Chilled in Chattanooga (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 4) (5 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“M
ama, don’t worry, she’s all right.”

Nana yelled from the hospital bed. “I’m okay, Betty Jo. You should see my hot pink cast.”

“Oh, dear! Tell me what happened. Do I need to come to Chattanooga?”

“No, Mama, you don’t need to come. Nana just slipped on a patch of ice. Dee Dee and I have this under control. They’re getting Nana’s discharge papers ready and we’ll be able to leave. We’re going back to the hotel as soon as we leave here. Mama, I’ve got more bad news.” There followed a big sigh on the other end of the phone.

“Go ahead. I can handle anything but another dead body.”

An involuntary gasp escaped my lips.

“You found another one didn’t you? Trixie, what am I going to do with you? Every time you go on an assignment a dead body turns up.”

She was right. My greatest nightmare of becoming Jessica Fletcher was coming true. I always said I wouldn’t want to be her friend because bodies turned up everywhere she went. Now the same thing was happening to me.

“Annie, our teacher, turned up in the deep freeze. We’ve already been questioned so I don’t see any problems arising from the incident. Of course, we won’t have any classes and the detective wants me to stick around a few days, but I have an article I can work on while I’m here. It’ll be okay, Mama.”

“Please keep me up to date on what’s happening and ask Nana to call me when she feels like it. By the way, Jill called and said you didn’t answer your phone. She was concerned about you.”

Jill, my daughter, attends the University of Georgia. “I had my phone turned off during the interview with Tilly. If she calls back please don’t tell her about my discovery. I don’t want her to worry while she’s at school.”

“How’s Nana doing?”

I scooted back into the screened-in area where Nana was flirting with a handsome young doctor. “She’s doing fine, Mama.”

We talked a few more minutes before saying goodbye. Dee Dee arrived from a trip to the gift shop. I didn’t see the snacks she left to buy, but I figured she’d stashed them in her behemoth purse. She had a habit of carrying a bag the size of a small overnight case. Today was no different. She patted the colorful bag by her side.

“Let me know when you need a little pick-me-up. I couldn’t decide what to buy, so I got one of everything.” She laughed and I couldn’t help but smile. Just being around Dee Dee lifted my spirits.

“How’s the patient?” Dee Dee pulled out a bear with its arm in a sling. “I found this for Nana.”

“Oh how cute. Nana will love it. She’s doing fine – look for yourself.” We entered the enclosed area. Nana held out her arm while a male nurse signed her cast. She flashed him a big smile.

“Oh, there you are Dee Dee. Come look at my cast. Isn’t it the coolest color?” Nana stuck out her arm so Dee Dee could get a good look. The hospital smell suddenly triggered memories of my knee replacement surgery. I was devastated when I realized I couldn’t put the procedure off any longer. My years of participating in sports and my fall precipitated the surgery at such a young age. All recipients of knee replacements have to attend a class to learn about the operation – I was the youngest in attendance.

“Trixie!” Nana’s voice brought me back to reality. “Want to sign my cast?”

“Sure.” She handed me a Sharpie the nurses had provided. Nana’s doctor came in and explained her care. Keeping her arm elevated was going to be a challenge. She possessed more energy than Dee Dee and me together. I eyed her laughing and joking with the nurses, but I wondered how she’d feel after the pain medicine wore off.

“She’s eating up the attention isn’t she?” Dee Dee pulled out a pack of peanut butter crackers and offered them to me.

“Yep, she’s a ham for sure. I’m just concerned when the drugs wear off she’s going to be in for a rude awakening.” I grasped the offered snack and quickly ate one of the crackers.

“Yeah, we need to keep her on a four hour schedule so that won’t happen. I guess we’d better get her back to the hotel and elevate that arm. The doc says it’ll keep the swelling down.” She grabbed the crackers from my hand and stuffed one in her mouth.

“Hey, get your own. Don’t you have something else you can eat in that suitcase of yours?”

She rummaged around and brought out a package of pretzels. “Here, you can have these. And don’t make fun of my purse. How many times have I come to the rescue when you needed something?”

I feigned contrition. “Touché. Sorry for making fun of it.” My phone rang, jarring my nerves. Dee Dee said she’d get Nana ready to go while I talked on the phone. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello.”

“Ms. Beaumont? Trixie?” The familiar voice came through loud and clear.

“Hello, Detective Sams. Is there something I can do for you?” My stomach churned like an old timey washing machine.

“Yes, I need to talk with you tonight. Some things have turned up changing the direction of this case quite a bit. Could you come down to the precinct now?”

I told her about Nana’s fall. “Let me take her back to the hotel first.” Once again, I was glad Dee Dee had tagged along to help with Nana. Lord knows I needed all the help I could get. I offered a quick prayer.
Thank you, God, for good friends.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I
left Nana in Dee Dee’s care while I went to see what Detective Sams wanted. During the drive downtown my thoughts swirled like the leaves in a whirlwind. Being unfamiliar with the streets, I circled around twice before I turned on the right road. The station was located at the bottom of The Bluff, so it didn’t take but a few minutes to arrive.

The station was small with sparse furnishings. I assumed it was a satellite to a bigger facility. A young lady in uniform sat behind a battered desk talking on a two-way radio giving instructions to someone on the other end. She offered me a genuine smile.

“Hi, I’m Trixie Beaumont, and I’m here to see Detective Sams,” I said when she was finished.

A look of sympathy quickly replaced her smile.

“Detective Sams is expecting you.” She jumped up from her chair and opened the office door, stuck her head in and announced my arrival. The detective indicated for me to enter. My heart rate quickened as I entered her sanctuary.

“What did you call me in for, Detective?” I noticed Sergeant Gary Sargent sitting in front of a desk that took up most of the room.

“I’m afraid it’s not good news.” Detective Sams pointed toward a chair. “Would you take a seat please?”

Grateful for the offer, I sat down before I fell down. The air crackled with tension while I waited for her to tell me the fateful news.

“Please tell me why I’m here.”

“Annie’s death is officially a murder.”

Duh, that was a no-brainer. She didn’t jump into the freezer herself
.

She placed her arms on the desk-top and leaned in. “We know Annie was poisoned and we know it was in her tea, we just haven’t narrowed it down to the particular poison. But that will come out in due time.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“It seems she had a liking for a very unusual tea. One she special ordered.” The detective gave another pregnant pause. Why in the world couldn’t she talk faster? My bottled blonde hair was going to turn gray if she didn’t wrap this up.

“What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Trixie, we found a bag of Rose Petal Green Tea in your room. They’re running tests on it now. We also found your fingerprints on her teacup and teapot.”

“But we had tea together, and I was helping her serve. Of course my prints were on the teacup.” Oh – my – goodness, my breaths came erratically. The room began to spin, and the detective’s voice sounded far away.

“Put your head between your legs.” It wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish, but I managed. My breathing slowed and the room stopped spinning. I righted myself and braced for the rest of Detective Sam’s speech.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t look good for you. It’s important that you not leave the area until we give you the go ahead.”

“I don’t understand. I didn’t have any reason to kill Annie.”

“That’s one thing we haven’t figured out yet,” Sergeant Gary Sargent said. “But we’re working on it.” He actually had the audacity to smile. Maybe it was payback for me laughing at his name. He seemed to be enjoying my discomfort way too much.

What was I going to do? Would I have to find the killer myself? My mind flashed back to the conversation I’d had with Dee Dee earlier. I knew she’d do anything she could to help.

“Trixie,” Detective Sams stared at me with a look of concern, “are you all right? I was talking to you, but you didn’t seem to be hearing me.”

“I’m sorry. This has been a shock to me.”

“As a person of interest I’ll be questioning you again, soon.” The detective shuffled through a file. “Let’s see, you’re staying at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Be sure and let us know if you decide to stay somewhere else.”

I nodded my head and hoped the end of this conversation was near. I didn’t believe the discussion could get any worse. It did. Detective Sams wasn’t through with me yet.

“Oh, one more thing. Your reputation precedes you. I’m aware of your amateur sleuthing skills. However, I do not want you to even think about getting involved like that with this case. I assure you my department will do everything in our power to treat you fairly. If you’re not guilty, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Easy for you to say when it’s not your freedom on the line.

“That’s all for tonight. You are free to go.”

I left the station wondering what hit me. I didn’t see that one coming. I knew I’d discovered the body, but I had no reason to be worried about being a person of interest or more plainly put – a suspect. How and why did the tea end up in my room? The word
framed
popped into my mind.

That had to be it. I’d been framed. The question was “why”? I yawned several times driving back to the hotel. The stress of the past couple of days hit me full-force making it hard to keep my eyes open.

I stealthily opened the door to the sound of Nana’s snores. I wondered if Dee Dee was asleep, when her head popped up from her pillow. She stage whispered. “Hey, girl. I waited up to see what the detective wanted. By the look on your face it wasn’t good.”

I took off my outerwear, slipped off my boots and tip-toed to Dee Dee’s bed. She scooted over and I sat beside her. She gave my arm a hearty squeeze. “Come on. Spit it out, girl. What did she say that made you look like you’d just lost your favorite camera?”

“Annie’s death is officially considered a murder and I’m a person of interest.” A lone tear slid down my cheek.

“Oh, no. How in the world did they come up with that theory? I know you found the body, but surely they aren’t basing their beliefs on that alone.”

“Sams said during the sweep of my room they discovered a bag of the specially ordered tea that Annie drinks. And it didn’t help my fingerprints were on her tea cup and the tea kettle.”

Dee Dee shook her head. “How did the tea get in your room? It almost sounds like someone was trying to set you up.”

I sat up a little straighter. “I thought the same thing, Dee. I think somebody tried to frame me, but I don’t know why.”

A loud snort startled me, and I gave Dee Dee a questioning look. I feared we’d woken up Nana, but she turned over and the snoring pattern started again.

“We’d better try to get some sleep. I don’t think we can figure this out tonight.” My thoughts were jumbled as a batch of scrambled eggs. I’d have to wait until tomorrow to call Harv and Beau.

“Okay, we can talk about it in the morning when our brains are fresh.” Dee Dee reached over and gave me a quick hug.

Unfortunately, I was afraid morning wasn’t going to look much better.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

M
orning arrived as gray as my mood. I looked over to discover Dee Dee smiling at me. She held a book titled “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” Nana was still asleep, and I supposed the pain medicine they’d given her at the hospital kept her from waking at her usual dawn-thirty.

“Hey, Trix. How ya’ feeling this morning?” Dee Dee’s greeting reminded me of summer birds chirping as the sun came up.

“Not much better than last night. I feel like I dreamed all night. But the real nightmare is now that I’m wide awake. What am I going to do?” What in the world was I going to tell Mama and Beau? Poor Beau, he was going to wish he’d never married me. Who wanted to be married to someone who discovered dead bodies for a past-time?

Nana stirred and emitted a little moan. Bless her heart; she didn’t need a broken arm. Her eyes flew open. “Oh my goodness! What time is it? I must have overslept, the sun is shining so bright.”

“Nana, you need your rest to heal. Don’t worry about over sleeping. Remember, we’re on vacation and we can lie in bed all day if we want.” Dee Dee had such a calming effect on Nana.

“I guess you’re right. Oh, my arm is aching. It hurts more than it did last night.”

I gave Dee Dee a knowing look. I figured the pain would catch up with her. She’s not as young as she thinks she is. I caught a glimpse of the hot pink cast and smiled. I had to admit Nana had a way of making the most of life. Though she’d stepped on my last nerve more than once, I was proud of the way she took life by the horns and lived like there was no tomorrow. She had never been one to be preachy about her faith, but the fact that she got up every morning, depending on God to be her companion during the day, had been an example I yearned to follow.

“I’m sorry Nana, do you need more pain medicine?” Before she could answer, Dee Dee jumped up and retrieved a glass of water and the medicine bottle.

“Here ya’ go, Nana.” She handed her a pill large enough for a horse and waited on her to take it.

“Thanks, Dee. Says right here on the bottle not to take on an empty stomach. Guess we’d better hurry and get Nana some breakfast.”

We spent the next thirty minutes getting dressed and helping Nana get ready. She insisted on wearing a hot pink outfit to match her cast. We headed downtown in my P.T. Cruiser to scope out a good place to eat. We settled on McDonalds.

I opted for an egg biscuit, Dee Dee decided on an Egg McMuffin, and Nana chose a pancake breakfast. Coffee was the drink of choice. We chose a table by a window. Even though it was cold outside, the sun had burned off the fog. Sitting inside someone could easily mistake it for a spring day. No ice from the night before remained. I was thankful for that. We didn’t need Nana falling again – or me either.

As I looked out the window I felt like an elephant sat on my chest. Despair cloaked me like a winter shawl.

“Trixie, do you want to talk about it?”

I looked at Dee Dee, then at Nana. Did I want to involve Nana in the latest turn of events? I figured there was no way around it since she was staying with us. I needed to talk to Dee Dee about helping me and it would be a moot point trying to leave Nana out of the loop.

“Talk about what?” Nana asked.

Dee Dee nodded her head. “Last night Detective Sams named Trixie a person of interest in Annie’s death.” She went on to tell her more about the tea and circumstantial evidence against me. I was glad she could tell her. I fiddled with my biscuit, listening to my life described like the six o’clock news. I prayed I wouldn’t cry in front of Nana. I didn’t want to worry her.
Lord give me strength.

Her posture stiffened. “What? Why would they do that?” I thought I saw smoke coming from Nana’s ears when she realized the gravity of the situation.

Dee Dee reached over and patted Nana’s hand. “Don’t worry Nana. I’ll make sure Trixie’s found innocent. No way will I let Trixie take the rap for something she didn’t do.”

“Worried? I’m not worried. She didn’t do anything, and she has nothing to hide! I don’t see any reason why we can’t solve this case just like the others. Tell me what you need me to do.” Nana held up her injured arm. “Just because I have a cast doesn’t mean I can’t help.”

That’s what I was afraid of. Yes, Nana helped solve a couple of crimes, but she was kidnapped when we got a little too close to the culprits on Tybee Island and I didn’t want that to ever happen again.

“Well, Trixie, what do you say. Should we make out a suspect list? Surely the murderer had to be someone staying at the bed and breakfast,” Dee Dee said.

“That would be the logical place to start.”

After we cleaned up our table, we decided to go back to the hotel and make a list. The pain medicine Nana had taken kicked in by the time we arrived back at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and she opted for a nap while Dee Dee and I worked in the lobby. I knew she must be tired if she was going to miss out on anything concerning Annie’s murder.