Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (26 page)

“She’s definitely had work done and comparing her high
school pictures to now, those boobs have been upgraded big-time.”

The corners of his mouth curled into a grin. “I didn’t
notice.”

“You’d better be glad it’s not against the law to lie to a
dispatcher, or you’d be joining Doyle in the Gray Bar Hotel.”

The reminder of Doyle sitting in jail in his high-dollar
suit caused Ridge’s smile to widen. Later, he’d drop the charges, but it was
worth the extra paperwork to see the man sweat. “Speaking of that, have the
exes been sprung? If not, Doyle will already have friends in low places to keep
him company.”

“Molly, Deborah, and Kassie were already processed by the
time I notified them about Doyle. They should be out by now. I doubt spending
the night in jail made them happy. You’re done with interviews, so what’s
next?”

“I’ll be at Sweet Thangs for lunch. After that, I’m off to
Tyler to check out former employers of the boy. I won’t see you again until
tomorrow.”

“You going to Jay Roy’s service?”

“Oh yeah. I figure with the ex-wives there, they’ll need
extra law enforcement.”

He returned to the break room and gathered his things, then
headed to the bakery. Barely past eleven o’clock, there wasn’t much of a crowd,
so plenty of available parking near the front door. He swung into a space.

Inside, Rayann was putting slices of cake on plates. Synola
waited on a couple sitting at a corner booth and Tizzy bussed tables. She
looked at him and nodded, and disappeared into the kitchen. A few moments
later, she came back out carrying her laptop and slid into the booth next to
him.

“Hey, Baby,” he began. “Change of plans for dinner. I’ve got
to go to Tyler, so can you and Gracie meet me there?”

She opened the laptop and typed. “Sure, text me the time,
okay?”

“Will do. I finished questioning Paula Kay and I’m convinced
the blue ribbon was for her. But she claims she’d not seen him or had contact
with him for a long time. Now, I’ve got to figure out why Jay Roy chose that
color.”

“You’ll work it out. Now, what do you think of this desk for
your new office?” She pointed at the screen.

After he studied the image, Ridge’s eyes went wide. “It’s
great, but that says it’s almost two thousand dollars.”

“Isn’t that unbelievable? It’s antique mahogany. Look at the
markings. It’s worth twice that.”

“That’s a bit over my budget. I planned on a metal desk and
file cabinets—basic stuff. Jinx and I haven’t discussed the terms. Once he
names a price, I may decide not to do it.”

Tizzy smiled and went to another site. “It’s a done deal.
The space is yours and I can start decorating immediately. And these chairs.
Don’t you love them?”

Done deal?
He ran his hand along his jaw. “Darlin’,
we should set a limit on how much to spend.”

She folded her arms beneath her breasts and glared at him.
“Do you like the furniture or not?”

“I do and I see how excited you are, but Baby . . .”

She uncrossed her arms and put a finger to his lips. “But nothin’.
We agreed. You pay bills. Everything I get from the bank goes into savings,
retirement and college funds. My salary here is play money, to do whatever I
want with it and . . .” Tizzy tapped the screen. “I want this. Please let me do
it. It’s not only for you. The minute I saw that desk, I knew it was perfect
for . . .” She lowered her head and leaned in close. “You know what I want to
do and trust me, it will be so much better on rich wood than metal.”

Ridge shifted in his seat. The plastic squeaked with his
sudden discomfort. “Shit. Order the damn thing and the chairs and anything else
you want. When will it be here?”

She planted a sweet kiss on his lips, then sat up straight.
“Within ten days. I’ve already ordered them. She tapped the touchpad. “Plus,
this rug, and this file cabinet, and these prints. Can you believe I found
framed photos of antique Texas Ranger badges? Oh my God! Your office is going
to be gorgeous!”

She flipped from site to site so fast his vision blurred. It
was a losing battle to argue when she was this excited. He sighed and shook his
head. “You are an evil woman, willing to do whatever it takes to get your way.
You threw in that part about desk sex to convince me, didn’t you?

She slid from the booth and strode away, taking her laptop
with her.

“Wait a minute. This morning at the tavern,” he called out.
“That was about this office stuff—right? You already ordered the furniture when
you arranged to meet me there, didn’t you?”

She stopped, glimpsed over her shoulder, and smiled, then
disappeared into the kitchen.

Synola unable to hide her amusement came to the table. “What
can I get for you, Ranger Gullible—uh—Ranger Cooper?”

~~*~~

Still gloating about Doyle Patton sitting in jail, Ridge
drove to Heavenly Hills Cemetery. Cornerstone Construction and Strawbridge
Builder proved to be a big disappointment. Along with other industries, the
housing market slowed and layoffs happened, so the brothers’ employment history
with both places ended the previous year. However, since death never
experienced recession, Ridge hoped the graveyard was a different story.

Tall pines bordered a winding drive past mausoleums, a
cremation garden, upright headstones, and ground memorials. Stone pathways
curled through the property, dotted by towering oaks and marble benches. By the
time Ridge reached the office, a sense of reverence settled over him. Somehow,
a cemetery, especially one this beautiful, made him feel closer to God.

When he pushed open the door, chimes played a short musical
announcement, which he recognized as “How Great Thou Art.” Sitting behind a
fancy desk, similar to the one Tizzy showed him earlier, was a frail woman who
looked as if she wasn’t far from claiming her spot on the grounds. She stared
up at him with bright blue eyes and spoke in a hushed tone. “Welcome to
Heavenly Hills. How may I serve you today?”

He removed his hat. “I’m Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper, and I’d
like to speak to someone concerning an employee.”

“That would be my son, Matthew. Just a moment.” She picked
up the phone and pressed a button. “Matt, there’s a lawman here to see you.
Okay.” She disconnected and pointed behind her. “He’s down the hall, third door
on the left.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

When he reached the open doorway, a robust man sat at
another ornate desk. He stood and extended his hand. Ridge shook it.

“I’m Matthew Higgins, how may I help you?”

“I’m looking for an employee of yours, name of Justin
Pruett. Does he still work here?” Ridge saw recognition on Higgins’s face.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, he and his brother both do. Is
Justin in trouble?”

“I just need to speak with him. Is he here today?”

“Let me see.” Higgins opened a drawer. “I believe Jackson is
mowing in area twenty-nine, and Justin is in section forty-two preparing a
space for a service tomorrow.” He pulled out a map of the grounds and pointed.
“It’s a long walk. You can go by car, but its easier access by golf cart. I’ll
be happy to drive you. I need to check his progress anyway.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Right this way.” Matt stepped into the hall and spoke to
his mother. “Be right back, Mom. I’m going to check on Mr. Haywood’s plot.”

Ridge followed him to the back door and stepped out into a
carport. After climbing into the cart, the funeral director plopped into the
driver’s seat, started it, and rolled onto a stone path. Before they reached
the destination, Ridge heard the rumble of equipment. As the workers came into
view, Higgins slowed then stopped under an oak, its branches dancing in the
humid breeze.

Ridge recognized the driver of the backhoe as his suspect.
When they neared the workers, Higgins waved his hand back and forth across his
throat, signaling to kill the engine. The two men on the ground made the same
motion to Pruett. He turned off the digger and looked back to where the two men
pointed. Once Justin caught sight of Ridge, he jumped from the machine.

“No, no. Don’t do it,” Ridge said to himself. “Jesus! I hate
it when this happens.”

Justin tore off at a fast pace and Ridge ran after him. At
least ten years younger and wearing athletic shoes, the boy had the advantage.
Damn it! Ridge picked up his gait. He jumped over graves. The heels of his
cowboy boots sank into the thick sod with each step.

The boy kept glancing over this shoulder, held his gaze too
long, and tripped over a bronze vase. That gave Ridge enough time catch him.
Justin scrambled to his feet. Ridge leaped into the air and tackled the kid,
then pulled the boy up and cuffed him.

“What do you want with me?” Justin said.

“Stay put.” Ridge bent forward, rested hands on knees, and
gulped for air. “Give me a minute, kid.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Then why the hell did you run?”

“You’ve been asking around about me. You think I killed that
guy over in Brownsboro, but I didn’t. All I did was arrange a delivery.”

“I got that.” Ridge wheezed, and led the boy to a bench
under a nearby tree and pushed him onto the marble slab. “Sit. Who hired you to
make the drop?”

“A woman I’d never seen before. I was hanging on Gentry,
trying to pick up day labor, when this woman pulls up and motions for me. She
asks if I had transportation and wanted to make a quick two hundred bucks.
There’re some real sickos out there, so I asked what I had to do. She said take
a bottle of whiskey to a bakery, buy strawberries and get them delivered.”

He raised his arm and wiped his nose on the grimy sleeve of
his gray tee shirt. “Sounded simple enough, so I agreed. She gave me the
bottle, a name, and two hundred and forty dollars. She said pay for the
strawberries and leave a nice tip. The lady at the bakery would be familiar
with the address once I gave her the name. She said don’t tell anybody who sent
it, so that’s what I did. A couple of days later,” Justin heaved out a sigh, “I
hear this Jay Roy something or other, is dead. I figured there couldn’t be too
many guys by that name, so it had to be him.”

“What kind of car was she driving?”

“A silver Altima. Fairly new.”

Higgins appeared on the golf cart. “Officer, do you need a
ride back?”

“Yeah, thanks. Let’s go boy.”

Once back at the car, Ridge opened the passenger door and
motioned for the kid to take the shotgun position. Justin sat and Ridge walked
around to the other side, crawled in, and took out his iPad. Next, he pulled up
the pictures of former classmates he’d downloaded from their driver’s licenses.
“Okay. I’m going to show you photos, to see if you recognize the woman who
hired you.” Ridge scrolled through the ID’s twice with Justin not recognizing
anyone. “Look closer, boy. Was she fat? Thin? What color hair did she have?
What about her eyes? Did you notice any jewelry? Rings?”

“I don’t know! I’m sorry.”

Ridge fisted the neck of Justin’s shirt. “Listen kid. A
woman gives you two hundred bucks and you’re telling me that didn’t get your
attention? I don’t buy it. Go through the pictures one more time and tell me
who she is. If not, you’re taking the wrap for this.”

“Shit! Okay, okay, give me a minute.”

Ridge let go of his shirt and shoved the tablet closer.

Justin put his elbows on his thighs and rested his forehead
against his cuffed hands. “Shit! She was average. Not fat. Not skinny. She had
on a light colored dress. White or pink. I couldn’t see her hands. She wore
gloves. I couldn’t see her face because she wore sunglasses and a big-ass
floppy red hat with a purple flower on it.”

Ridge resisted the urge to swear. This was going nowhere
fast. Pruett was the best lead he had and he might as well have amnesia. “How
did she sound? If you heard her speak, could you identify her?”

The kid raised his head. “I think I could.”

“Good. Then you’ll be attending Jay Roy’s funeral.”

Motive, motive, motive.
The words pounded over and
over in Ridge’s head like the heavy beat of a rock song. He stared at the white
board. Again. Motive, motive, whose got motive? He’d been playing that game for
the last hour and still no answer. Justin Pruett? No. Just an innocent pawn who
jumped at the chance to make some fast cash. “Plus, there’s no evidence
connecting the boy to Jay Roy in any way beyond the delivery.” Ridge drew a
line through the boy’s name.

Paula Kay? Definitely Jay Roy’s blue ribbon woman. But who
knew that? Everybody. “You might be a self-centered social climber, but you
didn’t have reason to kill him,” He said to no one. He marked her name off and
moved down the list.

“Doyle Patton.” Ridge paused. He needed to be objective.
Trouble was, he wanted the smartass-know-it-all lawyer to be guilty. “You lied
about the land, so you go to the top of the list, counselor.” Ridge made the
notation, backed away from the board and sat on the love seat. He rolled a
yellow tennis ball between his palms, tossed it in the air and caught it. “That
brings me to you, Lounell. Your ribbon count is enough to convince me you
continued seeing Jay Roy over the years. And, Pruett’s description of the woman
who hired him connects you by way of the ladies Red Hat Society. But that’s
almost too obvious to be logical.”

The office door eased open and Tizzy stood in the doorway.
“Are you talking to yourself?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Is it helping?”

“No. I got nothing but conjecture. Which means I got shit.”

“It’s four in the morning. Come back to bed. Stop worrying
for a while.”

“I can’t sleep. I tried for hours and gave up.”

Tizzy sat next to him. “If you had to choose right now, who
would you pick to be the killer?”