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  Satisfied that Elmer Lee would back her up, Wanda Nell folded her arms and waited for a response from the state cop.

  “Why the hell should you care what I think of that jerk?” Warren said, his tone savage. “What’s he got to do with you? You’re not his type.” He laughed.

  “Don’t start that crap again,” Wanda Nell said. She was itching to slap him a second time.

  Elmer Lee stepped between them. “Stop it, both of you,” he said. Wanda Nell moved back a couple of paces. Elmer Lee faced Warren. “I think you owe Wanda Nell and Tucker both an apology.”

  Warren flushed. He pushed past Elmer Lee and went to talk to Dixon Vance. Wanda Nell watched him go, her stomach churning as her adrenalin rush faded. The hum of conversation resumed, now that the scene had ended. Many of the men still stared at Wanda Nell, though.

  “Thank you, Elmer Lee,” Wanda Nell said, holding out a shaky hand to him. “I appreciate your support.”

  Elmer Lee clasped her hand in his but let it go pretty quickly. “He was way out of line, and he knew it.” Elmer Lee frowned. “But you’re lucky he didn’t have you hauled off to jail. Assaulting an officer’s a serious offence, like he said. You can’t do things like that, Wanda Nell.”

  Wanda Nell ignored that. She didn’t think Bill Warren had the guts to make an issue of it, especially when she had a witness to back her up. “He was such a nice boy back in high school,” she said. “What happened to him?”

  Elmer Lee regarded her with an odd expression on his face. “How well did you know him back then?”

  Wanda Nell shrugged. “We dated for a couple of months.” She felt her face begin to redden. “And then I started going out with Bobby Ray.”

  Elmer Lee and Bobby Ray had been really close in high school and afterward. When Bobby Ray was murdered, Elmer Lee had been convinced, at least for a while, that Wanda Nell had done it. Back in high school he had acted like he couldn’t stand to be around her, and over the years their relationship had been rocky, at best.

  Averting his face, Elmer Lee said, “I see.” Abruptly, he walked away, leaving Wanda Nell staring after him, puzzled by his behavior. She never would be able to figure him out, she decided, shaking her head.

  “Thank you, Wanda Nell,” Tuck said, placing a hand on her arm and giving it a little squeeze. “But be careful. Don’t you get yourself in trouble for something like that. I’m used to men like Warren.” He laughed, and the bitter sound of it tore at Wanda Nell’s heart.

  “That don’t mean it’s right,” Wanda Nell said. “He shouldn’t get away with talking like that.”

  Tuck smiled. “You certainly called him on it tonight.” His smile faded. “Seriously, though, be careful around him. He’s got a pretty tough reputation, and you don’t want to be on his bad side.”

  “What do you mean?” Wanda Nell said. Tuck’s words and his demeanor made her uneasy.

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Tuck said. “Right now, I’d better get on down to the jail.” He nodded in the direction of Gerald Blakeley. “They’re taking him down there now, and I want to be on hand.”

  “I feel sorry for him. He needs a good lawyer.” Especiallywith Bill Warren acting like such a jackass, she added to herself.

  Tuck gave her arm another squeeze before he walked away. Wanda Nell walked behind the counter and approached Melvin and Ruby at the cash register.

  Ruby’s big green eyes were wide with admiration. “Wanda Nell, you were so brave to stand up to that man like that. I was afraid he was going to arrest you.”

  “You’re lucky he didn’t,” Melvin said in a sour tone. “That temper of yours is gonna get you in big trouble one of these days if you don’t watch out.”

  “I know, I know,” Wanda Nell said, holding her hands up in a gesture of conciliation. “But he made me so mad, I reacted before I had time to think about it.” She paused. “I would have done the same thing, probably, even if I had thought about it first. If you don’t call people on things like that, you might as well say it yourself.”

  “Good point,” Melvin said, smiling a little. “But my point is, you didn’t necessarily have to knock his head off to get your point across.”

  Wanda Nell shrugged. Suddenly she was exhausted. With the adrenaline gone, she could feel the weariness creeping in. She just wanted to go home and climb into bed and try to forget about this night, at least until tomorrow.

  “When do you think they’ll let us go home?” Ruby asked, echoing Wanda Nell’s thoughts.

  “Soon, I think,” Melvin said. “If they don’t have any questions for you girls, y’all can go on home, and I’ll close up.”

  “You sure?” Wanda Nell asked. “I don’t mind staying if you want me to.”

  Melvin shook his head. “No, I think you need to get home and get some rest. Both of you. Wait here, and I’ll go ask.” He strode around the counter and approached Elmer Lee and Bill Warren, who were once again conferring.

  As Wanda Nell watched Melvin talk to the two lawmen, Elmer Lee glanced at her and Ruby a couple of times. Bill Warren never looked their way, and that was fine with Wanda Nell. The less she had to do with him, the better. Until this case was solved, though, she knew she would probably have to talk to him again. She would face up to it when she had to. In the meantime she would do her best to block him and his hateful attitude from her mind.

  “Do you think people will stop coming here?” Ruby asked, frowning. “What if this ruins business?”

  Wanda Nell sighed. “As long as the cops don’t shut us down for too long, I’ll bet you anything we’ll be so busy we won’t know what hit us.”

  “Why?”

  “People will be curious,” Wanda Nell said. “It’s like how people always slow down and look at a car wreck on the highway. They just can’t help themselves.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Ruby said, “but that sure is pretty morbid. I’m just glad I wasn’t back there to see it.”

  Wanda Nell put an arm around the younger woman’s shoulders. “I’m glad you weren’t either, honey. It was ugly.”

  “You gonna be okay?”

  “Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “Don’t you worry about me.” She might have a few bad dreams, but she would just have to deal with that.

  Melvin came back. “Y’all can go on home,” he said.

  “Are they going to close the restaurant for a few days?” Wanda Nell asked.

  Melvin shook his head. “Naw. They think they’ll have what they need tonight and tomorrow.” The restaurant was closed on Sundays. “Monday we can go back to business as usual.”

  “Good,” Wanda Nell said. “Okay, Ruby, come on and let’s get our stuff.” She headed to the back room for her purse.

  A few minutes later she and Ruby were out in the parking lot, getting into their cars. Wanda Nell had avoided looking at Elmer Lee and Bill Warren when she left. They and their men were still interviewing the partygoers and examining the back room for evidence. Melvin would probably have to stay there for another couple of hours at least until they finished. She was glad she didn’t have to stay.

  She was surprised when she glanced at her dashboard clock. It was only a few minutes shy of nine-thirty. It sure seemed later than that. She yawned as she backed out of the parking lot and headed for home.

  About ten minutes later she pulled her car into its covered parking space beside her double-wide trailer. T.J.’s pickup was parked nearby, and so was Jack’s car. Though she was really tired and ready for bed, Wanda Nell was glad Jack was here.

  The minute she opened the door to the trailer and stepped inside, Jack was waiting for her. She walked into his arms, and he wrapped her into a warm embrace. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he stroked her hair.

  “You okay, honey?” he asked, his voice soft. “T.J. called me, so I thought I’d come over.”

  “I’m okay now,” she said, pulling back a little so she could look into his face.

  The light from a nearby lamp shone on his gl
asses, obscuring his eyes slightly. Wanda Nell could read the concern there, nevertheless.

  “I wanted to call you,” Jack said, “but I figured it would be impossible to talk to you.”

  “Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “So much was going on, I don’t even know if anybody would’ve heard the phone, much less answered it.”

  “Come on and sit down,” Jack said, leading her toward the couch.

  T.J. walked out of the kitchen into the living room. “Mama, are you okay? Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’m fine, honey,” Wanda Nell said, stretching up to kiss her son’s cheek. “A glass of water sure would be nice.”

  T.J. gave her a quick hug. “Be right back with it.”

  Wanda Nell sat down on the couch next to Jack. He laid his arm across the back of the couch, and Wanda Nell snuggled up next to him. She closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of having the man she loved there with her.

  T.J. came back with her water and set it down on the coffee table in front of her. Wanda Nell heard the clink of the glass as it touched the ceramic coaster, and she opened her eyes. “Thank you.” She reached for the glass and drained most of the contents in one long swallow.

  “Want some more?” T.J. stood over her, staring down at her.

  “No, that’s good,” Wanda Nell said as she set the glass down again. “Sit down, or I’ll get a crick in my neck looking up at you.”

  T.J. made himself comfortable in a nearby chair, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. His highly polished cowboy boots shone in the lamplight.

  “Are those new?” Wanda Nell asked, gesturing toward his feet.

  “Yeah,” T.J. said. “We did a little shopping when we were up in Memphis last weekend.” He grinned.

  Those boots looked expensive, but Wanda Nell didn’t say anything. T.J. and Tuck probably had at least ten pairs of boots apiece, but that didn’t seem to stop them from buying more. It was their money, and they could spend it how they liked.

  “Do you feel like talking about it?” Jack asked her. “We don’t want to push you, but we’re really curious.”

  “I guess so,” Wanda Nell said. She gave them a quick rundown of the facts, but she did not tell them about the scene with Bill Warren and his insulting Tuck. If Tuck wanted to tell T.J. about that, she would leave that up to him. She might confide in Jack later, but for now she kept quiet about it.

  “Pretty awful,” Jack said. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Me too, Mama,” T.J. said. “But I have to tell you, if anybody ever deserved killing, it was Travis Blakeley.”

  “Did you know him at all?” Jack asked.

  “A little,” T.J. said. “His brother, Gerald, and I used to be buddies back in high school, but Travis was a lot older. He always treated Gerald like a piece of, well, you know. Always beating up on him and everything.”

  “Didn’t their parents do anything about it?” Wanda Nell asked. T.J. had never told her any of this.

  “Naw,” T.J. said. “Travis was all they cared about. Anything he did was okay by them. Gerald was an accident. At least, that’s what his mama told him.”

  Appalled, Wanda Nell said, “That’s an awful thing to tell a child.”

  “I can’t believe a parent would do something like that,” Jack said. “But unfortunately, I’ve seen worse with some of my students. It makes me think some people should be sterilized so they can’t have children at all.”

  “Yeah, but by the time you know they’re worthless as parents it’s too late,” T.J. said.

  Now Wanda Nell felt even sorrier for Gerald Blakeley. If he had been so badly treated by his family, though, might that not make him hate his brother so much he could have killed him?

  “I know what you’re thinking, Mama,” T.J. said. “That Gerald probably hated Travis enough to kill him.”

  “Yeah,” Wanda Nell said. “You know him pretty well, or at least you used to. What do you think?”

  T.J. shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don’t think Gerald has it in him to hate somebody that much, even though Travis gave him plenty of reasons.”

  “But?” Jack asked. “I’ve got a feeling there’s something else you know that you’re not telling us.”

  T.J. nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. The girl Travis was going to marry, Tiffany Farwell, was Gerald’s high-school sweetheart. Travis took his girl away from him. I saw Gerald a few days ago, and he was going crazy. He wanted to stop that wedding, because he was afraid of what Travis might do to Tiffany after they were married.”

  Seven

  “That’s a pretty good motive for murder,” Jack said. “Especially when you think about Travis Blakeley’s reputation.”

  “The problem is, nobody could ever prove anything,” T.J. said, shrugging. “From the way Gerald was talking the other day, though, he seemed pretty sure his brother was responsible for the deaths of his first two wives.”

  Wanda Nell nestled closer to Jack, feeling suddenly chilled. “Gerald must have been out of his mind worrying about that poor girl. I don’t know what I would have done in that situation.”

  “Poisoning the guy at his bachelor party was a pretty desperate act,” Jack said. “If that’s what really happened.”

  Remembering the glass vial Gerald had shown her, Wanda Nell said, “I don’t see what else it could be. Unless Blakeley had a really weak heart and just happened to have a heart attack at that very minute.”

  “Pretty big coincidence if he did,” Jack said.

  “Yeah,” T.J. said, “and I don’t believe that for a minute.”

  “No wonder Bill Warren was being so rough on Gerald,” Wanda Nell said.

  “Warren’s about as big a jerk as Travis Blakeley was,” T.J. said. “Plus I think him and Travis did some running around together.”

  “Have you had a run-in with Bill Warren?” Wanda Nell asked, her heart sinking.

  “Tuck and I have seen him a few times around town,” T.J. said, looking away. “He’s made it real clear what he thinks of us.”

  “Sounds like a real prince,” Jack said. “I’m sorry y’all have to deal with that kind of stupidity.”

  “I just can’t get over the change in him,” Wanda Nell said. “He was a really nice boy back in high school.”

  “You mean he’s from around here?” Jack asked. “And you knew him in high school?”

  “Yes, he grew up here,” Wanda Nell said. She paused a moment. “Actually, he and I dated for a little while.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” T.J. said. “You and that ape?”

  “It was about twenty-five years ago,” Wanda Nell said, getting a bit irritated. “And I told you, he was nice. At least, I thought he was. But we didn’t date for long, because I started seeing Bobby Ray.”

  Neither Jack nor T.J. said anything, and after a moment Wanda Nell went on. “With the way Bill’s acting, Gerald really does need a good lawyer. I’m glad Tuck was willing to do it.”

  “Do you think he did it, T.J.?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know,” T.J. said. “I haven’t been around Gerald all that much for about five years, and since I’ve been back in town I haven’t talked to him more than two or three times. I probably wouldn’t have those times either, except I ran into him down at the courthouse.” T.J. worked in Tuck’s office, and he spent a fair amount of time at the courthouse.

  “What was Gerald doing in the courthouse?” Wanda Nell asked.

  “He got a job a couple months ago in the county clerk’s office,” T.J. said. “Just the other day I had lunch with him in the cafeteria down there. That’s when he told me how worried he was about Tiffany.”

  “Tiffany Farwell,” Wanda Nell said. “Wasn’t her daddy some kind of businessman?”

  “Yeah,” T.J. said. “He owned a big construction company, for one thing, plus I think he had a hand in a lot of other businesses all over northeast Mississippi. He was pretty loaded.”

  “I know who you’re
talking about,” Jack said. “Didn’t he die a couple of years ago?”

  “Yes, he sure did,” Wanda Nell said, sitting up. “And it was pretty embarrassing for the family. They tried to hush it up, but he had a heart attack in one of those strip clubs in Memphis and died right there.”

  “I think he and his wife were already divorced by that point,” T.J. said. “It was bad enough, him dying in a place like that, but at least he wasn’t still married.”

  “What happened to his money?” Jack asked.

  “I think Tiffany got most of it, at least whatever her mother didn’t get in the divorce,” T.J. said. “I heard that Miz Farwell really took him to the cleaners.”

  “Sounds like he deserved it,” Wanda Nell said, “if he went to places like that when he was married.”

  “He did,” T.J. said. “At least that’s what I always heard.”

  “Do you know Tiffany?” Wanda Nell asked.

  “A little,” T.J. answered. “But she didn’t have much to do with me. She had her own little group, and they were too good for anybody who lived in a trailer park.” He grinned.

  “Sounds pretty stuck-up,” Jack said. “I’ve got a few girls like her in my classes, I’m sorry to say.”

  “Yeah, she was stuck-up,” T.J. said, “and about as smart as a dead rat.” He laughed. “From what I heard, the only reason she made it into Ole Miss and was able to graduate was because her daddy gave them a lot of money.”

  “And this is the girl Gerald Blakeley is so in love with?” Wanda Nell just shook her head.

  “She may be dumb,” T.J. said, “but she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He laughed again. “The trouble is, she knows it, but guys like Gerald don’t care. She’s not worth spit as a human being, but because of the way she looks, she’s had guys slobbering all over her since she was twelve.”

  “And we know what they have on their tiny little minds,” Wanda Nell said, poking Jack in the ribs.

  “Hey, don’t lump me in with that group,” Jack said. “You know I love you for your mind. The fact that I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen has nothing to do with it.”