Full Bloom (20 page)

“How about a shower?” he said.

She turned. “You mean together?”

“It’ll be more fun that way. Besides, you know what they say: it’s cheaper if two people shower at the same time.”

“Oh yeah?”

He stepped closer and gathered her in his arms, tilted her head up, and kissed her. He ran his hands through her hair, across her shoulders, and down her back before sliding them over her hips and pulling her closer.

Annie tasted the chocolate on his tongue, felt the strength of his arms. She laid one cheek on his chest. He felt safe, like an anchor holding her in place even with all that was going on in her life. At the same time, his kisses turned her thoughts to mush and sent logic right out the door.

After a moment, he pulled back slightly. “Is my timing off?” he asked. “I know you have a lot on your mind.”

She took his hand and led him toward the stairs, where he paused to take off his boots, as though realizing they would make too much noise on the bare steps. Nevertheless, the wood creaked beneath his and Annie’s feet, and she winced, hoping they didn’t wake Theenie. Inside the bathroom, Annie grabbed a couple of towels and washcloths from the linen cabinet.

“We don’t need washcloths,” he said. “I’d rather wash you with my hands.”

Annie’s stomach did a little dance at the thought. She put the washcloths back. When she turned, she found him pulling off his shirt.

Wes reached for the buttons on her blouse, undoing them slowly, pressing kisses against her neck and shoulders as he pushed the material aside and let it fall to the floor. He gazed at the lacy bra she wore. “Nice,” he said, cupping her breasts with his hands.

Annie could feel the heat of his touch through the fabric, and she stifled the moan low in her throat. Wes reached around and undid the clasp. He tossed the bra aside and pulled her against him once more. Skin touched skin.

He lowered his head and took one nipple in his mouth and tongued it until Annie felt it harden. He moved to the other nipple and teased it as he reached for the button on her slacks.

Annie slipped her arms around his neck and sighed as her body reacted; her lower belly warmed. Wes leaned down and pulled off her shoes. Her slacks joined the rest of her clothes on the floor. Finally, he removed her panties, and his bold stare drank in the sight of her naked body.

Annie could not help feeling self-conscious. She and Charles hadn’t showered together often. Their first time in bed had not been at all romantic; he’d simply suggested they strip down and crawl beneath the sheets, where they could “fool around.” His caresses had not been slow and light like Wes’s. She’d felt rushed and, afterward, an enormous sense of disappointment and frustration as Charles held her in his arms stiffly for a few minutes before turning over and reaching for the remote control and turning on
Letterman
.

Wes kissed her once more, and his big hands felt like heaven on her body. “Undress me,” he said against her lips.

Annie was only too happy to oblige. Her knuckles grazed his hard belly as she unfastened his jeans and tugged the zipper. Freed from their clothes, they simply stared at each other.

“You’re beautiful,” he said. His smile was lazy and sexy as hell.

“You’re not so bad yourself, big guy.”

Wes turned on the water, tested it, and motioned for Annie to step in first. He joined her and pulled the shower curtain closed.

The warm water felt good against Annie’s shoulders and back. Wes wet the soap, made lather, and then spread it across her back. He put the soap aside and began kneading her neck and shoulder muscles until Annie felt them go lax. He massaged her back as he washed. Annie sighed.

“Feel good?” he asked.

She nodded. “I guess I was a little tense.”

He chuckled and turned her around. “There are other ways to relieve tension, you know.” He soaped her from head to toe before slipping his hand between her thighs. Annie cried out softly as he brought her to orgasm. She grasped his shoulders, buried her face against his chest, and shuddered.

“Sweet,” he said.

Once she stopped trembling, Annie washed his back and hips. She soaped his chest and stomach before moving lower. He was already erect. Palms slick with soap, Annie closed her fist around him and brought him to full arousal. Wes laughed softly as he stilled her hand, rinsed himself, and turned off the water. They dried quickly and moved into the bedroom.

He wasted no time, running his tongue lazily across her body, to her center, until Annie clutched at the covers and bit back the moans that accompanied the burst of pleasure that was as powerful as the first. Wes moved over her, and she arched high as he filled her. They moved together fluidly. Annie felt her eyes tear with emotion at the beauty of their coupling, the exquisiteness of their joined bodies, and the sound of her name on Wes’s lips when he lost himself in her.

Afterward, he gathered her close and they lay there quietly as their heartbeats slowed. Wes glanced down. “Why the sad look?”

“I’m just tired,” she said. “It’s been a long night.” She couldn’t tell him the truth: that she was beginning to care about him too much too soon, and that it terrified her.

Wes arrived at Lamar Tevis’s office shortly after 10:00 AM and found the police chief sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, both feet propped on his desk. He looked up. “What happened to your face?”

“I cut it shaving.”

“Holy cow!”

“I have information on the Fortenberry case,” Wes said.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Lamar asked. “We also have cheese Danish. Homemade, I might add, by our dispatcher. Yesterday it was cinnamon rolls, and the day before that—”

“No thanks,” Wes interrupted.

“Grab a chair and tell me what you got,” Lamar said.

Wes told him what he knew about Donna and Norm Schaefer.

“So Fortenberry was having an affair with his boss’s wife. Sounds like trouble waiting to happen.”

Wes reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the sapphire and diamond earring, and placed it on the desk. “She lost this at Annie’s place.”

Lamar pulled his feet from the desk. “Hey, this is nice,” he said, picking up the earring and studying it closely. “Are these real diamonds?”

“Yeah. I just had it checked out at the jewelry store down the street. You’ve got a full karat sapphire and another karat of diamonds, all high-quality stones.”

“I’m confused,” Lamar said. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“It puts Donna Schaefer at the house during the time Annie was away.”

“Was that the only time she went to the house?”

“Mrs. Schaefer visited at Christmas, months before Charles came up missing. It was the same Christmas her husband bought the earrings. Annie said the woman loved them so much she wore them all the time. She and Charles had planned to leave together, but he didn’t show.”

Lamar reached for a notebook and began scribbling.

“Here’s my theory,” Wes said. “Although she denies it, I think Mrs. Schaefer was angry when Charles didn’t arrive at her house as planned and she drove over to confront him. They got into a bad argument, and it became physical.”

“Why do you suppose Fortenberry changed his mind?”

“Maybe he met someone else in the meantime. He had a reputation for cheating on his wife.”

“Did Mrs. Schaefer’s husband know about the affair?”

“I’ve got information that suggests he did.”

“Okay,” Lamar said, scratching his head as though he was having trouble taking it all in. “It sounds like you might have something here. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to back up and start from the beginning. Just so I get my facts right.”

“No problem.”

“By the way, how in the world did you get this information?” Lamar asked.

“From a very reliable source.”

Annie and Theenie slipped into River Road Baptist Church and sat in the very last row. Several people glanced at them, and Annie wondered if her oversize sunglasses offered the disguise she’d hoped for. Under normal circumstances she would have sat up front with the immediate family, but the current circumstances were anything but normal. Eve Fortenberry walked into the church, pain etched into the deep lines on either side of her mouth, making her shoulders sag with the burden of it. Annie’s heart went out to the woman who’d never really welcomed her into the fold despite all Annie had done to be a good wife.

On a table at the front of the church was a portrait of Charles, young, handsome, and smiling. More regret.

As though sensing Annie’s deep sadness, Theenie covered one hand with hers. Annie was glad Theenie had insisted on attending the service with her. She looked about the church and saw Norm Schaefer sitting across the aisle, staring at her. He looked angry; Annie suspected he’d already been questioned. He was alone. Obviously Donna had chosen not to attend.

“Scoot down,” Theenie said, interrupting Annie’s thoughts.

Annie looked up. Jamie and Max stood at the end of the row. She immediately made room for them. “Thanks for coming,” she said, relieved to find two friendly faces in the crowd.

Jamie reached around Theenie and took Annie’s hand. “We thought you’d need a little moral support, but we have to leave as soon as the service is over. A couple of employees are out sick with the flu, so we’re covering for them.”

Annie smiled and nodded as a woman began singing “Amazing Grace.” Afterward, people walked to the podium and told of warm and sometimes funny experiences they’d shared with Charles. Annie found herself smiling from time to time. She had forgotten that side of her husband.

Once the service was over, Annie made her way toward Eve, hoping to catch up with her before she was ushered toward the limo that had been provided by the funeral home. Annie touched Eve’s shoulder lightly, and the woman turned. She had obviously been so caught up in her pain that she hadn’t noticed Annie in the crowd, because her face suddenly became as cold as a barren winter ground.

“Eve, I’m so sorry,” Annie began. “I can only guess how hard this is—”

“What in the name of God are you doing here?” Eve hissed. “How can you even show your face?”

Annie had never seen such contempt. “I was his wife.”

“You’re a cold-blooded murderer is what you are.”

“We should go,” Theenie said, nudging Annie.

“I did
not
kill your son,” Annie insisted. “I can’t believe you’d even think it.”

“Go home, Annie. I can’t bear the sight of you. Go back to that new boyfriend of yours that I paid for.”

“What are you talking about?” Theenie asked when Annie merely stared back at the woman in utter confusion.

Eve looked at Annie, eyes narrowed. “You don’t even know, do you?” When Annie shook her head, Eve almost smirked. “You poor little fool. He’s a private investigator. I hired him to find out what you’d done to my son.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I should drive,” Theenie insisted as they approached Annie’s car. “You’re far too upset.”

Upset
didn’t come close to describing how Annie felt.
You poor fool
. Eve’s words echoed in Annie’s head. And that’s exactly what she was. Wes Bridges had been hired by her mother-in-law to look into her claims that Annie was responsible for Charles’s disappearance. Renting a room in her B & B had made it easy. Sleeping with her had provided the intimacy Wes thought would make her more open to a little pillow talk.

“You haven’t driven in years,” Annie said. Her face and limbs felt numb and her chest tight. She gulped in several breaths. A horn blew and Theenie pulled her from the path of a car.

“Are you okay?” Theenie asked.

Annie nodded.

“Give me the car keys.”

“It’s a stick shift.”

Theenie shrugged. “It’s been a while, but I can do it. You need help getting into the car?”

Annie shook her head and climbed into the passenger seat as Theenie took her place behind the steering wheel. She started the car, and it leaped forward and died.

“Clutch,” Annie said.

“Oh yeah. It’s all starting to come back to me now.” Theenie tried again, and the car lurched forward. “You want me to take you home?”

“No. I can’t face Wes right now. Take me to a bar.”

“Come again?”

“I need a drink.”

“Oh dear, I’ve never really been in a bar. We might look like a couple of sluts, walking in by ourselves.”

“I
am
a slut,” Annie said. “A fool
and
a slut.”

“You’re not a fool.”

They drove a distance, the car bumping along as Theenie tried to reacquaint herself with a four-in-the-floor. “There’s a bar,” Annie said, pointing to a place called Jimbo’s Bar and Grill. “Pull in.”

“It looks a little rough to me,” Theenie said, but did as she was told.

Annie climbed from the car and marched toward the door. Theenie had to move quickly to keep up with her. They stepped inside and blinked, trying to adjust their eyes to the dark interior. It smelled of stale cigarette smoke. The bartender, a big man in a stained white T-shirt, paused and stared. “We want a drink,” Annie announced.

“Have a seat.”

“Let’s sit in the booth in the back,” Theenie whispered, “so nobody will see us.”

They headed in that direction, still trying to maneuver their way in the dark. Theenie started to sit, then gave a little yelp and jumped up. “There’s a man lying here. He’s probably dead. Somebody probably shot him last night and forgot to remove the body. We should leave. You don’t need to be seen around dead people on account of you’re already up for a murder charge.”

Erdle Thorney sat up and blinked. Annie and Theenie blinked back. “What are you two doing here?” he asked.

“Annie needs a cold one,” Theenie said. She and Annie took the seat across from him. Theenie began picking at her fingernails. “You look awful,” she told Erdle.

The bartender arrived. “This is Jimbo,” Erdle said. “He owns the place.”

“I need something strong,” Annie said. “I’ve had the worst day of my life.” Well, maybe the second worst day, she thought, the first being when Charles’s remains were discovered buried in her backyard.

“Give her a tequila straight up,” Erdle said, “and as long as she’s buying, bring me the usual.”

“And you?” The bartender looked at Theenie.

“I’ll just have a glass of tea.”

“All we got is Long Island iced tea.”

Theenie looked thoughtful. “Well, I usually drink Lipton, but I’m open to new experiences.”

This brought a smile to Jimbo’s face. “I’ll be right back.”

The front door opened, and a man stood there for a moment, silhouetted by the light streaming in from the outside. He closed the door behind him, blinked several times as though trying to see, and then headed toward them.

“It’s Norm Schaefer,” Annie whispered.

Theenie squinted. “I didn’t know he was a worthless drunk, too.”

Norm approached the booth, a menacing look on his face. He pointed to Annie. “You and I need to have a little talk.”

“How did you know where to find us?” she asked.

“I followed you from the church.” He looked at Theenie. “Where’d you learn to drive? I’ve never seen such bad driving in my life. Somebody needs to take your license.”

Theenie hitched her head high and sniffed. “That would be difficult, seeing as I don’t have one.”

Norm gave a grunt of disgust. “You old people need to get off the road.”

“Would you like to sit down?” Annie asked, trying to be polite but hoping he wouldn’t take her up on her offer. She had never seen Norm act so rude, but she was determined not to make a scene.

He ignored her invitation. “What the hell did you tell the police?” he demanded, his eyes boring into hers. “They came to my office this morning and questioned me about your husband’s murder. I don’t like having cops show up at my place of business.”

“I haven’t told the police anything,” Annie replied. “It’s not my favorite place right now.”

He sneered. “Then it must have been your biker boyfriend.”

Annie hated sneers. She had an urge to slap it right off his face, but she was in no hurry to go back to jail. “Wes is not my boyfriend. He’s just somebody I have sex with.” The sneer disappeared, and Annie decided it was worth having Theenie and Erdle openly gape at her.

“I don’t care if he’s your damn plumber,” Norm said after he’d composed himself. “Tell him to mind his own business or you’re both going to be sorry.”

“Are you threatening me?” she asked.

“Don’t threaten her,” Erdle said. “I’m too drunk to kick your ass.”

Norm put his finger in Annie’s face, and she decided she liked that even less than sneering. But she wasn’t about to let him upset her; that’s exactly what he was looking for, and it would be her first time practicing anger management on her own. “Did you have something else you needed to say?” she asked lightly. “Before I ask the owner to throw you out?”

“Yeah.” Norm put his hands flat on the table and leaned closer. “Don’t blame me because your husband had problems keeping his zipper closed.”

Theenie gasped. “That’s a
terrible
thing to say on the day of Charles’s memorial service. Especially to his widow,” she added. “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners? Why, if I had children, which I don’t, I would have raised them to be more sensitive to other people’s feelings.”

Jimbo arrived with their drinks and set them on the table. “Y’all want to run a tab?”

“That’s fine,” Annie said. She waited for him to leave before she addressed Norm. Instead of lashing out as she was tempted to do, she decided to take the high road. “I’m sorry that you were embarrassed by the police, Norm,” she said, trying to sound sincere, “but they’re questioning all of Charles’s friends. That doesn’t mean you’re a suspect.”

“She’s right,” Theenie said as though hoping to diffuse the man’s anger. “Annie’s the only one they want to fry.”

With those words, Annie picked up her shot glass of tequila and tossed it back like she’d seen people do on TV. It took her breath away. “Holy crap!” she managed, and then began to wheeze.

“Bite into the lemon,” Erdle said.

Annie did as he said, but it didn’t help. “I can’t feel my tongue.”

Norm shook his head, muttered a four-letter word, and walked away.

“Here, dear,” Theenie said when Annie’s eyes began to roll around in her head. “Drink some of my tea. It’s not bad.”

Annie took the glass and gulped thirstily. Beads of perspiration oozed from her pores. She drained the glass.

“Uh-oh,” Erdle said.

“It’s okay,” Theenie told him. “I’ll order another.” She motioned for Jimbo. “Would you be so kind as to bring us two more iced teas?”

“Uh-oh,” Erdle said.

Two hours and three Long Island iced teas later, Theenie’s head was on the table and Annie was still telling Erdle how sorry Wes Bridges was. “Did I tell you he’s a private investigator hired by my mean ol’ mother-in-law to snoop on me?” she said, her words badly slurred.

Erdle nodded. “I believe you mentioned it once or twice or maybe ten times.” His words were equally slurred, but then, he’d drunk nonstop since Annie and Theenie had arrived.

Jimbo delivered their check. Annie picked it up, and her mouth dropped open. “Holy marolly!” She looked at him. “I believe you gave us somebody else’s check. We didn’t have this many drinks.”

“Long Island iced tea has four different kinds of booze in it, lady,” he said.

Annie looked at Erdle. “Did you know that?”

“Uh-huh. But you and the old gal seemed to like it.”

Annie swallowed. That explained why she could barely see. She leaned closer to Erdle. “I don’t have this much cash.”

“Don’t look at me. I’m flat busted.”

Annie smiled at Jimbo. “My credit card is at its limit. Do you take personal checks?”

“Nope.” He pointed to a big sign in bold letters that read: Absolutely No Personal Checks. Despite the size of it, Annie had to squint to see it, only to realize she was seeing double.

“Aw, c’mon, Jimbo,” Erdle said. “I can vouch for her.”

The man made a sound of disgust. “Look, Thorney, I don’t care if she’s the pope’s sister; you know the rules. If I had a dollar for every bounced check I’ve gotten over the years I could walk away from this dump a wealthy man.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do?” Annie asked.

“Hey, I don’t care if you have to go from table to table and give lap dances; it’s your problem. Let me know when you figure it out.”

“This is not good,” Erdle said.

“You’re right,” Annie said. “Because I don’t know the first thing about lap dancing.” She recounted her money in case she’d made a mistake. She was way short. “Will Jimbo call the cops on us?” she whispered to Erdle. “I can’t afford to get busted again.”

“I’ve seen it happen,” he said. “First Jimbo takes ’em out back and slaps ’em around; then he calls the cops.”

“Uh-oh. I can’t afford to get slapped around, either. I have to give a wedding day after tomorrow. I mean, how would it look?” She glanced at Theenie, who was snoring. “Maybe she can lend me some money. She tried to wake Theenie, but the woman didn’t so much as budge. Annie shook her harder. “Wake up, Theenie, I need money,” she shouted in her ear, causing the other customers to look their way.

“You’re making a scene,” Erdle hissed.

Annie sank into the booth. From the looks of the other customers, it was hard to believe that she could possibly say anything to offend or embarrass them.

“I have no other choice but to check Theenie’s purse,” Annie said. She pulled out the woman’s wallet, looked inside, and frowned. “She has less cash on her than I do.”

“Uh-oh,” Erdle said.

“What are we going to do?” Annie asked. “We can’t pay this tab.”

He thought for a minute. “I’ll call for backup.” He slid from the booth and almost landed on the floor. He grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself. “I’ll be back.”

Danny Gilbert arrived fifteen minutes later. He scratched his head and perused the threesome. “What happened to Theenie?”

“She’s taking a nap,” Annie said.

“So you ladies decided to drop in for a couple of drinks, huh?” he said, glancing about the room, now filled with bikers and construction workers.

Jimbo suddenly appeared. “The guy across the room wants to buy the redhead a drink,” he said.

Annie was flattered. “Oh yeah?”

“I think we’re leaving,” Danny said. “Do you have the check?”

“Sure do.” Jimbo handed it to Danny, who arched both brows. “Wow,” he said, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. “When you guys decide to tie one on, you don’t mess around.”

“It wasn’t our fault,” Annie said. “We didn’t know the bartender was putting extra booze in our drinks.” She looked at Jimbo as though she held him personally responsible for the condition they were in.

“They were drinking Long Island iced tea,” Jimbo told Danny.

Danny looked annoyed. “Did you inform them in advance how much alcohol was in each drink?”

“I don’t run a babysitting business,” Jimbo said.

Danny counted out the money and handed it to him.

The man didn’t look pleased. “What, no tip?”

“Yeah, I have a tip for you,” Danny said. “Next time tell people what they’re getting when they order a drink they’ve never heard of.”

Jimbo pocketed the money. “Just get them out of here, okay?”

“What are we going to do about Theenie?” Annie asked. “She’s passed out.”

“Good question,” Danny said.

Jimbo gave a disgusted sigh and motioned for Annie to get out of the booth. “Grab the old broad’s purse,” he said.

“Excuse me, but did you just refer to my friend as a broad? Why, you’re nothing but a—”

“Annie, let’s just get out of here,” Danny said. “Now.”

Annie reached for her and Theenie’s purses and slid from the booth. Jimbo leaned over, pulled Theenie across the booth, and threw her over his shoulder. “Just tell me where you want her.”

Annie fell asleep as soon as Danny helped her into the backseat of his car. “We’ll pick up your car in the morning,” he said, but she and Theenie were both out cold. “Guess you’re not really worried about it right now,” he said as he closed the door.

“What happened?” Danny asked Erdle when he joined him in the front seat. “I’ve never seen Annie in this condition.”

Erdle told him how Eve Fortenberry had treated Annie at Charles’s memorial service.

Danny looked incredulous. “Wes is actually working for Eve?”

“I don’t know what’s going on between them now. All I know is that Eve hired him to find out if Annie was responsible for her husband’s disappearance and obviously got a great deal of pleasure announcing it to Annie at the memorial.”

“Does Wes know that Annie’s on to him?” Danny asked.

“Not yet. But he will the minute Annie sets foot in that house, buh-lieve you me.” He paused and glanced over his shoulder at the two women. “Unless Annie is still unconscious.”

Danny chuckled. “You know, I think I’d like to hang around and see that.”

Annie and Theenie awoke as soon as Danny cut the engine. “Where am I?” Theenie asked. “What day is it? And how come my head hurts like the dickens?”