When Bobbie Sang the Blues (27 page)

“How was Disney World?” she asked.

Friday Night, September 29

T
he Blues Club was packed.

When Bobbie stepped to the microphone, a roar of applause filled the room, but no one moved while she sang. She looked stunning in a red silk dress with silver heels and silver chandelier earrings. Her blond curls dipped around her face, accenting the vivid blue of her eyes. As she sang, her eyes drifted up, seeing her own vision somewhere outside of time.

Christy, Dan, Jack, and Seth sat at the front table. As her aunt’s rich voice told of love gone wrong, Christy thought about what they had all gone through and felt a lump swell in her throat. She looked at Dan, who had hardly left her side the past two days.

Wednesday night he had rushed into the emergency room as soon as he’d heard of her ordeal with Roseann. “I’m not letting go of you again,” he told her, gently placing his arms around her shoulders as the doctor finished the last stitch on her neck.

She merely winked at him, afraid to move her mouth for fear of disrupting the doctor.

Dan glanced at her now, and as she smiled, he put his arm around her and pulled her closer to his side.

Jack stared up at Bobbie like one in a trance. For the first time in many years, Jack had fallen in love, and Christy knew it was the kind of love that would last because Bobbie loved him just as much.

Seth had surprised them with his appearance when he arrived. His sported a short haircut and wore fresh jeans and a blue polo shirt.

Christy leaned over and whispered to him. “You look great.”

Seth made a face and whispered back. “I feel like a nerd, but I had an appointment with financial aid and the dean at Florida State in Tallahassee. Just got back into town and rushed over here. I haven’t had time to dirty up yet.” He grinned.

Christy waited anxiously. “Good news?”

His brown eyes lit with satisfaction. “My application for a scholarship has been approved.”

She squeezed his hand. “Have you told Mom and Dad?”

“Not yet.”

They were distracted by the big man who walked up to their table and pulled out a chair. Deputy Arnold greeted them, then turned his attention to Bobbie. She wound down the last notes of her song, and there was a moment of silence. Then the crowd leapt to their feet, clapping and yelling for more.

For a moment, Bobbie hesitated, obviously touched by the warm welcome on her first night back. “Thank you,” she said, smiling around the room. Her gaze came to rest on the front table.

“And thanks for believing in me. I love all of you.”

Seth leaned toward Deputy Arnold. “I think she means you.”

Deputy Arnold shot a gaze at Seth. “I don’t think we’ve met,” he said with a wry grin, looking pointedly at Seth’s haircut and neat shave.

“Everyone have a good evening,” Bobbie called. She blew a kiss to the crowd, then stepped away from the microphone.

The band struck up a happy tune as she walked from the stage down to the table where her fan club waited. As she approached, the men stood, but she waved them back down.

“That makes me uncomfortable,” she said. “Beth and Grant want us over for a late-night snack. And Deputy Arnold, you’re welcome to join us.”

“Thanks, but my wife needs me home with the kids tonight. They’re still keyed up from our trip to Disney World. But I wanted to talk to all of you before I head out. I just asked Donna if we could borrow her office for a few minutes so we could have some privacy.”

They followed him to the back of the club and entered Donna’s neat office. Big Bob leaned against the wall as Jack, Bobbie, and Seth settled into chairs. Dan sat in the last vacant chair and pulled Christy onto his lap.

Deputy Arnold cleared his throat and folded his arms over his broad chest. “I want to give you some information to put your minds at ease. I don’t want you looking over your shoulder, worrying about anybody coming after you,” he said, looking at Bobbie.

“Roseann Cole is making a full confession,” he continued, “hoping it will keep her off death row. She told us her story, beginning
with the night Eddie won ten grand on a football game. She knew he hid his money, so she watched him carefully when they got home. Seems he thought she was asleep on the couch when he opened the door to the closet. With his back turned, she couldn’t see what he was doing, but she could see an edge of the vacuum cleaner and she heard him unzip something. When he finished and turned around, she closed her eyes again.

“The next day, when he went to gas up the truck for their trip to the football game, Roseann checked out the closet and found nine grand in the bag of the vacuum cleaner. She hid it in that doll of hers.

“Eddie had hoped to win more money that weekend to pay off his debt of fifteen grand. Since he had a thousand on him, he didn’t check the hiding place until he returned. The vacuum cleaner was gone, along with some other items, and he knew Bobbie had been there. When they went looking for her, they learned she’d left for Summer Breeze. Eddie told Roseann that enforcers had threatened to break some bones if he didn’t pay off his debt.”

A deep sigh heaved through Deputy Arnold’s chest. “Here’s the way we’ve got it figured, and some of our facts came from Hornsby. Tony Panada paid him to check the unit for money after Bobbie and Christy left on Monday. Hornsby knew about Panada’s pornography and that bookies were after Eddie, but he swears he didn’t know Eddie had been killed until he found him and that he wasn’t sure who’d done it.

“Hornsby volunteered his suspicions to us, which check out with what Roseann told us. He figured the guys from Memphis—Downey
and Joe Panada—followed Eddie here with orders to get the money he’d won. Tony tipped Hornsby that his cousin Joe had called and they should keep an eye out for Eddie Bodine and his white truck. Hornsby said Tony happened to be leaving one of his units when Bobbie and Christy arrived that Monday. Tony made a call on his cell phone when he spotted the red truck with Tennessee license plates. The Memphis guys had learned Eddie was after his ex-wife, who had stolen his money, so they hurried down here. They were staying at the Summer Place Condos, waiting for the right time to nab Eddie.

“But before they did, Roseann killed him. She claims she saw a light in the unit behind her when she shoved Eddie in the barrel. She knew someone was back there, so she got out. It had to be Tony Panada.”

“So Panada must have peeked through the hole and witnessed what happened,” Christy said.

Deputy Arnold nodded. “Apparently. When Roseann got back to Memphis, she got a call from a blocked number. The caller told her he saw what she did to Eddie, and if she didn’t fork over the money to Downey and Panada, he’d tell the police what he knew. He reminded her that enforcers play rough, but she was too greedy to give up the money and took off.”

Big Bob paused for breath, thrusting a hand through his thick silver hair. “So there was a witness to the murder after all. Tony Panada. But he’s already in big trouble for filming and selling pornography of minors. The FBI was building a case against him
before all this happened. Now, with Roseann’s information, he’s in a lot more trouble. We’ll see what happens.”

Everyone stared at him, trying to absorb the information. Then a soft whimper filled the room as Bobbie put her hands to her face and began to sob. Jack wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bodine,” Deputy Arnold said, tugging at his long nose the way he often did when frustrated.

“Don’t call me Bodine!” Bobbie cried, looking up. “I’m Bobbie, just Bobbie.”

“And there’ll be a different last name soon,” Jack announced.

Deputy Arnold grinned. “Glad to hear that, Jack.”

“Hey,” Seth spoke up. “Mom and Dad are waiting. I say, let’s go.” Bobbie dried her tears and was smiling again as they walked out of the club into the soft September evening.

“Honey, the way you sing the blues…” Jack said, shaking his head in amazement.

“Yeah, well, it’s gonna be hard to sing the blues after tonight. I can’t put my heart into a sad song anymore.”

“You did tonight,” Christy said.

“I was saying good-bye to the past. To a world of blues. I know life can’t be perfect,” Bobbie said, “but I’ve got a real chance for happiness with you guys. And with my new shop.”

Christy nodded, thinking about her own role as a partner in I Saw It First. Her mystery novels had centered on buried treasure,
but Bobbie had intrigued her with the treasure-from-trash concept. Maybe she’d find an old gold coin or a hidden diary in one of their finds.

Christy and Dan reached the car, but she turned back. “See you guys in a minute,” she called.

She looked again at Bobbie, the small, vivacious woman in red, whose soft laughter drifted through the night. Her chandelier earrings swung as she dipped her golden head back to look up at the stars.

Christy smiled. Bobbie had burst into their lives, mysterious and intriguing, and upset their comfortable world. She had brought laughter and fun along with heartache and tears, but she had taught them a valuable lesson about courage and hope.

Most of all, she had taught them to look beyond the flaws and find the promise.

The purpose of this project is to take a lamp you already have and perk it up by covering the lamp shade with a unique umbrella shade.

• Umbrella (a small lady’s or child’s umbrella), preferably one with stripes, plaid, or an eye-catching design (even a schoool logo). Bobbie used her grandmother’s parasol.
  

• A lamp with a “tired” shade
  

• Wire cutters or tin snips
  

• Saw or pipe cutter
  

• Hot glue
  

• Paints and paintbrush
  

1. Detach the support spines from the ribs of the umbrella by cutting with wire cutters or tin snips.
   

2. Remove the umbrella pole by sawing (if wood) or cutting with a pipe cutter (if metal).
   

3. Position the umbrella over the present shade, adjust height where you like, and use hot glue to tack in place.
   

4. Paint the base of lamp in colors to match the umbrella.
   

To see a picture of this idea, along with other do-it-yourself projects, visit
www.PeggyDarty.com
.

Thanks to Carmie and Diana at Pieces Unique Decor for advice on this project.

I
wish to thank the following people for their advice and contributions to this novel:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and former Alabama coroner Dell Green for setting me straight on technicalities. Joyce Holland, thanks for your expertise and advice on the Emerald Coast, and thanks and a hug to Dorothy Sanders, my authority on “found treasures,” who opened my eyes to a new world of antiques, flea markets, and “curbside treasures.” Without Dorothy, I would never have thought of the pickle barrel! Thanks to Lori O’Callaghan at Junk Warehouse in Lake Barrington, Illinois, who looks beyond the flaws and finds the promise, providing my theme for
When Bobbie Sang the Blues
. And finally, thanks to Carmie and Diana at Pieces Unique Decor, a shop in Poison, Montana. They gave me valuable advice on restoring special pieces and allowed me to poke around among their things.

Special thanks to Judi McNair, a great friend and Queen Mother of A Lotta Dazzling Divas. You’ve helped in many ways, and I owe you a red luncheon! Hugs to all the other great Red Hat sisters across the country who bring fun and laughter to my life and my stories. That includes you, Denise!

For all the gang at WaterBrook Press, I can’t name everyone who has helped me for fear of leaving someone out, but you are all
very much appreciated. Thank you, Shannon, for vision and gentle suggestions that sharpened the mystery. Steve, Dudley, and Ginia, thanks for your commitment to my work and your constant encouragement. You’re truly the best in the business.

Finally, love and hugs to my family: Steve and Lucy; Darla; Lan, Susan, David, and Drew; and my husband, Landon. You strengthen my life with your encouragement and your love.

Most of all, I thank you, the faithful reader, for without your loyalty, there would be no books. I sincerely appreciate and thank all the wonderful booksellers across the country who buy, stock, and point out my books when a shopper strolls by. God bless you!

I have been writing off and on for twenty years while raising a family and living in different parts of the United States. Writing is my passion, and nothing is more fun for me than stepping into a brand-new world, filling it with characters, and planning a life for these characters. I’ve written romances, historicals, romantic suspense, and mystery. The cozy mystery is, by far, my favorite, because this genre allows the reader to participate in solving the mystery.

My faith has been a fundamental part of my life, and I thank God for being richly blessed. One of the greatest blessings is the opportunity to write. I hope to show in my writing how God works in miraculous ways through the lives of people. I want my stories to portray themes of hope and forgiveness through his love. In this story, Bobbie Bodine offered us a valuable lesson: look beyond the flaws and find the promise.

My husband and I have reached a point in our lives where we can now pursue the dream of spending our summers in Colorado and our winters in Florida. I draw inspiration from both places.

I love hearing from my readers, so please stop by my Web page,
www.PeggyDarty.com
.

Since my readers are my friends, I’ll end this little note with a favorite Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you, may the
wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the palm of his hand.