Murder at the Blue Plate Café (A Blue Plate Café Mystery) (16 page)

The next morning I set up for breakfast almost mechanically, figuring work would keep my mind off things I didn’t want to think about. The staff kind of skirted around me. But Gus caught my eye at one point and gave me a thumbs up, which I guess meant he thought things would turn out okay, and I was doing all right. I hope so, because I returned the sign. Benny was extraordinarily polite to me, as though I was fragile and might break at any time. Maybe he was right.

Steve
Millican
came in early, about eight, looking some the worse for wear. “Coffee, black and strong.”

“You want eggs with that?”

He shuddered. “Not yet.”

“Late night, I gather.” I hadn’t missed his red-rimmed eyes, but he didn’t acknowledge what I said.

I brought the coffee with a cup for myself and sat down next to him. I didn’t mention that I’d frequently seen cars coming and going from the nursery late at night, although last night I’d been too preoccupied. I started the conversation with, “I bought a dog.”

That perked him up a bit. “What kind?”

“A
Labradoodle
from the humane society in Tyler. Well, I really bought it for my niece and nephew, but it lives with me. Name’s
Huggles
.”

“
Huggles
. What kind of a name for a dog is that?” He now had a slight smile.

“Wait till you see him. You’ll see.”

“I can hardly wait. I love dogs. You gonna keep him in the house all the time while you work?”

“No. I locked him in the kitchen this morning. I know he’s got house manners, but I’m not sure about him yet. I gave him water and toys, and I fed him and took him out before I came over here. He’s fine off the leash if I’m outside with him. The minute I call his name, he comes running. But I wouldn’t dare leave him out without a fence.”

“And you want me to build a fence.” It wasn’t a question.

“Psychic, that’s what you are. Can you? I thought he’d have the porch for shelter, and I’d put a dog bed out there for him, in addition to one inside.”

He thought a minute. “Your yard is already fenced on three sides. All we’d have to do is put something across the driveway, from the house to the side fence. And a gate.”

“Could I have a gate I could drive through?”

“Unless you make it electronic, you won’t do that. And what if
Huggles
ran out while you were driving in? I suggest a wooden fence, maybe picket, with a gate you can walk through. I can make a stepping stone path for you easily. And you can carry groceries that far, Kate, or learn to use your front door.”

“Deal. When do you want to come over and look?”

“Maybe this evening?”

“Great. I’m not sure what the day will bring, but let’s tentatively count on it. You heard the news, I guess?” If he hadn’t, he’d been living in a cave.

“What news? I’ve been sort of out of it. New shipment at the nursery and stuff.”

So I filled him in, and he listened open-mouthed. “No shit? This all really happened? Sounds to me like you’re making up a mystery as you go along.”

“I only wish. I wish I could wake up and it would be all gone. But it’s true, too true.”

“Holy shit,” he repeated. “I guess I’m ready for those eggs now. Your troubles are a lot worse than mine. I’m sorry about it all, Kate.”

“Thanks. How do you want your eggs?”

****

About one o’clock that afternoon, Tom brought all three children to the café while he went to Canton to get Donna. “I don’t think they should see her in jail,” he said. “They’ve got books, electronic games, lots of stuff to keep them busy.”

“When it slows down, we’ll visit
Huggles
. Call me when you get to the house, and I’ll bring the children. I need to see Donna.”

Ava, Henry, and Jess settled at the corner table. Ava was deep in a book (I later found it was
Alice in Wonderland),
Henry had his hand-held computer game thing, and Jess was coloring in a book. I brought them Cokes and ice cream, and they thanked me politely. By two, the café was fairly quiet. Since we’d close at three, I figured I could leave and come back and do the books later.

We went to visit
Huggles
, who was ecstatic. The kids took him out in the yard with some toys they could throw. I sat in the rocking chair, ready to call him if he headed toward the driveway. He did once, and when I said, “
Huggles
, come!” he came happily toward me, with a look on his face that said, “Did you want me, Mother?” The kids threw balls and rubber chew toys endlessly. Even Ava joined in.
Huggles
would be exhausted and sleep well that night.

I vacillated about
Huggles
, one minute thinking how selfish it was of me to get a dog in the midst of all this trauma and the next thinking what a wonderful distraction he was for the children—and for me.

Tom called about three-thirty to say they were home, and Donna wanted to see the children. We put
Huggles
inside, at which he howled his displeasure, and we piled into my car.

Donna was apparently beyond anger. She was subdued, sitting in a chair staring, answering mechanically with one-syllable answers, mostly “Yes” and “No.” When the children asked her questions about jail, she hugged them and said, “Not now.” They finally wandered away, all except Jess who stayed close to her mom—and to me.

“Donna?”

“I have to report to Canton once a week, to the bail bond office, and there’s a whole list of things I can’t do, too much for anyone to remember. Tom will have to do the school chauffeuring, the games and other activities, the grocery shopping, and so forth. I’m not setting foot out of this house. People will be staring at me, pointing. ‘There she is. The murderer.’ I won’t have it!”

“Calm down, sweetheart. I’ll take care of all of it,” Tom said.

“And I’ll help. However I can. It’s too late for us to order from the café, but can I fix you something for supper? Tom, do you have catfish in the freezer?”

“Thanks, Kate,” Tom said, “but I stopped in Canton at the store. Got some steaks. I figure we deserve them.”

“You sure do.” I hugged each of them, went to say goodbye to the children, and left. This was the time for the
Brysons
to be a family. I only hoped Donna would do her part. I wondered how much of her attitude was shock at being arrested and how much was grief over Irv’s death.

Back home I was at loose ends. As I wandered about the house, wondering what to do,
Huggles
followed my every step, while Wynona slept contently on the bed.

Maybe I should start cleaning out some of Gram’s stuff, something I’d been reluctant to do. I’d start with her medicine chest and that damn digitalis. But when I opened the medicine chest, there was no digitalis. I knew I saw a bottle of pills that last time I looked, even though it didn’t have nearly as many pills as it should have. Now the whole bottle was gone. Clearly, someone had been in my house and in my medicine chest. If I could pinpoint who, I might know who poisoned the mayor. I threw out toothbrushes, half-used tubes of toothpaste, her cosmetics, none of which were anything I’d use. But I kept her eau de cologne, the Jean Nate she’d worn forever. The very smell of it brought her back to me, and I said, “Oh, Gram, I miss you.”

No answer. Wasn’t she listening?

Then I wandered to her closet and pulled out her modest wardrobe—mostly flowered cotton dresses that she wore under her aprons and sturdy athletic shoes that kept her on her feet in the café. All of these would go to some homeless shelter. There were a few sweaters I thought I might wear, but most everything else I put in the bags for charity. Except underwear. Who wants used underwear? And hose? Gram was devoted to those awful knee-high hose.

By the time I was done with Gram’s room, I had accumulated five bags for charity and two for trash. Not bad. There wasn’t much else I was ready to tackle right away, though I realized sometime I would have to look into the old roll-top desk she kept in the third bedroom. I’d looked through it quickly once for financial records, hadn’t found any, and put off the rest until another day.

I was tired, hungry, and worried about Donna. I thought of them eating steaks as I reheated a slice of frozen pizza and poured a glass of red wine.
Huggles
was still at my feet every minute.

“Come on, boy. Let’s eat on the porch. In fact, I’ll feed you on the porch, and we can eat together.” I did
not
want a dog who begged while I ate. So far
Huggles
seemed agreeable to this plan, so outside we went.

It was hot. No two ways about it. East Texas summer hot with no breeze. I wished for the fans David had suggested, but still sat enjoying the silence, trying to quiet my worries.

“Kate? You in the mood for company?” Steve
Millican’s
voice sounded around the corner, and
Huggles
bounded to greet him. Instantly, Steve was down on one knee, tousling the dog’s head, sparring with him, and loving him.
Huggles
was enchanted. What was that old saw about judging a man by the way he reacted to dogs?

“Come on up,” I said. “I’ve got more pizza I can heat, and I’ve got beer and wine.”

“I’ll settle for a beer,” he said. “Great dog.”

I thanked him and went for the beer. When I came back, he was prowling the yard. Fortunately, it was still light enough for him to see. When he came back, he said, “No escape holes in the fence. All you need is that fence across the drive. Let me ask you, do you want privacy or openness?”

“Openness. But not a hurricane fence.”

“Lord, no. I can get some nice slatted wood fence at Home Depot in Canton. Trust me?”

“Yeah, I do. Please do it as soon as you can, and send me a bill. I think I still have a balance at the nursery.”

“I’ll check. You realize that
Huggles
might put a crimp in your gardening. You can pot garden your herbs, but the ones you really care about should be on shelves on the porch. Want me to build some?”

I knew what he meant.
Huggles
, who now lay at our feet, might mark his territory on my plants. “Good idea. Who cares if he gets the poke
sallet
? Tom will just have to wash it more carefully.”

“How are they? Your sister and her husband? Is she going down for this?”

Going down.
The language that told me he knew the world of police and criminals all too well. “She didn’t do it,” I said fiercely, “and you can start spreading the word on Wheeler’s grapevine.”

“Hey,” his hands rose defensively, “I’m not much plugged into that grapevine. As you found out this morning.”

“I not only have to find out who did this so I can clear Donna, but I have to stop the gossip. At the moment, it seems slightly overwhelming, and I’m blue.”

Steve held his beer and stared off into space. “I’m sure it does. But, you know what, Kate? I think you’ll do it. I wish you could also make things right for me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m just thinking of moving on. It’s time to go, but I’m worried about Joanie.’

“Can you tell me about it?”

“
Naw
, it’s just a thought. Thanks for the beer.” He crumpled his can, set it down, and was gone, leaving me rocking and guessing. The cars that pulled up at the nursery in the night must be part of it, but that wasn’t my problem to solve. Donna was.

****

Donna didn’t help herself much in the next few days. She didn’t leave the house, and when I went to see her, she was withdrawn and distant, as she’d been the day she came home. Tom said she spent hours sitting in one chair in the living room. The kids tiptoed around her, made themselves PBJ sandwiches and brought some to her, a gift of love she ignored, though she did drink white
zin
, probably too much.

I tried to get her to talk, tell me about Irv
Litman
. Maybe I could glean some gem if I just knew more about him. “Did he have any enemies? Here? In Dallas?”

She shook her head, then slowly, “Well, his ex-wife wasn’t too fond of him, but I doubt she’d come to Wheeler and kill him. His kids are devastated. I talked to them. The ex is pulling together the memorial service.” Bitterness crept into her voice. “I can’t go because I can’t leave the county. I don’t suppose I’d be welcome anyway. Even the kids think it’s my fault. If he hadn’t been in Wheeler, he wouldn’t have been killed.”