2 Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction (26 page)

“Where is he?” Martha Maye asked as they worked their way through the crowd.

“Martha Maye.” He stopped and looked down at her for a long moment before saying, “I’m afraid he’s in your front yard.”

Twenty minutes later, Martha Maye had hurriedly changed into jeans and a T-shirt and sat sideways in Johnny’s cruiser, her legs dangling out of the car and a dazed expression on her face.

Johnny crouched in front of her, his hands wrapped around her forearms. “It’s gonna be all right, Martha Maye. We’ll get this figured out.”

She nodded at him, her face white, eyes wide. She rubbed her forehead and swallowed hard. He was worried about her. She hadn’t said more than four words since she arrived on the scene.

He stood up and saw Jeb Hefflefinger, the investigator from the coroner’s office, standing by the body. Johnny motioned to Tess to come over. “Be right back, Martha Maye. You be all right with Tess for just a minute?” She nodded, and he walked over to the investigator, who was peeling off his gloves.

“Whatcha got, Jeb?”

“At first glance, nothing, Chief. Not much fixed lividity. No blanching, and certainly no rigor yet. STD says he can’t be more than a few hours dead.”

“He had a . . . disease?”

“No. Technical term.”

“Oh?”

“Stab in the dark.”

Johnny bit the inside of his mouth, trying not to smile. He didn’t want anyone seeing him smiling over Lenny’s dead body.

“To tell you the truth, Chief, at first I didn’t see a cause of death, but I felt around the body and finally found this.” Jeb had turned the body onto its stomach. He moved the hoodie away from Lenny’s skin and pointed his flashlight at a slit on the back of the neck.

“This is it, Chief. A fatal knife wound. Just one puncture, far’s I can see. Must’ve hit an artery, and he went right down. I’ll bet when we get him back to the office and look at his hoodie, we’ll find this slice lines up with the knife wound to his neck.” Jeb pointed the flashlight beam at the edge of Lenny’s gray hoodie where a cut was visible. Then he lifted the hoodie and T-shirt underneath and shined the light on Lenny’s back. “There’s a little lividity, but like I said, no blanching evident, so I don’t think he can be more than a few hours gone.”

“Can’t be more than two hours,” Johnny said, as Hank and Skeeter walked up with Estherlene Bumgarner. The officers stared at him, and he added, “I just saw the man about two hours ago. He was alive and kicking then. Almost literally.”

Johnny turned to Estherlene. “Evening, ma’am. Can you tell us what you saw tonight?”

Estherlene pulled her fluffy pink robe tight against the cool night air. “Shoot fire, I could just kick myself for missing all the commotion. I’ve been soaking in the tub, reading my new book all night. It’s a goodun, too, and I purt near stayed in the water until I was a prune.” She leaned toward Johnny conspiratorially and said, “And a woman my age doesn’t need any more help looking like a prune, let me tell you, but this book—it’s called
Gulf Boulevard
—I just couldn’t put it down –”

“Okay, Estherlene, it’s okay.” Johnny raised his hands to stop her blabbering. “Think hard. You sure you didn’t see anything? Hear anything?” She shook her head, biting a hangnail. “What about Hector?”

“Law, no. That man’s been dead to the world since eight thirty. Fact is, he’s still sleeping, even through all this excitement. The man can’t hear a thing over his snoring—”

“Okay.” The chief nodded. “Okay, Estherlene, thank you. That’ll be all for now. You let us know if you remember anything at all. Thank you.”

Velveeta walked up. “Chief, pardon me if I’m overstepping, but you need to let us handle this. You’re too personally involved.” He stared at her, then swept his gaze to Hank, motioning with his eyes for him to lead Estherlene out of earshot.

Once they’d walked off, Velveeta continued. “We’ll report to you, of course, but I think it’s best for you and the department if you’re not involved in the investigation. Let me question Martha Maye.”

“What for?” he asked testily.

“You know what for. Family members are always the first suspects. Do her a favor and let me clear her, okay?” Velveeta spoke kindly but firmly.

“All right.” Johnny raised his hands as if to surrender. “Talk to her now.”

Johnny watched Velveeta approach his cruiser and speak to Martha Maye. He studied the crowd forming and conferred with Hank until Jeb tapped him on the shoulder.

“Uh, Chief?” Jeb said.

“Yeah?”

“One more thing. Uh, you can’t see it now, because I turned him over. But, uh, I’m not real sure why, but when I first examined him, his fly was open, and”—he rubbed the back of his neck and motioned at his own zipper—”his ding-a-ling was sticking out.” Johnny’s eyebrows shot up, but just then Velveeta returned, looking somber. Jeb backed away.

“Chief, she’s got about twenty, thirty minutes where she says she was alone tonight. Says she walked to Lou’s house to use the bathroom because it was closer. Said it took her a while because the dress she wore had a hoop slip. Did you ever try to pee with one of those things on?”

Johnny blushed and said no, he hadn’t.

“Well, me neither, but I don’t see how she managed it. I really don’t. I reckon she had to take the whole thing–”

“Velveeta!” Johnny snapped. “What’s your point?”

“My point is, she doesn’t have an alibi for about twenty minutes. Maybe thirty. And everybody and their brother knew there was animosity between her and the deceased. I’m new in town, and even I knew. I’m just saying.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Johnny’s voice grew impatient.

“It’s just”—she kicked at the gravel—”I think we got to be careful and go by the book. We need to take her in for questioning tonight. We don’t want anyone saying you played favorites.”

Johnny was quiet a minute, his eyes scanning the area. “All right. By the book. But
I’m
taking her in.”

“You think that’s wise, Chief?” Skeeter asked.

“I’m taking her in.” Johnny’s tone and glare suggested it was not open for discussion.

Word had gotten out about the dead body on Marigold Lane, and a crowd had formed. Hank Beanblossom was trying to ward people off with both arms outstretched.

“Y’all gwon back to the party. Nothing to see here, folks. Gwon back. Nothing to see.”

Johnny went to his car and quietly explained to Martha Maye why she had to go to the station with him. He helped get her legs into the car and asked Jack and Tess to follow so they could take Martha Maye home once she was through with questioning.

On the way to the police station, she said, “Johnny, you know I didn’t have anything to do with this, right?”

He looked in the rearview mirror, caught her eye, and said, “Of course.”

“He was mean enough to bite himself, and I couldn’t wait to divorce him, and I thought he was a no-good, lying, dirty cur dog, but I’d never kill him. You know that, right?”

“Yes I do, sweet pea. As much as I know my own name. Don’t you worry. We’ll follow procedure and get you free and clear of this. Don’t you worry. I just don’t understand how this could have happened. I had my cops on him like a dingleberry.”

“Why on earth would they do that?”

“I was worried about you.”

They arrived at the station, and Johnny escorted Martha Maye into his office.

She sat in the chair in front of his desk, and he leaned down to her. “Can I get you anything?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Outta here.”

Johnny could see the worry in her eyes behind the face she made to lighten the mood. He grasped her hand and squeezed. “Just sit tight. You’ll be outta here in no time.”

“Why don’t you do one of them tests on my hands? You know, to see if there’s any blood whatchacallit.”

“Residue?”

She nodded.

“There wasn’t much blood at the scene. I don’t think there would have been any on the killer’s hands. It appears the knife went in and came out clean, stopping the heart from pumping any blood outta the body. I don’t think a luminol kit would do any good, unless he—or she—wiped the knife on his or her hands.”

From the doorway, Jack said, “And somebody could claim you were wearing gloves anyway.”

“Jack, you shouldn’t be back here. You’re not supposed to interfere with police business.”

“Chief, a little-known fact about me–”

Johnny raised his eyebrows.

“I have a law degree. Let’s just say I’m here as her counsel.” Jack came into the office and sat next to Martha Maye, resting his hand on hers.

“You’re skating on thin ice, man. Everybody knows you haven’t practiced law in years. Is your license even current?”

“No, and you’re correct, I haven’t practiced for years, but I can be of counsel until a lawyer is hired.”

“A lawyer! I’m going to need a
lawyer
? I can’t afford that. Oh Lord.” Tears formed in her eyes.

Jack patted her hand. “Just a precaution.”

Just then Velveeta rushed in, followed by Skeeter. “We found the murder weapon!” She was so excited she was nearly breathless. “I’ll see if we can get some prints off it.” She held up a long knife encased in a plastic evidence bag.

Johnny studied the bag but said to Velveeta, “Good work. Where was it?”

“In the bushes. The killer must have tossed it. I don’t know if he”—her eyes went to Martha Maye—”or she”–she looked back at Johnny–”dropped it accidentally or on purpose, but we got it.”

“Terrific. Martha Maye’s prints are on file from the home invasion a few weeks ago. We can compare the two.”

“Sure thing, Chief.” She turned and hurried off.

“Skeeter, we need to have a talk about your surveillance skills.”

Skeeter looked sheepish. “I know. I lost him in the crowd, so I went cruising to see if I could find him. I drove by Martha Maye’s house, real slow like, and I saw this big dark blob on the grass. I’m real sorry, Chief.”

“Like I said, a word—later.”

Skeeter left looking sheepish, and Johnny returned his attention to Martha Maye’s face, which was stark white.

“You all right, darlin’?”

“Johnny, I think that’s one of my kitchen knives.”

“Oh, law.”

“Of course my prints will be on it.” Martha Maye said.

“Unless someone wiped it clean. But we’ll see if there are any others.”

“Jack, I thought you were gonna stick to Martha Maye like glue tonight. Why didn’t you go with her when she left the party?”

Jack shot Martha Maye a look of reprimand for going off without him, and then he gave Johnny a put-out look. “I didn’t know she’d left. I thought she was with her mama and them, plus a hundred other people. I thought she’d be fine.”

She looked down at her shaking hands and held them in the air. “Look at me. I’m as nervous as a fat girl in a cactus garden.”

Johnny came around the desk and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “You hush now. There is nothing to be nervous about. You didn’t do anything. We’ll prove that here shortly, and then we’ll get on to finding the real killer.”

“I can’t believe this is happening. What am I gonna tell Butterbean?”

“Tell her he kicked the oxygen habit,” Jack said.

“Jack!” Johnny glared at him.

“Sorry. Just trying to lighten the moment.”

“Let’s worry about telling Butterbean tomorrow, Scarlett. Tonight, we gotta get you sprung from here.”