let me get that
for you.” He followed them in, and caught a glimpse of Tizzy and the rest of
the Sweet Thangs staff gathered at the end of the counter looking on with
interest. He faced the three women. “How may I help you?”

Pattiecake stepped forward. “Let me introduce you. Ridge
Cooper, these are Jay Roy’s former wives. Kassie, Jay Roy’s first wife.”
Pattiecake pointed to the skinny one.

Ridge sized her up. Not bad. High cheekbones and pouty lips,
she could pass for a cover model, for AARP.

The redhead pushed to the front. “I’m Molly Hobbs Hix, Jay
Roy’s second and fourth wife, and this,” she said, gesturing to the plump one,
“is Deborah Hobbs Hester, his third wife.” Molly wagged her finger back and
forth between number one and three on the matrimony scale and said, “If it’s
murder, one of these two killed him. I’m sure of it.”

Ridge decided Jay Roy had diverse taste in women. Molly’s
personality matched her hair color. Fiery. While wife number three, Deborah,
with no makeup, bun hair, and sensible shoes, was the mousy one of the bunch.

“I DID NOT!” Deborah shouted. “You’re the one most likely to
have killed him. He dumped you twice, you cow!”

Molly shoved her finger in Deborah’s face. “HE DID NOT DUMP
ME! I DUMPED HIM, YOU IDIOT. BOTH TIMES.”

Ridge placed a hand on Deborah’s and Molly’s shoulders.
“Calm down. Don’t force me to arrest you for public disorder.”

Their eyes went wide and their jaws dropped open.

Kassie, quite until now, started to laugh. “Oh, please do.
That would make my day.”

Deborah glared at Kassie. “Don’t laugh. Jay Roy dropped you
for me and you never got over it.”

Kassie bristled. “Oh dear God. You are so full of yourself.
Do you think I was still carrying a torch for him? It’s been thirty-four years
since I was married to the man. The reason I’m here is to make sure you don’t
railroad me.”

“I’m not trying to send anyone up the river, but whoever
killed him should get what’s coming to them,” Deborah said. “But let’s face it,
both of you had motive and opportunity.”

Kassie and Molly moved closer to Deborah and shouted objections
at the same time.

Ridge stepped between them. “Last warning. I swear, I’ll
arrest the three of you and let you spend the night together in adjoining
cells.” Once he gained their attention again, he said, “Not sure it’s a
homicide, but let’s pretend it is. Let’s start by each of you telling me your
whereabouts last night between nine and midnight.” He eased onto a stool,
removed his notebook and pen, and then pointed to wife number one, Kassie. “You
first.”

“I was home. With my husband. He’ll vouch for me. So I have
an alibi.”

Ridge made a notation and looked back at her. “Where do you
live?”

“Tyler.”

“A twenty-minute drive from here. Right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe something.” He aimed his attention at
Molly, wife numbers two and four. “What about you?”

“I live here, out on Edom Road. I was at my sister’s until
almost eleven. We’re getting ready for a garage sale next weekend. Then I went
home for the rest of the evening.”

“How long would it take you to drive from your sister’s
house to Jay Roy’s?”

Molly drew a deep breath. “Ten minutes. But I didn’t go
there. I went straight home to my husband.”

“Oh please, her husband goes to bed with the chickens. I’ll
bet he doesn’t have a clue when she got home,” Deborah said.

“You don’t know when Conley goes to bed, so shut your trap,”
Molly said.

Ridge glanced up from taking notes to give them the evil
eye. He hated to spoil their weekend by arresting them, but they were getting
on his nerves.