Ham Bones (30 page)

She stepped aside and let me in, taking a wary stand
between the bed and the door. Giblet sat on the bed. His tail wagged, but his gaze never left me. If I tried anything,
he wasn't going to let me get away with it.

I gave a low whistle and Sweetie Pie came bounding
into the room. With a few sniffs and growls, the two dogs
became the fastest of friends.

"Oh, Sarah Booth," Kristine said, "you know how to
win me over. Giblet has been so lonely. That hound is a
perfect playmate."

"Sweetie is great. But I need to ask about Renata."

She sighed and sank into a chair. "I've told you and
the sheriff everything I know. I've been over it again and
again."

"This hasn't been asked" I sat on the end of the bed,
ignoring the dogs as they tussled and romped. "You saw
Robert Morgan at different theatres, right?" I pulled out
the sketch I'd gotten from the sheriff's office to show her.
"This man."

"I saw him in New York, Atlantic City, Reno, and here.
Yes, he's been in and out. I had the impression he wanted
a part in the play."

"Maybe. But I think he was Renata's ... friend." I
wasn't sure if their relationship was romantic or symbiotic. Somehow they were linked. "I'd like to determine
what kind of friend he was. How he fit into her life."

She rubbed between her eyebrows with an index finger
as she thought. "I only saw them alone together once."

"And?"

"It's hard to say. It didn't seem romantic." Her eyes
widened. "They were talking about you. I remember it
now. She said something like you wouldn't be able to resist coming to the show as her understudy."

"And what did Morgan say?"

"I can't remember," she said. "I wasn't paying close
attention."

"When was this, Kristine? It's important."

"New York or Atlantic City. Before Reno. I can't be
certain, but it was after the hurricane that hit the Gulf
Coast"

"Did you ever hear her say anything about Graf?
About hurting him?"

"She was always muttering threats, but not just about
Graf. Once, though, she did tell him to be careful what he
wished for because those were the things that came true"

I felt a little deflated. Kristine bolstered my theory, but
she hadn't given me anything to help prove it.

"Thanks," I told her as I called Sweetie to my side. "I'd
like to speak with Gabriel before you leave."

"I'll tell him. He's at The Gardens packing his things.
We have big plans, Sarah Booth. We're going to start a
foundation to fight for legislation in each state to help
protect innocent animals. Gabriel is a good man. It's hard
to believe he and Renata shared the same blood."

"Good luck, Kristine."

"And good luck to you, Sarah Booth. I wish I could
help you clear your name" She reached over to stroke
Sweetie's long ears. "I wish this had never happened. Not
even Renata deserved to die like that. And Gabriel said
she was coming around, at least toward him. He said that
the last time he saw her, he could see that her meanness
came from fear."

"Gabriel is a lot more forgiving than I am" I shook
Kristine's hand before Sweetie and I took our leave. I
wasn't finished for the night. Bobbe Renshaw was staying
at The Gardens, too. Maybe I could get both of them in
one fell swoop.

Gertrude would never allow Sweetie Pie in her B&B-
if she saw her. I had to talk to Bobbe, and it was too cold to leave Sweetie in the car. Ergo, Sweetie was going in with
me.

I parked down the driveway, and Sweetie and I crept
through the shadows toward the front window of the
B&B. Certainly Gertrude had to sleep sometime. She
couldn't always be sitting at the desk, and if the coast was
clear, I'd just have a look at the guest register and find out
what rooms Gabriel and Bobbe had taken.

To my aggravation, I saw Gertrude's copper-wire hairdo behind the counter. I'd have to find Bobbe's room on
my own. Sweetie and I slunk along the back gallery of the
rambling old house, listening at doors, prepared to duck
into the shadows at the first sound of footsteps.

I caught the sound of Bobbe's voice clearly raised in
agitation. I couldn't make out the words, so I moved
closer to the door. The Gardens dates back to pre-Civil
War days, and every room has a door on the interior hallway and a door on a gallery. Even though it was January
and cold, the door to Bobbe's room was cracked and cigarette smoke seeped out. Gertrude would have a hissy fit
if she knew Bobbe was smoking amongst her priceless
antiques. I peeked inside and saw Bobbe's bags stacked
on the floor. She held her cell phone as she paced in her
jacket and boots, a cigarette between her fingers.

"I don't care how you do it, just get that stuff back in
his room" Her tone brooked no arguments.

"Danny, you went into a dead man's apartment. You took
things that the law will be looking for. I don't care why
you did it, I only care if you're caught, I'll be the one charged
with murder. Put that stuff back exactly where you got it."

She paced silently as she listened.

"Just do it. No excuses. Just get it done. I've got a
midnight flight out of Memphis. I'll be home by six A.M."
She snapped her phone shut and then opened it to dial.

Sweetie Pie's growl came from deep in her throat. The
hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I pivoted
on my toe just as something hard slammed into the back
of my head.

I tried to brace myself on the door of Bobbe's room,
but it flew open and I felt myself falling onto the faded
Oriental carpet. Then there was only blackness.

Strong arms lifted me, and I curled against the warmth
of someone's chest. I was very content until I felt something wet and warm moving over my face. That's when I
heard Sweetie Pie's worried whines.

I forced my eyes open to find Graf holding me and
Tinkie advancing on Gertrude Strom.

"I thought she was a burglar," Gertrude said. She held
a rolling pin in her hand and I was able to put two and two
together. I reached up to touch my head. The goose egg
was impressive, but there wasn't any blood. Gertrude had
cold-cocked me with a baking implement.

"Gertrude, you know Sarah Booth. You did this out of
pure damn meanness." Tinkie was very put out.

"I don't allow dogs or snoops on my premises." Gertrude
was completely unrepentant. "Isn't she charged with murder? How is it that she's out running around, peeping in
people's rooms?"

"Ms. Strom, are you going to file charges against Sarah
Booth?" Gordon asked. He held a notepad in his hand.

"I hardly think so," Tinkie said. "Because if she does,
Sarah Booth will file assault charges against her."

"Help me up," I said. Graf set me on my feet. Though
I wobbled a moment, I regained my balance and walked
over to Gertrude. "File charges. Please do it. I'm going to sue you until the cows come home" I felt the angry blood
thud in the lump on my head.

"Oh, posh! Just get off my property and take that
mangy dog with you" She stormed back inside, swinging
the rolling pin with each stride.

I was still a little confused. Especially about Graf. Last
I heard, he'd been taken into custody. "What happened?"

"I was up at the jail bonding Graf out when Gordon
got the call to come here. Something told us the reported
burglar might be you, so we came, too"

"You bonded Graf out?" I was still confused.

"Oscar says I might as well open my own bonding
business." She smiled. "Not such a bad idea."

I suddenly remembered why I was at The Gardens and
the conversation I'd overheard. "Bobbe Renshaw." I started
toward her room.

"She's gone" Tinkie looked worried. "We saw her pulling
out of the parking lot just as we were coming in. Coleman
told her she could return home"

I felt a wave of weakness, and as I stumbled, Graf
caught my arm to give me support. "We need to stop her."

"Why?" Tinkle asked.

"I think her husband may have taken something from
Robert Morgan's New York apartment. Something that
may prove my innocence."

"How does Bobbe's husband know-" Graf started to
ask, but Tinkie cut him off.

"Then we need to stop her." Tinkie put her words into
action. She started toward the parking lot. "Gordon,
you've got the patrol car with the siren and lights. Can
you catch up to her?"

"She's headed to the Memphis airport," I told him.

Gordon wasted no time. He was across the porch and running to the patrol car. "I'll stop her before she gets out
of Sunflower County."

"We'll be at the sheriff's office" Tinkie opened the
passenger door of her Caddy for me. "Give Graf your
keys, Sarah Booth, so he can drive your car."

I did as I was told, as Tinkie opened the back door for
Sweetie. In a matter of minutes, we were en route to Zinnia.

"Why in the world didn't you call me if you were
going to snoop around The Gardens? You know Gertrude
hates you"

"She hates you, too," I pointed out.

"Right. But she's afraid of me because of Oscar and
the bank. She would never have struck me with a rolling
pin."

"I didn't call you because I thought you were sleeping"'

"That coffee you made was strong enough to wake
Lazarus. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. Then Graf called,
and I went to make his bond"

"How did Oscar feel about that?" Somehow, I'd never
thought Oscar would be so tolerant of Tinkie's new lifestyle.

"He's not thrilled, but he realizes that I'll do whatever
I have to where you're involved."

"Thanks, Tinkie, but how is Graf's bail tied to me?"

"If Renata meant to disappear and frame you for murder, then she had to have a reason. That reason has to be
tied to Graf. Don't you see? Otherwise why would she
have chosen you to frame? I think we need to have a long
sit-down with Graf, and we couldn't do it in the jail."

"That makes perfect sense" My head was throbbing,
and my temper was short. "I get the distinct impression that nobody has told the complete truth. Not Graf, not
Kristine, not Bobber"

"And the biggest liar of all was Renata" Tinkie pulled
up to the curb at the courthouse. We stopped behind
Coleman's truck.

I thought he was in Jackson." The one person I didn't
want to see was Coleman Peters.

"Sarah Booth, whether you feel like it or not, I think
tonight's the night to clear up any misunderstandings.
This business has gone on long enough. On all fronts.
Coleman is going to come clean. So is Graf, and so is
Bobbe."

"Throw Gabriel in there, too. We need to find him and
bring him up here"

"That's an excellent idea." She whipped out her cell
phone. "Coleman, it's Tinkie. I need you to bring Gabriel
Trovaioli in from The Gardens so that Sarah Booth and
I can talk to him. I realize you don't have to do this, but I
think you should. It's time to put a stop to all of this suspicion. We both know Sarah Booth is innocent. One of
these people killed Renata, or one of them knows who
did. I want answers, and I want them now."

I could hear the weariness in Coleman's deep voice,
and for a split second, I felt sorry for him. Then I reminded myself that pity ran only one way with him. He
had done what he felt he had to do. Now Tinkie and I
were going to do what we had to do. And the end result
was that my name would be cleared before the clock
struck midnight.

loleman arrived with a sputtering Gabriel about the
same time Gordon returned with a very unhappy
Bobbe. She was complaining loudly about missing her
flight when she stepped into the sheriff's office and saw
Graf, Gabriel, and me.

Sweetie Pie wagged her tail, but that was the only bit
of welcome Bobbe got. I called Sweetie to my side, and
she sat down, uncertain about all the tension in the room.

"What's going on?" Bobbe asked, but I wasn't paying
that much attention to her.

My gaze had settled on Coleman, and I wasn't prepared to see how worn he looked. He'd lost at least ten
pounds since I'd seen him last, and the lines around his
eyes and mouth were not put there with smiles. The
gauntness made him seem angry.

"What's this about?" Bobbe's hands trembled, and I
wondered what she really had to hide. I'd felt sorry for
her, thinking about how she'd been forced to be away from her husband and baby. She'd played on my sympathy and then she'd tampered with evidence, leaving me
to face a murder charge.

"It's about the truth," Coleman said. "At last. We've
come to the part in the investigation where someone is
going to tell me exactly what's going on here"

He walked past Gabriel and Graf at the counter and on
to Bobbe, where she stood by the door. "I suggest you all
take a seat. No one is leaving until this is finished and the
truth is told."