Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 46
Neely Kate laughed. “As if.”
Then customers started to roll in, and we got too busy to keep talking. I was helping a customer carry a potted flower arrangement to her car when Neely Kate caught my attention while she helped someone load a cart with flats of flowers.
“Look who just walked up.”
From her tone of voice, I was half afraid to look. The last person I expected be walking straight toward me was Miss Mildred.
Crap.
I forced a cheerful greeting, “Good morning, Miss Mildred.”
“There ain’t nothin’ good about a morning when murderers and thieves are running around our neighborhood.”
She had a point.
“Is there something I can help you with Miss Mildred? Do you want me to get Violet?”
“No. I came to see you.”
I took an actual step backward in shock. “Me?”
“I just said so, didn’t I?”
“Well, yeah…”
“I want to know what progress you’re making in solving Dorothy’s murder.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I know you’re looking into her murder. I want to know what you know.”
I wasn’t sure what the police department was saying about her death now, but I sure didn’t want to get into this with Miss Mildred. Denying it seemed the best way to get rid of her. “We don’t know it was a murder.”
She shook her head. “Poppycock. Of course it was a murder and I want to know what you’ve dug up.”
I shook my head. “I’m not investigating her death.”
“Why the Sam Hill not?”
“What?”
“You’ve solved two murders this summer, and you can’t be bothered with the murder of your neighbor?”
I held up my hands. “Wait! No. It’s not like that. I just fell into those other two cases. The police will take care of this one.”
Mildred’s face scrunched in disgust. “You really think the Henryetta Police Department can find evidence laying right in front of their noses?”
“Well… no…”
“I know you’ve been snoopin’ around. I’ve seen ya, and I hear things. I heard you got the new DA to get an autopsy, and as much as I hate the thought of them cutting up that poor woman, maybe they’ll finally find out for sure what killed her. I also know you started working for that high falutin’ TV minister just about the time Miss Dorothy died, so don’t you tell me you ain’t investigating.”
“Well…”
“What are you gonna do about it?”
I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “Miss Mildred, with all due respect, I’m flattered that you think I can find out who killed Miss Dorothy and Miss Laura, but my boyfriend will kill me if I try.”
Her face scrunched in disgust. “The guy you spend all your time fornicating with in the front yard? Maybe you two can take a break so you can find the killer.” She turned and walked away, and my mouth dropped open as I watched her get into her car and leave. She hadn’t even gone through with the pretense of buying something.
“What just happened there?” Neely Kate asked.
“I have no idea,” I muttered. “Miss Mildred thinks I should try to solve Miss Dorothy and Miss Laura’s murders.”
“Well, are you going to?”
I swung my gaze to her. “No. Of course not.”
“Yes you are.”
Irritated, I put my hands on my hips. “Why does everyone keep insisting that I am? Shoot, Joe almost broke up with me over my involvement with exonerating Bruce Wayne. I know when to leave well enough alone.”
“Deny it all you like, but you and I both know you’re already involved.”
I pursed my lips. “Whatever you think I’ve done has been accidental. I’m leaving this for the police.”
“You’re really not going to try?” she asked, incredulous. “You do realize that you have something the police don’t have that can help you find her killer, right?”
“Wits?”
“No,” she laughed. “Your gift.”
“My curse. And no, there are so many problems with that idea. For one thing, I have to be right next to a person to have a vision. And two, I have to concentrate if I want to have one. That won’t look suspicious at all. And three, you know what I see comes out of my mouth instantly. They’ll know I know. How dangerous is that? And who’s to say I’ll even see anything incriminating? Not to mention that the police can’t press charges based on what I see.”
“But Mason knows about your visions. He might be able to use them.”
“How? He can’t mention something like that in court. And you still didn’t address the fact that what I see is like Russian roulette. I can’t choose my visions.”
“That’s because you need to practice more. You purposely had a vision with Joe and with me. How many other times have you done it on purpose?”
I turned away and began to straighten up flats on the shelves. “None.”
“Why not?”
My eyes widened with frustration. “Because it’s a horrible thing, Neely Kate. I fight it every day of my life. Purposely using it is crazy.”
Neely Kate grabbed my arms and pulled me to the end of the aisle. “No, Rose, it’s not a horrible thing. God gave you this talent, and you should use it. When you used it with Joe, you saved his life. What if you hadn’t used it? He’d be dead right now.”
Then customers started to roll in, and we got too busy to keep talking. I was helping a customer carry a potted flower arrangement to her car when Neely Kate caught my attention while she helped someone load a cart with flats of flowers.
“Look who just walked up.”
From her tone of voice, I was half afraid to look. The last person I expected be walking straight toward me was Miss Mildred.
Crap.
I forced a cheerful greeting, “Good morning, Miss Mildred.”
“There ain’t nothin’ good about a morning when murderers and thieves are running around our neighborhood.”
She had a point.
“Is there something I can help you with Miss Mildred? Do you want me to get Violet?”
“No. I came to see you.”
I took an actual step backward in shock. “Me?”
“I just said so, didn’t I?”
“Well, yeah…”
“I want to know what progress you’re making in solving Dorothy’s murder.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I know you’re looking into her murder. I want to know what you know.”
I wasn’t sure what the police department was saying about her death now, but I sure didn’t want to get into this with Miss Mildred. Denying it seemed the best way to get rid of her. “We don’t know it was a murder.”
She shook her head. “Poppycock. Of course it was a murder and I want to know what you’ve dug up.”
I shook my head. “I’m not investigating her death.”
“Why the Sam Hill not?”
“What?”
“You’ve solved two murders this summer, and you can’t be bothered with the murder of your neighbor?”
I held up my hands. “Wait! No. It’s not like that. I just fell into those other two cases. The police will take care of this one.”
Mildred’s face scrunched in disgust. “You really think the Henryetta Police Department can find evidence laying right in front of their noses?”
“Well… no…”
“I know you’ve been snoopin’ around. I’ve seen ya, and I hear things. I heard you got the new DA to get an autopsy, and as much as I hate the thought of them cutting up that poor woman, maybe they’ll finally find out for sure what killed her. I also know you started working for that high falutin’ TV minister just about the time Miss Dorothy died, so don’t you tell me you ain’t investigating.”
“Well…”
“What are you gonna do about it?”
I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “Miss Mildred, with all due respect, I’m flattered that you think I can find out who killed Miss Dorothy and Miss Laura, but my boyfriend will kill me if I try.”
Her face scrunched in disgust. “The guy you spend all your time fornicating with in the front yard? Maybe you two can take a break so you can find the killer.” She turned and walked away, and my mouth dropped open as I watched her get into her car and leave. She hadn’t even gone through with the pretense of buying something.
“What just happened there?” Neely Kate asked.
“I have no idea,” I muttered. “Miss Mildred thinks I should try to solve Miss Dorothy and Miss Laura’s murders.”
“Well, are you going to?”
I swung my gaze to her. “No. Of course not.”
“Yes you are.”
Irritated, I put my hands on my hips. “Why does everyone keep insisting that I am? Shoot, Joe almost broke up with me over my involvement with exonerating Bruce Wayne. I know when to leave well enough alone.”
“Deny it all you like, but you and I both know you’re already involved.”
I pursed my lips. “Whatever you think I’ve done has been accidental. I’m leaving this for the police.”
“You’re really not going to try?” she asked, incredulous. “You do realize that you have something the police don’t have that can help you find her killer, right?”
“Wits?”
“No,” she laughed. “Your gift.”
“My curse. And no, there are so many problems with that idea. For one thing, I have to be right next to a person to have a vision. And two, I have to concentrate if I want to have one. That won’t look suspicious at all. And three, you know what I see comes out of my mouth instantly. They’ll know I know. How dangerous is that? And who’s to say I’ll even see anything incriminating? Not to mention that the police can’t press charges based on what I see.”
“But Mason knows about your visions. He might be able to use them.”
“How? He can’t mention something like that in court. And you still didn’t address the fact that what I see is like Russian roulette. I can’t choose my visions.”
“That’s because you need to practice more. You purposely had a vision with Joe and with me. How many other times have you done it on purpose?”
I turned away and began to straighten up flats on the shelves. “None.”
“Why not?”
My eyes widened with frustration. “Because it’s a horrible thing, Neely Kate. I fight it every day of my life. Purposely using it is crazy.”
Neely Kate grabbed my arms and pulled me to the end of the aisle. “No, Rose, it’s not a horrible thing. God gave you this talent, and you should use it. When you used it with Joe, you saved his life. What if you hadn’t used it? He’d be dead right now.”
