Music City (17 page)

Alex nodded, “Yes, and Dorothy... and then let the state police know what to do with the bodies when they are finished with them.”

It was only a twenty minute drive over to Shelly’s house from their office on First Avenue. Alex knew that getting all the arrangements made for Billy Joe and BJ would probably take the rest of the afternoon. “I will let Mr. Miller know that the stakeout has to be postponed, we’ll help deal with Billy Joe and BJ today.”

Tracy was grateful, “Thanks Alex, I know Momma will appreciate it.”

***

“Vani, honey, I don’t see the point. We’ve already established that we have the same Momma. Why do you insist on a DNA test?”

“Momma, first of all, we have not established anything. Yes, you and Dorothy have similar features, and we know that y’all are from the same backwater town, and unfortunately that means that she may be likely to know a little more about you or your family if she’s already figured out that you’re the same person that left. There are folks who try to attach themselves to celebrities all the time. They want the fame, they want the attention, but most of all, they want the money.” Vani said emphatically.

“Vani, she tried to give the money back to me. I refused to accept it. I am going to feel really strange asking her to do a DNA test now.”

“You don’t have to Momma. I already talked to her about it and she agreed. Dr. Donahue has already agreed to go out there with me this afternoon to get the sample and Dorothy is expecting us. It’s painless you know; they just swab the inside of your cheek. Once we do this we’ll know for sure that Dottie is your sister and you can introduce her to the world if that’s what you want, but Momma, as your agent and your daughter, I’m obligated to protect you from wannabes. Don’t feel badly about it, Dorothy understands, I promise you.”

“Well, if you have already gotten this ball rolling, I’ll go along with you. But I am telling you, she is my sister, at least, my half-sister. I would bet everything I have on it.”

Vani laughed, “Let’s not do that Momma. We’ll just do the DNA test.”

Just then the doorbell rang, “Speaking of Dr. Donahue, there he is now.”

Vani greeted Dr. Donahue at the door, and ushered him into the family room where Shelly waited.

“Hello William, come on in. It’s good to see you,” Shelly greeted.

Dr. William Donahue was a trusted friend who explained exactly what he would do. “Just open your mouth, yes like that, now, that’s all I need,” he said as he brushed the inside of Shelly’s cheek with a cotton swab.

“That’s it?” Shelly asked, surprised.

He put the swab into a sterile plastic container , marked on it and placed it in his old leather medical bag.

Shelly shrugged, “Alright, I still don’t like it, but if you insist Vani, let’s go get this over with.”

As they were leading Dr. Donahue to the door, fixing to take him to the cottage, Tracy, followed by Alex and Derek, entered the house.

“Oh, hey Doc, how are you doing?” Tracy said when he saw the Doctor standing there with his mother and sister. “Momma we need to talk to you for a minute.”

“Can it wait until we get back? We were about to take William to see Dorothy.”

Alex cut in, “Shelly, I got a call from the Tennessee State Police a few minutes ago. Billy Joe and BJ were apparently headed this way to find Dorothy. There was an accident and neither of them survived.”

Shelly gasped, “Oh no.”

Vani looked at Dr. Donahue, “I’m afraid we will have to reschedule, the people they are talking about are Dorothy’s son and his father.”

Shelly spoke up, “No, I think we probably should take William with us, Dorothy may need him.”

Alex stepped forward, “Shelly, they need us to call them back and let them know what to do with the bodies.”

Shelly grimaced, “Oh my, I didn’t even think about that. I don’t even know how Dorothy is going to take this. I don’t think that all of us should go running down there, we’re liable to scare her.”

Vani said, “Momma, why don’t you and I go ahead and take Dr. Donahue out. We don’t know her health history, if she passes out or something, I don’t have a clue what to do.”

Shelly nodded, “You’re probably right.” She turned to face the doctor, “William, I feel terrible putting you in this position.”

William shook his head, “It’s no imposition at all, Shelly. We’re friends and if this is your sister, then I consider her my friend as well and want to be there for her.”

Shelly squeezed her friend’s arm, “Thanks so much, William.”

Shelly knocked on the door of the little guesthouse and was surprised to hear Dottie call to her from across the yard.

“Hey there! I been over at Donna’s making jam. How are y’all doin’?”

“We’re just fine, Dottie, you look so good! How are you doing?”

“I’ve never been better in my whole life,” Dottie smiled, “and I’ve decided I would like to be called Dot, instead of Dottie, if y’all don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind a bit. I’d like you to meet a family friend of ours. This is William Donahue. William, this is my friend Dot.”

William Donahue had already decided that this little exercise was completely unnecessary. These two were obviously sisters, except for the eyes, and that could be because of the different father.

“I’m happy to please you… uh, I mean I’m pleased to make you happy… If you’ll excuse me Miss Dot, my tongue seems to be a little twisted. I’m pleased to meet you.” He said as he took her hand.

“Me too,” Dot said simply as she blushed as deep a crimson as the apron she was wearing over her t-shirt and jeans.

“Why don’t y’all come on in. I got some tea if you want a glass,” Dot said, still looking at William.

Shelly stepped forward, “Dot, I know Vani called you about DNA samples.”

Dot nodded her head, “Yes, Vani explained it to me, and I think it is a really good idea, actually.”

Shelly stepped forward and took Dot’s hands. “Honey, I’m glad you’re okay with it, but I need to talk to you first. Why don’t we sit down.”

Dorothy looked at the three of them, at their expressions and felt her stomach drop. She felt like she had swallowed a baseball. She sat down on the creamy sofa and Shelly sat beside her.

“What’s wrong? Just tell me.”

Shelly wasn’t sure how to tell her, other than just coming out with it. “Honey, we got a phone call earlier from the Tennessee State Police. Apparently Billy Joe and BJ were headed this way.”

Dorothy cut in, “Oh, you don’t think they will be able to find me, do you?”

Dorothy stood up, visibly upset, her hands moving wildly as she talked. “I am not going back there and they are sure as shootin’ not moving here with me. I know that sounds awful, and BJ is my own son, but he acts just like his Daddy and neither one of them give two hoots about me. I am not going to live like that anymore.”

Shelly shook her head and stood. Putting her arm around Dorothy, she guided her back to the sofa to sit. “Dorothy, they were drinking and driving and there was an accident. They didn’t survive.”

Dorothy’s heart dropped and a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

Shelly just sat there for a few minutes holding her hand, waiting for an emotional outburst from Dorothy, but it never came. She just sat there, silent and still as the solitary tear slid down her cheek.

After several minutes Dorothy cleared the tears from her throat, “Well, I’m sad to say that it was bound to happen. If I’ve told them once, I’ve told both of them a million times not to be driving while they were drinking. They never did listen to me.”

Everyone was quiet, letting Dorothy take her time to process this news. She looked at Shelly. “You said they were headed here, where did the accident happen?”

Shelly shrugged, “According to the police, it happened this side of the Tennessee North Carolina border on interstate
forty, it runs through the mountains.”

Dorothy shook her head, “I’m surprised they made it that far if they were drunk.”

Shelly nodded, “As much as I hate to put this on you right now, we need to make arrangements. Do you want to bring them here, or take them back to North Carolina?”

Dorothy shrugged, “There’s nobody in either place, so I guess it don’t really matter.”

Shelly was surprised, “There’s no friends or family in North Carolina that would want to mourn them?”

Dorothy shook her head, “No, there’s nobody. BJ he used to have a few friends, but the more he got like his Daddy, the less friends he had. He hasn’t been around anybody but Billy Joe in probably three years now. Billy Joe, he ain’t got no friends,
save for the one that is in and out of jail all the time.  He had me. This is my fault you know, if I hadn’t gotten the crazy notion to come here, they wouldn’t have followed, and they wouldn’t be dead right now.”

Shelly shook her head, “Dorothy, you didn’t make them get behind the wheel of the car after they
were drinking. They did that on their own, you cannot blame yourself for this tragedy.”

Dorothy shrugged, “Well, I know that they would most certainly blame me, everything was always my fault.”

Vani stepped forward, “Dorothy, they were adults and made their own decisions. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

Dorothy shook her head, “No, I reckon not.” She sat in silence a few more minutes then looked at Shelly. “I really don’t know what to do, I don’t have any money, well, except for the money you gave me. I don’t think I want a funeral; no, I know I don’t want a funeral.”

Shelly nodded, “That is fine, anything you want to do. Don’t worry about the cost, I will take care of it.”

Dorothy was touched, “Shelly, you have done so much already, I can’t let you do this too.”

Shelly just nodded, “You
can
let me take care of it and you
will
. But, I need to know what you want to do. We can have their bodies brought back here and buried if you want. There’s a graveyard right here on the property, you can have a small graveside service if you don’t want a full funeral. Or we can have them cremated there, and the ashes sent back to you here. You could either bury the ashes or keep them in an urn. ”

Dorothy shook her head, “I don’t want no ashes hanging around here, I know that.” She sighed, “I guess have their bodies brought here and buried, that is if you don’t care. That would probably be the best, that and the graveside service, nothing fancy, just a preacher to offer up a prayer is all I think they would want and all I think I want.”

Shelly smiled, “I don’t mind at all, I will take care of everything for you.”

Dorothy squeezed Shelly’s hands, “Again, Shelly, thank you so much for everything you have done and are doing for me. I don’t deserve you.” She stood and looked at Dr. Donahue, “Doc, why don’t you go ahead and draw my blood or whatever you got to do. After that, I think I want to go and lay down for a bit.”

Shelly shook her head, “No Dorothy, don’t worry about all of that right now. We’ll go back to the house and make arrangements for Billy Joe and BJ, you go rest.”

Dorothy was adamant, “No, if it’s all the same to you, I would rather get this testing over with. I really need to know that you are my sister.”

Shelly nodded, “Okay, but after that, you go and rest, promise?”

Dorothy nodded, and the doctor proceeded to take the saliva sample from her the same way he had Shelly.

After Shelly was assured that Dorothy was safely in her bed resting, the three of them left her to go back to Derek, Alex and Tracy and to make the arrangements for Billy Joe and BJ.

Weeks had passed since the deaths of BJ and Billy Joe. Alex and Derek were in their respective offices when Vani entered, looking like she had just stepped off of a runway. She was wearing a gauzy sundress that showed off her golden skin, very different from her usual business attire. Tracy looked up from his desk.

“Hey Sis, what brings you here, and wow, you look really nice.”

“Alex called and asked me to stop by, so here I am and thank you for the compliment,” she grinned.

Just then Alex stuck his head out of his door.

“Hey Vani! Glad you could come down. Let’s all go back to the conference room and take a coffee break and I’ll catch everyone up at the same time.”

Vani shot him a brilliant smile, “Alex, how are you doing? Should Momma be here?”

“I’m great, Vani. Thanks for asking. No, I wanted to talk to you and Tracy before we talk to your mother. I don’t see any point in getting her worked up when there may not be any need to.”

Vani thought for a minute, “You know what, let’s just go to lunch and talk about whatever it is there. I am absolutely starving. How about
that new Grille over on West End Avenue in Midtown, I’ve been dying to try it, and I doubt we’ll need reservations at this time of the day.”

“
Sounds great to me, I haven’t had lunch.”

They sat in a private booth, in a corner of
the new restaurant, they were all looking at the menu, and enjoying the beautiful European décor of woods and rich shades of green, blue and white.