Leftover Dead (20 page)

“Did she tell you what her name was before she married?” Wanda Nell asked.

“No, I don’t believe she ever did,” Miss Fehrenbach said after a few moments’ thought. “Now that I come to think of it, I don’t believe Margaret ever really talked about her family at all. I assumed it was because she either didn’t have any to speak of, or they were so awful she was glad to be away from them.” She shook her head. “Whatever it was, it must have been pretty bad for her to take up with a man like Howell.”

“Okay, so we know that she probably worked as a maid for some family in Tullahoma,” Jack said. “And when she moved here, she was married, and she and Howell had adopted the baby. It seems to me that the family she worked for probably has some connection to Jenna Rae.”

“I would say you’re probably right,” Miss Fehrenbach said. “But I do have to correct you on one thing.”

“What’s that?” Wanda Nell asked, slightly puzzled.

“Howell was Jenna Rae’s adoptive father, but Margaret was her mother. There’s no doubt about that.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that,” Wanda Nell said after a moment. “It really makes more sense in a way.”

Jack nodded. “It sure does. Did Jenna Rae know that Margaret was really her mother?”

“Margaret had a long talk with her a day or two before she died, and I think that’s when she told Jenna Rae a number of things,” Miss Fehrenbach said. “I always thought that was mighty strange. When Howell first brought them here, he put out the story that he and Margaret had adopted the baby after they were married. Not that he was all that chatty about it, you understand.” She shrugged. “I had no reason, at least not then, not to believe what he said.”

“But at some point you began to suspect the truth,” Wanda Nell said.

Miss Fehrenbach nodded. “Oh my, yes. By the time Jenna Rae was six or seven, her resemblance to Margaret was undeniable. I asked Margaret about that one day, and she admitted it. I asked her why they had pretended otherwise for so long, and she didn’t have a very good answer. Just something to the effect that Howell wanted it that way. It was an odd situation, for sure.”

“Surely Jenna Rae could see the resemblance for herself,” Jack said.

“She probably did. She was a bright girl, like I told you before. But if she did, she kept her own counsel about it. She didn’t confide in me. I wish she had.” She sighed, twisting her hands in her lap. “If only she had, maybe I would know enough to help you now.”

Jack and Wanda Nell protested that she had already been of help, but Miss Fehrenbach gave them a sad smile. “Thank you, my dears. But what we all really need to know is who Jenna Rae’s biological father was. That seems to be the key to the whole terrible mess.”

“Exactly,” Jack said. “If we could find out who Margaret worked for in Tullahoma, that would be a start.”

“Since Jenna Rae was Margaret’s own daughter,” Wanda Nell added, “it seems reasonable to think that some married man got her pregnant, then fobbed her off on somebody to get her out of Tullahoma.”

Miss Fehrenbach nodded. “I’d say you’re right about that. The question is, though, was that married man her employer? Or someone else?”

“Good point,” Jack said. He shook his head in irritation. “And the one person who could answer these questions is right next door.”

“Do you want to go back over there and tackle him about it?” Wanda Nell asked. “I might have to ask Miss Fehrenbach to lend me a clothespin for my nose, but I’ll go with you.”

Both Jack and Miss Fehrenbach smiled at Wanda Nell’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“That’s not such a bad idea,” Miss Fehrenbach said. “About going back to talk to him, that is. If you wait much later in the day, he’ll probably be passed out for the night.” She shook her head, a doleful expression on her face. “Once he’s that far gone, not even the Last Trump would wake him up.”

“I suppose it’s worth a shot,” Jack said. He stood. “You don’t have to come, honey. Why don’t you stay here, where it’s cool and pleasant?”

Wanda Nell was torn. She wanted to be there in case Jack needed her for anything, but she remembered all too well the horror of the inside of that house. “Then I’ll stay here,” she said, with a quick glance at Miss Fehrenbach. “I’ll keep Miss Fehrenbach company, if that’s okay with her.”

“Of course, my dear.” Miss Fehrenbach beamed at them. “I don’t get that many visitors these days, and you’d be doing an old woman a service to visit longer.”

“Since that’s settled,” Jack said, “I guess I’ll go and get it over with. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get him to talk to me again.”

He turned to leave the room, insisting that he could see himself out. Miss Fehrenbach instructed him on how to set the latch so he could come back in when he was done. Jack thanked her and departed.

Moments later they could hear him knocking hard on Howell’s door.

“Good luck to him,” Miss Howell said. Wanda Nell nodded. “Now tell me, my dear, while Jack is gone, how long have you two been married?”

With a smile Wanda Nell responded to Miss Fehrenbach’s query, telling her a bit more about Jack and herself. They conversed for several minutes, and Wanda Nell told her hostess about her children.

“Sounds to me like you’ve done a lovely job raising them,” Miss Fehrenbach commented. “And since you didn’t mention their father, I guess he must have bowed out of the picture not long after Juliet was born.”

Wanda Nell had to laugh at that, and at the tone of censure in her hostess’s voice. She told her a little bit about Bobby Ray, and was just about to tell her about his murder when they heard Jack coming up the porch.

When he came into the room, he was scowling. He sat down by Wanda Nell. “That was pretty much a waste of time. He opened the door to me, but he wouldn’t answer my questions.”

“Oh, dear, I was afraid of that,” Miss Fehrenbach said. “That man could outstubborn a dozen mules any day.”

“He didn’t say anything?” Wanda Nell asked. “What, exactly, did you ask him?”

Jack had a long drink of water before he responded. Setting his glass on the table, he said, “I was very direct with him. I told him we knew he wasn’t telling the truth about Tullahoma. He just grunted at me.”

“Was that all?” Wanda Nell asked when he failed to continue.

“No. Next I asked him to tell me who his wife had worked for in Tullahoma. That at least got more than a grunt out of him. He asked me why I wanted to know something like that.” Jack glanced at Miss Fehrenbach. “But he didn’t ask it in words that polite.”

“I’ve lived next to him a long time,” Miss Fehrenbach said, her tone dry. “It’s been quite educational sometimes, but not in the best way.”

“I can imagine.” Jack’s tone matched hers. “When I told him that knowing who she worked for might help us find out who killed Jenna Rae, he just stared at me. Then he said he couldn’t remember, and I should get the hell out of his face.”

“I don’t believe him,” Wanda Nell said. “But maybe all the years of drinking have affected his memory.” She turned to their hostess. “What do you think? You know him a lot better than we do.”

Miss Fehrenbach considered the question for a moment. “It’s entirely possible that he doesn’t remember. Goodness knows, his brain is probably more like a pickled peach than anything else by now.” She shook her head. “But he could very well be lying. Since the whole matter of Margaret and the baby is very shady, I’d be willing to bet he does remember. Or certainly could, if he exerted himself a bit.”

“What should we do now?” Jack asked. “I don’t think it will do any good to go back again this afternoon.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Miss Fehrenbach said. “I think your best strategy would be to wait and talk to him again in the morning. Around ten. He’s usually up and moving around by then, and he hasn’t had time to get hard drunk yet.”

“Maybe we’ll have better luck in the morning, honey,” Wanda Nell offered hopefully. “We thought we might have to spend the night here, anyway.”

“That’s fine with me,” Jack said. “But we do need to find somewhere to stay. Miss Fehrenbach, are there any motels or hotels nearby?”

“Yes, but you’re overlooking the most obvious solution. You can stay here with me. I have a lovely extra bedroom, and you’d be most welcome to it. The only thing is, there’s only one bathroom, but that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“That’s very kind of you.” Wanda Nell was touched by their hostess’s generosity. “But we don’t want to impose on you.”

“What imposition?” Miss Fehrenbach beamed at her guests. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it. Besides, having the pleasure of your company would be such a treat.”

Neither Wanda Nell nor Jack could hold out against the wistful appeal in Miss Fehrenbach’s voice. “Then we’d be delighted to accept, and very grateful,” Jack said. “But I do insist that you let us take you out to dinner tonight as a way of expressing our thanks.”

Miss Fehrenbach clapped her hands together. “Why, thank you, Jack. What a sweet notion. I won’t argue with you. I don’t get to eat out in restaurants all that often these days. Now, you go get your things and bring them in, while I show Wanda Nell your room.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.”

While Jack went out to the car to retrieve their luggage, Wanda Nell followed Miss Fehrenbach down the hall. The house was bigger than it looked from the street, because it extended pretty far back on what was actually a large lot. There was a small dining room next to the front parlor, with the kitchen next. The two bedrooms were on the other side of the hall with the bathroom between them, and the front room on that side of the house was a study. There were shelves bulging with books, a couple of comfortable chairs with reading lamps, and a small desk.

“This looks very comfortable.” Wanda Nell smiled at Miss Fehrenbach. “I bet you spend a lot of time in here.”

“I do. I do love to read, and I’m blessed with good eyesight. Mother’s eyes didn’t give out until about a year before she died, and I’m counting on mine lasting at least that long, too.” She waved a hand at the shelves. “I love rereading, and I’m determined to reread my favorites often. Not to mention the new books I get from the library.”

Jack came back with their things, and Miss Fehrenbach left Wanda Nell to show him the way to their room. Once they were inside, Jack closed the door behind them. He set the bag down and surveyed the room. He stepped closer to examine an old but sturdy four-poster bed with a canopy. The top of the mattress came up to his waist.

“Looks very comfortable,” he said. “I haven’t slept in a bed like that since I used to stay with my dad’s mother.” He grinned. “Back then I had to take a running jump to get up on it. I was only five.”

Wanda Nell had to laugh at the thought. “I bet you were so cute when you were little. You’re even cuter now.”

“Shucks, I could say the same about you.” Jack gave her a quick kiss. “So, what do you think of all this?” He leaned against the side of the bed.

“The room, you mean, or the situation?”

“Both.”

“It’s a very nice room,” Wanda Nell said. “A lot nicer than the kind of motel we could afford. I wonder how she manages to keep everything so clean.” Indeed, the room appeared to be in apple-pie order, with not a speck of dust to be found.

“She’s such a little dynamo, I wouldn’t be surprised if she does it all herself,” Jack said admiringly. “But I’ll bet she gets some help, probably from ladies at her church.”

“You’re probably right. Now, about the situation. We’ve got to find some way to get Mr. Howell to talk to us. But what?”

“I’m not sure,” Jack said. “But I’m hoping Miss Fehrenbach’s right. Maybe he’ll be easier to talk to in the morning, if we can catch him before he’s had a chance to drink very much.”

“I guess. If we don’t, though, what’s our next step?”

“I already thought of one. Since we know Howell’s name, but not Margaret’s maiden name, I put in a call to T.J. and Tuck while I was outside. I asked them to see if they could find a marriage license for the Howells in Tullahoma or any of the nearby counties.” He shrugged. “It might be a long shot in some ways, because we can’t be sure they were actually married. This whole setup stinks to high heaven.”

“I bet they
were
married,” Wanda Nell said, after thinking about it for a moment. “I’ll bet Jenna Rae’s real father would have insisted on it, because he would have wanted to get Margaret and the baby permanently out of the way. At least, that’s what I think he would want in a situation like this.”

“You’re right. I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Jack paused. “The other thing I wonder about is how much money, if any, was involved.”

“Do you mean the real father paid Howell to marry Margaret and go away?”

“It seems logical. I think I’ll ask Miss Fehrenbach a few questions about it. For example, did Howell seem to have more money than he ought to, given that he was a janitor at a funeral parlor?”

“And if anybody would have noticed something like that,” Wanda Nell said, “I’m sure she would have.”

There was a light knock at the door. “Come in,” Jack called.

Miss Fehrenbach opened the door and peered in. “Is there anything y’all need?”

“Everything’s fine,” Wanda Nell assured her. “It’s a lovely room. I was telling Jack this is a lot nicer than any motel we would have stayed at. You’re so sweet to have us stay with you tonight.”

Their hostess beamed. “I’m so glad you like it. Now, if either of you would like to freshen up next door before dinner, you just go right ahead. I’ve set out some extra towels and so on, so you just make yourselves right at home.”

“Thank you,” Jack said. He glanced at his watch. “I’ve totally lost track of the time. It’s almost five-thirty.” He looked at Miss Fehrenbach. “What time would you like to go to dinner?”

“How about seven? That will give us all time to relax a bit and refresh ourselves. Besides, I have to decide what to wear. I haven’t put on my party clothes in quite a while.”