Laid Out and Candle Lit (21 page)
Read Laid Out and Candle Lit Online
Authors: Ann Everett
Toby extended his hand, and Ridge shook it. “Mr. Ulrich, I understand Marlene bought dope from you. Is that true?”
Toby cut his eyes to Bubba. “Y’all here to arrest me?”
“I don’t know, Toby. You started dealing?”
“You know me better than that. I don’t deal. Never will.”
“So, you’re saying Marlene Weston never got weed from you?” Ridge asked.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying I didn’t sell it to her.”
Ridge folded his arms across his chest. “What? You just gave it to her out of the goodness of your heart?”
Toby shook his head. “I’m not saying that either, exactly.”
Hooking his thumbs in his pockets, Ridge widened his stance. “Let me guess. She screwed you for it.”
Toby thinned his lips, but didn’t say anything.
“Hell man, she was almost old enough to be your mama,” Bubba said.
“Look, if you think I made her screw me for it, you’re crazy. It was all her idea. Hell, I gave the weed to her and after I did, she came on to me. She was something. I guess she liked slumming because she’d show up out here sometimes when it wasn’t for dope.”
Ridge cut his eyes over at Bubba, then turned his attention back to Toby. “You got an alibi for the night she was killed?”
“Yeah. I was in Lubbock, visiting relatives. Are you gonna arrest me? I mean for giving her the dope?”
“No, but I’m gonna need the names of those relatives,” Ridge said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
F
rom the corner of her eye, Tizzy caught sight of Ridge when he settled on a stool at the end of the bar. Her stomach somersaulted. Damn, the man could set her on fire with a blink of his eye. She approached him and he winked at her. “Can I get you anything, Officer Cooper?”
“Yeah. Oh . . . you mean to drink,” he smiled. “My usual.”
“Watch out, city boy,” she said, twisting the top from a beer and handing it to him.
“Did you talk to your mom about keeping Gracie this weekend?”
“Yeah, we’re all set. I’m excited about going. I’ll get to shop, sleep late, and eat out in a fancy place with pretty food. We are gonna eat out in a fancy place, aren’t we?”
“Absolutely. The location is a surprise, so don’t ask. I don’t live far from the Galleria, so while I’m checking in with Captain Reynolds, you can go to the mall. Hey! Are you listening to me?
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, snapping out of her daydream.
“What’s going on, Tizzy?”
“Today has been a terrible day. We’ll talk later.”
Yeah, a terrible day was a bit of an understatement. The news from the doctor earlier had definitely taken the “J” out of joy.
By eleven o’clock, the bar crowd dwindled to fewer than a dozen patrons. Bubba took the stool next to Ridge. Tizzy busied herself gathering empty beer bottles, clearing tables, and wiping down the bar. She didn’t notice the woman with the bleached, spiked hair come in.
“Well, well, well. As I live and breathe, if it’s not sweet little Tizzy McAlister.”
Tizzy snapped her head around and eyed Carla Ferguson. She looked like the poster child for McDonald’s—fast, cheap and easy. War paint make-up and clothes so tight that they were cutting off the blood supply to her brain.
“Hello, Carla. What brings you to town? Boy band convention?”
“Sticks and stones, Tizzy, sticks and stones. Let’s say, currently, I’m between marriages, so I came home for a visit.”
“How many ex’s now? Four?”
“Shut up, Tizzy. I think the time’s right for me to share a little secret with you. One I’ve been keeping for years about your precious Boone.”
“I’m not interested in anything you say about Boone or anyone else,” she said, anger coursing through her veins and seething at the surface.
“Oh, I think you are. So get ready. I took his virginity. You thought he saved himself for you, but he didn‘t,” she gloated. “Whew! Damn! That felt good! I’ve wanted to tell you that for years!”
Tizzy lunged against the bar. “Liar! You take that back!”
“Bitch!” Carla screeched.
“White trash!” Tizzy screamed, pointing her finger at Carla.
“What was the poor guy to do? You wouldn’t put out, and he was suffering,” Carla said. “I just gave him the relief he needed. I’m not lying. How would I know about the little strawberry birthmark on his inner left thigh if I hadn’t seen it up close and personal? And believe me, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, I did . . . plenty of times.”
Tizzy climbed on top of the bar and crouched like a tiger on the hunt. “You liar! You dirty liar!” Tizzy screamed. She launched from the bar. Carla tried to get away, but Tizzy landed on her back and locked her legs around her waist. Carla’s arms flapped trying to get a hold of her rider. Tizzy grabbed two handfuls of hair and hung on for dear life. Screaming, they spun first one way and then the other, Tizzy holding on and Carla trying to break free.
“It was your fault! You wouldn’t put out, you little prude! Let go of me!” Carla yelled.
Strong hands grabbed Tizzy by her shoulders and hauled her off Carla. She snapped her head around. Ridge, his eyes wide, his mouth tight, had a firm grip on her. She tried to pull away, but his hold was unyielding. At the same time, Bubba stepped forward and pulled Carla clear. The fight was over before a crowd could gather.
Tizzy flailed her arms about, tried to get away from Ridge, her brain no longer capable of reasonable thoughts. “Well, I put out now! I put out plenty! I put out so damn much I have a urinary infection!” Tizzy ranted without taking a breath, “and Boone Donovan pales in comparison to the man I’m with now. He’s like Superman! Take my word. In the bedroom, he’s the MASTER and he wouldn’t touch your skanky ass with a ten-foot pole! Tell her, Ridge!”
Ridge gulped for air, and stuttered. “Uh . . . she’s right. Uh . . . uh . . . the man she’s with
wouldn’t
touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
Tizzy snapped back to reality and realized what she’d said. She straightened her clothes, shook her head, and spoke calmly over her shoulder. “Thank you, Officer Cooper.”
She set her eyes on Carla. “Now, get the hell out of my bar and don’t ever come back.”
“I want her arrested for assault! You all saw it. She attacked me!” Carla scanned the small crowd remaining for support and got none. “Bubba, I said arrest her.”
Bubba shook his head. “Sorry Carla. I didn’t witness an assault. I think Tizzy
accidentally
fell on you.” He looked around the room. “Anybody see an assault?” Everyone murmured and shook their heads. Bubba placed his hand in the small of Carla’s back. “Let me help you to your car.”
Tizzy watched them leave and realized that every eye in the room was on her. Ridge still held her by her shoulders. She shrugged away and addressed the crowd on the verge of tears. “I apologize. I lost my temper. But I’ve had a really bad day,” she whined. “So drinks on the house for everyone!”
They all rushed to the bar. Tizzy sat down in a chair. Her dad grinned and winked at her. Ridge sat down next to her. She laid her head over on the table and started to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. But today . . . first, Jared Medina called and asked me out. Then I went to the doctor because I have “honeymoon” sickness from too much sex, and the nurse at the doctor’s office knows me and thinks I got it from screwing Jared. By tomorrow, I’ll be in Town Talk . . .
local girl, Tizzy Donovan, goes crazy from too much sex and attacks old classmate.”
Ridge laughed. “You did have a bad day. And damn, it started out so good, with another little game of
Rover Takeover.”
“Yeah. Well, it went downhill from there.”
Bubba ambled back in and sat down with them. “Damn, man. I had no idea you could leap tall buildings in a single bound.” He broke into laughter.
Ridge patted Tizzy on the back. “Hey, Bubba’s right. How can I be upset when you gave me such a glowing recommendation?
Superman? Master of the bedroom?
Damn, I
am
a sex god.”
* * * * *
At three a.m., she crawled in bed next to him and snuggled at his neck. “Hmmm . . . you smell good.”
“Your coconut body wash, I’m beginning to like that stuff.”
“I’m sorry about tonight. Lately I’m an emotional wreck.”
He rolled over to face her. “I’m sorry you had to find out about Boone like that. She planned her attack well, in a public place. She had the advantage, a plan, it wasn’t a fair fight. But I have to say you’re pretty damn good in action.” He kissed her sweetly.
“You meant what you said, didn’t you?”
“About what?”
“About not touching her with a ten-foot pole. You wouldn’t, would you?”
“Darlin’ not even if she’d been boiled and you know what else?”
Tizzy could hear his smile in the dark. “What?”
“I wouldn’t even use my x-ray vision on her.” He laughed.
“You always say the perfect thing.”
Ridge shifted his body. “Let’s back up to the part about Jared Medina. I hope you cut him loose. It’s not good to keep him hanging if you’re not interested. You’re not . . . interested, are you?”
“You really are a silly boy. No, I’m not interested, and yes, I cut him loose. He won’t be calling anymore.”
Tizzy sat up, removed her gown, and rolled naked next to Ridge.
“Tizzy?”
“Shhh,” she whispered, kissing him just beneath his ear. She ran her fingers through his hair. “I love your hair,” she said, claiming his mouth again.
Ridge moaned.
Next, she ran her tongue along the line of his collar bone. “This is my second favorite part of your body,” she breathed in his ear.
“Tizzy, you’re killing me.”
She crawled over, positioned herself between his legs, leaned low, and kissed his chest.
“What are you doing? I thought you said we couldn’t have sex.”
She smiled down at him as she started her descent, her long hair sweeping across his skin. “I said
I
couldn’t. I didn’t say anything about you.”
Moving two more kisses south, she eased her fingers inside his jockeys, slipped them down and got serious.
Ridge sucked in a deep breath. “Oh yeah, that’s my girl.”
She clutched his hips, her nails biting into him, his body rocking against her mouth in rhythm until she heard him moan, felt his body quake, until the siege ended.
She trailed kisses back up his body and nuzzled at his neck. “Are you okay?”
Still struggling for air, he spoke in short gasps. “Okay? I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Tizzy sat up straight. “Don’t ever say that. Don’t you understand? Even if I had the comfort of
knowing
you were in heaven, I’d never see you again,” she said, tears spilling from her eyes.
He gathered her in his arms. “Just a figure of speech, darlin’, but I won’t say it anymore.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I promise this is the last time I’m gonna cry tonight.”
“On a change of subject, let me ask you something . . . hypothetically. Do you think a man could be having sex with two women and neither one knows about the other? I’m talking long term, not a one night stand now and again.”
“
Hypothetically?
”
“Yeah,” Ridge said.
“No.”
“That’s it? No reason, explanation, rant, questions?”
“I’m assuming this
hypothetical
is about the case. So, we’re talking about Carl. Right?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Really, Ridge? We’re in bed together naked and you’re gonna play the
Ranger
card?”
“Point taken, Miss Smarty-Pants. Yeah, it’s about Carl. So what do you think?”
“Carl and Marlene didn’t sleep together, but they still had sex, and I’m pretty sure Carl has been having an affair with Leah for a long time. You wanna know if Leah knew about Carl and Marlene?”
“How the hell did you know Carl and Marlene didn’t sleep together, but still had sex?”
“Good grief, Ridge. Boone lived with them for years.”
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting. How do you know about Leah and Carl?”
“It’s pretty hard for a woman to hide her feelings about a man one hundred percent of the time. I’ve seen how they look at each other.”
“Well, women seem to possess a sixth sense about that stuff. You picked up on Ava from a slight scent of her perfume on my shirt. Ava picked up on you by my body language. So, you don’t think there’s any way Leah wouldn’t at least suspect Carl was having sex with his wife?”
Tizzy gave the question some thought before she answered. “It’d be a little harder in Carl’s case. After all, he
was
married to Marlene. He lived with her. He wasn’t sneaking around. She was in the house with him, in the car with him, at the bank with him. In public, they appeared to be a loving couple. They sat close. They touched each other. They were affectionate.”
