Chilled in Chattanooga (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 4) (14 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

A
s I said that, Amanda’s head popped up and turned as if she’d heard me. Surely she couldn’t have heard that from across the room. I was relieved when she smiled and waved to me and Dee Dee. Phew, that was close. We needed to be careful what we said in public. Especially while we were sitting right next to sound amplification exhibits. I waved back, and then grabbed Nana so we could move to a different room.

By the time we finished, it was lunch time. We chose to get a burger at the Big River Grille, where we discussed Nana’s
agenda
and what we wanted to do next on the list. We bundled up before we went back outside. The sky was crystal clear, allowing the sun to shine like a bright copper penny warming the air. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.

Next stop – Walnut Street Bridge. According to a brochure Nana had picked up, the 1890 bridge was the first to connect Chattanooga with the North Shore.

The bridge, closed to motor vehicles in 1978, sat in disuse and disrepair for nearly a decade. Repairs and structural modifications had been made to turn the bridge into a pedestrian walkway. The Walnut Street Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1990. The 2,376 foot span is one of the world’s longest pedestrian bridges, and sits near the heart of a massive and recently completed urban renewal project. The bridge is well loved by local residents and very popular among tourists. From December 2009 to May 2010, the bridge’s deteriorating asphalt surface was replaced with wood planking. Tourists walked on both sides of the bridge stopping to admire the view.

The bridge, covered with fairy lights, is a photographer’s dream when the sun goes down. I was glad I’d brought my camera from the hotel when we dropped off Mama to recover her tummy.

We were halfway across the span when we stopped to view an island in the distance. I was busy taking pictures when Nana said, “Watch this!” I knew whatever she was about to do couldn’t be good. I’d heard the story too many times about the redneck’s last words, “watch this!”

I turned to see Nana spitting off the side of the bridge. Dee Dee wasn’t going to be outdone. “Let me try.” Dee Dee leaned out and took her turn. Oh – my – goodness, how did I get so lucky to have these two for companions? “Come on, Trixie, give it a try.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I’d done a lot of things, but spit off a bridge was not one of them. But those two had no intention of giving up.

“Trixie, surely you aren’t too good to see how far you can spit.” Nana’s eyes twinkled as she threw down the gauntlet. “Life is too short to be so uptight all the time.”

I wasn’t going to let a little sprite of a woman get the best of me. “All right. If that’s what you want, then I’ll show you. I happened to be the neighborhood champion back in the day. I out spit all the boys.” I readied myself and spit for all I was worth.

We crowded together to see where it would land. Unfortunately none of us thought about the boats that floated under the bridge. What were the odds that a riverboat crammed with people on deck would appear from under the bridge the same time my glob of spit careened in the wind? I could see a lady wiping her face and looking up. Then several of the surrounding people were pointing up at us. We backed up, and hurriedly walked down the bridge before stopping to catch our breath.

I was mortified, but a nervous giggle escaped my lips. “Well, I hope you ladies are happy now. I just hope no one recognizes me from that distance. I’ll be in trouble for sure. Wait and see if I let y’all talk me into another hare-brained idea.”
Lord, please send me some patience, now!

Dee Dee gave my shoulder a thump. “You did win the distance contest, though!”

“And accuracy!” Nana added, and she and Dee doubled over in laughter. I had to admit it was funny, but I still felt awful for the poor woman.

“Come on Trixie, we’re headed over to the merry-go-round on the other side of the bridge. I know that’ll cheer you up.” Dee Dee and Nana started discussing which animal they wanted to ride. I was grateful that for just a few minutes I’d forgotten about the murder. But there was nothing I could do until either Beau arrived, or Detective Sams found evidence to clear my name. I allowed Dee and Nana to lead me inside.

Thank goodness the merry-go-round was located in a large warm room. According to a plaque on the wall, the carousel was built in Atlanta in 1895 by Gustav Dentzel where it made many children happy until its dismantling in 1960. Several businessmen found it in a deteriorated condition and hired artists to refurbish it for use in Coolidge Park in Chattanooga.

It was unlike any other carousel I’d seen. There were not only the usual horses, but colorful, unique animals. A tiger, giraffe, elephant and a bunny decorated the carousel. The excited children ran around trying to decide on a favorite.

“Which one are you going to ride?” Nana was buying a ticket.

“I’m choosing one of the horses. Aren’t they beautiful?” Dee Dee dug in her purse for some change. “Trixie, have you picked one out yet?”

I recalled a similar carousel I’d taken my daughter, Jill, on and it brought back fond memories. “I don’t know, I’m going to walk around before I choose.” How would Jill take it if her mama was convicted of murder? I was deep in thought when I heard Nana’s shrill voice.

“No, I was here first.” What was going on? I looked to see Nana and a little girl standing beside a giant gray bunny with pink ears.

The determined child stomped her foot. “I saw it first.”

“Well, you might have seen it first, but I beat you to it.”

I expected Nana to stick her tongue out any minute. Dee Dee came up behind me. “Oh, boy! I guess I need to referee.” She grabbed Nana by the elbow and eased her toward a couple of horses. “Nana, come on, ride with me.”

“All right, I didn’t want to ride on a bunny anyway.” I followed a few steps behind. As usual Dee Dee took one of Nana’s capers and diffused a possible disaster. She mouthed, “Sorry,” to the little girls’ astonished parents as Nana climbed up on a chocolate brown steed. I’d be forever grateful for her help with Nana. “Come on girls, let’s go back across the river,” I said when the ride was finished, glad Mama hadn’t been with us. The round and round motion had left me a little dizzy.

“Goodie, the museum’s right past the bridge and that’s next on my list,” Nana said.

The quiet of the Hunter Museum of Art beckoned. I’d researched, and knew it was a blend of an historic mansion with a modern facility built on an 80 foot bluff overlooking the river. You could stand on the bridge and see the beautiful architectural creation. This is one place I really wanted to see.

I snapped pictures from one end of the bridge to the other. On the right side was the aquarium and on the left was the museum. I expected my article on Chattanooga to be a memorable one. Now all I needed to do when we got back to the hotel was to work on the Ghosten murder.

As we wandered from one exhibit to another, I thought about the case. Discovering Tippi was really Tabitha had given me a new direction to consider, but I couldn’t quite fit the pieces of the puzzle together. While it was obvious Tippi stood to gain financially if she killed her guardian, I just didn’t have the feeling she was the killer.

I had an idea about who framed me and probably killed Annie, and I’d check my theory out when I got Nana back to the hotel. As we enjoyed the museum, I wanted to go into the mansion part of the building before we ran out of time.

“Do y’all want to come and see the mansion owned by George Thomas Hunter, a Coca-Cola bottling tycoon? The brochure says it was built in 1904.”

“I’d like to go outside and look at the river from the bluff. You know they have those telescopes you can put a quarter in and see from here to yonder,” Nana exclaimed.

“I’ll go with her, Trixie, you go ahead and we can meet up later,” Dee Dee offered.

I think she was giving me a chance to be alone for a little while. I decided to grab it. We agreed to meet in thirty minutes at the gift shop. Lost in the art, for a few minutes, I almost forgot I was a murder suspect. I discovered one of my favorite pieces of art, The French Tea Garden. I wished I could be transported into the picture and disappear from my troubles. But that was impossible so I would depend on God for my strength.
Father help me through this difficult time and direct my footsteps to the path of truth.

I was soon to find out just how fast he would put my feet on that path. I strolled out on an open air deck to observe the beautiful scenery. The wind had picked up so I put on my coat and leaned against the rails. My thoughts flowed as freely as the river, when a dull object poked me between the shoulder blades.

“Don’t move,” a deep voice commanded, and this time it wasn’t spit I thought would hurl over the railing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

I
nstinct kicked in and I turned around. “Amanda? What are you doing?” I was right all along. Amanda was the only one absent from the room when we gathered for Detective Sam’s talk. She had to be the one who planted the tea in my room. “It was you wasn’t it?”

“Geeze, what gave me away?” She hissed. “If you want to stay alive you’d better do what I say. We’re going for a little walk, so don’t try anything.” She slid a coat, thrown over her arm, up to cover the gun barrel. Motioning to the door, she shoved me inside.

We boarded the elevator and rode to the basement floor. It turned out to be a storage area with minimum light. Is this where she was going to leave my lifeless body? It took a few minutes for my eyes to become accustomed to the dark. Why had I come with her? If we’d stayed out in the open I might have stood a chance. But it was too late, and she had me in her lair.

Amanda stood in front of me, pink-handled gun clutched in her grip. I had to give her credit for being stylish.

Keep her talking, Trixie.
“What do you want from me, I’m just an old lady?” I’d been watching cop shows with Beau, and he always had something to say about procedures done right or wrong by Hollywood. I wracked my brain to recall hostage situations. “I understand you’re afraid, so let me go and I won’t say anything.” Good one, establish trust.

But Amanda ignored me. “I heard what you said in the Discovery Center. And yes, I am following you. Your snooping around has been getting on my nerves. I don’t see why you had to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.” She emphasized her words by shaking the gun at me. “If the police couldn’t solve it what made you think you could?”

For a millisecond I was confused, then realized she wasn’t talking about our teacher’s death. She had to be talking about the other murder. I forgot myself, and blurted, “You were involved in the Bobby Lee Ghoston murder?”

From her wild-eyed response, I knew I’d hit a nerve. “Don’t play dumb with me, Tracie”

“It’s Trixie.” Stupid, don’t correct her. What does it matter anyway with a gun barrel up your nostril?

“How would you like it if your daddy denied you?”

“Bobby was your father?” Wow, I didn’t see that one coming. I thought she killed Annie, but couldn’t tie the two murders together. Until now.

Amanda’s face softened for a minute. “Yes.” The gun lowered just a hair. I thought she might put it down, but it shot right back up. “After years of begging my mother to tell me who my real father was, she finally broke. I confronted Bobby Lee with the news and he laughed. Can you believe that? He laughed and asked how I could be so sure since my mother had so many lovers.”

I tried disarming her by showing her sympathy. “That must have been very hurtful, Amanda.”

She glared at me, nostrils flaring. This girl had some real trust issues. “How would you know how I felt? How dare he? I knew my mother wasn’t lying. It was okay for him to take in that Tabitha girl who wasn’t even kin to him and raise her like a daughter, but why couldn’t he acknowledge me? Well I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.” She swung the gun around like a conductor’s baton.

Dear Lord, please keep me safe and give me the wisdom to get out of here alive.
A light bulb turned on and I fought my shaking hands. If she’d shot Tippi, she was on a murdering rampage and what was one more body on her long list?

“A jury isn’t going to blame you.” I glanced around the room for a path of escape. There wasn’t one. Amanda was standing between me and the door. “You’ve had such a rough time, they’ll understand, I just know it.” Then I recalled the recorder in my pocket. If I could switch it on without her knowing, I could get a confession and perhaps solve my own murder post mortem.

“You’re just saying that to get me off your back.” Amanda wiped a tear, turning aside to keep me from seeing it.

“No, I’m not. I have a tissue for that. I’m just going to reach into my coat pocket.” I held up a hand the way I’d seen in the shows. “See? Just going for a tissue. You know I don’t carry a gun anyway.” I slid my hand in, found the recorder and hoped I’d switched it to record, not erase. Then I found a used Kleenex. “Here you go.”

She took the tissue and dabbed at her streaked face.

“Now, why not tell me everything? I have some connections with the police, and I may be able to help.”

“Why should I trust you?” She shoved the tissue in her jeans pocket and two-fisted the gun in my face again.

“Who else
can
you trust?” I thought quickly. “I have a daughter about your age, and I think I know how you must feel. Her father wasn’t the best example in the world either.”

“Oh?”

I told her about Jill’s dad, and may have embellished the facts a little to give Amanda’s nervous energy a chance to subside. “So, tell me. How did I frighten you when I mentioned looking into the Ghoston murder, and how is Tippi involved?” Speak into the microphone, there’s a good killer.

“You mean, Tabitha?” She spit out the name like it was venom. “I discovered she was attending the class and decided this was my chance. When I saw her driving that little red sports car and wearing those fancy clothes it just got under my craw. I should’ve been the one to inherit all that money. I thought if I got rid of her then I could claim my inheritance.”

I glanced at my watch. It had only been twenty minutes since I’d left Nana and Dee Dee. Would they figure out something happened when I didn’t show up at our appointed time? I had to keep Amanda talking until I could come up with a plan? I had to try.

“Why Annie?”

A cloud passed over her face. “That was stupid Ladonna’s fault. I heard her say she was going to deliver tea service, and thought she was going to Tabitha’s, so I laced the pot when she wasn’t looking. But she went to Annie’s room first, and it was too late for me to stop her.”

“So you had to frame someone for spiking the tea, and picked me?”

She nodded. “If I framed you, then you’d be out of the way and couldn’t continue researching Bobby Lee’s murder. It was easy when I found some of her favorite tea in the kitchen.”

I was beginning to feel a bit light-headed, and was growing a raging headache. “That was some brilliant detective work on your part. What with the poison and framing me and all.”

She seemed to grow a bit taller. “Rhododendrons. My ex-scumbag of a husband works for a landscaper. At least he was good for something. Taught me which common household plants are poisonous.”

Somewhere a pipe moaned, and the building shifted. The spell was broken. Startled, Amanda turned toward the noise. I didn’t give it a second thought. I karate chopped her hand and the gun flew across the floor. She dove for it, and I ran.