Laid Out and Candle Lit (2 page)

“This here’s your living room,” Dan said, and quickly showed him the rest of the layout. “You’ve got three bedrooms, and you can use any one you like, but this one at the end is the biggest and has the television. It also has the other front door opening out onto the porch.”

Ridge turned in a circle, his mouth hung wide open at the delicate workmanship and elegance of the house. The bungalow had ten-foot ceilings and was decorated with a woman’s touch. It didn’t
smell
old, and he was thankful for that. Dan walked to the window and turned on the AC. A pleasant hum filled the room.

“Sorry, you don’t have central heat and air. The sound of the unit may bother you at first, but after a while you won’t be able to sleep without the noise.”

Ridge placed his one bag on the bed. “No need to apologize. I appreciate getting to stay local and not having to drive back and forth to a neighboring city every day just to sleep. Do you own the home, or do you just get to keep the key?”

Dan reached into his pocket and took out his pouch of tobacco. “My sister, Tizzy, owns the house. You wouldn’t be able to get a room anyway. This time of year, people come from miles around to tour the homes in Tyler because of the Azalea Trails. I don’t understand women and flowers, but they’ll spend all day walkin’ and lookin’ at ‘em.”

He pointed out the window above the AC unit. “Tizzy lives next door.” Dan stepped to the porch, reached into the pouch, pinched a wad of tobacco and tucked it into his cheek. “If you need anything, you can contact her or me. I help her take care of the place. I’ll leave you to get settled, and when you’re done, come back down to the station. No hurry, I’ll be in the office all afternoon.”

Ridge strolled into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and found it fully stocked with basics and beer—
Bless her, this is a woman after my own heart
.

On the counter next to the coffee pot, he spotted a box from Sweet Thangs Bakery. He lifted the lid, eyed an assortment of muffins, and immediately bit into one. Blueberries and moist goodness melted onto his tongue.
Oh yeah, Sweet Thangs will definitely be a daily stop.
He smiled as he chewed. Podunk town? The hospitality already exceeded his expectations. Perhaps he’d been too quick to judge.

Ridge reminded himself about the “good ole boy” mentality of rural Texas. He’d need to tread lightly to gain their trust and friendship. Well, truthfully, he didn’t care about the friendship part, he wouldn’t be in town long enough for that to matter.

Once again, Ridge drove into the station parking lot. As he got out of the car, he settled his hat, then pushed the office door open wide. Inside, he found the sheriff, chief, and deputy reared back in their chairs. Chief Ramsey leaned forward. “Cooper, have you met my deputy, Bubba Tatum?”

Bubba jumped to his feet. “We’ve howdyed, but we ain’t shook. Glad to meet you, Cooper. Did you get squared away up at the house?”

Perfect, just perfect. What would a hick town be without a Bubba and an Earl? Now all we need is a Billy Bob.
“Yeah. And McAlister, thank your sister for me. She has the kitchen stocked with everything necessary. Now, what do we have on the case so far?”

“Take a load off, Cooper,” Dan McAlister said, spitting into a Styrofoam coffee cup and motioning to an empty chair. “Best we can tell, she died sometime between nine p.m. and two a.m. We talked to her husband and took his statement. Here’s a copy for you.” He pulled a single sheet from a manila folder and passed the paper to Ridge. “First, let me give you some background. The vic is Marlene Weston, Caucasian, forty-one years old. She was born and raised here, and owned the local bank. Her husband Carl is the president.”

“Carl claims she left the house last night around seven o’clock, headed to the church for a meeting. After that, she was going to the bank to go over some paperwork before the Board met today. She checked in with him about eight and said she was on her way to the bank. He goes to bed with the chickens, so he went directly after her call, and never woke up until this morning around eight.”

Dan rocked back in his chair, brought the cup to his mouth and spit again, then continued. “He tried calling her on her cell phone, and then at the bank. When he didn’t get an answer, he drove downtown and found her car but no sign of her. That’s when he called the police station to report something was wrong.”

Ridge started to speak, but the sheriff held his hand up to stop him. “Hold that thought, there’s my sister, I’ll be right back.” He stepped to the door as a car wheeled into the parking lot.

Bubba leaned forward and craned his neck. “Damn, there’s Tizzy.”

Ridge set his eyes on her as she got out of the vehicle. She was dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a bright red tee-shirt with the words “Sweet Thangs” in pink glitter stretched tightly across ample breasts.

Ridge hated the cliché
men think with their dicks.
He hated the truth of it.
And even though he felt a twinge of disgust at Bubba’s sexist remark, his dick-brain was in total agreement at the moment.

Bubba grinned. “Yeah, look but don’t touch.” He glanced at Ridge and nodded in the woman’s direction. “She found the body.”

Ridge felt an odd sensation at the thought of her being his next door neighbor. “I guess you’ve taken her statement. You got a copy?”

Chief Ramsey stepped to the desk, thumbed through the folder, and then handed a paper to Ridge. “Tizzy jogs every morning, and the cemetery is on her route.” Ramsey raised his brows and scrunched up his face. “And as crazy as it sounds, she sometimes stops and chats with some of the---er, residents. Today, she went through there at her usual time, about six, and that’s when she discovered the body. At first, she thought she was seeing things, but after taking a closer look, she recognized Marlene.”

“She seems awfully calm for someone who found a corpse a few hours ago,”

Ridge said, his blue eyes fixed, his voice stiff.

“Tizzy thinks of the departed in a different way from you and me. Uh . . . she not only chats with them, sometimes, they . . .
chat back
,” Bubba said.

Ridge snapped his head around. “You’re kidding, right?”

Both Bubba and Earl Dean gave a silent wag of their heads.

“So, you’re saying she actually talks to them and they talk to her? Well, case solved. Let’s get her to ask them who did it. Surely they witnessed something. I mean, what else are they doing other than lying around?” Ridge was unable to suppress his sarcasm.

The door swung open, and Dan and Tizzy walked in. All three men turned to face them. Ridge tipped his hat. “I’m Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper. I understand you found the body.”

Tizzy met his gaze with a slow flutter of her lashes and a sweet smile. “I know who you are,
Trooper
Cooper.” The Texas drawl flowed from her mouth like a lazy river. “Doesn’t take long for news to spread when a stranger arrives. I hope everything is satisfactory at Browning House. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

She had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen, like dark chocolate. Her creamy skin was flawless. He instantly desired to touch her, and he imagined how it would feel to let his hands linger on her body.

Dan’s voice brought him back to reality. “Earl, pass me my spit cup, would you?”

Tizzy shot him a look and placed her hands on her hips. “Lord, Dan, I honestly don’t understand how Mandy can stand to kiss you after you chew that stuff all day.”

“She chooses to focus on the many fine qualities I possess and not this one little bad habit. Take my word, she likes kissing me plenty.”

Tizzy cocked her head to one side and rolled her eyes. “What fine qualities are we talking about exactly?”

A slow grin curled his lips, and he nodded to emphasize each attribute. “Let’s see. I’m handsome, devoted, easy-going, passionate, a terrific father, wonderful husband,
fantastic
lover, and I work my butt off to rid the county of evil-doers. I’d say she’s pretty damn lucky to have me, chewing tobacco and all.”

“I stand corrected,” she said, raising her hands in surrender.

“Oh no you don’t,” Dan said. “You’re giving up too easy. What’s the deal?”

“No deal,” Tizzy shrugged. “You made me realize, you’re right and I’m wrong. Besides, I gotta get back down to Sweet Thangs. The rush is about to start. Talk to you boys later.”

Bubba struggled to open the door in time for her exit. “Tizzy, you know we’re not boys, we’re men.”

She looked up at him and grinned. “Oh Bubba, you’re all little boys at heart. Your toys only get bigger.” She sashayed out the door.

Bubba took a deep breath. “Damn, I can watch her leave all day.”

“Watch it, Bubba,” Dan said.

Ridge caught the door before it closed and followed, calling after her. “Say, Miss, I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your last name.”

Tizzy stopped, turned to face him, and propped her hip against her car. “Donovan, but just call me Tizzy, everyone does. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh, oh well, Miss Don . . . Tizzy, I was thinking we could return to the crime scene and go over exactly what you did and what you saw. I realize you’ve given your statement, but sometimes you should go back and retrace everything. You remember more, once you’re over the initial shock. I’m guessing you knew the deceased personally. Can you tell me anything about her which might be helpful? Did she have any enemies? Maybe somebody who disliked her?”

“Oh, she had people who didn’t like her. That’s for sure.”

“Could you give me a list?” He struggled to keep his eyes from drifting down her body and tried to ignore the acceleration of his pulse.

“Sure. There’s a local phone book in your bedside table. That’s your list.”

Damn, he couldn’t figure this woman out. “You’re saying nobody in town liked her? Does that include you? I understand she owned the bank, a fact which would make her a prominent citizen.”

Tizzy opened her car door and stood behind it. The open window framed her chest, breaking his concentration momentarily.

She brushed some fine strands of her long dark hair behind her ear. “Marlene Weston was not a nice person. She wanted to control everything in her life
and
this town, and she thought because she owned the bank, she could. And for the most part, she did. People tolerated her, envied her, even feared her, but take my word, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who actually
liked
her.”

Tizzy’s tone caused Ridge to press for more information. “You didn’t answer the other part of my question. Did you dislike her?”

She sat down in the car, nervously slid her hands up and down the steering wheel, then folded them in her lap. She looked up at him. “Once upon a time, I hated her, but that’s in the past. Did I like her? No. Did I dislike her? No. Am I glad she’s dead? No. Am I sorry she’s dead? No. Truthfully, I didn’t care one way or the other about Marlene Weston. As for going back to the scene of the crime, I’m not sure the cemetery is the crime scene. But I’ll be happy to meet you there later this afternoon.”

Ridge was more confused than ever. Maybe she didn’t realize she could be a suspect. Most witnesses, in his experience, were guarded. Especially if they disliked the victim. And regardless of what she said, she
disliked
Marlene Weston. “Why do you think that’s not where she was killed?”

She started to answer, but broke into a laugh. “Oh my Lord! I almost said ‘Because she wouldn’t be caught dead in that cemetery.’ But she was!” Now with her head thrown back, she laughed so hard she gasped for breath. “I’m sorry, Trooper Cooper. I’m not laughing about Marlene being murdered. I’m laughing at the absurdity of it. Her being found in a cemetery she wouldn’t set foot in.”

Then in a calmer voice, she spoke quietly. “Apparently, someone had a sick sense of humor.”

Placing his hand above the door of her car, he lowered his head. “Why is that? What did she have against the cemetery?”

Tizzy leaned back to get a better view of his face, reached for the key, and turned the engine. “I don’t have time to go into it right now. But I promise, this afternoon I’ll tell you the whole Marlene Weston story.”

He leaned in closer. “So she has a story?”

“Oh come on, Trooper Cooper. In a small town,
everyone
has a story.”

Ridge stood upright. “Miss Donovan, you understand I’m not a state trooper, don’t you? I’m a Texas Ranger.”

She tilted her head a little and took her bottom lip between her teeth. “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you about three o’clock in the cemetery,
Trooper
Cooper,” she said, eyes dancing up at him.

Ridge stared after her as she drove away. An unsettling sensation slid across his skin. He reminded himself that evil isn’t always ugly.

CHAPTER THREE

T
izzy parked across the street from Sweet Thangs, adjusted her rearview mirror and grabbed a tube of lipstick from her purse. She rubbed her lips together, spreading the shade
Boogie Nights
to get full coverage.

She took a deep breath and tried to shake off the memory of Marlene’s lifeless body. She wasn’t sure what emotion she was feeling. Marlene’s being dead didn’t make her less of a bitch, but Tizzy had never wished her dead. Well, in a fleeting moment, but not seriously.

Distraction, she told herself, pressing her fingers to her temples to stop the headache beginning behind her eyes. That’s what she needed to shut down her feelings: She’d throw herself into work. She’d bake. She’d tend bar. She’d schedule extra days at the bank, and volunteer an additional evening at the clinic.