Death in a Turkey Town: A Chloe Boston Mystery (11 page)
“Don’t I know it. Finished my old man off,” she said cheerfully. “Thought that bastard would never die.”
The Chief shifted his weight. He had been prepared for violence and hysteric denials, not an unrepentant Alice in Wonderland.
“Your husband? He was a tea drinker?” I asked.
“Yes, but it was fire that got him in the end. He smoked in bed.” She flopped onto the sofa.
“Always dangerous,” I agreed. “Why have you been playing tricks on Althea? You don’t want her dead, do you?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill Althea,” Mitzi said, affronted. “I just wanted her to be… more receptive to my help with the wedding. And she needs to lose some weight. She’s been snacking and putting it on in the caboose. She’ll have an ass as big as Texas if she doesn’t do something about it. I told Dale that digitalis is good for weight control.”
And for causing congestive heart failure.
“Receptive how?” The Chief asked, finally taking part in the conversation.
“If she were under the weather a bit then she would have to let others help more with the wedding.”
“I see.”
“I wouldn’t hurt Althea. Why I even got rid of that horrible Silly when she came back to make trouble.” I blinked and looked toward the Chief. He nodded. Mrs. Gordon wasn’t just a killer, she was bug-munching mad. “Went to the trouble of buying a wig and hat and everything for a disguise though I had to throw them away after.”
“You got the wig so you would look like Silly’s girlfriend?” I suggested.
“Girlfriend! That’s unnatural, you know. She turned Silly away from my Gordon.”
I nodded, thinking that I sure didn’t want to be the one to tell Gordon about his mother. I did want to be the one to tell Althea though. Maybe she would rethink that having kids thing.
“I’m sure that Dale and Althea appreciate your concern,” I lied. “But you do know that it was illegal, right?”
“Yeah, no discharging firearms within the city limits. Dale told me. That’s why I was going out to the island.”
“And that’s why you threw my aunt’s gun in the lake?” I asked, knowing we should Mirandize her before she said anything else, but feeling fairly sure that she would never stand trial.
“Well, I couldn’t tell which was hers and which was Gordon’s and I didn’t know which one I had used, so it seemed best to get rid of both of them.”
“Sensible,” I said. “A bit of a pain to retrieve though. Especially if the lake freezes over.”
“Sorry about that. Shall I get my coat now?” she asked. Mitzi had never sounded more reasonable.
“That might be best. It’s really cold out tonight.”
“You’ll call Gordon?” she asked.
“Right away,” I promised.
“Well, okay then. You should have let him arrest me though—a collar would look good on his record. And he is expecting this to happen.”
Yep. Bug-munching mad.
Chapter 13
“But chief, it wasn’t my idea to put the mayor on youtube. And I sure didn’t tip off the local news station about the vandalism.” I defended myself since we were standing out where everyone could hear us. Eddie Round’s funeral had been that morning and everyone was needing a distraction. It helped the mood some that Eddie hadn’t been murdered by Mitzi Gordon. It meant that Dale could come back at the end of his vacation and not be cold-shouldered. “And I can’t help it if the mayor is going around ripping down my dad’s posters in front of witnesses. What did you want me to do? Confiscate her camera?”
All heads turned toward the Chief.
“Kids! I suppose she wants to be a detective now.” He lobbed the conversational ball back at me. The Chief wasn’t touching my assertion that our current mayor was a hot-headed jerk though I knew he shared my view.
“No. You’re in luck there. She has decided to be an investigative reporter,” I assured him. “She thinks police work is too constrictive and stifles initiative and creativity.”
And back to the Chief.
“Well, thank God for small favors.” This sounded heartfelt. The Chief turned away and then paused at the door to his office. “The wedding is still on then? In spite of Mrs. Gordon being in a psych ward?”
“Yes. Althea and Gordon are still determined to tie the noose.”
“Knot. The expression is ‘tie the knot’.”
“Not if you know my cousin,” I muttered just loud enough to be heard. Blue woofed approval and I heard some snickers. “Well, I’ve got to get going. I’m taking Alex to the airport.”
“He’ll be back for Christmas?” the Chief asked and sounded like he actually cared.
“That’s the plan.”
* * *
Our ride to the airport was quiet but not uncomfortable. I had the feeling that I was going to miss Alex, but he’d be back the week before Christmas and I was already making plans.
The case had tied up nicely. Vicki Raye, Silly’s girlfriend, had gone off to her parent’s house to mourn for a week and then set about harassing Silly’s lawyer about probating the will so she could own the party planning business free and clear. I thought it was good she had left town or Mitzi might have done something to her as well.
Gordon got some bonds from the will, but they wouldn’t be enough to pay his mother’s attorney fees if she ever got out of the home for the criminally deluded and had to stand trial. Mitzi wouldn’t be getting out though. I was pretty sure about that.
I was convinced by the time we arrived at the departures sign that Alex was going to leave that little incident of the L-word unmentioned, but should have known that he wouldn’t back away. He waited until luggage was unloaded. We were in a drop-off zone, which was enforced rigorously, but Alex found the time to kiss me hard and then say distinctly: “I do love you and I won’t take it back. So deal with it.”
I gasped. I gaped. I stuttered as he walked away. He was almost to the sliding doors when I shouted over the loudspeaker: “Well I love you too! And I won’t take it back either!”
He didn’t turn around though so I wasn’t certain he had heard me. And that was okay. I was sure I could come up with a better declaration if I had a little more time to think about it.
“Scoot over, Blue,” I said, opening the car door. “You know I can’t let you drive.”
About the Author
Melanie Jackson is the author of 23 novels. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Melanie’s author web site at
www.melaniejackson.com
.
The Chloe Boston Mystery Series:
Moving Violation
The Pumpkin Thief
Death in a Turkey Town
Murder on Parade
Cupid’s Revenge
Viva Lost Vegas
Death of a Dumb Bunny
Red, White and a Dog Named Blue
The Butterscotch Jones Mystery Series
Due North
Big Bones (Summer of 2011)
The Book of Dreams Series:
The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis
The Second Book of Dreams: Meridian
The Third Book of Dreams: Destiny
Club Valhalla
Devil of Bodmin Moor
Devil in a Red Coat
Halloween
Knave of Hearts
The Curiosity Shoppe
(Sequel to A Curious Affair)
Nevermore: The Last Divine Book