Disrobed for Death (7 page)

“Speaking of the fairer sex, I enjoyed meeting your friend, A. K., at the hospital. She’s a lively one, isn’t she? And very attractive.”

“You and A. K.? With you working in Lafayette, wouldn’t that be a problem?”

“Heck, no. It’s a straight shoot down the Interstate, no more than an hour and a half. I was kind of hoping she’d be here.”

“She’s working at the boutique, just a mile from here. Why don’t you pay her a visit before you head back? I’d like for you to see the shop, anyway.”

“I might just do that.”

Susan pictured the two together. A. K. with her red hair, green eyes and shapely body, could definitely keep Edward’s eye from straying. And Edward’s dark brown hair and blue eyes, along with a contagious smile and dimples, were enough to keep anyone interested. Interested? Yes. But A. K. serious? Susan wondered if the right guy would ever come along for her friend.

Susan looked at her family and regretted the years she let slip away while chasing her dream. Now, her parents were in the twilight of their years, and time was fleeting. So today, she planned on making up for lost time. They took a long stroll and soaked in nature’s beauty. After returning, they had lunch and played a game of Hearts. The card game was followed by a modified version of Balderdash. Her mother won with her outlandish definitions.

“You should have been an actress,” Susan said. “You suckered us all into believing you.”

Her dad harrumphed. “How do you think she caught me?”

Around two o’clock, Edward said his goodbyes. “I’d better leave now, if I want to stop by your shop. Mostly, I want to visit with A. K. before I get on the road. Sis, take care and remember I’m as close as the phone.” He kissed everyone before heading out the door.

Her dad arched his back and stretched. “Okay, Momma, I’ve got the luggage. You get your purse. It’s time for us to head home, too. I think our girl can manage from here on.”

Susan walked them out and hugged them goodbye. “Thanks again, for everything.”

“If you need anything, call us. We love you.”

The next morning, Susan was dressed and out the door early. It had been a long time since she’d stopped by Tilly’s Diner, but it looked the same. Well, actually the white stucco had darkened over the years to a dingy ecru, and the surrounding pines had grown to towering heights. Out front, a portable marquee advertised home cooking.

She pulled into the gravel parking lot, covered with pine needles, and parked close to the front door. Tilly’s Diner had been a part of the community for as long as Susan could remember. It was the local hangout when she was in high school, and a family member still ran the place. Stepping inside, she was glad to see that nothing had changed. Formica tables with chrome trim, chrome and vinyl chairs sat on a black and white tile floor. Even the old jukebox still graced the far wall—an antique hunter’s dream. Susan wondered if it still contained many of the same old songs. The diner was exactly as she remembered it—clean, and the smell of something good on the griddle.

Up in age, Tilly no longer ran the business. She had turned it over to her only child, Tonya, who had attended school with Wesley and Susan. She was busy serving a customer at the bar, and Susan couldn’t help but notice that the years had been kind to her. Tonya still had that peaches and cream complexion, shiny brown hair, and hazel eyes.

In high school, they didn’t run in the same circles. Tonya was a bookworm, while Susan was into sports. But Tonya was always friendly and willing to help on any project.

“Well, look who’s here?” Tonya said when she approached Susan’s table. “I’ve been meaning to come by your shop but can’t seem to get away from here.”

“When you do, I’ll look forward to waiting on you.”

“So, how’s business?”

“Good. It’s been a long time since high school, huh? How have you been?”

“I can’t complain. I’m still married to the same man and have five beautiful children.”

“Oh, my, that’s wonderful. I wouldn’t know what to do with five kids. Are you still taking in stray dogs?” Susan recalled that Tonya had a special affinity for dogs. Seemed every stray gravitated to her, and she never turned any away.

“You remember that? Guess that’s what the Lord had in store for me—kids and dogs.” Tonya gave her a discerning look. “You’re looking great, Susan. You seeing anyone special?”

“Not at the moment, but that might change.” She grinned.

“You and Wesley used to go steady. He’s back from Afghanistan, you know, and I hear he’s still single.”

“Yes, I ran into him the other day.”

“Well, I’d better quit jawing. What can I get for you?”

“No problem. I love talking about old times. I’ll have some coffee, please.”

Tonya returned with the coffee in a steaming mug, along with a bowl of grits, two slices of bacon, and some toast. “On the house. Welcome home.”

“Gee, thanks. I suppose I should put something in my stomach, and it sure smells good.”

She finished her meal and ordered another cup of coffee.

To her dismay, Jack never showed.

On her way out, Susan left a more than generous tip at the table and thanked Tonya again.

Next stop—Wesley’s. Talking him into helping her wasn’t going to be easy, but it shouldn’t be as difficult as talking to Jack. A few miles down the highway, Susan drove her 2009 bright-yellow Camaro down Wesley’s driveway and parked beside the unmarked unit. Just sitting in his driveway gave her butterflies. Maybe it was Tonya and their recollecting high school days?

No chance. It was the thought of being with Wesley again. Whoever said the line, ‘You can never go home,’ didn’t know her. She was determined to make it work.

Before she could get out of the car, he stepped from the building adjacent to the house and pulled a pair of shop goggles from his head. A quick brush of a hand through his hair sent a cloud of sawdust around his face. Several healthy sneezes followed.

“Whew! Excuse me.” Yanking a paint-stained rag from the back pocket of his jeans, he wiped the sweat from his brow and the back of his neck. “It might be February, but I’ve worked up a pretty good sweat.”

He gave her car a hard look. “Nice wheels,” he said, walking over and opening the driver’s door. “Care to join me for something cold to drink?”

When unfolding her long legs, she followed his gaze from her black, high-heel boots, which clung to her calves like a second skin, up her lavender skirt and across her satin blouse. She could tell he enjoyed the visual trip and wasted no time confirming it.

“You sure look nice.”

“Thanks. That’s some truck you’ve got.”

“Kids around here tell me I’m supposed to say it’s a mean machine.” He gave her a mischievous grin.

“Are you working on something?” she asked, pointing to a wooden spindle in his hand.

“Oh, I’ve always got a project going on. Working with my hands helps to get my mind off my work. Ms. Thigpen’s railings on her back porch needed replacing. After haggling half a day, we finally agreed on a price. All they lack now is a quick coat of varnish, and I’ll be ready to install them. Funny thing is, my back porch could use some repairs, too, but I never seem to have enough time to get to it.”

Wesley’s frame house was raised on piers and surrounded by woods. Painted a bluish gray with dark brown shudders, it sat a good two-hundred yards off the main highway and about a half mile past the Bawdy Boutique. He had inherited the place and a few acres from his parents.

While the shrubs were neatly pruned, the flower-bed beneath the kitchen window laid neglected and brought back memories. Come spring, Mr. Wesley couldn’t till the soil fast enough. Mrs. Wesley was at his side with a wagon full of bedding plants she had picked out at the nursery. Today, the bed lay dormant.

He put his arm around her shoulder and ushered her into the house. Once in the kitchen, he pulled out a chair for her at the table. “Is iced tea okay?”

“Fine.”

“This is like old times, except your parents aren’t here. Mom told me about them. They were such wonderful people. I know you must miss them.”

“I never knew how much until they were gone. In a way, they’re still here. I left lots of their things just as they were. I don’t like messing with memories.” He paused and gave her a studied look. “They sure thought the world of you. I’m glad you decided to come home. When I got back from Afghanistan, I was really disappointed to find you’d finished college and was living in New York. I suppose it was foolish of me to think you’d still be here.

“I thought about going to find you, but I had no right to interfere with your dream. Anyway, big city life isn’t for me. I had given up hoping you’d come home, and then I heard you had returned to Palmetto and opened the Bawdy Boutique. I couldn’t wait to see you but thought it best to give you some time. I knew you’d have lots to do opening a new business. And in this small community, sooner or later our paths would cross. But I never expected we’d meet at a traffic stop.”

Susan smiled. “I’m glad we did. And I came to the conclusion that city life wasn’t for me, either. I missed home and didn’t see why I couldn’t breathe a little life into our sleepy town. I realize the population of Palmetto can’t sustain my business, but Hammond is close enough to make it work. So far, I’m hanging in there.”

“Did you ever marry?” he asked.

She could see apprehension in his eyes. “No, and you?”

“Didn’t have…oh, well, I’ll save that for another time.”

His eyes lingered with his thought. He always did have a problem saying what was on his mind. Did he want to say that she was the only one for him, or was that what she wanted to hear? Anyway, he still made her heart pound harder than it should, just like he used to do.

“The building you were in, wasn’t it the barn?”

“I converted it into a work shop. It gives me something to do, and I can pick up a little extra cash. I think Myrtle is going to be pleased with her new porch.” He handed Susan a glass of tea and took a seat across from her.

“Myrtle, Myrtle, Myrtle,” she said, dragging out the name.

He chuckled. “I heard about her protests. Don’t take it personal. She’s into everyone’s business. What she needs is a husband, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” He laughed out loud. “She may not be pleased with your shop, but you shouldn’t worry about her.”

He looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to read her mind, but when she said nothing, he strummed his fingers on the table. “Okay, I know you didn’t come here to make small talk. In fact, you said you had something you wanted to discuss with me, so let’s hear it.”

She took a sip of tea. “You solve crimes, right?”

“I try. Tangipahoa Parish is not exactly a hot bed of crime, but we have our share of burglaries, murders, and dope dealers.

“You ever stop a murder before it happens?”

He hiked an eyebrow. “I’ve answered several domestic calls and have to believe I stopped someone from getting killed.”

“This is…well, different. You’ll probably think I’m a lunatic.”

“I doubt that. I’ve known you a long time, and crazy you’re not.”

“When you stopped to assist the officer yesterday, my friend was driving me home from the hospital.”

“Oh? Nothing serious, I hope?”

“I’m okay now. I slipped in the bathroom and hit my head on the floor. They had to remove a small clot from the base of my skull.”

“Thank goodness you’re okay.”

“That’s debatable.”

“But you said—”

“Oh, the surgery went fine, but something happened when I was in the hospital. The doctor and my friend, A. K., tell me what I experienced was a dream. I was heavily sedated for a few days, but…” She dropped her head and reached for his hand. Squeezing hard, she said, “You have to believe me. It was real.”

“I don’t understand. Tell me what happened.”

“I passed out when I hit my head. When I came to, I was in the Roselawn Funeral Home at my wake.”

“Yep, you dreamed you died all right. Otherwise, how could you be sitting here now?”

Susan’s stomach tightened, but she wasn’t about to let anger get the best of her. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back in the chair. “I don’t have all the answers,” she said in a calm voice. “All I know is I have to stop a killer.”

Wesley studied her face for a while before answering. “It doesn’t matter whether I believe you or not. If you need my help, I’m here for you. Tell me everything.

Susan described the wake and her meeting Jack. It was obvious Wesley was at a loss for words, so she continued. “You can’t imagine what it was like, looking at yourself in a coffin, watching your family and friends mourn you.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “It was all so real. You were there, Wesley.” She gently patted the back of his hand. “I wanted so much to touch you, to hold you, but I couldn’t.

“Jack was the deceased in Parlor B. Someone had shot him in the forehead in the wee hours of the morning on Valentine’s Day. At his wake, he pointed out his sister, Ramona, his mother and father, and his brothers. Even his ex showed up. Anyway, I agreed to help him find out who did that to him. I made up my mind that when my time came to walk into the light, I wouldn’t. But the light didn’t come for me like it did for the others. I was blinded. I stumbled around and couldn’t find anyone. Then I awoke again. This time, I was in the hospital.

“I refused to believe I had dreamed everything. And I had my proof when the doctor walked into my room. The man was the same Jack Evans I met at my wake. You’ve got to believe me. I had never met him before, never even seen him, and had no idea his sister and ex-wife were customers of mine. But I’m convinced I had a glimpse into his future, and if I don’t do something, he’s going to die.”

Wesley rubbed the stubble on his chin and shot her a wary look. “That’s some story and totally out of character for you. You were always so level headed.”

“So you do think I’m crazy.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Look, I have no idea why this happened to me, but it did. If what I saw or learned about Jack’s family is true, it’ll give credence to the vision. My assistant has waited on Ramona several times, so she’s going to ask her to drop by the shop, say that she has some new merchandise that might interest her. A. K. is going find out if Jack is her brother and if she has other brothers. Then she’ll mention that she heard the doctor recently went through a divorce. Hopefully, Ramona will shed some light on her family.”