Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked (6 page)

“
I’ve got a can of pineapple, but Mr. Sunshine wouldn’t let me through security with the can opener.
”

At his
questioning
look, I elaborated, becoming more relaxed every minute as I l
ooked into his comforting face.
When I’d finished the story, Nick looked at the clock over the reception desk.
“
If they’re going to let Alix out tonight, it shouldn’t be too much longer, so maybe you’ll get that pineapple yet. Nice chaser for the Snickers. You call it. Shall I stay or go?
”

The normalcy Nick had brought to the moment as he’d smiled at my silly recitation was just what I’d needed to ground me in reality again. Things
would
be fine.

I smiled at him.
“
Much as I like having you around, maybe Alix will feel more inclined to talk if I’m alone. She might tell me—I don’t know—something, if it’s just me. You know how private she is.
”

Nick stood.
“
You got it. How about we talk tomorrow, unless something unexpected comes up tonight? Meanwhile, I’ll go home and read an article on the Metolius
River
I somehow missed in that October issue.
”
He gestured toward the discarded
Field & Stream
.

“
You were looking at headlines of a fishing magazine while I was pouring out my heart to you?
”

“
Guilty as charged. What can I say? They really do have good articles. You ought to read this one while you’re waiting.
”

“
You’re hopeless. I think you just came down here to look at the magazines.
”

“
Hey! I saved the wine. Does that count as a point in my favor?
”

“
Okay. One point
. B
ut if you want more, you’ll have to do better for dinner than a Snickers bar to go with it.
”

“
And we’ll have to meet somewhere other than the lobby of the Russell County
Courthouse
,
”
Nick said, smiling.

“
You’re on.
”
Funny how a few simple words
immediately
caused the room temperature to rise.

Chapter 4

The joys of fishing the Metolius hadn’t exactly taken hold of my imagination by the time Brady returned to tell me Alix was on her way out another exit
,
and I should meet her outside. I thanked him warmly and wasted no time in gathering my quarantined
can opener
on my way out the door. That can of pineapple was sounding better by the minute.

Alix’s usual confident swing was missing from her stride, so at first I didn’t recognize her as the woman making her slow way, head lowered, toward my car.

I doubled my pace and caught her just as she arrived at the Volvo.
“
Are you all right? We were so worried.
”

Alix tossed
back
her
hair
and straightened.
“
No need for that, really, but it was good of you to come. They offered me a lift home, but I’ve talked to enough deputies for one day.
”

“
I’ll bet.
”
I unlocked the car from her side and went around.
“
You’re probably starved, too. Didn’t you miss dinner?
”

Alix dropped into the passenger seat.
“
Yeah, I guess.
”

She lapsed into silence, so I followed her lead and drove without comment back to the Wedding Belle. From time to time I glanced over at her, but she just
gazed
passively out the side window, like a tourist who’d never seen the town before.
When
I
eased
to the curb in front of the Wedding Belle
,
she looked up, apparently startled that we
had
already
arrived
. Moving in slow motion, like a swimmer underwater, she
opened the door
.

“
Thanks for the ride.
”
She fished in her bag for
her
key
s
and walked away, leaving me with only the sound of the motor running.

Astonishment kept me rooted behind the wheel for a moment. I’d missed my date with Nick and perched on the world’s most uncomfortable chair for hours reading magazines I didn’t like and worried myself silly. Oh no. This wasn’t all I was going to get. Maybe Alix was just in shock.

I jumped from the car and spoke the first words that came to
mind.
“
I’ll fix you some soup.
”

“
No, thanks.
”
Alix fumbled
with
her key
s
.

“
Let me do that.
”
I grabbed the
m
from her cold fingers and pushed open the door.

After flipping on the
inside
lights, I turned to face her where she
still
stood on the step, immobile as the proverbial deer in the headlights. Dark shadows under her eyes highlighted her exhaustion.

“
Aren’t you coming in?
”

“
Y
es.
”
She spoke and moved like a wind-up doll with a low battery as she moved past me.
She
dropped her bag on
a
floral loveseat and leaned against its back.
“
I’m going to bed.
”
    

Compassion for my weary friend warred with
annoyance
at her summary dismissal.
Annoyance
won.
I was hungry, tired, and I’d missed an evening with Nick over worry for her
.
I bit back what I wanted to say and perched on the sofa arm near her.
“
Come on, Alix. I know you like your privacy, but
you ne
ed to let me in. I want to help.
W
e’re friends. That’s what friends do.
”

“
Friends? We have lunch together and discuss books and kid around.
But you don’t really know me
.
”

“
I know you didn’t kill that man. Is that what’s worrying you? After all
we’ve gone through
, you can’t possibly think I’d consider
you capable of murder
. Neither would any of your other friends, who, by the way, I had to
forcibly
restrain from coming with me tonight. They’re waiting to hear what happened,
not because they want to gossip about you, but because they care
.
”

“
Fine. I’ll tell you. Then we’ll see how much you—any of you—want to be my friends.
”
A fire ignited in Alix’s eyes and she pushed away from the loveseat.

I took a step backward, startled by the abrupt change from the withdrawn woman I’d driven home.

She forced her next words through a throat so constricted with emotion or pain that I could imagine hands squeezing her windpipe.
“
Arnie had a high old time asking me questions about Hunter Blackburn.
”
Alix motioned quotation marks around the name and nodded with a bitter smile.

“
Hunter Blackburn? Is that the man who was killed?
”

“
That’s right. He was a con man, a crook who changed his name for
whatever
current scam
he was running
. He was a real peach,
even stole money from little old ladies. Whatever he wanted, he took. And now, it appears that
somebody finally got fed up
with t
hat
mean, disgusting
, sorry
excuse for a human being
.
”

“
You knew him.
”
I mout
hed the words, astounded
.

She knew Hunter Blackburn. I didn’t say anything out loud, but she must have caught the dawning awareness in my expression.
She sagged back against the loveseat
, the fight leaving her
.
“
Oh, yeah
,
”
she said quietly.
“
You could say
I knew him
.
”
She looked up at me.
“
And when I finish what I have to say, you may wish you’d never known me.
”

I kept my tone matter-of-fact.
“
I’d never wish that.
”

She
put an arm over her face, hiding her eyes as she spoke.
“
You know all those ex-husbands I don’t talk about? He was the first
.
”
I could barely make out her next words.
“
And the worst
.
”

Images from the past year crowded my mind. Alix driving the badly injured Wendell to the vet’s office in her immaculate convertible, Alix standing up to the deputies when Bianca was in jail, Alix unobtrusively managing Thornton’s while Laurence was in the hospital.

She had wisecracked her way through every crisis, mocked any hint of sentiment, but she’d repeatedly come through in the clutch for
me. For all of us
. She’d even manufactured a creative job for Bianca at the Wedding Belle, an opportunity
that
had
allowed
Bianca to flourish. Alix was prickly and
aloof, but she was no murderer.

I knelt in front of her, speaking softly.
“
I can’
t pretend
to understand how you got mixed up with someone like that, but
we all make mistakes.
”

Alix
abruptly leaned forward, resting elbows on knees so that her hair covered her face once again.
“
Not quite like that.
”

“
Maybe not, but i
f it’s true that you’re known by the company you keep
…
well, let’s just say
you’
ve come up quite a few notches
. W
e’ll work things out. That’s what friends are for.
”

I watched as a single tear dripped onto t
he back of Alix’s slender hand.

“
Oh,
you think so?
”
Alix whispered.

“
Sorry, your cover’s blown.
”

She looked up, reading in my face the support she’d been afraid wouldn’t be there.

I smiled and made a circling
motion
with my hand to indicate haste.
“
So, let’s
get on with it.
F
i
nish the story so we can both get some sleep.
”

“
Okay.
”
Alix nodded slowly and swallowed a few times
, then continued
.
“
When they found his body, he had my telephone number in his pocket.
”

Chapter 5

I stared at Alix, startl
ed by
her revelation. My attempt to imagine this wonderful, sophisticated friend married to a common criminal absolutely failed, like the struggle to jam the pieces to
gether of two separate puzzles.
And w
hy
was he carrying her phone number years later
?

The salsa rhythm of my
cell’s
ring tone
jolted
me back to the present. I raised my
eyebrows at
Alix as I flipped it open.

“
Mom, where are you? Is Alix okay? We’ve been waiting at the store for hours.
”
Bianca’s barrage of words allowed me to collect my scattered thoughts while I watched Alix grimace and shrug her shoulders.

“
I was just about to call you.
”
I stalled for time until my brain could shift from neutral to drive.
“
You went back to the store? And Tyler’s still there? It’s almost eleven o’clock.
”

“
Well, duh! Minnie, too. You didn’t think we’d just go home tonight!
”
No one could do indignation better than my daughter.
“
I mean, we knew you’d take care of everything, but were you going to leave us hanging all night? What’s the story?
”

I watched as Alix stretched out on the loveseat, one arm over her face
again
as though to shut out the world, at least for a while. The vision of Bianca, Tyler, and Minnie, quivering with pent-up energy and ready to charge over here to help, gave me all the impetus I needed to do what had to be done. I lied.

With forced gaiety I said,
“
No story. Sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you.
”

“
So … a misunderstanding?
”

“
More or less.
”
My conscience was poking me, but I didn’t want to get into the truth now.

“
I knew it. What was it?
”
Bianca wasn’t going to let go that easily. I lowered my voice to a near whisper before answering.

“
Call it a weird coincidence. Look, it’s late
,
and Alix is trying to go to sleep. I’ll explain tomorrow.
”

“
Well, okay, but before the meeting, right?
”
Bianca asked.

“
Sure.
”
What meeting
was
she talking about? I’d agree to anything to get me off the phone without spilling the beans.

“
You still want me to introduce Dr. McCutcheon?
”
Bianca’s clue gave me my bearings
. The Save Our Seniors meeting.

“
Of course. He was really impressed that someone of your age cared about elder abuse. You don’t have to say much, but it’d be a help.
”

“
Well, if you think so.
”
I heard Minnie’s voice in the background before Bianca spoke again.
“
Minnie’s going home now to make
lemon scones
for the meeting
.
”
Minnie was famous for baking at all hours of the day and night, especially when she was upset
. Better to have her in the kitchen than here
.

“
Great. Guess we’d all better finish up the day. It’s been a long one.
”
With a sigh of relief, I signed off and turned to Alix, surprised to discover that she’d fallen asleep while I’d been on the phone. She must have been exhausted. Her arm had dropped away from her face to expose her expression, now beautiful and serene. What a far cry from the anguished look I’d glimpsed only a few minutes earlier.

Who was this person? I knew Alix as a loyal friend and excellent businesswoman, but when I searched my memory for information about her marital background, I came up only with
the
snide remarks
she often made
about the general worthlessness of men. The same fa
c
ade that had allowed her to run a successful bridal shop in spite of three failed marriages also allowed her to keep her friends in the dark about the existence of ex-husbands who were lia
ble to get themselves murdered.

Her breath came gently, regularly. Fair enough. I wasn’t going to disturb my friend now, but tomorrow … that was another story. I pulled a soft pink throw over her and let myself out, locking the door behind me.
             

Once outside in the cool night air, I hesitated only an instant before pulling out my phone.

I’d guessed right. Nick answered on the first ring.
“
How’d it go?
”

“
I didn’t wake you? We didn’t set anything up, so I was afraid
—
”

“
Figured you’d call tonight, one way or the other.
”
His voice was warm, reassuring.
“
So, everything okay?
”

“
I think so. Alix is home, but—
”

“
Complication?
”

“
Well, sort of. They let her go and I brought her home. I’m just leaving her place now.
”

“
No charges?
”

“
No, nothing like that,
”
I said slowly.
“
Alix told me something personal . .
.
”

“
Let me guess. She didn’t give you permission to tell anyone
,
and now you’re wrestling that famous conscience of yours.
”

“
How’d you know?
”

Nick chuckled.
“
Been observing your conscience at work for quite a while now, Ms. Straight and Narrow, and, believe me, I don’t want to put that baby into overdrive. It gets enough exercise on its own.
”

“
Well, thanks a lot. You make me sound like a real prude.
”

“
Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.
”
His deepened voice and the way he drew out his words reassured me that he was teasing as he continued.
“
Let’s just say nobody doubts that you most definitely have your principles.
”

“
That’s better than being ‘Ms. Straight and Narrow
,
’ anyway. It’s just that Alix explained why they picked her up, and I want to tell you about it, but I
’m not sure
I
should
.
”
I sighed in frustration.
“
Guess you’re right about me.
”

“
Relax. Like Mr. Rogers
said on that kids’ show
, ‘I like you just the way you are.’ Truth be told, can’t be too serious if they let her go home.
”

“
I’ll tell you everything soon as I can.
”

“
Great. If you think things are okay, let’s just call it good for now, okay?
”

“
Thanks for understanding. Should’ve known I could count on you.
”

“
For this and whatever else you need. I’m on your side, remember?
Now, do you think you
can
get some sleep?
”

“
Yes, at least I think so. I’ll be mulling things over, but, yes. Alix is already asleep, so that must mean she’s not worried.
”
My voice was gaining conviction as I thought it through.
“
I guess I just wanted to talk to you.
”

“
That’s a plus. And I have something else I want to talk to you about, too, but not until you think Alix is all squared away.
”

“
Alix and I aren’t done talking yet. That’s for darned sure, but now you have me curious. What do you have in mind?
”

“
Meet me at Fourth and Main at nine tomorrow morning?
”

“
There’s an SOS meeting at ten-thirty.
”
I suddenly remembered my promise to explain Alix’s situation to Bianca before the meeting, but I couldn’t tell Bianca anything until I’d recei
ved clearance from Alix anyway.

“
We’ll be done by then.
”

“
I don’t even know whether Alix will be up that early so, sure, I can meet you. Give me a hint.
”

“
It’s something good. At least I think you’ll like it.
”

“
C’mon. A better hint than that.
”

“
Nope. This’ll give you something to ponder other than Alix when your head hits the pillow tonight.
”

“
It’s already so late that I’m not sure how much pillow time I’ll put in pondering anything. Animal, vegetable, or mineral?
”

“
Oh, a
nimal. Most definitely animal.
”