1 Bless Her Dead Little Heart (20 page)

W
hy was someone shaking her so hard?

Dickce surfaced from a deep sleep confused and alarmed.

“What do you want?” she asked crossly. “Stop that.”

“Miss Dickce, you have to get up,” Juanita said urgently. “There’s a fire, can’t you smell it?”

Fire.

That word woke Dickce immediately. She tossed off her covers and climbed out of bed. She stuck her feet in her slippers and grabbed her robe.

“We have to get out of the house,” Juanita said. “Come on.” She took hold of Dickce’s arm and started pulling her toward the door.

Once they hit the hallway, Dickce could smell the smoke.

“We have to wake up An’gel.” Pulling herself loose from the younger woman’s grasp, Dickce darted over toward her sister’s door.

“She’s not there.” Juanita grabbed her arm again. “I already looked. I can’t find her or my mother. I’m praying they’re already outside. Come on.”

Dickce ran for all she was worth to the head of the stairs, then moved more carefully down until her feet hit the floor again. The front door was open, and she and Juanita dashed out. Wade was already out there, but there was no sign of Rosabelle, An’gel, or Bernice.

“Where are they?” Dickce asked. “Wade, where is my sister? Have you seen her?”

“No,” Wade said. “One of the deputies knocked on my door and told me to get out of the house. I pulled on some shoes and got out as fast as I could. I haven’t seen the deputies or anyone else since I got out here.”

“I’m going back in there,” Dickce said. “I have to find An’gel.” She pushed Juanita away when the girl grabbed at her. “No, let me go.”

“The deputies will find her,” Juanita said as she took a firm hold of Dickce’s arm. “You’ll only put yourself and them in danger if you go back in the house. You need to stay here. I don’t know where my mother is either, but we can’t go back in there.”

“What if they don’t know she’s not out of the house?” Dickce tried as hard as she could to get loose from Juanita but the young woman was stronger than she was.

“They’ll know,” Juanita said.

“Where is the fire?” Dickce asked. “Maybe that’s where An’gel is, helping them put it out.”

“At the back of the house,” Wade said. “In the kitchen, I think.”

“Let me go,” Dickce said. “I’ve got to go see if An’gel is all right.”

“I’ll go with you,” Juanita said. “Maybe my mother and grandmother are there, too.” She turned to her uncle. “You wait here in case they come out. The fire truck ought to be here soon.”

“There it is,” Dickce said. She could hear a siren in the distance, quickly coming closer. “Come on.” She started for the rear of the house, pulling Juanita with her.

The outside lights were on, and that made it easier for Dickce to see her way around to the back. Juanita kept pace with her, even caught her once when she stepped in a slight depression in the ground and stumbled.

Even before they reached the corner of the house, Dickce could see light from the fire. Her heart felt like it stopped for a moment. She worried that An’gel was trapped somewhere inside.
Lord, let her be safe. I don’t care if the whole house burns down as long as my sister is safe
.

Juanita guided Dickce toward the driveway in front of the garage, and Dickce did not protest. Her gaze was riveted on the house and the fire inside the kitchen. She prayed over and over that An’gel would be all right. As she watched, one of the deputies came out of the house with a woman in his arms, her arms around his neck.

Dickce darted forward, too quickly for Juanita to grab her and hold her back.

A few steps closer, and Dickce could see that the woman in the deputy’s arms was her sister. At that moment a fire engine swept around the house and stopped. Another was right behind it.

Dickce stopped and watched as the men from the Athena Fire Department went into action. Two of them ran up to the deputy with a gurney. They placed An’gel on it and then carried her across the driveway toward Dickce and Juanita.

“An’gel, thank the Lord you’re alive,” Dickce said. She wanted to cry with relief. The sounds and the activity around them were loud and disorienting. There was a light wind blowing the smoke away from them. Dickce was thankful for that small mercy. She thought the noise might drive her mad if it didn’t end soon. This was like a living nightmare.

An’gel looked at her strangely as the EMTs set the gurney down near the garage. “My head hurts,” she said. “What happened?”

“Let me have a look at you, ma’am.” One of the EMTs claimed An’gel’s attention, and Dickce moved back out of the way. She noticed that Juanita was gone, then she saw her speaking to the deputy who had brought An’gel out of the house.

“What’s going on?”

Dickce turned to see Junior and Benjy, the latter with Diesel in his arms, coming out of the garage apartment.

“Miss Dickce, are you and Miss An’gel all right?” Benjy asked.

“I am,” Dickce said. “They’re checking An’gel right now.”

“Where are all the others?” Junior asked. “I see Juanita, but I don’t see Uncle Wade, Aunt Bernice, or Grandmother.”

“They’re out front by now, I hope,” Dickce said. “I know Wade is, but I’m not sure about Rosabelle and your aunt. Juanita didn’t know where they were either. We hoped they would be back here, but I haven’t seen them.”

For the first time Dickce realized how odd it was that neither Bernice nor Rosabelle had made an appearance. Had something happened to them?

She looked at her sister. The EMT was still checking her out. An’gel said her head hurt. Had someone struck her?

What if Rosabelle and Bernice were still in the house somewhere? Rosabelle might use the confusion as an opportunity to kill Bernice. Maybe she had even set a fire for that very purpose.

Dickce had to talk to that deputy. He was still with Juanita. She darted forward.

Juanita turned at that moment and came forward. “It’s all right, Miss Dickce,” she said. “I’ve told him about Mother and Grandmother. They’ll find them.” She took Dickce’s arm. “Let’s stay over here out of the way.”

Dickce thought Juanita seemed strangely calm. Why wasn’t she more upset over her relatives’ failure to appear? “Would you like to go back around to the front and check on them? They are probably there by now with your uncle.”

Juanita shook her head. “No, we don’t need to do that. Everything will be fine. I hope the firemen will be able to stop the fire from spreading. I would hate to see you lose your lovely house.”

Thoroughly bemused, Dickce allowed Juanita to lead her back to where the EMTs were still examining An’gel. She and Juanita stood beside Junior, Benjy, and Diesel and watched the firemen. Dickce figured she and the others were far enough away from the house, plus the wind was blowing away from them, that they should be able to remain here safely.

She wanted to talk to her sister, but she knew it was best to let the EMTs take care of her. The minute they were done, however, she would be right over there, demanding to know what had happened and whether An’gel was all right.

From what Dickce could tell, the fire crew appeared to be making headway against the fire. She could no longer see anything burning, though there was a lot of smoke. She prayed that the fire was out and had been contained in the kitchen. They would have to have the house thoroughly cleaned, of course. Not to mention the repairs to the kitchen and wherever else the fire might have spread. She let her mind roam back and forth over these mundane details. As long as she and her sister were alive and relatively unharmed, nothing else mattered.

One of the EMTs approached her and drew her a few steps away from the others. Dickce recognized him after a moment. He was the grandson of one of her school friends, Norma Faye Allenbury. She couldn’t recall his name, though.

“Miss Dickce,” he said, “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Grant Tisdale. My grandmother is a friend of yours.”

Dickce nodded. “I recognized you,” she said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t remember your name.”

Tisdale smiled. “No worries. I wanted to let you know that we are going to take Miss An’gel to the hospital. She’s going to be fine, but she did have a bump on the head and was unconscious for at least ten minutes or more. She’s stable, heart rate and everything are fine, but it’s a good idea to have the doc in the ER check her out.”

Greatly relieved, Dickce nodded. “Yes, I think that’s a very good idea. Has An’gel objected?”

Tisdale smiled again. “Only a little bitty bit. Would you like to come with us in the ambulance?”

“Yes,” Dickce said. She saw a dark form coming toward them. When the person walked into a less dim area, she could see it was Kanesha Berry. “Let me speak to the deputy for a moment, and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“That’s fine,” Tisdale said. “We’ll be over there.”

Dickce scurried over to Kanesha, conscious that she was in only her nightgown, slippers, and robe. “Thank the Lord you’re here.”

“Are you and Miss An’gel all right?” Kanesha asked. “I got here as soon as I could.”

“They want to take An’gel to the ER and have her checked by a doctor,” Dickce said. “The EMTs think she’s okay but it’s better to be sure. I’m going with her.”

“You do that, and don’t worry about anything here,” Kanesha said. “I’ll make sure everything that needs to be done will be.”

“Thank you,” Dickce said. “I’ll be at the hospital with An’gel.”

Kanesha nodded. “I’ll catch up with you there as soon as I can.”

Confident that Kanesha was in charge, Dickce walked over to where the EMTs waited with An’gel. “We’re going to the ER,” she said in her best no-nonsense tone.

“All right,” An’gel said. “I don’t have the energy to argue.” She held out a hand, and Dickce grasped it. “As long as we’re both here, that’s all that matters.”

Dickce felt the tears forming, but she was determined not to let An’gel see her cry. She simply nodded.

On the way to the hospital in Athena, Dickce thought briefly about the fate of Rosabelle and Bernice. She had the oddest feeling that something bad had happened, but all she could concentrate on right now was her sister.

“S
o it was
Bernice
who attacked you?” Dickce, still fuzzy from lack of sleep, stared at An’gel.

Her sister nodded, then winced. “Remind me not to nod for a few days.” She lay her head back against the pillow.

Dickce rose stiffly from the hospital recliner to adjust the blinds. The sun was too bright for her tired eyes. “There, that’s better.”

“Thank you,” An’gel said. “The light was bothering me, too.” She shifted in the bed. “I cannot get comfortable in this bed.”

“You’ll have to figure out how,” Dickce said, though not without sympathy. “The earliest Dr. Kenyon said you could be released is tomorrow morning. He wants to keep you here for at least twenty-four hours, remember?”

“Yes, though I don’t see why. I told him I felt fine except for a little stiffness in my neck and a sore head. A few aspirin and a day’s rest at home, and I’ll be right as rain.”

“We don’t know yet if we’ll be able to rest at home,” Dickce reminded her. “Until we hear from Kanesha about the extent of the damage, we don’t know whether we can stay in the house. The smell of smoke might be too strong, or there could be structural damage. Your room is right over the kitchen.”

“Yes, yes, I know all that,” An’gel said.

“Why did Bernice attack you like that?” Dickce asked. They were both so tired, they couldn’t stick to the subject. “I was sure Rosabelle was the murderer.”

“I was, too,” An’gel said. “But why would Bernice attack me if she isn’t the killer?”

“I don’t know,” Dickce said. “What do you think happened to her?”

“How do I know?” An’gel said. “When did Kanesha say she’d be here? I hope she’ll have some answers for us.”

Dickce glanced at the clock on the wall of An’gel’s room. “It’s eight twenty-five now. She said she’d be here by nine.”

“Well, she should hurry up.”

“Stop being so fretful,” Dickce said. “You sound like a four-year-old. She’ll get here when she gets here.”

“That’s certainly profound,” An’gel snapped at her. Then she frowned. “Don’t mind me. I feel bad, and I want to take it out on someone.”

“Lucky me,” Dickce murmured.

“What was that?” An’gel’s eyes narrowed.

“Never mind,” Dickce said. “I hope they’re all okay. I thought about them a little during the night. As angry as I am over what happened to you and to our house, I still don’t want anyone else to be dead.”

“Surely they’ve got Bernice locked up somewhere by now,” An’gel said. “I guess she snapped.”

“How so?” Dickce asked. “Are you talking about what she said at dinner last night after the big scene?”

“That, and other things as well,” An’gel said. “Think back over how Maudine treated her. She was the oldest, and Bernice was the middle child. She seemed to be under Maudine’s thumb, and we know Bernice felt humiliated by Rosabelle.”

Dickce knew what it felt like to have the thumb print of an older sister on her back. She forbore to mention it at the moment, however. “So you think Bernice set out to kill her mother and got Marla by mistake?”

“Yes, I think so,” An’gel said. “Then she got rid of Maudine for the money. I’m sure Rosabelle was her next target.”

“For all we know, she did manage to kill Rosabelle,” Dickce said. “I wish Kanesha would get here. The curiosity’s driving me mad.”

An’gel did not reply, and they sat in silence. Dickce watched the minute hand of the clock creep slowly toward the hour. An’gel dozed off, and Dickce wished she could.

At five minutes after nine, An’gel’s door opened, and Kanesha stood in the doorway. Dickce waved her in.

“How is she?” Kanesha said softly as she nodded toward An’gel.

“I’m fine,” An’gel said as her eyes popped open. “You look exhausted.”

Dickce agreed. She had never seen the deputy with such dark circles under her eyes. Kanesha looked like she was ready to drop in her tracks.

“I am.” Kanesha smiled faintly and pulled the other chair close to Dickce. She sat heavily and leaned back a moment, her eyes closed. Then they popped open. “The damage to the kitchen wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t get any farther than that,” she said. “My deputies got to it pretty quickly with the fire extinguishers. Most of the damage is from smoke.”

“Where did the fire start?” Dickce asked.

“In the sink,” Kanesha said. “She set fire to some paper.”

“Clementine always keeps a stack of newspaper on hand to wrap things,” An’gel said. “It’s right there on a shelf near the refrigerator.”

“Will we be able to live in the house while the repairs are done?” Dickce asked. She knew she ought to ask about Bernice and Rosabelle, but now that Kanesha was here, she felt curiously reluctant. She wasn’t sure she could take any more bad news.

“Yes, ma’am,” Kanesha said. “Cooking will be a challenge for a while, but that’s about the worst of it.”

“Good,” An’gel said. She looked at Dickce. Dickce looked back at her, willing An’gel to be the one to ask the question.

An’gel sighed. “What happened? The last thing I remember—vaguely—is going down to the kitchen with Bernice.” She frowned. “I believe she said something about blood sugar. I had taken a mild tranquilizer to help me sleep, and I was groggy.”

“We don’t know for sure,” Kanesha said. “But here’s the way I think it happened. She knocked you out, then she dragged you out of the kitchen and onto the back porch near the steps. I don’t think she was trying to kill you.”

“Thank heaven for small mercies,” An’gel said.

Kanesha smiled. “Then she set the fire in the sink. She took a knife from the rack and went back upstairs. She hid the knife in her robe, because my deputy on duty near the head of the stairs didn’t see any sign of it. He said she stopped to tell him you would be up soon after you had a bite to eat, then went into her room and closed the door.”

“Was she waiting for the fire to be noticed?” An’gel asked.

“Yes. I think she was counting on the fact that the deputies would both run downstairs when they smelled smoke. That’s what they did, and I’m going to have a talk with them about that. One of them should have remained on duty while the other one went downstairs to check out the situation. That was not acceptable.” She looked grim, Dickce thought. She pitied the poor deputies. Kanesha would not spare their feelings.

“By the time one of them ran back upstairs to start alerting everyone to get out of the house, it was too late.” She paused. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Signora Mingione is dead. Mrs. Cameron must have gone to her room as soon as the deputies went downstairs, then she stabbed her.”

Dickce could see her own feelings of horror mirrored in An’gel’s expression. “Poor Rosabelle,” she whispered. She uttered a silent prayer for her friend.

“What about Bernice?” An’gel asked after a long moment.

“When one of my men went back upstairs to warn everyone to get out of the house, he found only Miss Cameron in the bedroom they shared. She appeared to be asleep. She said she had no idea where her mother was, but she wasn’t in their room. She was positive of that. The deputy left her and checked in the bathroom while I believe Miss Cameron came and roused you. That’s what she told us.”

“Yes,” Dickce said. “She’s the one who woke me up. I asked her about her mother, but she said she was sure her mother and grandmother were already out of the house. I was so worried about An’gel, I didn’t really stop to think about it.” She paused as the remembered terror came back to her. “Juanita insisted An’gel wasn’t there and we needed to get out of the house, and that’s what we did. We found Wade already outside when we got there, but he was alone.”

“The three of you were out of the house by the time one of my men discovered the signora’s body,” Kanesha said. “He realized nothing could be done for her, so he searched quickly for Mrs. Cameron. He found her body in the closet in her room. She had been smothered to death by her daughter.”

“Why?” Dickce said. “Why would Juanita do such a thing?”

“Are you sure Juanita didn’t murder her grandmother and then her mother?” An’gel asked before Kanesha could answer Dickce’s question.

“We’re sure,” Kanesha said. “Mrs. Cameron had blood on her hands and robe, and Miss Cameron’s hands and robe were clean. Miss Cameron discovered what her mother had done. She confronted her mother who then lunged at her with a knife. Mrs. Cameron stumbled as she tried to attack her daughter and hit her head when she fell. That’s when Miss Cameron grabbed a pillow and smothered her. She said she couldn’t bear to see her mother go to jail or to a mental hospital.” She shrugged. “It could have happened that way. She might get a reduced sentence. It’s hard to say.”

“Four women dead and the other in serious trouble.” An’gel sounded dazed.

Dickce felt dazed herself. She found it all hard to take in.

“Did Juanita believe her mother killed Mrs. Stephens and Mrs. Pittman also?” An’gel asked.

“Yes, she told me she found an odd stain in the pocket of her mother’s dress,” Kanesha said. “She couldn’t figure out what it was at first, but when she learned about the Vaseline on the banister, she realized that had to be it. She tried to get it out of her mother’s dress, but I imagine there’s still some residue.”

“That’s what she meant,” An’gel said. “I should have picked up on it.”

“What did who mean?” Dickce asked. “Juanita?”

“Yes,” An’gel replied. “I walked into the kitchen once when she was talking to Clementine. She said Clementine told her how to get lipstick out of clothing. Then at dinner last night, remember she said that Clementine is a wizard with stains. She must have tried to find out how to get the Vaseline out of her mother’s dress.”

“There was a clue right in front of you,” Dickce said.

“And I didn’t pick up on it,” An’gel said, obviously irritated with herself.

“Don’t blame yourself, Miss An’gel,” Kanesha said. “If I had known about it, it might have helped, but who’s to say? Miss Cameron is clever enough, I’d be willing to bet she had a lipstick stain on a piece of her own clothing in case anyone got curious about her chat with Clementine.”

“I presume you have Juanita in custody,” An’gel said.

“Yes, and I have moved Mr. Pittman and Mr. Thurmond to the Farrington House. They seemed eager to leave.”

“Can’t say as I blame them,” Dickce said. “What about Benjy and Diesel?”

“If anything has happened to that cat,” An’gel said, sounding stricken, “I’ll never be able to face Charlie Harris again.”

Kanesha smiled. “Benjy and Diesel are fine. Benjy insisted on staying there. Clementine and Antoinette are there, too. If I know Clementine, she already has a contractor lined up to come in and take care of getting your kitchen back into shape.”

Dickce felt the tears forming, and this time she let them flow. They were tears of relief and gratitude. Benjy and Diesel were fine, and Clementine—always their rock—would make sure everything was okay with the house.

Dickce glanced at An’gel. The Good Lord willing, An’gel would be fine, too.

She just hoped An’gel wouldn’t have a relapse when Dickce told her about Peanut and Endora.

Time enough for that tomorrow, she decided. She had always liked tomorrow.