Assault and Batter (4 page)

“Who could he have gotten into a fight with in April Springs? Does he even know anybody here but the three of us?”

“I don’t even want to think about that right now,” she said. “Mom called, and she needs to see us both immediately. Can you drop everything you had planned tonight and come over to her place?”

“Why not? I’ve got nothing going on,” I said, although it pained me to admit it to her.

“That’s perfect. I hope you haven’t eaten yet; Mom’s made a feast. Oh, I have one more favor to ask of you, if you don’t mind.”

“Hey, I’m the maid of honor. I live to serve you,” I replied.

She laughed at my attempt at humor. “We both know better than that, but would you mind swinging by and picking up Grace?”

“Is she in the wedding, too?” I asked.

“She and Emma both,” Emily answered.

“Are there going to be enough matching groomsmen to go around?” I asked. Max wasn’t known for longevity in his friendships, with the possible exception of Peter, and that was one that I wished hadn’t stuck all those years.

“He’s asked a few actors that he’s worked closely with before.”

“How festive,” I said.

“Emma’s already here, but it would be great if you could give Grace a lift.”

“We’re on our way,” I said, and I hung up before she could give me any more assignments.

“Well, if it’s not the bravest woman in all of April Springs, North Carolina,” Grace said after I pulled up in front of her house just down the street from the cottage that I shared with Momma.

“Why do you say that?” I asked as she climbed into my Jeep.

“You’re the maid of honor at your ex-husband’s wedding,” she said. “And you don’t think that’s brave? I think you should get a medal for doing this.”

“I’m doing it for Emily,” I said.

“There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that’s true,” she answered.

“I didn’t realize that you were going to be in the wedding party, too,” I said.

“Emily and I are pals, too,” she said. “I’m surprised Emma’s not in it, though.”

“She’s already there,” I said as I drove to Emily’s place.

“To be honest with you, I’m a little surprised that she’s not the maid of honor,” Grace said, “not that you won’t make a perfectly lovely one.”

“It turns out that I was asked because I persuaded Emily to give Max another try.”

She grinned at me. “Oh, boy, I’m willing to bet that you’re regretting that now.”

“You know me too well,” I said as we neared Emily’s parents’ house.

“Suzanne, are you okay?” What was it with Momma, and now Grace? Was I giving out some kind of signal that I was in desperate straits?

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Really?”

“No, I’m a train wreck waiting to happen, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. How about if we table it until after we leave tonight? Would you do that for me?”

“I will,” she said, and then she squeezed my hand. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you, okay?”

“I know,” I said as I squeezed her hand back. “Now, let’s go see what we can do to make the bride’s life a little easier, shall we?”

“Sounds great to me,” Grace said. I noticed her watching me closely, searching for some kind of sign of what was really wrong with me, but I wasn’t about to tell her now. This was Emily’s time, and I was going to do my best to help make her shine.

At least I had my early hours as an excuse to get out of there. It had all turned out to have been one big false alarm, a pretense to gather us all together so we could see how thoroughly we’d been replaced by Emily’s mother.

“Thanks for being my ride,” Grace said as we headed back home.

“You’re welcome. I was glad to do it.”

“Oh, I appreciate the lift,” Grace said with a smile, “but what I really loved was the excuse to get out of there early. Don’t get me wrong. I love Emily to death, but I thought that her mother would never shut up. Do you feel left out?”

“How do you mean?”

“Suzanne, she took over every single one of your duties, including lining up the reverend. Can you believe that binder she had? It must have weighed twenty pounds. I’ll bet she’s been working on it since Emily was a little girl. Who knows, maybe even longer. There’s literally nothing left for you to do.”

“Are you kidding? I just have to make the wedding donuts and show up. That sounds perfect to me,” I said.

“If you’re sure,” Grace said. She paused a moment, and then my best friend asked me, “Will you tell me what’s going on now?”

As I pulled up into her driveway, I said, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you, but you can’t ask me any questions or make any comments. When I’m finished, we say good night. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” she said. Wow, she really did want to know what was going on with me to agree to those terms.

“Jake was on his way here to discuss something serious with me when he was called back to his office suddenly. I have a feeling that he’s about to break up with me.” I managed to say it all without crying, which was a big deal for me, given how I felt about the situation.

Grace had a look of pure shock on her face, as though I’d stunned her into silence. After a slight pause, she held up one finger, and her expression begged me for the chance to say one thing.

“Okay,” I relented. “You can say one thing, but that’s it.”

“I’m here if you need me,” Grace said, and then she gave me a hug before she got out of the car.

It was the perfect thing to say.

Now I had just one more gauntlet to run before I could get to sleep, but it would be the toughest one yet. I knew that there was no way that Momma would agree to one comment. No matter what happened, I was in for a long night when I could barely afford to give up the sleep I might still manage before I had to get up and make the donuts yet again.

But Momma was gone when I drove the short way home, though her car was back in its rightful place. She must have been out with Chief Martin, which was fine with me. I crawled into bed at 8:30, turned off my ringer, and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, both physical and emotional. I decided to be like Scarlett and worry about it tomorrow.

For now, I desperately needed some sleep.

When I woke up the next morning around one, I quietly got dressed and headed downstairs. To my surprise, the kitchen light was on. Had Momma forgotten to turn it off when she’d got in?

Then I smelled the bacon.

“What’s this?” I asked as I walked in to find a plate with waffles and bacon at my seat.

“I decided to get up and make you breakfast,” Momma said. How did she manage to look so chipper when I knew that she’d gotten in after me?

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t have time,” I said.

“You have five minutes to eat, and you know it,” she said. “Sit, young lady.”

I was about to protest when I took a deep breath. It really did smell wonderful. “Okay. Thanks for this, but let’s not make it a regular thing, okay? It’s hard enough keeping my weight down making the treats I create every single day. If I start eating breakfasts like this, I won’t be able to fit into my Jeep.”

“Agreed, for special occasions only,” she said with a smile.

As I dove into the breakfast, Momma asked, “Do you have any interest in continuing our discussion we started yesterday?”

I swallowed a bite of waffle, and then I replied, “Mom, I really, really don’t. Is that okay with you?”

“It’s fine. I’m here for you, though.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” I said as I patted her hand. I took one last bite of waffle, added a bit of bacon, and then I savored it. “This was great, but I have to run.” I looked around the kitchen and saw how much work she’d put into making me breakfast. “I suppose I could stick around and help you clean up.”

“I’m happy to do it. Go on; go make your donuts. The people of April Springs are counting on you.”

“Well, maybe a few of them,” I said as I kissed her cheek. “Thanks again, for everything.”

“What else are mothers for?” she asked with the hint of a smile.

“More than I can say.”

As I drove to Donut Hearts in the darkness, I was thankful again that I’d had a place to come home to after my divorce from Max. I’d been in bad shape, the victim of my husband’s affair, and Momma had helped put me back together again. Sure, I’d put on a brave face to the rest of the world, buying the donut shop on an impulse with my divorce settlement, but it had taken some time to see life in a positive light again, and if it hadn’t been for Momma and Grace, I’m not entirely sure I would have made it. If my life was about to go through another crisis, at least I’d have both women there to help me through whatever came my way. For now, though, I was going to make donuts and try my best to forget about the rest of the world.

As I approached Donut Hearts, I realized that it might be easier said than done.

Chief Martin was waiting for me, leaning against his squad car with a dark expression on his face.

It appeared that my day wasn’t going to be quite so normal after all.

“Why do I have the feeling that you’re not here for a cup of coffee?” I asked the chief after I’d parked and gotten out of my Jeep.

“I could use some of that, too,” he said, “but you’re right. That’s not the real reason that I’m here.”

“What happened?” A sudden thought occurred to me, and I felt my blood go cold. “Did something happen to Jake?” If he’d been hurt after the last conversation that we’d had, I’d never find a way to get over it.

The police chief looked surprised by my question. “What? No, as far as I know, Jake’s fine. Why, what’s he been up to lately?”

“Investigating crime, just like you,” I said as I unlocked the door. “Come on in. I’ll get the coffee started while you bring me up to speed on what’s happening.”

“That sounds fine with me. I never got a chance to get to sleep last night. After I dropped your mother off at the cottage, I got the call, and I’ve been working on the case all night.”

“What happened?” I asked as I flipped one of the coffee pots on. It was our standard blend, not one of Emma’s exotics. I had two very different clienteles for the coffee we served; one liked their coffee strong and plain, while the other appreciated the finer nuances of Emma’s blends. The chief was definitely a strong and plain coffee kind of guy.

“There was a murder in town last night,” he said solemnly.

I hated the thought of it, but I knew that it was as much a part of life in a small town as it was in any big city. “Who was killed?”

“I don’t know if you know the man,” the chief said. “He was in town for a visit, as a matter of fact.”

“Peter Hickman is dead, isn’t he?” I asked, remembering Emily telling me about him getting into a fight the day before.

“No, it was Gabby Williams’s nephew, Jude.”

“That’s even worse,” I said.

“What makes you say that?” he asked me.

As I poured him a cup of coffee in a paper cup, I said, “I had a feeling that he was going to crash the wedding. Jude and Emily dated not that long ago, and from what I heard, he had a hard time believing that Max had replaced him in Emily’s heart. I don’t have to tell you that Max has a temper, so yeah, I’m a little worried about that. Then there’s Peter Hickman. He got in a fight yesterday, and I have to wonder if that had anything to do with what happened to Jude.”

The chief nodded. “That’s some good information you’ve got there,” he said. “I’ve been able to dig up a little more myself. Would you like to hear it?”

“You’re actually going to share with me?” I asked him with a smile.

“I’d be an idiot not to admit that you’ve helped me out in the past, all unofficially, of course. I’m beginning to respect your judgment, Suzanne. Plus, I heard that you were going to be Emily’s maid of honor, so is there any way in the world that you and Grace aren’t going to be digging into this?”

“I’d be lying if I denied it,” I said.

“Then let’s see what we can do about cooperating.”

I was glad that the police chief was seeing me in a different light, but then again, I had been able to solve a few murders with the help of my friends over the years. It would be nice working together instead of fighting all of the time. How much of that was because of his relationship with my mother I didn’t know, nor was I all that sure that I cared. “That sounds great to me.”

The chief took a long sip of coffee, and then he said, “Gabby had a public fight with Jude two hours before his body was discovered by the railroad tracks. Someone hit him in the back of the head with an iron bar, by the way. From what we’ve been able to determine so far, it was most likely between eight PM and midnight, but don’t quote me on that.”

“Gabby took Jude in when no one else would. I can’t believe that she would ever kill him,” I said.

“Hang on. I’m not jumping to any conclusions right now; I’m just gathering facts.”

“What else have you got?” I asked him as I topped off his coffee.

“Well, it turns out that Jude had his share of enemies around town. You know about Reggie Nance, don’t you?”

“Debbie’s dad? What’s he got to do with all of this? He comes in and orders a dozen donuts for his office every week. He’s a great guy.”

“I agree, but Debbie and her baby died in childbirth, and he’s never gotten over it. The man lost his wife to cancer, and then soon after, his daughter and granddaughter, all in the span of three months. It would be too much for anybody to stand.”

“What does Jude’s murder have to do with any of that?” I asked.

“Who do you think the baby’s father was?” the chief asked. “Jude denied it, but Debbie was positive. He rejected her completely, and Reggie believed that she lost the fight in her when Jude turned his back on her. The man doesn’t have an alibi for the time of the murder, either, so he’s near the top of my list.”

“I didn’t know about any of this,” I said. “I heard something around the edges, but I guess I was so busy trying to keep Max in line that I didn’t notice what was going on in town.”

“You had your hands full as it was,” the chief conceded. “Anyway, that’s all that I’ve got right now. If you hear anything else, let me know, okay?”

“Likewise,” I said.