Murder at Catfish Corner: A Maggie Morgan Mystery (9 page)

“I’ll take your
word for it.”

Maggie laughed.
“I noticed that Stella called you Vanessa. Did Hazel call you by your first
name, too?”

She twisted her
mouth into a scowl. “Yes and that was a sticking point with us. I considered it
disrespectful and asked her to call me Dr. Griffith. She argued that she didn’t
call my dad Dr. Griffith and she said she wasn’t about to start with me.”

After finishing
another bite of the hot dog, Maggie asked, “I thought you were married?”

“I am, but I use
my maiden name professionally. I was Dr. Griffith when I came back here and I
didn’t see any need to change my name. I also wanted to honor Dad and continue
the tradition of a Dr. Griffith running the clinic.

“You married a
local man?”

Dr. Griffith’s
face glowed as she answered, “I did. We went to school together and ran in the
same circles, but didn’t reconnect until I came home. He manages my office.”

“How did that go
over with Hazel? I thought she was nurse slash officer manager?”

“She was, and his
addition to the staff did not sit well with her. Hazel wasn’t a fan of change.
She didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for me when I returned home.”

“Why did you
come back to Geneva County?”

The doctor finished
the last of the salad’s crispy lettuce and said, “It all goes back to that
quote.”

“What quote is
that?”

“I can’t
remember it precisely, but it basically means that any doctor could have done the
job I had in Cincinnati, but only I could have come back here and worked in my
dad’s clinic. I felt a calling to return.”

“Has it been a
successful return?”

“I think so. Out
of respect for Dad, I didn’t so much as suggest changes while he was alive, but
I’ve put my own stamp on the clinic while maintaining the spirit in which it
was founded.”

Maggie misjudged
the size of the last bite of hot dog and struggled to chew and swallow without
choking. Once she had managed to finish, she gulped water.

“You really
shouldn’t take such big bites,” the doctor cautioned. “You could easily choke.
Besides, it’s not good for your digestive system.”

“I know and I
apologize for my table manners. I guess my holler roots are showing.”

“‘Holler
roots.’” Dr. Griffith smiled. “You’re funny, Maggie. If I had time for a social
life, we could go shopping for shoes or gossip over martinis.”

“I’m not a
shopaholic and alcohol gives me a hangover, but I’ll keep that in mind.” Maggie
coughed, took another drink of water, and steered the conversation back to the
clinic. “What were some of the changes you made?”

“I opened the
clinic one Saturday a month, I asked the receptionist to start wearing scrubs,
I redecorated the lobby and the entire clinic and brought them into this
century.”

“You said Hazel
wasn’t a fan of change, so what did she think about all this?”

“She fought me
every step of the way. She even tattled on me to my mom.”

“Really? That
sounds childish and controlling. What did your mom say?”

“Mom took
Hazel’s side. She told me I should have consulted Hazel before making changes
at my clinic. I let Mom and Hazel know that I was not about to be as
accommodating as Dad had been. I don’t know how forthcoming Stella has been
about Hazel, but she insisted on, well, controlling everything. My mom has told
me about how Hazel tended to her husband. Maybe I’m over-analyzing her, but I
think that was another form of control. She wanted him to depend on her and he
did. Still, in hindsight, she handled her divorce better than I would have
predicted. Then again, she had her hatred of Earnest and his girlfriend to help
get her through the day.” When Maggie laughed, she added, “With all that said, I
regretted Hazel’s departure. She was an excellent nurse and the patients loved
her.”

“Have you reflected
on your last meeting with her?”

Reaching for her
purse, Dr. Griffith stopped and asked, “What do you mean?”

“The first time
we talked, you couldn’t remember what you and Hazel had discussed that day. I
thought time might have provided you with the opportunity to think back to that
final conversation and recall what was said.”

“Nothing more
has come to mind and that bothers me. If I had known it would be the last time
we spoke, I would have paid more attention to her words. But if treating the
sick, the infirmed, and the elderly has taught me anything, it’s that life
rarely lets us in on the secret that we’re seeing someone for the final time.”

Chapter Fifteen

Maggie and Luke strolled
hand-in-hand through downtown Jasper.

“It’s a nice
evening for a walk,” Luke said. “A little muggy, but nice.”

“Yeah, and I
definitely need this walk. I’m still trying to work off the footlong hot dog
and fries I inhaled last Saturday. It depresses me to think of all those empty
calories taking up residence in my waist and thighs.”

Luke laughed.
“I’m sure one hot dog and a few fries won’t do that much damage. What caused
you to give into temptation?”

“I told you, I
went to Sassafras on Saturday.”

“Ah. I forgot. Were
your conversations that stressful?”

“Not so much
stressful as confusing. I know you don’t want to hear about this, so let’s talk
about something else. Wasn’t the concert wonderful?”

“Eh, I guess it
depends on your definition of wonderful.”

Maggie stopped
walking and stood facing Luke on the sidewalk. “Oh, come on, it was a great way
to start Jasper’s Summer Under the Stars Concert Series. And don’t tell me you don’t
think the singer sounded a little like Randy Travis.”

Luke shrugged.
“I guess he did, but that’s not something that impresses me.”

Maggie withdrew
her hand from Luke’s. “I don’t know if I can hold hands with someone who
doesn’t appreciate Randy Travis.”

“It’s too late.
You already have,” Luke said and reached for Maggie’s hand.

“You have a
point.” Maggie giggled. “I guess we’ll have to accept each other’s
imperfections and celebrate the things we have in common including our decision
to plan a last-minute trip to the Grand Canyon.”

“It’s not last
minute. We have a couple weeks.”

“I know. It’s
just that I’m used to planning trips months in advance. I won’t even go to
Lexington on the spur of the moment. This is a new and exciting way of living
for me.”

“I’m happy that
I’ve added some excitement to your life.” Luke kissed the top of her head and
they resumed their walk. They had barely taken two steps when Maggie heard
someone calling her name. She turned to see Kevin Mullins, a childhood friend
of her brother’s, and a woman approaching.

“Hey, Kevin,
it’s good to see you,” Maggie said. “Were you guys at the concert?”

“Yeah. Dad and
Rhonda were there, too.”

“Shoot. I wish I
had seen them. How are they doing?”

“They’re doing
great. I sure am happy you fixed them up. After Mom left us, Dad gave up where
women was concerned. I think he always hoped Mom would come back. But him and
Rhonda, they get along just fine.”

“I guess you
could say Maggie helped more than one Mullins man,” Luke said.

“That’s what I
say. I tell everybody that you saved my life.” Kevin looked to his companion.
“Don’t I say that all the time? I reckon people get tired of hearing me say it,
but I don’t care cause it’s the truth. If it hadn’t been for you, Maggie, they
would have railroaded me for killing Mac and I’d be in prison.”

“Quit giving me
so much credit and introduce me to your friend.”

Kevin made his
introductions and the couples continued down the sidewalk. When they reached
the
Jasper Sentinel’s
parking lot, Maggie said, “It’s been a great
evening, but this is where I leave you guys.”

Before they
could say their goodbyes, Kevin’s date exclaimed, “Look at that car.”

Maggie, Luke,
and Kevin turned in unison and saw a car with a broken driver’s side window.

Maggie gasped.
“That’s my car.”

“Wonder what
happened?” Kevin asked. “You think maybe some kids were out here playing and
broke the window?”

Maggie walked to
the car, crunching gleaming glass beneath her feet, and examined the shattered
window. Luke joined her and said, “Did you leave paper lying in your seat?”

“No. Why?”

Luke directed
his head toward the car. “There’s paper in your front seat.”

“How’d that get
in there?” she asked.

“I don’t know,”
Luke said, bending to his waist and extending his arm inside the car.

“Be careful,”
Maggie advised. “There’s glass everywhere.”

Luke pulled his
hand through the broken window and read the piece of paper. He looked up from it
and said, “I’m calling the police.”

“Why? What does
it say?” Kevin asked.

Luke handed the
note, which had been written with a black marker and in all caps, to Maggie. He
wrapped his arms around her and said, “It says, ‘CONSIDER THIS A WARNING.’”

Chapter Sixteen

Maggie slept
little that night. Every time Mr. Sandman came to her, she shook him off and
returned in her mind to the
Sentinel
parking lot. Although she tried to
convince herself that kids had smashed her car window and threatened her as a
prank, she suspected the vandalism was tied to the Hazel Baker investigation.
She hugged her pillow to her chest and said, “This means I’m getting too close
and that it was murder.”

She dragged her
tired and drowsy body out of bed at daybreak and shuffled into the living room
to let some light into the room. “Oh, no,” she said when she pulled the cord on
her blinds. Until that moment, her focus had remained on the damage to her car
as well as to a possible connection to Hazel. The empty driveway reminded her
of another worry. “How am I going to explain my missing car to Mom and Daddy?”
she asked herself.

She considered
her options while helping her mom prepare breakfast. Maybe they won’t notice,
she thought to herself. Maybe I can pay out of pocket for a rental that looks
like my car. Maybe that will fool them. Maybe I won’t need to mention it.

By the time she
and Lena had set the sausage, gravy, biscuits, and fried apples on the table,
she had come to her senses. She knew she would have to tell them as soon as she
mustered the nerve to do so. She cleaned her plate of sausage and gravy and
said, “That gravy was a perfect consistency, Mom. Not thick, not runny. Just
perfect.”

“Thank you.”

“It is good,”
Robert agreed and shoved a piece of biscuit dripping with a mixture of gravy
and strawberry preserves into his mouth.

Maggie’s eyes
drifted to Lena’s plate. Whereas Robert ate so rapidly that she doubted he even
tasted the food, usually a colorful mixture of meat, starches, vegetables, and
fruit, Lena cut her food into small pieces and chewed deliberately, never allowing
individual portions to touch.

“We won’t have
any more canned sausage for a while. I opened the last can this morning,” Lena
said.

“Well,” Robert
said, “I guess we can make some more this week.”

“No, we can’t,”
Lena said. “The beets are ready to can, and we’ve got a bushel of beans to
string and put up this week. Besides, I’m not canning sausage in hot weather.”

Robert reached
for the fried apples and said, “Then I guess it’s no more canned sausage until
fall.”

Maggie had hoped
her parents would bicker about the sausage for a few minutes and allow her to
strategize. When that failed to happen, she decided that now seemed like the
perfect time to ask her mom about her name.

“Mom, have you
ever noticed that people call you Lena?”

Lena directed
her eyes toward Maggie and studied her daughter. “Yes, Maggie,” she said, “I
have noticed that people call me by my name.”

“That’s not what
I meant. Around here, I’d expect them to call you Lennie or Leannie. Wonder why
they don’t?”

“I’ve never
thought about it.”

“Do you think
it’s because you were named after Lana Turner? I know you’ve said the midwife
misspelled your name on the birth certificate, but maybe it was Lana’s presence
in the back story of your name that subconsciously convinced people to use the
correct pronunciation. After all, I doubt that even folks around here would
have called her Lannie Turner.”

“I don’t know
what you’re talking about. My name is my name and that’s what people call me.”

Maggie could
have continued rambling, but she didn’t see the logic in prolonging a one-sided
conversation. She opened a jar of honey Boone Osborne had given them, used a
fork to hold the comb against the jar, and poured honey onto her plate. As she
stirred a spoonful of butter into the honey, she said, “Would you all mind if I
used your car for a few days? I hate to ask. I know it’s an inconvenience, but
it can’t be helped.”

Robert shoveled
apples into his mouth, chewed them a couple times, swallowed, and said, “It’s
okay with me as long as it’s okay with your mother. Why do you need it?”

“I don’t have a
car right now.”

“What do you
mean?” Lena asked.

“Yeah, where’s
your car?” Robert asked.

“It’s in a
garage.”

“A garage?”
Lena’s head pivoted toward Maggie. “Did you have a wreck yesterday? Why didn’t
you tell us? Were you hurt?”

“I didn’t wreck
and I’m fine. Someone broke my driver’s side window last night while Luke and I
were at the concert. You know, you all really should have gone to the concert.
Daddy, you would have loved it. The singer sounded a lot like Randy Travis.”

Lena pushed her
plate out of the way and said, “I thought we told you we didn’t see the point
in driving into Jasper to sit outside in the dark and let gnats eat us up and
risk getting rained on just to listen to music. If your Daddy wants to hear
somebody who sounds like Randy Travis, he can pop one of those CDs into the
tape player and listen to the real thing. Now, about your car –”

“It didn’t rain.
It was a beautiful evening and the whole point of Summer Under the Stars is,
well, having the concerts outside. Under the stars.”

“Somebody broke
your window?” Robert asked. “How did that happen?”

“I’m not really
sure, but as it turns out, I ran into Kevin Mullins last night and he called a
buddy of his who owns a body shop. They towed the car for me and Kevin got me a
deal on the window. Kevin said his dad and Rhonda were at the concert, too, but
I didn’t see them. I’m really happy for Randy and Rhonda. They deserve to find
happiness.”

“Maggie, I’m not
interested in hearing about Randy Mullins’ love life. I’m interested in hearing
more about this window.”

“Well, Mom, like
I told you, it was broken during the concert.”

“And that’s
all?”

“Yeah, pretty
much.”

Lena narrowed
her big brown eyes until they looked like slits. “Pretty much? What are you not
telling us?”

Maggie sighed.
“Don’t freak out. I’m sure it’s nothing, but there was a note inside the car.”

“What did this
note say?”

“‘Consider this
a warning.’”

Lena patted the
kitchen table. Robert’s eyes remained on Maggie. “What would somebody want to
warn you about?” he asked.

“I don’t know and
maybe it wasn’t even meant for me. They could have vandalized the wrong car.”

“Wrong car, my
big toe,” Lena said. “It’s as obvious as the nose on your face.”

Robert held out
his hands, shrugged, and said, “It ain’t obvious to me.”

“It has
something to do with that woman that drowned over on Sassafras.” Lena said,
turning to Maggie. “Don’t it?”

“I don’t know that
to be true,” Maggie mumbled.

“Well, I do. You
were traipsing around there last weekend and now look’s what happened.”

“Who do you
think broke your window?” Robert asked in a whisper, which Maggie immediately
recognized as his voice of concern.

“I don’t know,
Daddy, but don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t tell us
not to worry,” Lena said in a raised voice. “You think somebody killed that
woman and now you’ve been threatened, so don’t tell us not to worry.” Lena
scooted the chair back from the table and left the kitchen, but not before
pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee.

Maggie waited a
few minutes and said, “So, Daddy, can I borrow the car?”

“I guess,” he said, “but I should cut a keen limb and stripe your legs.
Maybe that would whip some sense into you.” Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t
know how we raised a young’un that’s so smart and so stupid at the same time.”

After breakfast,
Maggie cleaned her house, gave Barnaby a bath, drove into Jasper, and spent the
rest of the day with Luke. They watched a movie that evening, but Maggie didn’t
make it through the opening credits before falling asleep. She awakened to the
sound of her ringing cell phone and the sight of the words “The End” appearing
on the TV.

She answered the
phone only to be greeted by Stella Martin screaming in her ear.

“Why did you
talk to Brother without me?” Stella demanded to know.

Maggie sat
upright on the couch and said, “I do not appreciate your attitude, Stella.
Dennis has the right to speak to whomever he chooses. I also have a right to
speak to whomever I choose.”

“Brother is –”

“An adult. But
from the way you treat him, I don’t think you know that. I’m surprised you
don’t go to work with him so you can monitor his daily conversations.”

“There’s no call
to be rude.”

“You’re right,
there’s not. You can call me back when you learn how to talk to people.” Maggie
pressed end and tossed the phone onto the table.

“Wow,” Luke
said. “What’s gotten you all feisty and fired up?”

“Specifically,
Stella Martin. Generally, losing sleep makes me cranky.” Maggie moved a few
inches toward Luke and relaxed in his arms. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I’m
afraid I’m not a good date tonight.”

“You’re a good
date any night.” Luke’s lips had found Maggie’s when her cell phone rang again.
“You’d better get that. Stella might have learned how to talk to people.”

Maggie picked up
the phone and said, “Feeling better?”

The voice on the
other end of the line said, “Is this Maggie Morgan?”

“Yes. Who is
this?”

“It’s Officer
Tackett. I took your complaint last night.”

Maggie closed
her eyes and scrunched her face. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“Hey, I’m just
calling to let you know that we lucked out. We checked the camera on the ATM
machine at the bank across from the newspaper officer. It shows who smashed
your window.”