Bring Your Own Poison (19 page)

Tiffany went out the door, and Bill Warren turned away. He caught sight of Wanda Nell and walked forward to meet her.

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

“I'm at work, in case you hadn't noticed,” Wanda Nell said. “Besides, I don't have anything else to say to you.”

“I'm investigating a murder,” Bill said, “and if I have to talk to you, I don't care where it is. You get your tail back here on the double.” He walked past her, heading for the back of the restaurant. He didn't look back.

Wanda Nell felt her blood pressure shoot up, and the top of her head throbbed. He had some nerve, talking to her like that. If she could have put her hands on a baseball bat or a sturdy piece of lumber, she would have knocked his head off. She didn't care who was watching.

She stomped after him, determined to give him a piece of her mind.

Bill stood waiting for her in the center of the back room.

“You've got a hell of a nerve, talking to me like that,” Wanda Nell said. “I don't care who you think you are, don't ever speak to me like that again. You hear me?” She got right up in his face, and she was pleased to see him flinch.

“Chill, Wanda Nell,” Bill said. His face had reddened. “You're going to have a stroke one of these days, you keep on acting like that.”

Wanda Nell didn't reply. She simply stood there, glaring at him hard enough to strip the paint off the walls.

“I just needed to talk to you,” Bill said, not looking at her. “It occurs to me you really got bent out of shape when we were talking earlier, and you got the wrong end of the stick. You didn't really think I wanted you to lie about seeing Gerald Blakeley put something in the victim's drink, did you?”

What was he up to now? He was sounding almost apologetic, and that was a far cry from the way he had been earlier in the day.

Wanda Nell didn't say anything. She wanted to think about this for a moment.

The only answer she could come up with was maybe he had got wind of the fact that she had gone to see Elmer Lee. If that was true, then it meant that Bill was probably afraid of Elmer Lee and what he might do. She got a certain grim satisfaction out of that. She wanted to see him squirm.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Wanda Nell said, “I don't think I got the wrong end of the stick at all, Bill. I'd have to be about as dense as a fence post not to understand what you were getting at. So don't come in here and try to pretend it didn't happen.”

Bill's nostrils flared, and his face reddened again. “I swear, Wanda Nell, you screw with me, and you're going to be real sorry.”

“Funny,” Wanda Nell said, smiling, “I was just about to say the same thing to you.” The smile disappeared, and she said, “Now get the hell out of here, and leave me alone.”

Bill didn't move. He tried to stare her down, but finally he turned away. “I'm going, but I want to know one thing.”

“What?”

“What was Tiffany Farwell doing here? Did you call her and ask her to come here?”

Wanda Nell laughed. “Why would I call somebody I don't even know and ask them to come here? For your information, she showed up all on her own. She wanted to see where her fiancé died, the Lord only knows why.” She wasn't about to tell him about the conversation she had had with the girl. “I showed her, and that was that.”

Bill's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She could tell he didn't really believe her, but she didn't care.

Wanda Nell turned and walked away. She half expected him to call her back, but he didn't. She headed straight for the women's bathroom. She locked herself in and turned to stare at her face in the mirror. She was surprised her eyes hadn't bugged out completely because Bill had made her so mad. Her head was throbbing, and she wet a paper towel with cold water. She wrung it out and pressed it against her forehead. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall and concentrated on relaxing.

She wet the paper towel and wrung it out a couple more times. When her head finally stopped feeling like it was going to jump off her shoulders, she threw away the paper towel and left the bathroom.

Bill Warren was gone, and for that she was thankful. She couldn't take much more of him, or she really would have a stroke. She got busy helping Ruby clean off some of the tables, and soon she was feeling much better.

Melvin had been absent while Wanda Nell had been talking to Tiffany and Bill. He reappeared, coming through the kitchen door, while Wanda Nell was pouring one of their regulars, Junior Farley, a cup of coffee.

“Where've you been?” Wanda Nell asked Melvin.

“Doing some paperwork back in the office,” Melvin responded with a scowl. “It seemed pretty quiet out here, and I was a little behind on some of it. Y'all didn't need me, did you?”

“No, not really,” Wanda Nell said. She would have to do something nice for Ruby, who had taken up the slack while Wanda Nell had been in the back room. Ruby never uttered a word of complaint, however, and when Wanda Nell had tried to thank her, Ruby would have none of it.

Melvin looked around. “Where's Mayrene?”

Wanda Nell was surprised. “Mayrene? You mean she was here?”

“Yeah,” Melvin said. “I came out a few minutes ago to get me some coffee, and Mayrene was waiting here by the counter. She was looking for you, but you were back there talking to that cop. I thought she said she was going to wait for you.”

“I sure didn't see her,” Wanda Nell said. “She must've decided not to wait for some reason.” She frowned. “I sure hope everything's okay.”

“She didn't seem upset or anything,” Melvin said. “I would've stayed and talked to her, but I really had to get some of that work done before we get busy tonight.”

Wanda Nell was debating whether she should try calling her friend when Mayrene came waltzing through the front door.

“Where did you go?” Wanda Nell said. “Melvin just told me you were here a few minutes ago, and then you were gone. I was getting worried.”

Mayrene shrugged. “Yeah, I was here, but I could see you talking to a man. I figured you might be a few minutes, so I went and got my car filled up next door. And now I'm back.”

“Thank goodness nothing's wrong,” Wanda Nell said, feeling mighty relieved. “It's been such a day, I just knew something had to be wrong.”

“Now, honey,” Mayrene said, “don't get so worked up about things.” She sat down at the counter. “How's about some iced tea?”

“Coming right up,” Wanda Nell said. She fetched a glass of tea, a napkin, and teaspoon, and set them down in front of her friend.

“That sure was a good-looking man you were talking to,” Mayrene said, “though you didn't look real happy about it. He seemed real familiar to me, too, and I've been trying to figure out where I seen him before.” She frowned. “There was something different about him, maybe.”

Wanda Nell didn't say anything. It was obvious Mayrene didn't know who Bill Warren was, and she was curious to hear what her friend would tell her.

Mayrene tapped her teaspoon on the side of her glass. “Now I know where I seen him before. It was in Tunica a couple months ago.” She grinned. “You remember I went up there one weekend to the casinos with a couple of the girls from the beauty shop?”

Wanda Nell nodded.

“Well, that's where I seen him,” Mayrene said, “except that he looked a little different. He had a moustache and some glasses, but I know it was him.”

“So he was in one of the casinos?”

“Yeah,” Mayrene said. “And he wasn't really happy either. From what I could see, he'd been losing a lot of money, and he looked about ready to kill somebody.”

Wanda Nell stared at Mayrene for a moment, trying to figure out whether what she had just heard could have any bearing on the murder of Travis Blakeley. At the moment she couldn't see any connection between the two, but if Mayrene was really sure about seeing Bill losing money at a casino, she sure would tell Elmer Lee about it.

“Are you sure it's the same man?” Wanda Nell said, glancing toward the back room of the restaurant. “If you were right about here when you saw him”—Mayrene nodded—“you were kinda far away to get a real close look.”

Mayrene laughed. “Honey, when it comes to a good-looking man, you know I can see pretty darn good.”

Wanda Nell shook her head. “Seriously, Mayrene, are you sure? This could be important.”

“Who was it you was talking to?” Mayrene asked, sobering.

“Bill Warren. He's the state policeman who's investigating the murder,” Wanda Nell said. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I've got some stuff to tell you about him, but I can't do it here.”

Mayrene nodded. “Okay. But you know I'm going to be about dying of curiosity until you do.”

“Can't help that,” Wanda Nell said, grinning. “But, tell me, are you really sure he's the same guy you saw in Tunica?”

“Yeah, I'm sure,” Mayrene said, beginning to sound impatient. “I could see him pretty clearly from here. I recognized his hair first.”

Wanda Nell rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time Mayrene had told her she could recognize hair without seeing the face it was attached to. “How? What's so special about his hair?”

“For one thing, I don't see that shade of blond in men his age that often,” Mayrene said with some asperity. “Either he's putting some kind of rinse on it, or it runs in the family. The other thing is he has a funny little cowlick at the front of his hairline, right where he parts his hair. Didn't you notice it?”

Shrugging, Wanda Nell said, “Now that you mention it, I remember it. But I knew him back when we were in high school. I guess knowing him all those years ago, I didn't even think about the cowlick.”

“Anyhow, that's how I'm sure he's the same guy I saw at the casino,” Mayrene said. “Just for that, you can pay for my tea.”

Wanda Nell resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at her friend. “Okay, that's fair, I guess. Back to Bill and the casino. You said he was real mad and had lost a lot of money?”

“Yeah,” Mayrene said. “I happened to be passing his table, and he was arguing with somebody. That made me kinda curious, and I kept an eye out for him the rest of the night. He kept on losing and kept on losing, but he just came back for more. I don't know how much money he lost, but it looked like pretty serious bucks the way he was acting.”

“Sounds like he could have a real bad gambling problem,” Wanda Nell said.

“Maybe,” Mayrene replied. “But what the heck does that have to do with the murder?”

“I don't know,” Wanda Nell said, “but I bet it does somehow. We've just got to figure out how.” She sighed. “I'll call Tuck and tell him, see if he knows anything. Maybe he's heard something. And he can also let Elmer Lee know about it.” She remembered something.

“I seem to recall you went to Tunica two weekends in a row,” Wanda Nell said.

Mayrene nodded.

“Can you be sure which weekend it was, just in case it's important?” Mayrene wasn't always good with dates, and Wanda Nell wanted to be sure of her facts.

Mayrene thought for a minute, frowning. Then her face cleared. “Yeah, I know. It was the first weekend. I remember because my friend Teresa was with me that weekend, and she couldn't go the second one. You don't know Teresa, do you?”

“No, I don't think so,” Wanda Nell said.

“Well, Teresa—Teresa Taylor, she's a great girl, I know you'd like her. Anyway, the reason I remember is because while we were there and I saw your guy, guess who Teresa saw?” Mayrene was practically crowing, so Wanda Nell knew whatever it was, it must be good.

“Who?”

“Her boss,” Mayrene said. “He had his hands all over this woman who was with him, and according to Teresa, she wasn't his wife,” Mayrene said.

“Did he see Teresa?”

“No,” Mayrene said. “We made sure we stayed out of his way. Teresa's got a real good job in the office at the factory this guy owns, and she don't want to lose it. She makes good money, and she's got good benefits, too.”

“Good for her,” Wanda Nell said, feeling envious.

“Anyway, that's why I'm so sure of which weekend it was. And Teresa saw this guy, too, so she could be a witness, probably.”

“I don't know if it's important,” Wanda Nell said, “but it's good to know about your friend, just in case.”

Mayrene slapped a palm down lightly on the counter. “I almost forgot why I stopped by here in the first place,” she said, frowning at Wanda Nell.

“Why did you?” Wanda Nell said.

“I talked to Dixon late this afternoon,” Mayrene said. “He called me to tell me what he found out from talking to the police over in Meridian.”

“Okay, tell me,” Wanda Nell said. “I'm all ears.”

“According to the guy Dixon talked to, they don't have any records of Lisa ever talking to them about a stalker,” Mayrene said.

“That's not good,” Wanda Nell said.

“No, it sure ain't,” Mayrene replied. “But it gets worse. You remember the other night, Lisa mentioned a name? Lester Biggs.”

Wanda Nell nodded.

“Well, no such person works for the Meridian PD and never has,” Mayrene said. “Sounds to me like she just made up a name.”

“This is bad,” Wanda Nell said. “How am I going to break this to Jack? He's going to be real upset.”

“I know, honey,” Mayrene said. “But just to be sure about this, Lisa really did tell y'all she called the cops in Meridian about her stalker?”

“She sure did,” Wanda Nell said. “She told us she called them a couple of times before she found out he was a cop himself. That was about when she decided to move to Tullahoma.”

“What makes a woman lie about something like that?” Mayrene said. “I just don't get it.”

“I've been thinking about that,” Wanda Nell said. “What I figure is that she's real lonely. You've seen how shy she is around people a lot of the time. And she doesn't have any family to speak of, except Jack. Her parents died several years ago, and she don't have any brothers or sisters. Heck, I don't think she and Jack even have any other cousins, at least not close ones.”

“So she kinda depends on Jack for male attention,” Mayrene said.

“Exactly,” Wanda Nell said. “And maybe if I wasn't in the picture, she might have been okay once she moved here. But now, well, she can't have Jack to herself.”

“That's pretty sad,” Mayrene said.

“It is,” Wanda Nell replied. “And I bet it's going to get worse. Jack will take it hard.”

“You got to tell him.”

“I know. That don't make it any easier though.”

“You want me to be with you when you do it?” Mayrene asked.

“Thanks, honey,” Wanda Nell said. “But this is something I better do just him and me. You know how men are. If somebody else is there, no telling how he'll take it.”

“Ain't that the truth,” Mayrene said, shaking her head. She drained her glass and set it down. Rising from her stool, she said, “I better be getting on home. I gave Lisa a key, but I don't know if she'll be there or not.”

“I asked Tuck this morning if she had called him or come by, and she hadn't. I doubt she made it by this afternoon either, or even called him,” Wanda Nell said.

“I bet you she won't,” Mayrene said, “unless she's getting so far into this game she really has lost touch with reality.” She opened her purse and started rummaging around.

“No, it's on me, remember?” Wanda Nell said with a smile.

“That's right, it sure is.” Mayrene laughed. “Give me a call when you can, or if you need me for anything. I'll keep an eye out on the girls, too.”

“Thanks,” Wanda Nell said.

Once Mayrene was gone, Wanda Nell focused on actually doing her job. Ever since she had come in tonight she had been standing around talking to people and not getting anything done. Customers were beginning to trickle in for dinner, and soon she and Ruby were constantly on the move.

Wanda Nell halfway expected Jack to turn up that evening, because he so often did. When eight o'clock came and he still hadn't appeared, she stopped looking for him. He might have had a lot of papers to grade tonight, and when that was the case, he usually ate at home. That was the bad thing about being an English teacher, he had told her several times. English teachers always had more papers to deal with than teachers in other subjects.

For a moment Wanda Nell enjoyed thinking about her and Jack together, him grading papers and her reading a book. Just being able to be together, even if they were doing different things, would be wonderful.

Around nine business began slowing down, and Wanda Nell had a few minutes to take a break. She called Tuck on his cell phone, and he answered on the second ring.

“Tuck, it's me,” she said.

“What's up?” he asked.

“I don't have very long, but I've got some things to tell you,” she said. As succinctly as possible, she recounted the conversations she had had with Tiffany Farwell, Bill Warren, and Mayrene.

Tuck didn't interrupt her. When she was done, he said, “Now at least we have clearer motives for someone beside Gerald to kill Travis. Not to mention some other lines of inquiry that occur to me.”

“Good,” Wanda Nell said. “Before I forget, did Lisa ever call you, or come by?”

“No, neither one,” Tuck said. “Frankly I find that a bit strange.”

Wanda Nell didn't want to get into any explanations for Lisa's behavior, not until she had talked to Jack first. “Look, I've got to get back to work. I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Thanks for your help, Wanda Nell,” Tuck said before ringing off.

The last customer was gone by nine-forty-five, and by then Wanda Nell and Ruby had finished their side work. Melvin let them leave early, but Wanda Nell stayed long enough to make herself a sandwich to eat on the way to Budget Mart. She needed an energy boost for her overnight shift, and she wouldn't be able to take a break for a snack until around two a.m.

As she restocked shelves that night, Wanda Nell found her mind flitting back and forth between the murder and the problem of Lisa. She went over and over different ways of breaking the news to Jack, but none of them seemed quite right. Then she would start thinking about the murder, wondering how they would ever figure out who was really guilty. Maybe it was Gerald Blakeley, after all, and they were just spinning their wheels trying to prove someone else had done it.

Wanda Nell had to ask herself whether she would have made such an effort on Gerald's behalf if Bill Warren hadn't been involved in the case. Bill had turned out to be such a colossal jerk, and he had made her so mad, she was bound to act contrary in response. She hated to think Bill was right, that Gerald really was the murderer.

By the time her shift ended at six a.m., Wanda Nell was worn out mentally and physically. All she could think about was getting home and climbing into bed. After checking on Juliet first, of course. She hadn't forgotten about her daughter during all that back-and-forth musing on murder and fraud.

Everything was quiet at home when she let herself into the trailer. She dropped her purse on the counter in the kitchen before heading back to Juliet's room.

Juliet was sound asleep, and Wanda Nell gently placed a hand against her forehead. To her relief, it was cool and dry. As she pulled her hand away, one of Juliet's eyes opened, quickly followed by the other one. Yawning, Juliet pushed herself up into a sitting position.

“Good morning, Mama,” she said. “Did you just get home?”

“Yes,” Wanda Nell said. “I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to wake you up. You go back to sleep.”

Juliet shook her head. “No, I've had enough sleep, I think. I feel a lot better. My throat isn't hurting much at all this morning.” She reached for the pitcher of water on her bedside table. Wanda Nell took it from her and poured water into her glass for her.

“Thank you,” Juliet said. She drained the glass and set it back on the table. “Can I go back to school today, Mama? I really do feel a lot better.”

Wanda Nell frowned. Juliet was such an eager student, this wouldn't be the first time she had overestimated how well she was because she wanted to be at school.

“I'm not sure, honey,” Wanda Nell said. “I think you need to stay home another day, just to be safe. You need to keep taking those pills the doctor gave you, too.”