Gluten for Punishment (27 page)

CHAPTER
36

L
uckily, neither of us had any broken bones or internal damage, but they kept us both
overnight in the hospital for observation. Just in case. At least they let us stay
in the same room. It turns out we only had badly bruised ribs, horrendously bruised
bodies, and needed stitches for our faces. We would both be on liquid diets for a
short while.

“I think we need a spa day.” I struggled to sit up in the bed.

“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much,” Tasha responded.

“That’s what the pain pills are for,” I pointed out.

“They didn’t give me enough then.”

There was a knock at the door, which was odd because in a hospital room people came
and went whether you liked it or not. We both turned to find Chief Blaylock at the
door. “You ladies mind if I come in?”

“Why not, we’re having a party.”

He had his hat in his hand. “I wanted to thank you for calling in and giving us Craig’s
confession on tape. I’m not sure how admissible it will be in court, but now that
we know who did it and why, we can put the other pieces of evidence together.”

I tried to smile, but it hurt and my cheek was too swollen to move. “Do you think
Craig killed George?”

“Well, now, that’s the twist, little lady.” He ran his hat through his fingers. “Craig
says he didn’t kill George and there’s no evidence he did.”

“Shoot.” Tasha tried to pout, but it didn’t work since her bottom lip was already
pretty fat. “There’s still a killer out there?”

“I’m afraid that’s how we have to look at it. Although, we do have a fingerprint match
on Craig and the prints from your house, Ms. Holmes. We’re pretty sure he’s the one
who ransacked it.”

“He was probably the one leaving the threats at my store, too.”

“More than likely.” The chief nodded. “Don’t you worry none. We’ll see he’s put away
for a very long time after what he did to you two. We’ve got him on murder, attempted
murder, battery, assault, breaking and entering, and criminal vandalism.”

“Great.” A weight lifted from my shoulders. “That means I can finally live my life
without everyone watching my every move.”

“I still need you two to come down and give clear statements about what happened at
the carriage house. Now, don’t think you have to come down today. But soon, before
the memories fade.”

“I thought your officers got our statements last night?” Tasha pointed out. She brushed
her hair out of her eyes and winced. She had four stitches on her forehead.

“We have solid preliminary statements,” he agreed. “But it’s always good to come down
and see what details you can remember once the shock’s worn off.”

“Fine.” She leaned her head back against her pillow. “I’ll have to wait until Kip
is in school.”

“That will work for us.”

“You can borrow Brad if you need a lawyer,” I said. I would have patted her hand but
the beds were too far apart.

“Now, nobody needs a lawyer, ladies. Everyone in town can see how brave you were.”

“It’s too bad Craig lived.” Tasha shook her head. “He deserved to die.”

“You really didn’t want to kill him,” I said and flashed my eyes toward the chief.
“You hit him in self-defense.”

“Duh, of course it was self-defense. He tried to kill me. He was in the process of
killing you when I hit him. I’m saying it wouldn’t have hurt my feelings if it stuck.”

“That’s the pain meds talking,” I assured the chief. “Tasha’s a real sweetheart. She
wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Lots of things happen in the heat of a moment like the one you two gals went through.”
Chief Blaylock grinned. “You two take care and come down to the station, all right?”

“We will.” I tried to be perky.

“And Ms. Holmes, I’m pretty sure you no longer have to worry about threats and such.
I’ve got the lab going over those bank deposit bags looking for blood evidence and
fingerprints. I’m sure we’ll have Craig nailed for George’s murder as well.”

I tried to smile but I think I only managed to drool. “Thanks.”

He nodded and headed out. I grabbed a tissue and blotted at my mouth. “Why did you
tell the chief you wanted to kill Craig? Are you nuts? He might have to tell the prosecutor
and you could be charged with, I don’t know, manslaughter or something.”

“I don’t like to lie,” Tasha said calmly, picked up a juice box, and sipped out of
the corner of her mouth. Not that much went in because her mouth was as bad as mine.
We were quite a sight.

“Can I ask one question?” I rested my head back on my pillow.

“Sure.”

“What did you hit him with? I mean, I slammed that pan into him and it barely made
a difference.”

Tasha’s blue eyes twinkled in her black-and-blue face. “I remembered Kip’s baseball
bat was still sitting in the living room from his last game. You know, sometimes it
pays not to do too much housework.”

We both tried to chuckle but it hurt too much.

• • •

T
he next morning we were allowed to shower. I washed blood and guck out of my hair,
but the sample bottles of shampoo and conditioner did little to save the frizz. My
hair and I had an understanding. I’d let it do what it wanted and it wouldn’t go too
ballistic. Tasha’s mom brought us fresh clothes. Getting dressed was a trick with
sore ribs and so many bruises that I looked more black-and-blue than white. Why did
redheads have to have such transparent skin? I decided against a bra and put on a
button-up shirt and slipped on a skirt.

I knew it was chilly out so I took a cue from Grandma Ruth and added knee socks to
the outfit and put my feet in slippers. My reflection in the mirror was not much better
after the shower, but I shrugged it off. It wasn’t like I was trying to make a fashion
statement.

We were released around noon with strict orders to rest, to which I rolled my eyes.
It might be the weekend but Tasha and I had lives. Besides, my bed was gone, and I
couldn’t imagine where I was going to be resting. Tim picked me up and drove me home.
He helped me up the stairs when I refused to take the ramp. Someone had put carved
pumpkins out on the porch.

“Did you decorate?” I asked Tim.

He shrugged and opened the door.

“Surprise!” My family crowded the foyer. My cousin Lucy was there with three of her
girls. Grandma Ruth and Bill sat in the fancy wing chairs in the parlor as Tim settled
me down on the pale blue settee, which someone had made up with sheets and blankets
so that I could be near everyone.

My sister Joan had come down from Kansas City for the day with her five kids. Jennifer
and Emma still had fresh scabs from chicken pox. “I promise the doctor told me they
were no longer contagious,” she said as she leaned in to give me a kiss.

Rosa came in from Wichita with four of her little ones. “Sheila Thompson wants the
entire scoop. Don’t leave anything out.”

“Leave her alone,” my brother Richard said. His wife, Phyllis, had come down with
him to see if I needed anything.

“Eleanor called earlier,” Rosa informed me. “I told her you weren’t home yet. She
wants to come down to see you as soon as she can figure out what to do with the kids
for a few days.”

“She doesn’t have to come,” I protested.

“Of course she does,” Richard said. “She’s your sister.”

It made my head pound. But the house was full of talking and laughter and ribbing.
I think the guys had a poker game going in the den. It was a regular Keene family
palooza. The doctors would never have released me from the hospital if they had seen
this gathering. Rest wasn’t possible when the Keene circus was in town.

Lucy had filled the dining room table with food and stacked plates and dishes like
a buffet. The house smelled of spice and ham and pies. All kinds of things I couldn’t
eat.

“I made you some GF pudding,” Lucy said as she brought me a cup of lukewarm tea and
a straw. “There’s vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and tapioca. I put in the raisins.
I think you can eat them.”

“Ew, fisheyes and flies,” Joan’s son Nicholas commented as he ran through the room.

“You be nice, boy, or I’ll make you eat that for breakfast,” Lucy called after him.

“Stop making me smile,” I protested. “All I can do is drool.”

She handed me a soft linen handkerchief and patted me on my shoulder. I tried not
to wince. She was being good to me. “You’ve got visitors coming. I’ll go get a wide-toothed
comb and help you with your hair.”

“Thanks.”

Grandma Ruth hobbled over with her cane. She made a motion and Bill got up and pulled
her winged-back chair over to the couch so Grandma could sit down. He placed his hand
on her shoulder and she patted it. “See what a good man can do for you, kiddo?”

Bill beamed. I tried not to roll my eyes.

“She’s a businesswoman, Grandma Ruth,” Rosa piped up. “Leave her alone.”

“I had eight kids and twenty-four grandkids at her age,” Grandma shouted back. “Nothing
better to leave to this world than your children and their children.”

“Grandma . . .” I managed to get out.

“Tell me how it went down.” Grandma Ruth leaned in close, her rectangular face intent.
“How’d he get in? What did he do? How did you know he killed Ed?”

The whole room went still. I looked around as everyone leaned in to hear the story.
I sipped the tea through the straw, dabbed my mouth, and set it aside. Then I told
the tale of Craig Kennedy while Lucy tried to make some sort of sense out of my unruly
hair.

I might have embellished a bit on the telling, but not much. Besides, my family likes
a good story and embellishments were expected.

“So you see Grandma Ruth,” I said, “dating really is overrated.” I leaned back against
the pillow and closed my eyes a moment.

“It’s too bad you feel that way.”

I opened my eyes to see Sam leaning against the door frame. With his Stetson in one
hand and a bouquet of flowers in another, he looked like every woman’s cowboy dream.
My heart might have fluttered a bit.

Grandma Ruth got up. “Don’t listen to her,” she boomed. “She’s on pain meds. She’ll
come ’round once she heals. Come on, Bill,” Grandma said. “I need a smoke.”

“Are you writing the story for the paper?” I called after her.

She looked over her shoulder and grinned. “My family, my exclusive.”

And with those words, everything in my world felt right again. “Come on in, Sam.”
I waved him over to the chair. “Everyone, this is Sam Greenbaum, rancher and owner
of Handyman. He’s a friend. Sam, this is my family . . . part of it, anyway.”

I watched as my sisters introduced themselves. Sam shook their hands and took Grandma’s
chair.

“These are for you.” He handed me the flowers.

“Thanks, they’re lovely.” I buried my nose in the fragrance. I love the smell of flower-shop
flowers. “I hear there’s a ton of food in the dining room,” I said. “And the men are
in the den playing poker. Feel free to go on in and take their money.”

He sent me a crooked grin and my blood tingled. “I came to see you.”

Rosa got up and took the flowers. “I’ll put these in water.”

“Thanks.” I waited a moment for her to leave. “This is not my finest look.” I hated
the idea of how puffy and ugly I was at the moment. At least my Grandma Ruth outfit
was covered with blankets. Still, I figured if a man could look me in the eye the
way I looked at that moment and still come back, then he might be worth dating.

“You look fine,” he said. “I’d say you’re beautiful in my eyes, but that sounds corny.”

I could feel a blush rising and wondered what the heck color I was with a blush and
bruises. “Yes, that was corny.”

“I’d like to say you should have let me watch over you, but I think that would piss
you off.”

“Darn right it would.” I bristled and adjusted my shoulders, which hurt. I wanted
to bite my tongue to keep from groaning. But my tongue was still a bit swollen.

“I won’t say it, then.” He kept staring at me until I looked down at his fingers caressing
the edge of his hat.

“Good.” I looked back at his handsome face.

He studied his hat a moment. “What does the chief say?”

“He says it’s over. They got Craig on tape saying he killed Ed for Tasha. They also
found evidence it was Craig who trashed my home and ruined my bed.”

“What about George?”

I shrugged and winced. Darn it, when was I going to not hurt?

“Here.” Joan handed me a pain pill and a glass of water with a straw.

I downed it and the water as best I could and then wiped the drool from my rubbery
chin. I guess since Sam didn’t make some lame excuse to leave the room, he must be
serious about liking me. I rested my head back on the pillow. “The chief says Craig
swears he didn’t kill George. The lab is still going through all the bank bags. If
one was used to murder George, then they’ll have Craig for that as well.”

“You have another visitor,” Rosa said as she carried in Sam’s flowers, perfectly arranged
and placed in one of my mother’s glass vases. She set it on the table as Meghan came
into the room. Today she wore her black hair down. Her sixties-girl makeup framed
her lovely eyes and bright red lipstick accented her pierced lip. Deftly groomed brows
showed off her eyebrow piercing.