Leftover Dead (3 page)

“Why does he think that?” Wanda Nell asked. That was the safest response she could manage right then.

Mayrene started to tear up. She wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand. When she spoke, she was clearly indignant. “Dixon told me the other cops were kidding him about him going out with the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

“And he told you that?”

Mayrene nodded.

“You don’t look anything like that silly thing.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend.” Mayrene dashed back more tears.

“Of course I’m not. You may be a little plump, but you’re not obese like that stupid doll, or whatever it is.”

“Thank you, honey.” Mayrene’s voice was gruff with tears still unshed. “I needed to hear that.”

“I still can’t believe he would say something like that to you. What kind of jackass is he?”

Mayrene managed a brief smile. “I thought he was
my
jackass until a few days ago.”

“Does this mean you told him he could put it where the sun don’t shine?”

“Sort of.” Mayrene didn’t meet Wanda Nell’s gaze.

“You didn’t tell him off?”

“Not exactly.” Mayrene sighed after a brief pause. “I let him know he hurt me pretty bad, and that I wasn’t real happy with him right then. But I didn’t kick him out and tell him not to come back.”

“Well, frankly, I’m surprised at you,” Wanda Nell said. “I don’t think I’ve ever known you to put up with that kind of crap from anybody, let alone a man.”

“I know. But I really did think I had found somebody good, and I guess I hate to let him go completely.”

“What did he do when you told him how much he hurt your feelings?”

“He said he was sorry, but then he went on about how it would be good for my health, and all kinds of stuff like that.”

“They never learn when to just keep their mouths shut, do they?”

“Nope. I told him I didn’t much appreciate him criticizing me that way, even if he was concerned about my health. Which, frankly, I don’t think he was. He was more concerned about his pride.”

“I’m sorry to say it, but you’re probably right.” Wanda Nell shook her head. “So what’s happening right now?”

“Nothing. I told him I wasn’t sure if I could go on seeing him, knowing he felt like that. Then he stomped off, and I haven’t talked to him since.”

“He hasn’t called you?”

“Nope, and I sure ain’t called him, I can tell you that.”

“Good for you. It’s up to him to apologize.”

“It sure is.” Mayrene frowned. “The only thing is, it’s been four days now, and I still haven’t heard from him.”

That wasn’t good, but Wanda Nell didn’t want to make Mayrene more unhappy by pointing it out. “You know how men are, it takes them a little longer to get over these things and think about how it really was their fault. He’ll call you.”

“We’ll see. But I’m not sure what I’m going to say to him.”

“Listen to what he has to say first,” Wanda Nell advised. “Then you’ll know what to say back to him.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s not like I got much choice at the moment.”

Wanda Nell reached forward and patted her friend’s hand. “You hang in there. If he’s too stupid to realize how wonderful you are, then you don’t need him.”

Mayrene smiled her thanks. She got up from her chair and pulled a paper towel from the roll near the sink. After blowing her nose a couple of times, she wadded the paper towel up and threw it in the bin under the sink.

“Okay if I come in?” Jack said from the doorway of the kitchen.

“Sure, honey,” Wanda Nell said. Mayrene resumed her seat.

Jack advanced into the room. “How would you like to go visit your buddy Elmer Lee this afternoon?”

Wanda Nell grimaced. “How would I like to go to the dentist’s office and have a root canal instead?”

Jack and Mayrene laughed.

“He’s not that bad,” Mayrene said. “I mean, I know he don’t like it much if he thinks you’re stirring up trouble, but he can’t blame you if Jack wants to write a book.”

“He’ll think I put Jack up to it just to drive him crazy,” Wanda Nell said. “You just wait and see.”

“I’m ready, Jack.” Wanda Nell paused in the doorway of what had been her bedroom until a couple of months ago. When Miranda and Lavon moved out, Wanda Nell had taken over their bedroom and started turning her old room into a study for Jack.

Jack looked up from his computer for a moment to smile at her. “Just let me shut this down, and I’ll be ready to go, too.”

Wanda Nell watched as he tapped at the keyboard, then punched the button on the monitor before pushing back his chair to stand. Jack had been saying he was going to teach her to use the computer, and Juliet had been after her to learn, too. She reckoned it was something she ought to know about, but for now she couldn’t figure out what she’d need to use the thing for.

Jack bent over his desk to retrieve something from one of the drawers, and Wanda Nell couldn’t help admiring the view. He was wearing jeans, and they were molded to his body in all the right places. He was wearing the cowboy boots her son T.J. and his partner, Tuck, had given him for his birthday. Wanda Nell had always liked the look of a man in boots, and she was glad Jack enjoyed wearing his so much.

He turned to face her and grinned. He knew what she had been thinking. She was amazed at the way he seemed to be able to read her mind so often. It had never been like this with her first husband, Bobby Ray. But then Bobby Ray never cared much about what anyone else thought or felt. He had been concerned only with himself most of the time.

“Okay, let’s go.” Jack stepped forward and hit the light switch.

“Yes, sir.” Wanda Nell led the way down the hall to the front door. She scooped up her purse while Jack opened the door.

Stepping out into the hot July afternoon, Wanda Nell blinked. She paused to pull her sunglasses out of her purse, and once they were in place, she could see better. Jack followed her down the two steps to the ground and then moved around her to get to his car first.

“Let me open all the doors and get the air conditioner going, honey. We’ll get fried if we don’t let it cool off a little first.”

“Thanks,” Wanda Nell said. She stepped under the shade provided by her one-car carport. They planned to have it extended to make room for Jack’s car, but they hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

Jack climbed out of his car and joined Wanda Nell in the shade. “The air will cool off enough in a minute, so we’ll be able to stand getting in.”

They waited about a minute before going to the car. The worst of the hot air had blown out when Jack had opened all the doors. Now they were all shut, the car was blasting cold air, and Wanda Nell didn’t feel like she was having some kind of hot flash.

As Jack carefully backed the car out of the driveway and pointed it toward the road that would lead them out of the trailer park and into town, Wanda Nell said, “How much did you tell Elmer Lee when you talked to him?”

“Not a lot. I told him I wanted to talk to him about an old case, and that I was thinking about writing a new book. I guess things must be pretty quiet around the Sheriff’s Department this afternoon. He didn’t really ask me any questions, just said to come on in and talk.”

“Does he know I’m coming with you?”

“No. I didn’t think to mention it to him.” Jack glanced sideways at her. “Do you think it’ll make a difference?”

“Who knows with Elmer Lee?” Wanda Nell shrugged. “He might not want to talk much with me around. But maybe I can goad him into it if we need to.”

Jack laughed. “If anybody can do it, you can.” He patted her knee. “But Elmer Lee’s basically a good guy. He believes in doing the right thing, and I’m sure he’ll feel that way about this case.”

“You’re right,” Wanda Nell said. “I guess I don’t always give him enough credit, but he sure as heck don’t make it too easy sometimes.”

“What time is Juliet coming home?” Jack asked. “I forgot all about her supposed to be coming back this afternoon, and it’s already half-past one.”

“It’s okay. I called her and told her we had an appointment and wouldn’t be home till later. She’s going to get Miz Hankins to drop her off at Miz Culpepper’s house, and we’re going to pick her up there when we’re done with Elmer Lee.”

“We could have picked her up from the Hankins’s house.” Jack paused. “But you wanted a reason to go by Miz Culpepper’s house, didn’t you?”

Wanda Nell laughed. “Yeah, I thought as long as we were going to talk to Elmer Lee about this case, we might as well talk to Miz Culpepper, too. She’s lived in Tullahoma for over fifty years now, and I reckon she’ll know something about it. Old Judge Culpepper was always in the middle of everything.”

“If he was, what if he was involved in this particular case? What if he was part of the cover-up, if there was one?”

They had reached one of the main intersections in town now, and Jack signaled a right turn. They were only about five minutes from the town square, where the Sheriff’s Department and county jail were located.

“I thought about that,” Wanda Nell said. “She can be a bit touchy where her husband is concerned, but he’s been dead a long time now. I can’t see where it’ll hurt to ask her about it.”

“You know her better than I do,” Jack said. “So I think I’ll turn that interview over to you.” He laughed. “After all, I’m not sure she really likes me that much.”

“Gee, thanks. Of course she likes you, otherwise she wouldn’t have insisted we have the wedding at her house. I think it was her way of finally making peace with me, and with Bobby Ray’s death.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jack said, “but I do feel a little uneasy whenever I’m around her.”

“You’ll get used to her. It’s taken me a long time, but I finally realized that her bark really is a lot worse than her bite. She’s been lonely for a long time, and the good Lord knows Bobby Ray wasn’t much of a son to her. But now she’s getting attention all the time from T.J. and Tuck and the girls.”

“Not to mention Belle.”

Belle Meriwether was Mrs. Culpepper’s cousin, and she had recently come to live with the older woman as a companion. Belle had never married and had no brothers or sisters, and she seemed to enjoy living with her cousin and looking after her. Mrs. Culpepper often said Belle had never met a silence she couldn’t fill, and she snapped at Belle pretty often. Everyone figured she must enjoy it, though, because she had perked up quite a bit since Belle had moved in.

“Thank the Lord for Belle,” Wanda Nell said. “I don’t know what we’d do without her.”

By now they had reached the town square, and Jack drove around to the side near the Sheriff’s Department building and parked at the courthouse.

Wanda Nell waited until Jack opened the car door for her. She wasn’t used to such treatment and would have been more than happy to open the door for herself, but Jack got so much pleasure out of such courtesies, she didn’t have the heart to disappoint him. Besides, it was a nice change to have someone taking care of her.

As they crossed the street, Wanda Nell glanced at the building where Tuck’s law office was located. He and T.J. sometimes worked in the office on Saturdays, especially when Tuck had a case that needed overtime. The windows were dark this afternoon, and Wanda Nell hoped they were enjoying some time off. They were supposed to come to dinner with her and Jack and Juliet tomorrow night, and she looked forward to seeing them.

Jack held open the door to the Sheriff’s Department, and Wanda Nell stepped inside. The air here was very cold, and she shivered as she removed her sunglasses and stowed them in her purse.

“Brrr . . . it’s like an icebox in here,” Jack said. “I should have worn my jacket. Are you warm enough, honey?”

“I’ll be okay,” Wanda Nell said. “I’m sure it’ll be warm enough in Elmer Lee’s office before too long.”

Jack laughed as they moved forward to the desk. He informed the officer on duty they had an appointment with the sheriff, and the officer picked up his phone and punched a button.

After a brief conversation, the officer waved them toward a door. Wanda Nell knew the way all too well. She had been here more times than she cared to recall.

She and Jack walked down the hall to Elmer Lee’s office, and she was thankful to note it actually was warmer there, thanks to the sun streaming through one window.

“Afternoon,” Elmer Lee Johnson said, standing up from behind his desk. “Howdy, Wanda Nell. Or I guess I should say, Miz Pemberton. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Didn’t I mention that?” Jack said. “Sorry.”

“No problem. Y’all have a seat, and tell me what I can do for you.”

“Thanks for talking to us, Elmer Lee,” Wanda Nell said. “I know you’re usually pretty busy around here.”

Elmer Lee shot her a sharp glance, but evidently decided that she wasn’t being sarcastic. “It’s a slow day for once. And I’m always happy to talk to the good people of Tullahoma County.” The corners of his mouth twitched.

“And we appreciate that,” Jack said, shifting in his chair.

Elmer Lee sat down again. “So what case did you want to talk about? You didn’t say much on the phone.”

“I guess I didn’t.” Jack’s tone was light. “Well, it’s about an old case from thirty-one years ago. Back when we were all still in junior high, I guess.”

Elmer Lee frowned. “Yeah, I would have been about thirteen then. But I don’t remember anything from back then. It’s something that happened here in Tullahoma? Or somewhere in the county?”

“Right here in Tullahoma,” Wanda Nell said. “I didn’t remember it either, but I guess we were too young to pay much attention to something like that.”

“Maybe so,” Elmer Lee replied, “but I used to watch all those detective shows. I thought I was pretty sharp, and I wanted to be Jim Rockford when I grew up.”

Wanda Nell was surprised. She had never heard Elmer Lee say anything that personal before.