Fixin' To Die (A Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 1) (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Everyone else had already arrived at Tibbie’s for the Euchre game and was mingling around the food. Since I had already eaten supper, I figured I’d just go straight to the desserts after I changed into civilian clothes. It felt good to pull my hair out of its ponytail and let it hang down. I took the pin off my uniform and pinned it on my sweatshirt. I didn’t want to lose it.

Maybe being here at our Euchre circle, I could put the crimes and the ghost of my Poppa in the back of my mind. Sometimes when I didn’t think so hard, things would just naturally come to me. I hoped this was one of those times.

Just a couple hours with my friends was probably all I needed to feel normal again. What I wouldn’t give to go back to forty-eight hours ago when everything was boring.

“Kenni, I’m so glad to see you,” Lulu said when I walked into the room where the dessert table was located. She was peeling the Saran Wrap off of the glass plate of chess bars. “I’ve got an extra plate of chess bars in my car for that handsome cop that’s helping you. Don’t forget to remind me to give them to you.” She pulled her shoulder up to her ears and winked before she rushed off to talk to a few of the other ladies.

I forwent the chess bars, only because Finn had made a remark about them and I didn’t want to think of him, and went straight for the peanut butter brownies. One bite and I knew who had made them. Mama.

“I’m glad to see you are eating.” Mama’s voice escalated. “From the looks of you in that towel, I was afraid you weren’t.”

I shoved the rest of the brownie in my mouth and turned around, but not without glancing around the room to see if Dr. Houston was there yet. I still wanted to talk to her about our little conversation earlier in the day and see if she’d changed her mind on giving me some names of her clients that had partials and a chipped tooth.

“I’m eating,” I said, my voice muffled with chipmunk cheeks. A few pieces of brownie flew out of my mouth. Not to my surprise, Mama scowled, muttering something about manners, and threw her hand out in front of me, a pink and lime green bag dangling from her grip. I tossed my head back. “What’s that?” I asked, reluctant to take it.

Anything from my mama always came with a price. I had learned that lesson a long time ago.

“Towels.” The bag swayed back and forth like a pendulum, waiting for me to grab it so it could chop off my hand. “I knew you wouldn’t run out and get your own, so I went to Lulu’s Boutique and bought you a few.”

“But not without words!” Lulu yelled from one of the card tables set up in the room across the hall.

“Words?” My brows knitted.

“It’s nothing.” Mama giggled.

I grabbed the bag and opened it. There were four towels separately rolled and tied with a pink and lime green bow. I pulled one out and sat the bag next to my feet before uncurling it.

I had to admit, I liked the heavy cotton and the length was far longer than I was used to. I jerked the corner up to get a look at the monogram, only it wasn’t monogram.

“‘No holes?’” I asked, reading the words.

“It doesn’t have any.”

Mama reached around me and grabbed one of Lulu’s chess bars.

“Clever, Mama.” My lip quivered as I tried not to smile. From what I could recall, this was the first time in a long time Mama had tried to make a joke.

“See.” She reached out and placed her warm hand on my arm. “I can be witty.”

“Funny, not witty.” I patted her hand, a peace offering for the night.

“And if you just so happen to have an overnight guest,” her voice escalated, “he will have a towel to use.”

“Mama.” I tilted my head. I knew she was talking about Finn without her even having to say his name. “Are you kidding?”

“Well, he is a cutie.” Mama shrugged and quickly walked away. She always had to have the last word. “Plus, I can tell by how you look at him that you are a wee bit interested.” She held her finger and thumb an inch apart and up to her eyes before she turned and walked back into the game room.

I grabbed another brownie and stuffed it in my mouth.

A couple of other ladies came into the room and put a few items on small plastic plates. I moved to the side to make more room.

“I wouldn’t pee in her ear if her brain was on fire,” Ruby quipped, before snatching off a pig in a blanket hors d’oeuvre. “After all, she is her mama up one side and down the other.”

“Uh-huh.” Stella from the church circle nodded her head and piled one of everything up on her plate. “I about died when I pulled my cart right on up to the belt and placed my milk on it and heard her voice.”

“And that hair.” Ruby fluffed her bright red hair with the edges of her fingers. “It’s maroon and purple mixed together.”

“I’m telling you—” Stella started before Ruby interrupted her.

“She’s just like that no good mama of hers.”

Ruby nodded her head several times before Stella nodded back.

I wasn’t sure if Stella was being polite by giving Ruby the head nod back; Ruby’s nod was her way of telling Stella this conversation was between them. But we all knew it was Cottonwood gossip and would be spread around like manure.

“Whose voice?” I butted into a conversation I wasn’t even privy to. But I knew Stella and Ruby. They both loved to flap their jaws and a little bit of gossip might do my soul some good.

“Kenni, honey.” Ruby’s face held surprise. “I didn’t see you standing over there. Like you’re hiding or something.”

I smiled. “I’m not hiding.” I reached over and grabbed one of the pigs in a blanket. “Just grabbing some food when I heard you talking about somebody that I can only figure to be Toots Buford.”

It didn’t take a genius to know who had purplish hair around town. Only one person, and that was Toots.

“You can’t take us two old hens seriously.” Stella’s face quivered. The circles around her eyes deepened even more when she tried to smile.

“Who are you calling an old hen?” Ruby jumped around, flipped Stella off, and stomped off into the card table room.

Stella’s neck slowly moved up and down when she swallowed. I was good at reading people, and I was good at making them nervous.

“I’m glad Toots got her job back at Dixon’s Foodtown.” It was a big relief knowing the death of Doc Walton didn’t leave her without a job.

“She sure was rootin’ tootin’ mad and let everyone know how she got fired.” Stella leaned in. “I even found a business card of Dr. Shively in my grocery bag when I got home.” She pulled back, her eyes drawing down, and she tugged on the hem of her cardigan. “I know I didn’t put that business card in my basket.”

“What do you mean fired?”

My mind was still trying to wrap around the first sentence Stella spouted.

“Doc Walton fired her a week ago when she didn’t put away the files like she was supposed to.” Stella shrugged. “Not that I’m gossiping or anything, but you are the sheriff and Doc Walton is dead.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, knowing Toots was the second person at the crime scene, other than Sterling Stinnett.

“Hand to God. Over a week ago.” She threw one hand on her chest and one hand up in the air. “You know I’m a Bible-fearing woman. I would not pack a tale.”

“Oh, yes you would.” Poppa stood behind the dessert table. “I sure would like a piece of your mama’s peanut butter brownies. You know it’s a family recipe straight from my grandmother’s cookbook.”

“You are sure she was fired over a week ago?” I wanted to make very sure because this was the first I’d heard of it.

If that was the case, why was she at Doc Walton’s? Had she really come up on him? Was she really the one who killed him and when Stinnett found him, she was hiding? Maybe the tire marks had nothing to do with the murder. I mean, if Toots was mad about the firing, she could’ve confronted him that morning, stabbing him out of malice. Toots wasn’t very strong and the stab wounds weren’t deep. And she did have access to those thermometers. Heck, she could’ve bought thermometers at Foodtown.

Laughter brought me out of my thoughts. Viola White was sitting at one of the Euchre tables with my mom. She was grinning from ear to ear since she and Mama had just taken a trick from their opponents.

I looked back at Stella.

“I’m telling you, she was cussing Doc Walton up one side and down the other about how he fired her because she left out an important client file and he said how if it got into the wrong hands someone’s life would be altered forever.” Stella’s plate teetered, full to the brim, and she kept piling more on.

“Whose file was it?” I asked.

“I have no idea.” She shook her head. “Toots said she wouldn’t tell me, but it would come out soon enough.” Stella shook her finger at me. “Now this is between me and you.”

Slowly I nodded. I couldn’t wait to tell Finn. What did this mean? My heart raced. My nerves were on edge. Not only did Viola have a good motive to kill Doc, now Toots did too.

“I’m starving,” Stella said before she turned and headed back into the card table room, nearly knocking Tibbie over.

“Sorry, Stella,” Tibbie apologized after she rounded the corner so quickly without looking. “Okay, come on,” Tibbie said to me and pointed to the room with all the players, trying to get me in there so I could start my game.

“Good work, Kenni-bug.” Poppa bent over the plate of brownies and took a nice long whiff. “You might have a shot at this sheriff thing after all.”

Toots Buford had never been on my mind as a suspect. She’d gone from not being on the radar at all to being at the top of the list alongside Viola.

I stood in the doorway looking into the room at all the women. My eyes zeroed in on Viola. I just couldn’t imagine her stabbing someone. She smiled. Her teeth were nice and straight. Did she have a partial?

I took my phone out of my pocket and sent a quick text to Finn.

Just found out that Doc fired Toots over a week ago. Why was she at his house the morning of the murder? Stop by her house and see what she has to say about that.

He replied quickly:
Will do.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Kenni!” Jolee smacked the table between us. I jumped in the air along with my nerves. My head wasn’t in the game. I tried my hardest to listen in on Mama and Viola’s conversation, and my hand was on my phone. I couldn’t wait to see what Finn had found out from Toots. “Are you wanting me to pick it up?”

She brought my attention to the King of Hearts sitting on top of the kitty pile.

Though it would have been a strong trump card, there was no way I was going to tell her to pick it up when I had a handful of low cards in all four suits.

“I mean, it’s a big one,” Jolee coaxed, her lashes wide open.

“I’ll pass,” I whispered and fell right back into my thoughts and the possibilities of Toots being the killer.

She might have a reason to have killed Doc Walton, but what was the connection to White’s Jewelry?

Viola White was Euchre partners with my mama and I could easily mosey over there and drop a few questions.

“Kenni?” Jolee questioned my move of over-trumping her when I didn’t need to.

I raked the pile close to me and smacked down a nine of hearts, which was clearly not going to win the hand.

“It’s all I got.” I shrugged and got up from the table, knowing I had just thrown the game and our chance of moving on with the quarter tournament.

“What is with you?” Jolee settled back into her chair, a little disappointed. “I haven’t seen you this scattered in a long time.”

“It’s this case.” I glanced over at Viola White, knowing I was going to have to seize the opportunity to ask her about the insurance. It was lucky she’d stepped up to the plate to be Mama’s Euchre partner since Missy Jennings was sick. “I’m racking my brain about who and why someone would want Doc Walton dead.”

“Don’t you let this community stop you from investigating and doing what you need to do to bring the killer to justice.” A smile crossed Jolee’s face. “And maybe you need to do some late night rap sessions with one Finn Vincent.”

“It’s not like that.” I could tell her mind was playing some type of romance scene in her head. “Besides, he’s not interested in me. And if he was, I’m not interested in him or a relationship.”

My heart fluttered and I put my hand up to my chest.

“Not interested, huh?” Jolee’s eyes focused on my hand.

“Heartburn,” I lied. “I always get heartburn after eating too many of my mom’s peanut butter brownies. Can you let Duke out for me after this?”

“I’m surprised he isn’t with you.” She stood up and pushed her chair in.

“I wasn’t sure how many stops I needed to make and keeping him in the car isn’t fair to him.”

“I’ll let him out.” Jolee dropped her hands from the back of the chair. “I’m going to go eat. Are you leaving?”

“I’m going to check on Mama and Viola, then I’m out.” I stood up, taking a little courage from Jolee’s words about not letting the community stop me. I was going to confront Viola White. Maybe not in front of everyone now, but the opportunity would present itself at some point tonight.

The Euchre games were well underway and everyone was talking about Jolee’s and my ten-week winning streak and how it had just come to an end, leaving my mama and Viola in the running for first place. Missy was going to be so mad when she found out Viola was a better partner for Mama.

“I might be old, but I’m going to go it alone.” Viola pumped her jeweled hand in the air.

“That’s my girl!” my mama screamed with pride. “You got this. I’m going to the bathroom.”

Mama got up and I took her seat across from Viola.

Katy Lee Hart and Gina Kim were their opponents and each let out a long sigh along with an eye roll. When someone “went alone” in a Euchre game, it meant they were confident enough to be able to take all the tricks of that hand, winning full points for their team. Mama and Viola only needed to win this last trick to win the game and make it into first place.

When it came to Viola, she was no stranger to going alone and probably a reason they had been in second behind me and Jolee. She was a good stand-in partner when we needed one. She and Mama were vicious tonight and normally that would fire me up to beat them. But not tonight. More important things were on my mind. A killer.

The four rounds of cards were over in seconds.

“Yes!” Viola pounded the table with her hand and belted out the famous line of Queen, “We are the champions, my friend.”

“Shut up.” Ruby snorted over the top of her spade-shaped glass filled with brandy. “Not for long.”

“Long enough,” Viola snarled, gathering the deck of cards into a nice neat pile.

Katy Lee and Gina got up, leaving us alone.

“Viola, can I ask you a couple of questions?” I asked.

“Sure, honey.” Her hands were busy shuffling the deck and doing all sorts of fancy folding tricks with the cards. “Did you find my big diamond? I told Wyatt it was stolen and I want it back.”

“No, I’m sorry, I haven’t. Yet. Though it’s my understanding that you don’t own the building where your store is located, that Doc Walton did.” Since she was taking her sweet old time shuffling the cards, I took the opportunity to text Finn.

Did you find anything out?

He answered,
She wasn’t home. I left a note on her door.

I wrote back,
Did Wyatt say anything about that big diamond Viola had in her shop? She said it was stolen during the robbery.

Not a word to me
, Finn replied.

“He wasn’t going to renew your contract.” I put the phone back in my lap.

“He’s a fool,” she said. She tapped the edges of the deck of cards, her hands as steady as her voice. “I made him money.”

“Don’t let up, Kenni-bug,” Poppa encouraged me.

I gulped and took a deep breath.

“He said he was going to move his office back into town, when you and I both know he couldn’t do that.” Her chest bumped out when she let out a puff of air. Her eyes slid from the deck of cards up to my face. “You can’t possibly think I murdered him.”

She looked at me like I had two heads, appalled I could even think such a thing.

“Well…” I eased back in my chair and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. Everyone had gone to get dessert and spread more gossip. “Anger is a good motive for killing someone, and there was no forced entry into your shop.” I bit the corner of my lip and thought for one second about what I was about to say. “Plus, you had a pretty good insurance plan on your jewelry.”

“How do you know that?” Her brows knitted in curiosity. “There are only two people who know about my insurance dealings.” Her mouth dropped open, and I took the opportunity to take a quick look inside to see if I saw any dentures or partials.

“I am the sheriff. I have to check out everyone who had dealings with Doc Walton, and it sure does seem like you had dealings.” I shrugged.

“I don’t like what you are trying to say, Kendrick Lowry.” Her voice was calm, her gaze steady.