Sweet Tea and Secrets (33 page)

Elsie tooted her horn as she pulled up with Clyde bobbing his head out of the passenger window.

Jill waved from the living room picture window.

“Anything I can do to help?” Elsie asked when she stepped inside.

“You’ve done enough already, taking care of Clyde.”

“He was a good boy. No problem.” Elsie swept a finger across one of the panes and held a black finger up to Jill. “How did so much soot get inside the house?”

“I had these windows open. I guess I didn’t get them closed quick enough.”

“Man, that’s a mess. Sure you don’t need any help?”

“Nope. I’ve got it. It’ll be therapeutic to work off some stress until Carolanne gets here.”

“Okay, have your fun then.” Elsie headed back to her car, waving as she drove off.

Jill put Clyde out back and turned on the CD player. Pearl’s favorite Yanni song filled the room. The contemporary music struck a harmonic tempo only electronic keyboards and an orchestra could create. The instrumentals were feel-good music, and she needed to feel good today. She cranked up the volume and danced her way through the chores.

She sprayed the next window pane, and gave it a good scrub. After three attempts it finally looked clean. Maybe she should’ve accepted Elsie’s offer for help.

Someone knocked at the front door. Carolanne must’ve caught an early flight. That would be just like her. She hopped down from the step stool.

“Just a sec,” she sang out as she headed for the door.

She opened the door to find Sheriff Calvin on her doorstep. “Oh? I thought it was going to be Carolanne.” Jill said. “Everything’s fine around here for a change. What brings you by?”

“We got some information from the fingerprint work we did after the first break-in.”

“Well, I’m glad we got something out of it, because it was one heck of a mess to clean up.” She stepped out on to the porch towards the deacon’s bench. “Have a seat.” She noticed the baby blue Thunderbird in the front yard. “You’re still driving that around, huh? Not too good for undercover work is it?”

“Give me a break.” Scott loved that car, and everybody in town knew it. Originally, the car had been a heaping pile of junk they’d dragged out of the woods behind his granddaddy’s house. Then he and his dad had restored it to its original glamour, maybe better, working on it night and day the summer after Scott graduated from high school.

“I guess it’s true that you never forget your first love,” she teased.

“Enough about that.” He joined her on the bench. “I came to tell you what I found. One set of fingerprints came back that matched a Kimberly Louann Clatterbuck.

“Never heard of her. Is she local?”

“Nope. She’s originally out of the Atlanta area and she’s got a record,” Sheriff Calvin explained. “She’s done a little time too.”

Another car pulled into the yard. This time, it was Carolanne.

Jill waved her to join them on the porch. Once they all said their hellos they turned their attention back to the business at hand.

“So, who is this lady?” Jill asked Scott.

“We were able to match a photo to the fingerprints.” He handed her a picture from his shirt pocket.

Jill almost choked. “That’s not Kimberly Clatter-whatever. That’s Annie!”

“So you do know her.”

“Well, not as Kimberly Lou-whoever. She’s our housekeeper in Savannah.” Jill flipped the picture toward Carolanne. “It’s a crappy picture, but it’s her. I’ve lived with her for the last year.”

Carolanne grabbed the picture. “So this is the microwaving, no-cookin’ bitch that’s made your life a living hell for the past year?”

Jill nodded, and took the picture back from Carolanne.

“Any idea why she’d break into Pearl’s house?” Scott took the notepad from his shirt pocket and scribbled something.

“Not really. She fawned over Bradley, and she always misplaced my messages and did little things to pluck my nerves. She’s been Bradley’s housekeeper and cook forever. He wouldn’t fire her no matter what I said to him.”

“You wanted her fired?”

“Oh yeah. He and I fought about Annie all the time.”

“She knew it?”

“I’m sure she did.”

“Jealousy, maybe?”

“Me. No way. Her?” The image of Annie sprawled across the pool table with Bradley made her stomach churn. “Maybe.”

“The good news is I know where you can pick her up.” Jill grabbed the notebook out of Scott’s hands and scribbled down their address in Savannah. “She never goes anywhere. She’s all yours.”

“So I take it you want to press charges?” Scott asked.

“Absolutely.” Annie’s arrest would be sweet revenge after a year of harassment. “I kept telling Bradley she was bad news. But, no-o-o. He always stuck up for her.”

“He’s a shit,” Carolanne said. “Kicking him to the curb was the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”

Jill picked up her phone and hit speed dial.

“Who are you calling?” Carolanne asked.

“Bradley. Who else? I can’t wait to tell him I was right.” After listening to too many rings and getting dumped into voicemail, Jill flipped the phone closed against her thigh. “No answer. Figures.”

“I wouldn’t say two words to that jerk,” Carolanne said.

“I’ll leave you gals to gloat on your own. I wouldn’t say too much to Kase though.” Scott headed to his car. “I’ve got to get some things moving on this.”

“Thanks, Scott,” Jill called after him.

Carolanne gave Jill a hug. “That was good timing. I’m glad I didn’t miss out on that picture of Annie. She isn’t anything like I envisioned her.”

“It was a mug shot, not a glamour shot,” Jill reminded her.

“Well, you look better than her when you’re rolling out bed after the flu. How’s Garrett?”

“Much better. They’re releasing him in the morning. Come on. Let’s go to town and get some supper.” Jill was glad to get her mind off illness, crime, death, or anything else bad.

After an early bird dinner, Carolanne went to visit her dad, and Jill decided to stay at Pearl’s with Clyde while it was still daylight. She’d meet up with Carolanne later.

Carolanne hadn’t been gone long when Jill’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Bradley returning her call. Now she wished she hadn’t called him to gloat. At the time, it had seemed like a good thing to rub his nose in Annie’s criminal past, but now Jill didn’t even want to hear his voice. Begrudgingly, she picked up the phone.

“I saw you called. Did you change your mind? Are you going to give me another chance?”

“No.”

“I’m on the road today, why’d you call then?”

“I was calling to tell you the fingerprints came back on the break-in from the day of Pearl’s funeral.”

“What do you know? I guess that small town has some police skills after all. Anything helpful?”

“Yes. We know who was here. It was Annie.”
Not so perfect now is she?

“My Annie? No way.”

A bitter taste flooded her mouth
.
His Annie?
“Yes, way. She’s using a fake name too. Her name is Kimberly Louann Clatterbuck. I told you she was bad news.”

“What else do you know?”

“That’s about it. Isn’t that enough?”

Silence hung between them on the line. Jill reveled in the fact he was speechless.

“I can’t believe it,” he said.

“I saw her mug shot. She’s even been in jail. Your saint of all saints isn’t all she says she is.” Jill enjoyed the smug moment of being right.

His tone softened. “I should have fired her. I never should have second guessed your intuition.”

“I kept telling you she was out to get me.”
Finally, he was seeing her side.

“I bet that’s why she seduced me, to get to you. She must be obsessed. I’ll fire her today. Please come home.”

“Wait a second. You’re not off the hook because she’s a sleazy felon. You could have said no. Should have said no if you cared about me.”

“Please. I can’t ask you to forgive me. I know I’ll have to earn that, but I’ll fire her. I promise. Come home with me today. I’ll come get you.”

Jill took in a breath. It was invigorating to hear him say she was right, and hear him grovel for her attention. A sweet victory, but the truth was that relationship was never headed anywhere anyway.

“No. Bradley, our days as a couple are over.”

“I need you,” he said.

“You don’t need me. You just like having me around.” She leaned on the rail of the front porch.

“You don’t know what I need.”

His voice sounded tight. She could hear the shift in it.

Jill looked up to the sound of tires crunching on the gravel driveway. The familiar Lexus pulled up right in front of her.

“Bradley? I thought you....” She closed the phone and walked toward his car.

He got out and slammed the door.

She shook the phone his way. “I thought you just said you were on the road.”

“I was, and not far away.” He stepped towards her. Feather-like laugh lines crinkled around his eyes. “Not happy to see me?”

“Why would I be?”

Lines creased his tan forehead. She hated that disapproving look. It made her feel ten years old. He’d already tried Botoxing them twice before.

“I hope your face sticks like that,” she said.

He raised his brows and ran a finger across the lines. “You want to know what I want?” he hissed.

She took a step back. “Is this about the account for the Kase Foundation?”

“No. That’s nothing. I can get to that money. It’s one signature away.”

“You won’t get my signature if this isn’t on the up and up. I saw that article.”

“This isn’t about that.”

“You need to just leave.”

“Not without the Pacini Pearls,” Bradley said. “That’s what I want.”

“The what?” She shoved her left hand deep into the pocket of her jeans. Had he seen Pearl’s ring? She turned and headed toward the house.

“Don’t act like you don’t know. You already admitted you know about Pacini. If you know about him, you know about the pearls. I want those pearls, damn it. They belong to me. I’m not leaving without them,” he called from behind her, but closed in with each step.

“I don’t have what you’re looking for.” She turned, raised her chin, and looked him square in the eye.

“But you do know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” He stepped closer. “I deserve that treasure.”

“Who do you think you are, and what do you think you know about a treasure?”

He was next to her in one easy stride. “Stop stalling, Jill. Where are they?” Bradley grabbed her arm.

“Ow. Let go of me.” She yanked her arm from his grasp and ran up the steps to the porch.

“I’m going to hurt a lot more than your arm if you don’t give them up.” He glared at her then pushed her hard against the house.

The porch light globe rattled against its metal bracket.

His arm weighed heavy against her chest. The muscles of his forearm flexed under his sleeve.

Colors and spots swam before her eyes and for a moment she thought she might pass out.

“I’ve been patient.” His voice carried a razor’s edge. “I’ve waited a long time for these pearls. I thought that old woman would never die.”

“How could you?” She landed an elbow in his gut, but her angle was poor.

“You’re starting to really piss me off. I’m warning you. This is way more trouble than I planned for.”

“Get out of here,” she choked.

“Do you need motivation? I’ll take care of Malloy for good this time. Maybe that would get your attention. Is that what it’s going to take?”

“You’ve done enough already. I know you set that fire.”

“Ah, figured that out, did you?” He put a finger under her chin. “I wasn’t done with you just yet.” He leaned in, his breath hot against her cheek.

She withdrew. “No! Leave me alone.” She flailed her right arm until it was loose and clawed his face.

He caught her wrist and pushed her hard against the porch wall again.

She grunted as the breath left her lungs.

“The pearls.” He released her and stepped back.

She swigged in a deep breath, and leaned forward. She didn’t want to give up Pearl’s ring, but she wouldn’t put Garrett in danger again. She took her hand out of her pocket, and tugged the ring off her finger, then stood up and hurled the precious wedding ring at Bradley.

“Take it,” she snarled through gritted teeth.

He snagged it out of the air. Bradley opened his hand then shot her a look. “Quit screwing around with me.” He threw the ring to the ground.

She watched the delicate ring roll under the deacon’s bench.

Bradley’s jaw pulsed, and his eyes grew dark.

“My great uncle nearly gave his life for those pearls. They’re rightfully mine, and I want them,” Bradley said.