Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town (24 page)

Justin looked at him and waited for more.

“I think the witch the boys saw looking out the window was Callie.”

Justin gave him a doubtful look.

After talking with the captain, they left and headed back to headquarters. At the time, there wasn’t any way to tell how the fire had started. They did know that it wasn’t from faulty wiring as the electricity had been turned off a few days ago. They hoped to know more in the next day or so.

On the way back, Cal got a call from the D.A.. He had his arrest and search warrant. He drove by and picked them up. He met his team at the Wallaces’ home.

Maggie let him in and stepped aside when he showed her the warrant. Several deputies followed.

“Is Mrs. Wallace here?” Cal asked as he stepped into the den.

“No, sir. I haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon. I left here a little before five.” She watched the deputies, Hendrix, Miller, and Porter, fan out and head in different directions through-out the house.

“Is Dr. Wallace here?” Cal asked.

“No, sir. He packed a couple of bags the night before last and left. He hasn’t been back while I’ve been here.”

“Anyone else here?”

“Just the gardener.”

“Where’s he?”

“Making himself out to be lord of the estate in the rec room.”

“Where’s the rec room?”

“Right this way.” She headed toward the stairs, made a right, and walked down a hallway. She stopped, stepped aside, and pointed toward the door at the end of the hallway. “Right in there.”

“What’s his name?” Cal asked.

“Salvador Márquez, but Miss Wallace calls him baby, baby all night long when Dr. Wallace is away on business.”

“Márquez?” Justin asked.

She nodded.

Cal looked back at Justin. “That’s Lupe’s last name.”

He walked by her with Justin on his heels. He opened the door and stepped inside. Salvador had a cue stick in one hand and a bottle of scotch in the other. Food wrappers littered the floor. His eyes grew wide when he saw their uniforms.

“I did nothing wrong. Callie knows I am here.”

“I never said you did anything wrong. I’m looking for Mrs. Wallace.”

He shook his head. “She is not here. I do not know where she is.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

“Last night. Oh no … last evening.” He fidgeted from one foot to the other.

“Do you know where she might be?”

He shook his head. “No. She did not tell me anything. I am just the gardener.”

Cal studied him a moment longer. “Do you live on this property?”

“No, sir.”

“Where do you live?”

He looked away. “The name of the street is hard to say. It is a long name. I am still learning English.”

“Do you have a key to this house?”

He shook his head.

“Well, I think Miss Maggie is fixing to leave for the day. Why don’t you run along home so she can lock up?”

He nodded. He set the bottle down on the pool table and propped up the cue stick. He walked around the table and headed toward the door. He kept his head down as he walked by them.

After he was out of hearing distance, Cal looked at Justin and said, “Follow him, and find out where he lives. Might be the same place where Lupe is staying.”

“Will do.” Justin headed back down the hallway.

Cal looked around and then left the room. “Maggie?”

“Yes, sir?” She stepped out of the kitchen and into the den.

“Would you mind directing me to the Wallaces’ bedroom?”

She dried her hands on her apron. “I’d be my pleasure.” She walked to the foot of the stairs. “I got to tell you though … the Mr. and Mrs. don’t share the same quarters. Haven’t in months.”

“Is that so?”

64

Justin eased the squad car down the street while he kept a safe distance from Salvador’s beat up old blue sedan. Salvador pulled alongside the curb and stopped. Justin pulled over to the curb a block away and waited. A moment later, Salvador got out of the car, looked up and down the street, and then walked toward a duplex. He opened the front door and then disappeared inside.

Justin pulled away from the curb and drove down the street. He took note of the house number as he drove by it. He headed on down to the end of the street, turned around, and parked against the curb. He could see the duplex from his position. He took out his cell phone and tapped the speed dial number.

When Cal answered, Justin said, “I’ve got the house number. Well, it’s actually a duplex. 188 South Trenton. It’s not the same place that I dropped Lupe off, but it’s not far from here. It’s walking distance.”

“That’s the next street over from Mayfield Elementary, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. He’s inside the duplex. I don’t know if he’s alone or not. There are several cars parked along the street, but none of them are Mrs. Wallace’s. What do you want me to do?”

“Head on back to headquarters and get the unmarked car. I want you staked out there for awhile.”

“Will do. Did you find anything?”

“Nothing of any relevance but a broken mirror in Mrs. Wallace’s bedroom and a copy of Raven’s novel. Seems Mrs. Wallace was a tad upset being depicted as the villain that she is. I left Hendrix and Porter there to search the rest of the house, the garage, and the outbuildings.”

“Do you think everything in that book is based on fact?”

There was a moment of silence before Cal spoke. “From my perspective, growing up in this town and what I knew of Raven as well as what little I knew of Virgil and Mrs. Wallace, I’d say yes. I’m headed back to headquarters. I think it’s time to have a serious talk with Raven about her novel.”

Justin disconnected, pocketed his phone, and drove away.

65

Cal walked into the lobby of the sheriff’s department to find Angus seated near the door. As soon as he saw Cal, he jumped up and hurried to stand in front of him.

“Did you ever find Lupe and arrest her?” Angus asked.

“Yes and no.” Cal noticed a red scabbed-over scrape on Angus’ chin. It looked too large for him to have gotten it while shaving.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Angus asked.

“I found her but didn’t arrest her.”

“Why the hell not? She stole my mon … she stole from me.”

“Why don’t we finish this conversation in my office?”

Cal led the way, unlocked his door, and walked inside. Angus followed him.

“Close the door behind you,” Cal said as he sat down behind his desk.

Angus closed the door, walked over, and stood in front of the desk beside a chair. “Well?”

“Why don’t you just come out with it and tell me exactly what she stole, and don’t give me a bunch of bullshit about some cufflinks?”

Angus’ face turned red with anger. “I told you what she stole. It’s your job to arrest her.”

“I find that hard to believe that you’re more upset over stolen cufflinks than your name being smeared all over town.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who’s smearing my name?”

Cal stood up, splayed both hands on his desk, and leaned toward Angus. “You know what I’m talking about. The book! Shattered Lives!”

Angus took a step back and placed his hand on the back of the chair next to him. He looked down at the floor for a moment and then back at Cal. “It’s lies. It’s all lies!”

Cal shook his head. “Every character in that book lives in this town. The names are different, but I know everyone of them personally, including you. You were one of the easier ones to figure out.”

For a brief moment, Angus had a look of defeat. He gritted his teeth. “It wasn’t my fault. That bitch came onto me. I’m a man. I couldn’t help myself.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You knew and didn’t tell me that Agnes …
Raven
is your own daughter.”

“I … I couldn’t.”

“To save your own ass, you’d rather let your son date his half-sister.”

Angus flexed his fingers.

Cal’s face was red. He clenched his teeth as he worked his jaw muscles. “You need to leave. I’ve got nothing else to say to you right now.”

“What about Lupe?”

 Cal reached over to the telephone and pressed the intercom button. “Deputy, please come escort Mr. Rayburn from my office and from this building.”

Cal and Angus glared at each other until the door opened. Cal broke eye contact when he heard Suzanne’s voice at the door.

“Excuse me,” she said to Deputy Miller. She brushed by him and came into the room.

Angus turned toward her. “What the hell are—”

Suzanne slapped him across his face. “That’s for Imogene. She told me everything.” She drew back her foot and kicked him between his legs.

Angus doubled over, dropped to the floor onto his knees, and groaned.

“That’s for me,” she said.

The deputy got between the two. “Ma’am, you can’t do that.”

Cal stepped around the desk and hurried over. He took Suzanne by her arm to lead her out of the office and into the hallway.

With his hands covering his crotch, Angus gritted his teeth and tried to stand up. “You bitch!” He reached for the chair arm and pulled himself up. “She assaulted me.” He jabbed his index finger toward her. “I’m filing charges. I want her arrested.”

Cal turned. He looked in through the doorway at Angus, then raised his eyes to the ceiling, and thinned his lips.

“Sheriff, do what you have to do,” Suzanne said. “I don’t care. I’d rather rot in jail than ever live in the same house with that man again.”

Cal looked at her a moment, then he turned his attention to Angus. “You don’t want to do that.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion. Either you do your job, or you’ll lose your job. I’ll make sure of it.” He continued to hold onto the chair.

“I’m not concerned about my job, but putting Suzanne in jail is not the answer. This town is stirred up already over what you’ve done. I doubt anyone will listen to your bellyaching anyway.”

“I’ll go to the mayor. If he won’t do anything, I’ll go to the county commissioner. They’ll fire your ass. I’ll get you out of here somehow.” He straightened up and adjusted his belt.

“You seem to forget that I was elected, not hired.”

“I’m going to the D.A. about this.” Angus shoved past them and on out the door.

Deputy Miller followed him out into the lobby.

Cal stood silent for a few seconds. Suzanne stepped in front of him, looked up into his troubled eyes, and placed her hand on his cheek.

“It’s okay, Cal. You do your job. I’ll be fine. I’ll call my attorney, the judge will set bail, and I’ll go home. It’s still my home. It was handed down to me by my parents. He has no claim to it.”

A crease formed between his brows.

“My attorney talked me into getting a prenuptial agreement signed. I’m glad that I did.” She smiled.

“Would you mind waiting here?” He motion toward the chair across from his desk.

She walked over to the chair and sat down.

“I’ll only be a minute,” Cal said, and then stepped out into the hallway, and made a call to Justin.

66

Salvador stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He looked in the mirror over the sink, ran a hand over his chin, and then reached for his shaving cream.

A knock on his door came from the other room. He walked out of the bathroom, into the living area, and headed for the front door. A quick succession of knocks came from his back door. He turned and headed into the kitchen to the back door. He peered through the shades but couldn’t see anything, so he flipped on the light. He unlocked the door and yanked it open.

“Why are you here?”

Callie pushed past him. “Let me in and turn off that light.”

He flipped the light off, shut the door, and turned toward her. “Why are you using the back door?” He eyed her appearance. “What happened?”

She placed her hand over her heart. “I’ve been through hell. Ted came back home.”

“But I thought he moved out.”

She turned away. “He came back and …” she turned back, leaned against him, and pressed her cheek against his chest, “oh, Sal, he … he hurt me.”

“You will get over him.”

A creased formed between her brows. “No, you don’t understand. He … he raped me.”

He grabbed her shoulders and held her at arms length. “What? He raped you?”

“Yes. He was vicious. He was a mad man. I managed to get away. I fled the house with only my cell phone and car keys. I have no money to buy gas or anything. He called me on my cell phone and said he would find me and would kill me.”

“Oh,” he said with a look of concern. He let go of her and stepped back. “I am sorry, but you can not stay here.”

“Oh.” She stepped forward and placed her hands on his chest. “I just want to get out of town for awhile. You know, until things blow over, and then we can go away together.”

He looked away for a moment. When he looked back at her, she had a hopeful expression on her face. “How much do you need?”

“I don’t know, but I’m afraid to be seen in public. He has many friends, and they would tell him if they saw me. If only …” She looked off in thought. “I don’t know. Maybe if I disguised myself in someway.” She looked back at him.

He eyed the floor. “Let me get dressed.”

He left her in the living area and went into his bedroom. He slipped on a pair of jeans, a shirt, and his shoes. He came back into the room a few minutes later and grabbed his keys off of the coffee table. She was seated on the sofa.

“I’ll be back soon.”

She jumped up. “Where are you going?”

“I am going to a store to buy hair dye and clothes for you.”

67

Raven watched Cal walk Suzanne down the corridor. When they didn’t stop at her cell, she stood up from her bed and walked over to the bars.  The dog raised his head off his paws from the foot of the bed and watched her.

“Suzanne?”

“I’m okay, Raven. I’ve called a lawyer for us, and soon we’ll both be out of here.”

“Cal? What are you doing?”