Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen (23 page)

“There are other things, too,” Ruth said. “We have clues, but we don't know what to make of them.”

Rhodes didn't want to talk about that, either. The business with the purse still bothered him.

“What about those three men?” Benton asked. “The ones I helped you capture.”

Before long, Benton would be taking all the credit just to impress Ruth. That was okay with Rhodes.

“They didn't have anything to do with it,” Rhodes said. “Killers don't hang out across the street from the place where they killed somebody.”

“They return to the scene of the crime, though, don't they?”

“He's joking,” Ruth said. “I think.”

“I'm a great kidder,” Benton said.

He was, but Rhodes wasn't convinced he'd been kidding about the killers returning to the crime scene.

Ivy returned to the table with her salad plates on a tray. Rhodes and Benton stood up.

Ivy grinned and set her tray on the table. “And they say that chivalry is dead.”

Rhodes helped her with her chair, and everybody sat down again. The salad bar was bountiful, and Ivy had plates heaped with lettuce, pasta, cheese, and a lot of different kinds of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and tomatoes. Not that it all didn't look good, but Rhodes was glad he was getting meat.

The meat arrived even as he was thinking about it, along with a side bowl of sauce, three pieces of bread, and a couple of extra napkins. Rhodes and Ivy ate while Benton and Ruth talked about the murders.

Benton's opinion was that the Environmental Reclamation Center was somehow involved in the crimes, but Rhodes thought Benton was saying that only because he'd helped out a little there. Rhodes stopped eating long enough to tell them a little about his adventure that afternoon and the arrests of Mike and Al.

“They're guilty of something, all right,” Rhodes said. “Theft, mainly, and employing those three fellas to steal for them. But that's all. They aren't killers.”

“What about Jeff Tyler being Lynn's last appointment?” Benton asked. “Is there any connection between him and the men from the center?”

“I thought about it,” Rhodes said, remembering the purse. “It's possible, but I'm still working on it.”

Benton looked at him. “It looks like you're eating.”

“I'm trying to. Even a sheriff deserves a break and a good meal now and then.”

“No offense,” Benton said.

“None taken,” Rhodes told him and continued to eat.

He was just about finished when Benton looked at his watch and stood up.

“Time for my performance,” he said. “I'll sing the new one first.”

He walked over to the little stage, where there was a chair and a microphone. Benton's guitar case was there, too, leaning against the back wall of the restaurant.

“He's really good,” Ruth said. “I think he could sing professionally if he weren't so dedicated to his teaching.”

“Mmfff,” Rhodes said, pretending his mouth was full.

Ivy kicked him in the ankle again.

Benton got his guitar, got seated, and tuned up. When he was satisfied, he said, “Good evening.”

A couple of people applauded. Ruth was one. Rhodes was wiping his mouth and face. Eating ribs could be a messy business.

“I'm going to play a new song tonight,” Benton said. “Let me tell you a little of the history behind it.”

Rhodes hoped they weren't going to get a lecture about Gandhi, and they didn't. Benton told a story about going for a job interview wearing jeans, a shirt, and his hat. The hat was by the chair. Rhodes hadn't noticed it before, and now Benton put it on.

“When they asked me why I wasn't wearing a suit,” Benton said, “this is what I told them. Gandhi wore a loincloth.” He strummed a couple of chords. “If any of you are wearing loincloths tonight, feel free to wave them around in time to this song.”

That got a few chuckles, though not from Rhodes, and Seepy launched into his song. Rhodes couldn't quite make out all the words, but he caught most of the chorus.

“I said Gandhi wore a loincloth.

He did not wear a suit.

Gandhi wore a loincloth,

When he went to see King George.

Gandhi wore a loincloth,

He never wore a suit.

And if it's good enough for Gandhi,

Then it's good enough for me.”

The song was followed by polite applause. Rhodes looked at Ivy, who was looking at Ruth. Ruth was applauding loudly. She had a big smile on her face, so Rhodes applauded, too, not loudly, while he wondered when songs had stopped rhyming. He was far out of the loop when it came to currently popular songs, so maybe rhymes had gone out of style some time ago.

On the other hand, maybe it was just a Seepy Benton quirk. It was a toss-up, and it didn't really matter. Either way, it was going to be a long evening.

*   *   *

After Benton had finished his set, he stood and gave a little head-tilted bow while the diners who were left in Max's Place applauded his performance. Rhodes thought that even Ruth's applause was a little less enthusiastic than it had been at the beginning, but that might have been only his imagination.

When the applause had died, which didn't take long, Benton returned to the table, looking pleased with himself and his show.

“I think I was in good voice tonight,” he said as he sat down.

“You sure were,” Ruth said.

“I thought the new song went over well, too.”

“It sure did.”

Rhodes made a noise that could've been taken for assent by an optimistic person, which Benton emphatically was. Rhodes waited for a kick from Ivy, but it didn't come.

“I've been thinking,” Benton said.

“Always a dangerous thing,” Rhodes said
,
and this time Ivy did kick him. His ankle was taking a real beating.

“I can sing and think at the same time,” Benton said, as if Rhodes hadn't interrupted. “Not many people can do that. I mean, I can sing and think about completely unrelated things. Like cell phones.”

That got Rhodes's interest. Maybe Benton had come up with something useful.

“Tell us what you thought,” Rhodes said.

“You had me look for Lynn Ashton's appointments on her phone,” Benton said, “but not for anything else. That might have been a mistake.”

“Why?”

“You could be underestimating Lynn. She could have put other things on the phone that would help you.”

“I thought you looked.”

“I looked for what you asked me to look for,” Benton said. “It was so easy to find that I didn't stop to consider what else she might have put on the phone. I just stopped when I found what you wanted. I'd have kept looking if I hadn't had to get back to the college. I was distracted by my duty to my students.”

As much as it galled Rhodes to admit it, Benton had a point.

“I could look at it tonight,” Benton said.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he gave a jerk and got a funny look on his face. Rhodes grinned. It was about time someone else got his ankle kicked.

“You and Ruth must have plans for the evening,” Rhodes said. “You can come by tomorrow and take a look.”

“Saturday?”

“You don't have to make it early,” Rhodes said.

“All right. I'll be there.”

“Don't bring the guitar,” Rhodes said.

Nobody laughed, but at least Ivy didn't kick him.

Chapter 23

“You need to behave better when you're out in public,” Ivy told Rhodes as they drove home from Max's place.

They were in Rhodes's Edsel, which he'd bought on a whim during the course of an investigation. He thought it was a great car for one that was over fifty years old, but it had maintenance issues. It was running a little rough, and Rhodes thought it needed new spark plugs. Not to mention a major motor overhaul, which it wasn't likely to get anytime soon.

“I'll try to mind my manners from now on,” Rhodes said.

“I'll bet,” Ivy said.

As they got near the house, Rhodes saw two vehicles parked in front. There was a streetlight on the corner, so Rhodes could see them well. One was a black Cadillac Escalade. It was big, but not that much bigger than Rhodes's Edsel. Unlike the Edsel, however, it was polished to a high sheen. It looked like it was covered with black ice. Parked right behind it was a green Buick LeSabre.

Rhodes pulled into his driveway and stopped.

“Who's that?” Ivy asked, looking at the cars with suspicion.

“Don't know,” Rhodes said. “You go on in.”

“I don't think so,” she said.

“When you don't know who might be waiting on you, it's better not to take any chances.”

“You're with me,” Ivy said. “I'm not worried.”

Maybe she wasn't, but Rhodes was. He looked over at the two cars and saw Clifford Clement get out of the Buick.

“That's the mayor,” Ivy said. “I wonder what he wants.”

“I'll find out,” Rhodes said. “You stay in the car.”

This time Ivy didn't argue with him. He got out of the Edsel, and Ivy got out at the same time. He hadn't really expected her to stay inside it. She disappeared into the shadows, and Rhodes walked over to meet Clement.

“I didn't want to bring them here,” Clement said as he neared Rhodes.

“Bring who?” Rhodes asked.

Clifford looked over his shoulder at the Escalade. “Them.”

“I guessed that much,” Rhodes said. “What I mean is, who are they?”

“Some men from Houston.”

Rhodes didn't know a lot of men from Houston, so he didn't think they were there on a social call.

“Your business partners?” he asked.

“I never even met them before,” Clement said. “When I invested in the reclamation center, I just thought it was a good deal, like I told you, something that would bring me a fair return on my money. I didn't know I'd be dealing with people like this.”

Before Rhodes could ask what the people were like, the doors on the Escalade opened, and four men got out. Rhodes noticed that the interior lights didn't come on when the doors opened. He didn't think that anything had gone wrong with the Cadillac. Some people just didn't like much light, and they made sure it didn't bother them.

All four men walked over to where Rhodes and Clement stood. Three of them wore shirts that Mikey Burns might have envied. The fourth wore a black Western shirt with a string tie held together by a turquoise slide.

“You the sheriff?” the one wearing the tie asked.

“I am,” Rhodes said. “Who are you?”

“Name's Nolan.”

“Ryan?”

Silence.

“It's a joke,” Clement said after a few seconds. “Nolan Ryan's famous around here. He pitched for the Texas Rangers.”

“I don't follow football,” Nolan said.

Rhodes didn't know if he was putting them on, so he didn't laugh.

Nolan continued without giving the rest of his name. “What I'm here for is to look after my business interests at the Environmental Reclamation Center.”

“That's good,” Rhodes said. “Somebody needs to look after them.”

“I hear that you've been spending a lot of time there,” Nolan said.

“You've had some problems,” Rhodes said.

He looked at the other three men, all of whom looked a bit like Mike and Al. Rhodes wondered if they all came from the same family. Cousins, maybe. The men looked back at him, saying nothing.

“Problems,” Nolan said. “I guess you could say that. Mike and Al, they don't know a lot about how to run a business. They could've made a mistake.”

“Or two,” Rhodes said.

“Sure. Or two.” Nolan spread his hand. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you personally to tell you that you don't have to worry about that kind of thing happening anymore. I've been to your jail, and I had a little talk with Mike and Al. They told me they were sorry they'd caused you any trouble. They won't do it again.”

“They might not be in a position to do it again,” Rhodes said.

“I think they will. I got 'em a good lawyer. They'll be out on bail tomorrow.”

“A good lawyer. Let me guess. Randy Lawless.”

“Yeah,” Nolan said. “Lawless. Funny name for a lawyer if you ask me, but they tell me he's the best one around here.”

“He is,” Rhodes said. “That doesn't mean he wins every time.”

“I think he'll win this time.”

“Let me ask you something,” Rhodes said.

The three men in the Hawaiian shirts moved a step closer to him. Nolan held up a hand, and they stopped.

“Sure,” Nolan said. “I got time. Ask me.”

“What about Frankie, Guillermo, and Jorge?”

“Never heard of 'em.”

“Why don't I believe you?”

Nolan tensed. The other three took another step forward.

Rhodes looked at them. “Are these your minions? They must come in handy. Sometimes I wish I had some minions myself.”

“You're not funny, Sheriff,” Nolan said.

“Neither are you. You come to my house, you more or less tell me to mind my own business because I'd better stay out of yours, and you bring these three goobers with you to back you up. I don't know how people down in Houston do business, but people here don't act like that.”

Clement, who'd kept quiet so far, put out a hand and touched Rhodes on the arm.

“Sheriff…” he said.

“Mr. Mayor, you'd better go on home,” Rhodes said. “If I were you I'd sell out my interest in Mr. Nolan's business tomorrow if I could find anybody to buy it.”

“Good idea,” Clement said. “I'm leaving now.”

He walked away and got in his car. Nobody said anything until Clement had driven away.