Bring Your Own Poison (7 page)

“I know what you're thinking, Mama,” T.J. said. “That Gerald probably hated Travis enough to kill him.”

“Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “You know him pretty well, or at least you used to. What do you think?”

T.J. shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don't think Gerald has it in him to hate somebody that much, even though Travis gave him plenty of reasons.”

“But?” Jack asked. “I've got a feeling there's something else you know that you're not telling us.”

T.J. nodded. “Yeah, you're right. The girl Travis was going to marry, Tiffany Farwell, was Gerald's high-school sweetheart. Travis took his girl away from him. I saw Gerald a few days ago, and he was going crazy. He wanted to stop that wedding, because he was afraid of what Travis might do to Tiffany after they were married.”

“That's a pretty good motive for murder,” Jack said. “Especially when you think about Travis Blakeley's reputation.”

“The problem is, nobody could ever prove anything,” T.J. said, shrugging. “From the way Gerald was talking the other day, though, he seemed pretty sure his brother was responsible for the deaths of his first two wives.”

Wanda Nell nestled closer to Jack, feeling suddenly chilled. “Gerald must have been out of his mind worrying about that poor girl. I don't know what I would have done in that situation.”

“Poisoning the guy at his bachelor party was a pretty desperate act,” Jack said. “If that's what really happened.”

Remembering the glass vial Gerald had shown her, Wanda Nell said, “I don't see what else it could be. Unless Blakeley had a really weak heart and just happened to have a heart attack at that very minute.”

“Pretty big coincidence if he did,” Jack said.

“Yeah,” T.J. said, “and I don't believe that for a minute.”

“No wonder Bill Warren was being so rough on Gerald,” Wanda Nell said.

“Warren's about as big a jerk as Travis Blakeley was,” T.J. said. “Plus I think him and Travis did some running around together.”

“Have you had a run-in with Bill Warren?” Wanda Nell asked, her heart sinking.

“Tuck and I have seen him a few times around town,” T.J. said, looking away. “He's made it real clear what he thinks of us.”

“Sounds like a real prince,” Jack said. “I'm sorry y'all have to deal with that kind of stupidity.”

“I just can't get over the change in him,” Wanda Nell said. “He was a really nice boy back in high school.”

“You mean he's from around here?” Jack asked. “And you knew him in high school?”

“Yes, he grew up here,” Wanda Nell said. She paused a moment. “Actually, he and I dated for a little while.”

“You've got to be kidding!” T.J. said. “You and that ape?”

“It was about twenty-five years ago,” Wanda Nell said, getting a bit irritated. “And I told you, he was nice. At least, I thought he was. But we didn't date for long, because I started seeing Bobby Ray.”

Neither Jack nor T.J. said anything, and after a moment Wanda Nell went on. “With the way Bill's acting, Gerald really does need a good lawyer. I'm glad Tuck was willing to do it.”

“Do you think he did it, T.J.?” Jack asked.

“I don't know,” T.J. said. “I haven't been around Gerald all that much for about five years, and since I've been back in town I haven't talked to him more than two or three times. I probably wouldn't have those times either, except I ran into him down at the courthouse.” T.J. worked in Tuck's office, and he spent a fair amount of time at the courthouse.

“What was Gerald doing in the courthouse?” Wanda Nell asked.

“He got a job a couple months ago in the county clerk's office,” T.J. said. “Just the other day I had lunch with him in the cafeteria down there. That's when he told me how worried he was about Tiffany.”

“Tiffany Farwell,” Wanda Nell said. “Wasn't her daddy some kind of businessman?”

“Yeah,” T.J. said. “He owned a big construction company, for one thing, plus I think he had a hand in a lot of other businesses all over northeast Mississippi. He was pretty loaded.”

“I know who you're talking about,” Jack said. “Didn't he die a couple of years ago?”

“Yes, he sure did,” Wanda Nell said, sitting up. “And it was pretty embarrassing for the family. They tried to hush it up, but he had a heart attack in one of those strip clubs in Memphis and died right there.”

“I think he and his wife were already divorced by that point,” T.J. said. “It was bad enough, him dying in a place like that, but at least he wasn't still married.”

“What happened to his money?” Jack asked.

“I think Tiffany got most of it, at least whatever her mother didn't get in the divorce,” T.J. said. “I heard that Miz Farwell really took him to the cleaners.”

“Sounds like he deserved it,” Wanda Nell said, “if he went to places like that when he was married.”

“He did,” T.J. said. “At least that's what I always heard.”

“Do you know Tiffany?” Wanda Nell asked.

“A little,” T.J. answered. “But she didn't have much to do with me. She had her own little group, and they were too good for anybody who lived in a trailer park.” He grinned.

“Sounds pretty stuck-up,” Jack said. “I've got a few girls like her in my classes, I'm sorry to say.”

“Yeah, she was stuck-up,” T.J. said, “and about as smart as a dead rat.” He laughed. “From what I heard, the only reason she made it into Ole Miss and was able to graduate was because her daddy gave them a
lot
of money.”

“And this is the girl Gerald Blakeley is so in love with?” Wanda Nell just shook her head.

“She may be dumb,” T.J. said, “but she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.” He laughed again. “The trouble is, she knows it, but guys like Gerald don't care. She's not worth spit as a human being, but because of the way she looks, she's had guys slobbering all over her since she was twelve.”

“And we know what they have on their tiny little minds,” Wanda Nell said, poking Jack in the ribs.

“Hey, don't lump me in with that group,” Jack said. “You know I love you for your mind. The fact that I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen has nothing to do with it.”

Wanda Nell couldn't help it—she fell out laughing. “You idiot,” she said when she could catch her breath.

Jack pretended to be wounded. “Now, I really appreciate that. I really do. See how she treats me?” He appealed to T.J.

“You're not dragging me into this,” he said, standing up. “I'd better get going. I don't know how long Tuck will be down at the jail, but I want to be home when he gets there.”

“Good night, honey,” Wanda Nell said, standing up to give him a good-bye hug. “Be careful.”

“I will,” he said. “Good night, Jack.” He headed for the door, but he stopped with his hand on the knob. “Mama, I almost forgot. Juliet was coughing some today. I think she may be coming down with a cold.”

“I'll check on her,” Wanda Nell said, frowning. “It's probably just allergies. All kinds of stuff blooming right now, and she's allergic to some of it.”

“Probably,” T.J. said. “Good night.”

As the door closed behind her son, Wanda Nell looked down at Jack. “Let me just go take a peek at Juliet, and I'll be right back.” Jack nodded, and she headed down the hall toward her youngest child's bedroom.

Juliet's door stood ajar, and Wanda Nell pushed it open. Tiptoeing closer to the bed, she knelt over her sleeping daughter. She placed a hand gently on Juliet's forehead, hoping not to wake the girl. Her forehead was cool and dry, and Wanda Nell relaxed. No fever, at least. Juliet stirred in the bed, but her eyes remained closed.

Wanda Nell listened to the girl's breathing for a moment. She thought she detected a slight rasp to it, but nothing bad enough to worry much about tonight. She would keep an eye on Juliet the next couple days. Juliet sometimes had sinus infections, and Wanda Nell hoped she wasn't getting one now.

Back in the living room, Jack waited for her on the couch. “How is she?” he asked. He took off his glasses and set them on the coffee table. Wanda Nell smiled. She knew what that meant.

Resuming her place beside him, Wanda Nell said, “She seems okay now. No fever, but I'm going to have to watch her in case she's coming down with a sinus infection.”

“Poor girl,” Jack said. “I hope she isn't. They're so miserable.”

“They sure are,” Wanda Nell agreed. She laid her head on his shoulder again, and he hugged her closer to him. Their lips met, and Wanda Nell enjoyed herself thoroughly for the next few minutes.

When Jack pulled away, Wanda Nell smiled at him. “You're getting pretty good at that,” she teased.

“I'm willing to practice as often as you like,” Jack said, his face solemn. “I like to be the best at anything I do.”

Wanda Nell smiled. She let him practice a while longer, but finally she pulled away. She was so lucky, she reflected for the umpteenth time, that she had a good man like Jack, and not some psychopath after her.

Abruptly she sat up. She had forgotten all about Jack's cousin, Lisa, and her problems.

“I'm so sorry, honey,” Wanda Nell said. “I just remembered about Lisa. Is she okay?”

“Relax, darling,” Jack said, rubbing her arm. “I think you've got a pretty good reason for forgetting about her. She's okay. She's actually next door with Mayrene. Turned out that sleeping pill she took didn't work too well, so I was able to talk her into coming over here tonight.”

“Good,” Wanda Nell said, relaxing against the back of the couch again. “I was afraid she was going to be too stubborn to let us help.”

“It took me a while,” Jack said, frowning. “She kept saying that she didn't want to put anybody else in danger.”

“Has the guy shown up in town yet?”

“I'm not sure. I think it's just phone calls so far,” Jack said. “But Lisa thinks she might have spotted him yesterday, sitting in a car in the parking lot when she left work at the hospital.”

“That's creepy,” Wanda Nell said. “What did she do?”

“She went back inside for about half an hour and had something to eat at the cafeteria,” Jack answered, “and when she came out again, the car was gone. She drove home, but a few minutes later her phone rang.”

“And it was him?”

Jack nodded. “According to Lisa, he didn't say anything about being in Tullahoma, but she's convinced it was him in the parking lot.”

“How do you stop something like that?” Wanda Nell asked.

“For one thing, Lisa needs to talk to a lawyer and see about getting some kind of restraining order. That's the first step. Once she's done that, she'll have a little more leverage with the police.”

“I'm sure Tuck would help her,” Wanda Nell said.

“I told her that,” Jack replied, “but she's hesitating for some reason. I think she's so scared of him, she's afraid of doing anything, even trying to protect herself.”

“Then we have to do it for her, I guess,” Wanda Nell said. “We can't just sit by and let this guy terrorize her, or do something worse.”

“I know,” Jack said, “but she's so hard to deal with sometimes. I've been trying to help her without involving anyone else, but I'm about at my wits' end with her, I can tell you.”

Wanda Nell squeezed his hand. “You're doing what you can, and maybe Mayrene and I can talk some sense into her. She can't hide from this guy for the rest of her life. There has to be some kind of solution, other than her moving away again.”

“I sure hope so,” Jack said. “Besides, even if she moved to California or Alaska, I'm not sure this guy would stop harassing her.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Wanda Nell started yawning, and with one look at her, Jack yawned, too. After a moment, he smiled at her. “I'd better get home and let you get some sleep.”

She could read in his eyes that he didn't want to go, and she didn't want him to go either. She would have liked nothing better than to take him to her bedroom and spend the rest of the night with him. But she couldn't do that with Juliet asleep in the next room, and Miranda and Lavon at the other end of the trailer. It just wouldn't feel right to her. She even felt guilty about the kissing they had been doing earlier.

“I know,” Jack said, his voice soft. He stood up. “Come on and lock the door behind me. Then you go on to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning.” He moved toward the door, and Wanda Nell got up from the couch and followed him. They kissed once more before Jack left.

After she closed and locked the door behind Jack, Wanda Nell leaned against the door and closed her eyes. It was getting harder and harder to send Jack home alone, but what was she going to do about it? She wasn't sure she was ready for marriage just yet.

Sighing, she pushed herself away from the door. She moved quietly down toward the bedroom where Miranda and Lavon slept, and she pushed the door open to peek inside. Both her daughter and her grandson were sound asleep. Wanda Nell smiled at the sight of Lavon, his head resting on the body of his bunny.

She tiptoed away from their room toward her own. She couldn't resist one last check on Juliet. She checked her daughter's forehead again. No fever, but her breathing still had that little sound to it. Sighing, Wanda Nell left Juliet's room and went to her own to prepare for bed.

She was out of her clothes and into a nightgown in record time. Her body ached as she slipped under the covers and pulled her pillow under her head. Getting comfortable, she willed herself to relax. She was determined not to think about the events of the evening. She wanted a peaceful night's sleep.