Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (23 page)

~~*~~

Tizzy slammed back her second shot of tequila and tried to
make sense of Jay Roy’s words. She wanted the liquor to numb the headache
throbbing at her temples.

“Oh my God!” Synola swiveled on her stool and pointed to the
television behind the bar. “We made the news. Maybe they’ll want to interview
me for sending the video.”

“I’m sure they will,” Tizzy said.

Rayann ran her hand around Tizzy’s shoulders. “Do you feel
like talking now? What did Jay Roy say to upset you?”

Tizzy motioned to Jinx for another shot and shook her head.
“Perhaps after a few more drinks.”

Jinx rested his arms on the bar in front of her. “I’m
cuttin’ you off. If my future tenant comes in here and finds you drunk, he’ll
be pissed.”

“What do you mean future tenant? “Tizzy lifted weary eyes to
her cousin.

“Earlier today, I talked to Ridge about renting office space
from me. He’s interested. It’d give him a private place to work and interview,
but he wanted to discuss it with you first—preferably sober.”

“I vote for it. Just count on him moving in,” she told Jinx.

“Are you sure? He didn’t give me a go sign.”

“I’m sure. I’ll surprise him with it, so don’t say
anything.”

The door chimed and Ridge slipped onto the stool next to
Tizzy and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hey Baby, you had an exciting day.”

“More than I wanted. Those three went nuts.” She wanted to
steer the conversation away from her visit and changed the subject. “Jinx told
me about the office space in the back. It’s a great idea.”

“Sounds good to me, too. I could keep my files here and not
have to wag them back and forth every night. I’d have to pay the rent out of my
pocket, but it’d be worth it, especially with Gracie getting older. Although I
keep the office at home locked most of the time, I’d hate to slip up and her
get access to crime photos. That couldn’t be healthy for a four-year-old. I’m
considering it.” He rubbed his wife’s neck.

“You want something to drink?” Jinx asked.

“Give me my usual beer.”

“Me, too,” Bubba shouted from the doorway.

Tizzy leaned her head on Ridge’s shoulder. “You should
definitely do the office. I can decorate. That’ll give me an excuse to shop.”

Ridge lifted her chin. “What’s wrong, Darlin’? The brawl got
you upset?”

“She’s been this way ever since we left the funeral parlor,”
Synola said. “You’d think a good cat fight would get her adrenaline pumping,
but she’s depressed.”

“Did you get a chance to talk to Jay Roy?” Ridge asked.

“A little bit.”

Ridge lifted the mug and sipped. “What’d he say? Did he name
his killer?”

“That’s the crazy part. He doesn’t know he was murdered.”

Synola dipped her head and rolled her eyes up. “Say whut?”

Tizzy decided to reveal that bit of information and hoped no
one pressed for more. “He’s under the impression he died of natural causes. He
went out to the field, spread the quilt, laid down, drank the whiskey, and woke
up dead. No clue there was poison in the liquor and I didn’t have the heart to
tell him.”

“Is that all you got?” Ridge asked.

Her stomach knotted. She didn’t want to lie to him, but with
so much excitement, could she be sure of what Jay Roy said? Because what she
thought she heard, had to be wrong. She refused to believe the blue ribbon was
for her mother.

Ridge knew there was something going on with Tizzy. She’d
been too quiet during supper and went to bed early, then tossed and turned all
night. Surely the scene at the funeral home hadn’t upset her that much, but
pressing her for more information wasn’t a good idea. Whatever it was, she’d
tell him in her own time.

He propped on an elbow and watched her sleep. Her long brown
hair fanned out across the pillow, and her mouth moved as if trying to form
words. He ran a finger along her cheek. He loved her so much he couldn’t
imagine life without her.

She flinched and her eyes popped open. “What?”

He leaned in, planted a kiss, and pulled her close. “I love
you more than anything in the world. Whatever is bothering you I’ll listen and
not judge.”

Tizzy pressed her cheek harder into his chest and trembled.
“I appreciate that. I love you, too.”

He pushed away. “Darlin’, don’t cry, whatever it is, tell me
and I’ll fix it.”

“What if you can’t? Or won’t?”

Won’t? He wiped a tear from her cheek, folded a pillow in
half and propped it behind his head and studied her face. “There’s nothing I
won’t do for you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is.”

“So you’d lie for me?”

“Yes.”

“You’d steal for me?”

“Yes.”

“You’d kill for me?”

“Already covered that one.” The remark brought a smile to
her face and Ridge felt better. They laughed now, but during his first case in
Brownsboro, when Freddy Holt held Tizzy at gunpoint, Ridge had no problem
killing him. He shook the thought away. “You can confide in me and we’ll deal
with the problem—together.”

Tizzy slung her feet to the floor and talked over her
shoulder. “I just need to work some things out. I’m running this morning. Maybe
the exercise will unclog my brain.”

“It’s still dark. Wait until the sun rises.”

“I texted Jinx before I went to bed last night and he’s
going with me.”

“Okay. Will you check in with me later?”

She crawled across the bed and kissed him again. “Yes.” When
she got to the bathroom doorway, she twisted around and leaned against the
jamb. “You wouldn’t really lie and steal, Ranger Cooper.”

He smiled. “It’s an easy promise, because you’d never ask.”

~~*~~

As the morning began to dawn, Tizzy finished stretching
hamstrings, plopped onto the porch step and waited. The conflicting emotions
she experienced since the visit to the funeral home eased a bit. She didn’t
know if it was from the talk she’d had with Ridge or the much welcomed cool
front that rolled in last night. Whatever the reason, her spirits lifted.

She heard the roar of Jinx’s motorcycle a block away. He
served as the voice of logic when she had a problem. Most of the time she
talked things out with Ridge, but when it came to situations that might
compromise his position, Jinx was her go-to guy. Even though they were cousins,
she’d always thought of him as another brother. Because of his level head and
logical thinking, bartending suited him. While he poured drinks, people poured
out their hearts and he took it all in stride. She wondered if hearing so many
problems affected his outlook on life.

He parked the Harley and swaggered across the lawn carrying
a gym bag. “Hey cuz, you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

“Give me a second to change.” He stepped inside the house
and returned in a few minutes with leather jacket, boots and jeans replaced
with running shorts, a tank and athletic shoes.

Tizzy jogged in place a few moments, then sprinted away.

Jinx matched the pace. “What do you need to talk about?”

“Who said I needed to talk?”

“Give me a break. The only time you invite me to jog is when
you have something on your mind that you don’t feel comfortable discussing with
Ridge.”

“You’re right. Yesterday at the funeral home when I asked Jay
Roy about the blue ribbon, he said, Pattiecake.”

Jinx stopped. “Holy shit.”

She stopped too and propped hands on hips. She threw back
her head and gulped a breath. “What should I do?”

“C’mon,” he said and started to run again.

She caught up and waited for Jinx to answer. His silence
made her want to punch him. “So?”

“I’m thinking,” he said. “I take it you haven’t told Ridge.”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. Let’s put this in perspective. There’s a chance Jay
Roy said her name because of the delivery she made.”

“That’s possible.”

“What was your exact question? Suppose you asked it in such
a way that he didn’t understand?”

“I asked who killed him, and he didn’t have a clue what I
meant.”

“No, don’t paraphrase. Repeat it verbatim.”

She frowned. “Okay. I said who did this? And he said, ‘Did
what?’”

Jinx slowed his pace. “Okay. Makes sense. He went out there
alone and didn’t see anyone else. Next question.”

“I can’t remember exactly, but it was something like, ‘who
were you meeting? Who was the blue ribbon for?’”

“And he said your mother’s name?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing else. Just Pattiecake.”

“Yes. When he said it, I got dizzy and lightheaded, then all
hell broke loose with the exes.”

Jinx stopped, waited for Tizzy to stop, and looked her in
the eye. “Talk to your mother.”

Tizzy held his gaze. The sun rose behind him, shafts of
light came through the trees, bathing everything with amber. He was right, but
how could she approach her mother without the questions sounding like
accusations? “I know, but asking infers it’s possible—and it’s not. Momma would
never cheat on Daddy. Would she?”

“You’ll have to ask those questions for your own peace of
mind.”

“Can it be possible? Not the murder part, but the other
part?”

“Let’s go step by step. A guy came in with whiskey and asked
her to take it along with strawberries. When she made the delivery, why arrange
to come back later to meet Jay Roy at that tree? She’s already there. If she
wanted to—you know—do it with him, why not then? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Nothing makes sense.”

Jinx nodded. “When you confront her, there’s one thing
you’ll have to keep in mind. If she was meeting him, she’ll never admit it, so
you better be damn good at reading her face.”

By the time Tizzy finished running and returned home, Gracie
sat at the dining table eating cereal and Annie Mae stood at the kitchen sink
washing dishes. Tizzy crossed to Gracie and gave her a hug and kiss. “Good
morning, sunshine.”

“Momma, you know what?”

“What, Baby?”

“Daddy said we’d go out for supper and I can pick the
place.”

“Okay. Where do you want to go?”

“McDonald’s. The one with a play area.”

Tizzy smiled at Annie Mae. “Are you sure? We could eat at a
fancy restaurant and afterwards go to the park. They have lots more stuff.”

“The big park?”

“Yes.”

“Yay! They have a big slide!”

“All right. I’ll talk to Daddy, but right now, I should
hurry to Sweet Thangs.”

After a quick shower, Tizzy wrapped herself in a towel,
stared at a pile of Ridge’s clothes on the floor, and sighed. He’ll never learn
to put that stuff in the hamper.
I wonder how long it would take him to pick
them up if I left them there.
She gathered the mound in her arms and dumped
it in the basket. She couldn’t complain about the one thing that drove her
crazy. He was the sweetest man she knew. Earlier, she could tell he wanted to
press her for more information, but didn’t. She loved him for that.

Half an hour later, now dressed in a bright pink skirt and
white cotton blouse, Tizzy parked in the side lot at Sweet Thangs. She
straightened her posture and steeled her shoulders. As miserable as she’d been
since talking to Jay Roy, thoughts of confronting her mother made it ten times
worse. But she had to do it. Once she finished their chat, she’d talk to Ridge.

She used her key to open the front door and when the bell
tinkled, Pattiecake came from the kitchen. “Hey, Sweetie.”

Tizzy slid onto a stool. “I need to talk to you, Momma.”

Pattiecake wiped her hands on her apron, walked around the
bar and hoisted a hip onto the stool next to her daughter. “Is this about what
happened at the funeral parlor? I understand you’re embarrassed ending up on TV
because of those crazy ex-wives.”

“It’s not that. I made a connection for a few seconds and
Jay Roy said something that didn’t make sense. It concerns you.” She kept focus
on her mother’s face.

“Okay.” Pattiecake’s expression remained neutral.

“I asked him who he was meeting—who the blue ribbon was
for—and he said your name.” Tizzy held her breath.

Sugarpie appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Your momma never
slept with Jay Roy. If she did and didn’t tell me, she’s in big trouble.”
Sugarpie’s brows lifted so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.

Tizzy braced for her mother’s anger, but instead, Pattiecake
laughed.

“Oh my Lord, Tizzy. That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever
heard.” She grasped her daughter’s hands, and stared into her bewildered eyes.
“Your daddy has been the only man in my bed and my heart—ever.”

Tizzy studied her expression. As expected, her mother didn’t
show a single sign of dishonesty. “But why did he say that?”

Pattiecake let go of Tizzy’s hands, puckered her lips, and
smirked. “You said a blue ribbon?”

“Yes.”

“That explains it. The whiskey I delivered was in a burlap
bag, tied with a blue ribbon. Jay Roy must have named me because of that.”
Patticake shrugged. “It’s the only excuse I can come with.”

“Wh-y,” Tizzy sputtered. “Why didn’t you mention that
before?”

Pattiecake stood, walked behind the counter, and began to
fill coffee pots. “I didn’t know it was important. Y’all said there was a
ribbon involved. But nobody ever mentioned it was blue. I’d never think for one
minute he’d take a ribbon off a gift and tie it around his ying-yang?”

Sugarpie snickered and started filling salt and pepper
shakers. “Maybe he didn’t. Any chance you’d recognize the ribbon again if you
saw it?”

“Eww.” Pattiecake turned off the faucet. “I don’t want to
think about that.”

“I’m just saying,” Sugarpie said. “The blue ribbon found on
him may not be from the bottle.”

Tizzy eyed the two women. “Y’all can’t mention the ribbon
color. Ridge doesn’t want that revealed.”