All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 7) (23 page)

Billy closed up the cell phone and placed it on the table.
“She’s right about everything,” he said. “
Savannah
could turn into a lion if we back her into a corner. Talking about McCoy acting
crazy, pen her in and we’ll see what true erratic behavior is like.”

“I don’t care. I’m not afraid of her. I’m doing this for
McCoy.”

“Okay, then let’s do it. Here’s what I have in mind for our
little breaking and entering caper.”

“B&E. Do tell. I love sneaking into a house. The
adrenaline rush is amazing. My heart beats a mile a minute, and I love every
minute of it.”

“Jonathan’s supposed to fly
Savannah
to Fancy Gap to pick up Kaleb, so we’ll get him to set it up
for tomorrow night after McCoy’s funeral service. Jonathan will fly her all
over the place to kill time, and she won’t be the wiser. Then he’ll say there’s
something wrong with the helicopter, and they have to go back. Within those
couple of hours, we’ll either have our evidence, or we won’t.”

“I’m sure Jonathan’s going to love wasting his time.”

“He won’t be wasting his time. He’ll be helping us.”

“Yeah, he owes me.”

“And he thinks
Savannah
’s
cute.”

“That’s not funny, man-pig.”

“I’ll call Jonathan and get him to join us in our quest to
break the law. I’m positive he’ll sign up immediately.”

“Please hurry! My hound dog mentality is taking over! I have
to hunt!”

I walked out on the front porch with my coffee and sat down
in the swing, while Billy called Jonathan. My thoughts kept coming back to what
Lu Ann said about
Savannah
. Her life and my opinion of her had
changed drastically in the past week. Could she possibly be as conniving as I
suspected? Was she so unhappy that she would ply her husband with a drug-laden
drink to cause his demise?

Billy walked out onto the porch and sat down in the swing
next to me.

“What’s Jonathan up to this morning?”

“He was out in the hangar doing some work. He said he made a
few adjustments to the chopper and was going to take it up for a test flight.”

“What did he say about his part in our plan?”

“He’s already talked to
Savannah
,
and she’s not going to need his help after all. As soon as McCoy’s service is
over, his body will be flown to Fancy Gap for burial, and she’ll be
accompanying it. She has plans to spend the night in a hotel, pick up Kaleb the
next morning, and fly back. We’ll have plenty of time to search her house while
she’s gone.”

“That makes everything a lot simpler. We won’t have to worry
about her catching us in the act. We’ll go in, get our evidence, and be out
before anyone knows we were there. Piece of cake.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“If you think it’s a bad idea, just say so, and we won’t do
it. We’ll come up with another plan. I’m all for trying new things, but prison
isn’t one of them.”

“I’m sure we can come up with a cover story if we get caught,
but that’s not going to happen. Besides, who’s going to catch us?
Savannah
will be out of town, and it’s not as
if we’re going to kick in her door and leave behind a big mess. We’ll slip in
and slip out.”

“That’s easier said than done. How are we going to get
through the gate? We don’t have the code, and I sure can’t pick the lock.”

“No problem. It’s electronic. I can handle the gate.”

“I bet Mom knows the code!
Savannah
trusts her, so if she was to give out that information, I’m
sure she would’ve given it to Mom… and maybe Cole.”

“Well… it’s not as if we can ask him.”

Billy and I sat back and enjoyed the warm, morning sun and
watched the kids play.

“They’re growing up so fast,” Billy remarked. “Next year,
Maisy will be in pre-school.”

“And Ethan will be right behind her the following year. What
will we do with ourselves then? No kids around the house all day.”

“What about the new baby?”

“That’s right! We’re going to have another baby! Maybe we
should have a child every two years until we have a houseful. We’ll be just
like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.”

“That’s a pleasant thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“They fight like cats and dogs, and it always makes the
papers.”

“I didn’t mean we could be like them in that way.”

“I know what you mean, `ge ya. I was just messing with you.
We can have all the babies you want. I love children, especially my own.”

The dogs started howling, and took off toward the woods.

“What’s wrong with them?” I asked Billy. “They’re acting like
they smell a rabbit.”

“Not a rabbit,” he said, pointing to them. “It’s a bear!”

Athena and Thor were high-tailing it back to us as fast as
their legs would carry them. They knew better than to tangle with a bear,
especially one with cubs, and Mama Bear had two of them.

Billy jumped up and ran down the steps, and I was right
behind him. We snatched up the children, ran in the house, and locked the
door—not that locking the door was going to keep out angry Mama Bear.

My hands were still shaking even after the bear and her cubs
disappeared into the woods. “That was close,” I said. “I keep forgetting it’s
that time of the year.”

“At least we have the dogs to warn us,” Helene said. “I never
saw them coming. I’m so sorry. That could’ve been a disaster.”

“It’s not your fault, Helene,” Billy told her. “We have to
remember that there’s one bear for every square mile in the mountains, so
there’s plenty of them out there. We just rarely see them. We can’t let a bear
keep us from enjoying the rest of the summer.”

“After that, I’m not going back out for awhile,” Helene
nervously said, grabbing Maisy and Ethan’s hands. “Come on, kids. We’re going
to play in the den the rest of the day. Maybe we’ll play in the den for a few
days, or at least, until my heart stops racing. That was freaky.”

The dogs, shaky legs and all, followed.

“I need to put the word out,” Billy said. “I’m going to call
everyone and warn them that a hungry mother bear and her cubs are out and
about. They’re just looking for food, but a mama bear can be extremely vicious
if you get near her cubs. It’s instinct.”

“My instinct is to run when I see a bear.”

“That would be wise. It’s better to avoid a bear than it is
to try and stare one down. That never works.”

“And you can’t hide from them. They can smell you. I have to
warn Mom. She’d spazz out if she pulled up and saw a bear. She wouldn’t get out
of the car.”

“I’ll call her,” Billy offered. “You go play with the kids.”

Billy hung around the kitchen making calls, while I sat on
the floor in the den with the kids. Helene still was a nervous wreck.

“I’m scared to death of bears,” she said. “You know I once
had an encounter with one.”

“No, I didn’t. What happened?”

“In the Dark Ages, before I had a clothes dryer, I was
hanging out sheets when one approached me. I didn’t know what to do, so when he
charged, I just stood there. I was frozen with fear. Luckily, he got tangled in
the sheets, and that’s when I made a run for the house. I sure was lucky that
day. Ever since then I’ve been terrified of bears.”

“I can see why. I would be, too. Having a bear chase after
you is pretty scary.”

“Everyone’s been warned,” Billy said, walking into the room.
“And your mom knows the code to
Savannah
’s
gate. They were just getting ready to leave when I called.”

“That’s good. Perfect. Once we get the code, we’ll be set.”

“And Eddie’s doing well. Minnie said he was back to his old
self.”

“I’m glad he’s feeling better. I was starting to worry about
him.”

“He’s fine now, and ready to start work. Minnie said he was
excited about working for us.”

“That’s good to hear. I’d hate to think she pushed him into
doing it. You know how persuasive she can be.”

“I like her,” Helene said. “Minnie’s a nice person.”

“That’s my mother!”

An hour later, Mom and Eddie arrived. When I heard her SUV
pull up, I walked over to the window to watch. I knew she was going to be
freaked out about the bear sighting, and she was. She hurriedly jumped out of
the car and ran to the front door. She didn’t bother to knock; instead she
jiggled the door handle, trying to get inside.

“Coming,” I called out.

When I opened the door, Mom couldn’t get inside fast enough.
She flew past me, turned, and then yelled to Eddie, “Run, Eddie! That bear
could be anywhere! Hurry!”

When Eddie walked in, Mom immediately closed the door behind
him, and then locked it. “They can’t get in, can they, Jesse?”

“No, Mom, they can’t get in. You’re safe now. Mama Bear and
her baby cubs are long gone. You don’t have a thing to worry about. Billy has a
big gun.”

Mom gasped. “You wouldn’t let him kill a mama bear, would
you? What would happen to her little cubs?”

“Nobody’s shooting any bears, Minnie,” Billy said as he
hugged her. “Always good to have you here.” He looked at Eddie and held out his
hand. “Glad to see you’re doing okay. I heard you were right sick.”

“I’m as fit as a fiddle,” Eddie replied. “I hear we’re going
to break into
Savannah
’s house.”

I laughed.

“Not this time,” Billy chuckled. “Jesse and I got this one.”

We gathered at the table for lunch and talked about our
plans. Billy explained how we were going to run the business, while Mom and
Eddie did the legwork. We discussed everything that mattered, and then we
talked about
Savannah
.

“Why can’t we do the search?” Eddie asked. “We need to start
somewhere. Why not give us a try on this one? Minnie’s pretty good at finding
stuff, and we won’t have to worry about getting caught. She’s still friends
with
Savannah
, as far as
Savannah
’s concerned. She doesn’t know that
Minnie doesn’t trust her anymore. We can say we came by to see if there was
anything we could do to straighten up the house for the new baby.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Billy agreed, looking over at me.
“What do you think?”

“I thought Vera was her housekeeper/assistant.
Savannah
might…”

“Not anymore,” Mom said. “
Savannah
said she left. I don’t know whether she quit or was fired.
Savannah
was not specific.”

“Why did she leave?”

“Maybe she didn’t believe
Savannah
’s
story, either.”

“Okay,” Billy said, looking at Mom and Eddie. “The job is
yours.”

“And you don’t have to worry,” I added. “We’ll be close by
the whole time just in case you need us.”

“We won’t need your help,” Mom said. “We got this one
covered.” She smiled at Billy. “You can count on us.”

Plans were made and we were ready to put them into action
when the time came. Tomorrow would be the day, but Mom and Eddie were eager to
get started now. They thought it was important to act as if nothing had
changed, so after lunch, they left to visit
Savannah
.

“I feel kind of weird getting my mom to lie and be sneaky,” I
said to Billy after they left. I paced the floor. “That has never been part of
her personality. I hope she can pull it off without remorse.”

“She’ll be fine,” he replied, looking up from the newspaper
he was trying to read. “She learned how to get around the truth from you. She
comes by it honestly.”

“I feel much better knowing that.”

Billy laughed. “You worry too much, `ge ya. Everything’s
going to work out. Your mom and Eddie can handle it. It’s their job now.”

“I just hope nothing goes wrong.”

“It won’t,” Helene added as she loaded the few dishes from
lunch in the dishwasher. “Minnie’s a tough cookie.”

“What if she gets hurt?”

“Eddie won’t let anything happen to her, so stop worrying,”
Helene replied. “You can’t obsess over her every time she walks out the door.
You’re not helping anyone. If you didn’t feel comfortable your mother could
handle it, you never would’ve agreed to let her do it.”

“You’re too smart for your own good,” I said, and then walked
over and hugged her. “I’m so glad you live with us.”

“Of course, you are,” Helene replied. “I am woman. Hear me
roar.”

“Why don’t you sit down and read the paper?” Billy asked me.
“The kids are taking a nap, so relax and enjoy your free time from work. It’s a
long way off until tomorrow night. You keep this up and you’ll have an anxiety
attack.”

“Too bad
Savannah
stole my pills.”

“You could call her up and ask to borrow one of hers,” Helene
chuckled. “Now wouldn’t that be a gas?”

“Hey…” I started to say, enthusiastically.

“No way,” Billy interrupted. “We don’t want to throw a rock
in the stream. The ripple could upset the buggy.”

“Don’t you mean cart?”

“Whatever. You know what I’m saying.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said. I walked over to the
kitchen table, sat down, and then grabbed a section of the newspaper. “We don’t
want to bring attention to those pills. She might panic and throw away the
evidence.” I briefly scanned the newspaper, and then laid it back down on the
table. “I’m not good at doing nothing and just hanging out. I need to do
something... keep busy.”

“You’re just apprehensive,” Helene said. “You need to get out
of the house. Go buy a new dress for the funeral tomorrow.”

“I can’t afford a new dress.” I looked over at Billy. “My
husband says I spend too much money as it is. I’m unemployed, and I’m broke.
Now I’m really depressed.”

“Okay, that’s it,” Billy said as he lay the newspaper down.
“Come on, we’re going shopping.” He looked over at Helene. “You know how to
reach us if you need anything while we’re gone.” He got up from the table and
walked over to get his keys from the rack on the wall.

“Cell phones,” she responded. “Don’t you just love all this
modern technology? What are they going to come up with next?”

“My words exactly,” I agreed. “I love all these gadgets. The
invention of the cell phone is the best thing since the microwave.”

Billy and Helene laughed at my reference to the good things
in life, while I got up and headed to the bedroom to get my purse and my gun.

“It doesn’t take much to satisfy my wife,” Billy said with a
smile when I returned. “Thank goodness she’s so easy to please.”

“You say that now, but I’m a very picky shopper. Clothes have
to fit just right, or I won’t wear them.”

“I can tell from the way you dress,” Helene said, snickering.

“Okay, I’m ready to go. Come on, Billy. Let’s go spend money
we don’t have.”

“We’re not broke, `ge ya, so stop saying that. People might
believe you. It could be bad for business.”

“In that case, we’re rich!”

“Oh, my. Here we go again.”

“What? What did I say?”

“We’ll be back soon, Helene,” Billy said as we were walking
out the front door.

I looked around, scanning the woods as I followed him to his
truck. After what happened earlier, I wasn’t about to take my surroundings for
granted anymore. I had forgotten that wild animals lurked around every corner,
every tree.

“The bear’s gone, Jesse. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Billy laughed at me when I jumped in the truck and
immediately locked the door.

“You never know,” I stated. “Mama Bear might get hungry
again, and come back for a meal of Jesse Watson Blackhawk. I’m not taking any
chances.”

“You… a woman who carries a nine in her purse all the time…
afraid of a little old bear. That’s hard to believe.”

“Believe it, pal. That nine ain’t going to stop a bear. So…
yes… I’m a little intimidated. Bears are big, and they’re mean. And don’t tell
me they won’t bother me if I don’t bother them, because it just isn’t true.
They want my flesh. They want to eat my bones for dessert.”

“They’re not going to get your flesh,” Billy said, reaching
over and touching my hand. “I am your protector. I will ward off anyone or
anything that tries to harm you.”

“I know you will. I’m just a little on edge. I’ll get it
together.”

Shopping with Billy was always fun. He had great taste in
clothes and he shopped at the best stores in town. Our first stop was Belk’s in
Fashion Square Mall. They had a sale going on and the place was packed, but
that didn’t stop Billy from getting the attention of a pretty, thirty-something
salesgirl. He motioned to her, and she came over immediately.

“Hello, Gina. This is my wife, Jesse.” He introduced us. “You
think you can fix her up with a dress to wear to a funeral?”

“Sure, Billy.” She looked me up and down. “It’s nice to
finally meet you.” She shook my hand. “I think I have the perfect dress for
you. Follow me.” She turned and walked toward the dressing rooms. “Make
yourselves comfortable, and I’ll be right back.”

Billy and I went into the dressing room and waited for her
return.

“You know somebody everywhere we go, don’t you?”

“I know many people.”

Gina the salesgirl walked in carrying the perfect black
dress.

“I love it,” I said as soon as I saw it. “I just hope it
fits.”

“It will,” Gina said. “I promise.”

I stepped behind the swinging door to the dressing area and
tried on the dress. It fit perfectly, and I loved the way it looked on me. When
I walked back out, Billy grinned from ear to ear and said, “You look great.
What do you think?”

“This is the dress.”

He turned to Gina and said, “We’ll take it. She’ll need a
pair of heels to match it, and a bag. Oh, and she’ll need a hat. This is the
South. Everyone wears a hat to a funeral. Right?”

“A hat?” I questioned. “I don’t think a hat is me. Besides,
who wears a hat anymore?”

“Fashions change,” Gina said. “Women used to wear hats, then
they stopped, and now they’re wearing them again. Fashion… that’s what it’s all
about. Dress for success. That’s what they say.”

“Okay, but someone else is going to have to pick one out. I
have no idea what kind of hat to wear.”

“I’ll take care of you,” Gina said, assuring me. “I’ll be
right back.”

I looked at Billy. “A hat, huh?”

Gina returned with everything I needed to complete my outfit.
I tried on the accessories, including the hat, and then looked at myself in the
mirror. “I look like a movie star going to a funeral. The dress, the bag, and
the heels are fine, but I can’t wear this hat.”

“We’ll take it just in case you change your mind,” Billy
offered. He turned to Gina and said, “We’ll take it all.”

“I’ll ring you up,” she replied. She smiled, and then walked
away.

Ten minutes later, we were on our way out of the store. When
we passed a row of men’s suits, I pointed to them and asked Billy if he wanted
to get one. He told me he had a suit to wear, and that all suits looked the
same. What would be the point?

“I bet Gina could find you a great looking one that doesn’t
look like all the others. She’s pretty good at sizing up a person.”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are.”

We left the mall and headed back home, our shopping excursion
complete. Halfway to the house, my cell phone rang. It was Mom.

“Hello, Mother. How’s it going? You haven’t gotten busted
already, have you?”

“No, I haven’t, Missy, so you can stop being cute.”

“If you’re not in jail, then why are you calling me? I thought
you had a job to do.”

“We just left
Savannah
’s
house, and I’m telling you, Jesse, she’s a nutcase. Do you know what she told
me? She said that McCoy cheated on her all the time and that Andrea wasn’t his
first, but it sure was his last… and then she laughed like a hyena. I think
everything’s getting jumbled up in her head. She said stuff that didn’t make
sense. She said McCoy once had a brain tumor and they had to cut his head open.
Can you believe it? Why is she saying all that junk? It has to be her
imagination going wild. McCoy never had a brain tumor. He would’ve told us
about it if he had.”

“No, he didn’t, and I know because I’ve seen his medical
records.”

“What’s wrong with the woman? Has she lost her mind?”

“Maybe she’s finally crossed the line between fiction and
fact. She’s a writer. Writers make up stuff. How’s her temper?”

“Awful. Twice she yelled at me. I had to bite my tongue, mind
you. She even snapped at Eddie a couple of times. I thought I was going to have
to smack her around. She has a spiteful side to her. She can be mean when she
wants to.”

“You slap someone around? Ha! I’d like to see that. You don’t
know how to be physical. Now if it were me, I wouldn’t hesitate. Maybe she’s
off her medication. She probably used it all on her husband.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“She’s bi-polar. Remember how Peaches was that time she went
off her medication? She was angry and depressed, and she flew into a rage over
the smallest thing. She screamed at everyone.”

“I haven’t seen Peaches in a long time. She’s such a good
girl.”

“She had problems until she got on the right medication with
the proper dosage adjusted just right.”

“Now that you mention it, seeing
Savannah
like this does remind me of the way
Peaches used to act. She was mad at the world for awhile. Fortunately, that
didn’t last long.”

“Just be careful around her. If she really is off her meds,
she could become violent. Are you carrying a gun?”

“No, I have Eddie. He’s a pit bull.”

“Okay. Keep me informed.”

“Same here.”

I ended the connection and looked at Billy. “
Savannah
’s starting to act up. Mom says she’s
getting really weird, and she thinks she might be getting ready to go psycho on
us.”

“I heard. She’s a real storyteller, isn’t she?”

“She’s a big, fat liar, and she isn’t even a private
detective. At least, we have an excuse.”

“She said McCoy had a brain tumor? Next thing she’ll be
telling us is that he once was a rock star. What’s gotten into her? Does she
really believe her tales can’t be proved or disproved? Silly girl. She has more
sense than that, so she should know better.”

“I say we drop in on her. See what all the hoopla’s about. I
know you had Lila send flowers, but we could take a bouquet just for
Savannah
. She’ll love the attention.”

“Sounds good to me. We’ll stop at that little flower shop on
Main Street
in Stanardsville. What else are we
going to do with the rest of the afternoon?”

During the ride to Stanardsville, I called Mom back to tell
her of our plans, and she was glad we were going to get to see
Savannah
’s weird behavior for ourselves.
Before we ended the call, she told me to be careful—
Savannah
was no longer in her right mind.

“Don’t worry about me, Mom,” I told her. “Billy’s a pit bull,
too, and if he can’t handle her, I still have my gun. I’ll shoot the lies out of
her.” We both laughed, and then ended our conversation.

Billy just shook his head.

“What’s the matter? You didn’t like my joke?”

When we arrived at
Savannah
’s
house after picking up the flowers, the gate was standing open, so Billy pulled
in and parked the truck by the back door.