Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans (12 page)

I put the keys in the ignition and turned over the engine. “Try again. Why did Bruce Wayne act like that when you said the name Big Thief Hollow?”

She shrugged. “There’s a bunch of meth- and pot-heads down there.”

“So why did you drag me away when he started to say something?”

“Because Joe did a big bust of Big Thief Hollow last week. He ain’t wastin’ any time lettin’ people know he’s in charge.”

I shook my head in confusion. “I thought the sheriff was in charge.”

“Not really. Not since the whole department got cleaned out. The sheriff has kind of lost his umph, so he’s been lettin’ Joe call all the shots. At least for the time being.”

“So what’s the big secret?” I asked as I drove out of the square. “Why try to keep that from me?”

“Because Joe’s got guys still watching the place from time to time. I wasn’t sure you’d still go if you knew that.”

I thought about it for a moment, trying to decide if it was a reason for us to stay away. “We’re not doing anything illegal. We’re just asking Dolly Parton’s best friend if she knows anything, right?”

“Yeah.”

I sat up straighter as I headed down Highway 82. “And besides, your aunt filed a missing persons report, and if the sheriff won’t do anything about it, how can anyone in the department fault us for doing the job they refuse to do?”

Neely Kate looked indignant. “Yeah, that’s right.”

I just as quickly lost my bravado. “Now tell me why it’s a bad idea to go there.”

“There’s no reason,” she insisted, turning to me to plead her case. “We’re not buying meth or pot, although I have to wonder how much there’s even left to buy after the sheriff’s department burned their pot fields.”

“I thought Daniel Crocker was the big pot dealer in Fenton County.”

“He
was
until he got arrested. Then his business took a tumble, so other people filled the gaps.”

“Huh.” I couldn’t help but wonder if the person in charge of Big Thief Hollow was the person Skeeter’s guy was supporting.

Neely Kate studied me with her microscope lens vision. When she studied something that closely, she was practically a mind reader. This time was no exception. “What does
huh
mean?”

I kept my eyes on the road, trying to play it cool. “It’s just that I’ve learned so much since Momma was killed last May. Who knew this whole criminal underworld mess existed right under my nose?”

“Speaking of the criminal underworld . . .”

I tried to suppress a groan. How was I going to keep my morning with Skeeter from her? I knew she wouldn’t approve, and I didn’t want to lie to her. Instead, the heaven above was looking out for me, and Neely Kate’s phone started to play “Wildflower.”

She released a frustrated grunt and answered, “What’s goin’ on?” Her face puckered in disapproval. “Granny, I told you not to raise a ruckus last night.”

I cast an inquisitive look at her. I’d only met her grandma once—at Neely Kate’s wedding—and she was quite a handful.

“Well, you can’t blame him for wanting you to pay for the damage to the doggone raccoon, Granny. It’s been hanging in that lodge for twenty years.” She paused and rolled her eyes. “No! Do not have Reggie go shoot a raccoon to replace it! Let me talk to him, and I’ll see what I can do.” She paused. “No, I’m not bringing you Big Bill’s hot wings tonight. I don’t have time to sit in the Fenton County General Hospital for hours after you claim the indigestion has given you a heart attack. One of these days you’re really gonna have one, and the ambulance drivers are gonna be sorry that they stop for ice cream at the Burger Shack every time they answer one of your calls.”

Neely Kate sighed as she hung up. “She’s gonna be the death of me.”

“I take it there was trouble at bingo last night.”

“You have no idea. I’m not sure when she’ll ever be allowed back. You might just get out of your promise.” She turned to me with a grin. “No wonder I like you so much. You’re just like my granny.”

I laughed. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.” I cast a glance at her. “So what’s the deal with you and Tabitha?”

She tried to look innocent. “Nothing.”

“It can’t be nothing if she won’t even talk to you.”

“I’m just takin’ precautions is all.”

“Huh.”

She quickly changed the subject, talking about some new recipes she’d found the night before. “Ronnie refuses to eat them.” She crossed her arms in a huff.

I wanted to tell her that I understood why, but I didn’t have the heart. “Well . . . it does take a more refined palate than most people around here have.”

She waved her hand. “And that’s exactly why I want Mason to try my food. He lived up in Little Rock. He’s more continental than Fenton County folk.”

“You know who you should try?” I said, trying to keep a straight face. “Joe. He lived up in Little Rock for years. He even went to law school there.” I gave a half-shrug. “I bet he’d love it.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I kind of regretted it. Joe showed every intention of staying in Fenton County, and Neely Kate was bound to run into him. She still held a grudge against him for walking out on me back in September. I should have been encouraging her to mend fences with him rather than stirring up more trouble.

“Yeah . . .”

When Neely Kate realized we were close to Big Thief Hollow, she started coaching me on what to say. “Tell her that you know Dolly Parton from school and you’re looking for her because you want help planning your class reunion.”

“Maybe I’ll just wing it. Especially since I thought Dolly Parton was younger than us.”

“So? You have one of those timeless faces.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.”

“Oh definitely good,” she assured me, patting my arm. “You use a great moisturizer.”

“Okaaay . . . Anything else?”

“Find out the last time she talked to her, along with anything else that will help us find her now.”

“Got it.”

She gave me directions to a group of duplexes set off a county road. A beat-up car sat in front of the pale blue eyesore on the end; a tree made from blue wine bottles was the only landscaping in the grass-spotted yard. The other duplexes, painted in varying shades of pastel, looked just as neglected. A handful of cars were parked in various driveways.

“Pull in behind the Buick,” Neely Kate said.

I did as she instructed and put the truck in park, turning off the engine. “Are you sure she’s here?”

“That’s her car right there.” She shrunk down in the seat. “I think it’ll be better if I wait here in the truck.”

I opened the door and looked over my shoulder. “Okay.”

I walked onto the front porch and rang the doorbell. After visiting Billy Jack the day before, I half expected to hear a pack of yipping dogs, but was met with blissful silence instead. After ten seconds, I rang the bell again, getting antsy.

A guy in his twenties opened the door, wearing a stained T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. He had a serious case of bed head, his dark blond hair going every which direction. “What the hell do you want?”

I took a step back. “I’m looking for Tabitha.”

He yawned and lost some of his irritation. “I thought you was one of them Baptists trying to save me again. I keep tellin’ ’em that the best way they can save me is to bring a cold six-pack, but they don’t seem to get the hint.”

I almost laughed, but he was dead serious. “Those Baptists never are any fun.”

He leaned into the door frame, scratching his crotch. “You got that right.”

I tried to look away. “About Tabitha . . .”

“Oh yeah.” His hand left his nether-region, and he started scratching his cheek. “She’s down at the community center.”

“Oh.” I tried not to cringe as I thought about where his hand had just been. “And where is that?”

“Head down to Orchard, take a right, and it’s a quarter of a mile down.”

“Thanks.”

I turned to leave, and he called after me. “If you don’t know where the community center is, how do you know Tabitha?”

“Uh . . . I’m friends with Dolly Parton.”

“The singer?” he asked, his eyes flying open. “No
shit?
”

I could have corrected him, but decided not to bother. “You have a good day.”

I hopped in the truck and started to back up, shaking my head at the sight of Neely Kate still crouched down in the passenger seat.

“Well?” she asked, lifting her head to look over the dashboard. Tabitha’s gentleman friend had already shut the front door.

“She wasn’t there.”

“Who were you talkin’ to? I heard you talkin’.”

“I was talking to the half-naked guy who answered her front door, but he didn’t know a thing about Dolly. I thought you said she and Tabitha are best friends? How is it that he doesn’t know about his girlfriend’s best friend?”

Neely Kate’s face scrunched in disgust. “Everybody knows that Tabitha sleeps around.”

Apparently not everybody. “She’s at the community center. He seemed surprised that I didn’t know where it was. Why’s that?”

“Everyone around here knows it as the commune. It’s
the
place to buy drugs and moonshine.”

“And it got busted? Should we be
going
there then?”

“Why not? It got busted last week. It should be fine now.”

She had a point.

There were several cars in the parking lot of a building that looked like a converted church. I pulled into a spot and turned to Neely Kate. “Are you really gonna hide in the seat again?” I asked in disbelief when I saw that she was hunched down again.

“Yes. I am.”

Sighing, I climbed out of the truck, leaving the engine running. Before I shut the door, I looked down at her. “What’s she look like?”

“Look for long dark hair, big brown eyes. Tight clothes. That’ll be her.”

“Okay . . .”

I couldn’t imagine what Tabitha might be doing at the community center, but I discovered as soon as I walked through the door. A group of older women were in the middle of a large room that looked a lot like a school cafeteria. There was a stage at one end, and round tables were shoved against the two side walls. Racks of folding chairs were stored opposite the stage. Middle Eastern music blared, and the gray-haired women were wearing scarves with bells hanging off them, gyrating their hips to the tempo. A beautiful young woman stood in front of them, wearing a crop top and booty shorts, shaking her hips in circles.

“Come on, Maybelline,” the young woman said, looking over her shoulder. “Shake them hips so Harvey’ll want to grab ’em and get busy.”

Most of the women giggled, but a few looked horrified.

The song ended, and the young woman turned around. “Great lesson, ladies! See y’all next week!”

The instructor walked over to a duffel bag on top of one of the round tables and looked me up and down. “Were you here for the belly dance lesson? Because you’re about fifty years too young.”

“No, actually . . . I’m looking for Tabitha. Is that you?”

She stood up, looking wary. “Maybe, maybe not.”

Maybe she didn’t want to admit she was Tabitha, but every other female in the room looked close to retirement age.

When I didn’t say anything, a panicked look filled her eyes. “I meant to show up for that twelve-step meeting last week, but look—” she swung an arm toward the women who were in the process of removing their scarves, “I’m here teaching these geriatrics just like I promised my probation officer.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s nothing like that. I need to ask you about Dolly Parton.”

Her eyes widened. “What about her?”

“Do you know where she is?”

She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at me. “And who’s askin’?”

“I’m sorry.” I took a step closer. “I’m Rose. I’m a friend of Dolly’s, and I haven’t seen her in days. I know you’re her best friend, so I figured you’d know how she’s doin’.”

She still eyed me with suspicion. “How do you know her?”

“Uh . . .” I panicked, forgetting Neely Kate’s coaching. “We work together.” Oh crappy doodles. I didn’t even know where she worked.

Her arms dropped, and she looked less defensive. “At Gems?”

Gems? Billy Jack said she’d run off with the bartender from where she worked. Gems had to be a bar or a restaurant. “Yeah, that’s right.”

A slight smile lifted her lips. “Why didn’t you say so?” She looked me over, shaking her head. “I have to say that you don’t look the type. But then, Mud’s one for the unusual.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but at least she was still talking. “She hasn’t shown up for work in a few days. And neither has the bartender she’s been seeing. Do you happen to know where she is? Her momma’s worried.”

She shook her head with a frown. “I told her not to take a job there. Gems is nothing but trouble.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Everyone knows that Mud is up to no good. It might pay better than the other place, but it’s not worth the risk.”

“What’s he up to?”

She looked at me like I was a crazy person. “You’re the one workin’ there. You tell
me
.”

Oh, yeah.

“So you don’t know where she’s run off to?”

“I don’t know what she’s up to half the time anymore. Not since her bitch of a cousin’s wedding. If anyone knows what Dolly’s up to, that woman would know.” Disgust covered her face. “Neely Kate River.”

What on earth had happened to make her hate Neely Kate so much? And she knew Neely Kate was married, but she’d called her by her maiden name and not her married name—Colson. Based on the timing, the fight had to be related to Neely Kate’s wedding. Maybe Tabitha was upset she hadn’t been asked to be one of Neely Kate’s many bridesmaids, since nearly half the county had been in the wedding.

“Her boyfriend, Billy Jack, said she took off with a bartender from Gems.”

“Oh, really?” she asked, getting excited. “Which one?”

Panic set in. “Cute. Brown hair.”

A sly grin spread across her face. “Good for her. I told her that weasel Billy Jack was foolin’ around on her.” She laughed. “I heard from a girl at the club that Dolly busted his ginormous flat screen a couple of weeks ago.”