“No, no you girls go on. I’d rather be by myself, I’m a private person. I’m just going to lie down for a while.”

I returned to my room, worried about her. She’d turned ill so suddenly. An ulcer perhaps? She did seem pretty tightly wound.

I wanted to get to my article, but first things, first. I should call Nana and Dee Dee and see how they fared all day. If I knew Nana, and I knew Nana, she’d run Dee Dee ragged.

Dee Dee answered on the second ring. “Hey Trix, how ya’ doing? Getting much done?”

I could hear Nana in the background begging Dee Dee to hand her the phone. “I haven’t done much yet, but I plan on putting the pedal to the metal tonight. Remember that unsolved murder on Lookout Mountain I told you about?”

“The one about Mr. Ghoston?”

“That’s the one. Well, our teacher told me I could work on it for tomorrow’s assignment. I’m itching to get on it. I need to study the photos and separate them into categories.” I could see Nana in my mind’s eye jumping up and down with anticipated excitement of telling me about their day’s adventure. “Let me speak to Nana before she loses her knickers.”

“Okay, but I want to talk with you before you hang up.”

The next voice I heard belonged to a little lady I’d come to dearly love over the past few years. “Hey, Trixie. You aren’t going to believe all we did today.” If it involved Nana, I’d believe it. “We went to the Chattanooga Aquarium. I’ve never seen so many fish in all my life.”

“That’s great, Nana.”

“Wait a minute, honey. I’m not through. Then we rode the Duck. I’ve never had so much fun. I can’t wait until tomorrow. I want to go on a carriage ride and maybe visit the History Museum.”

I was exhausted just listening to Nana’s itinerary. We talked a few more minutes as she told me about her eventful day. God love Dee Dee. When I came back to Vans Valley after Wade’s little tryst, lower than a snake’s belly, I couldn’t see how I would ever regain my self-esteem. Not only that, I’d acquired a large chip on my shoulder that grew every day as I continued to add bitterness to it until it felt like a boulder. The one thing that bothered me the most was the hit my faith took. I was one sorry mess.

An angel, in the form of Dee Dee Lamont, came to my rescue. As soon as she found out I’d returned home, she insisted we renew our friendship where we’d left off in high school. Dee Dee was no stranger to pain. Her husband, Gary, had died a year earlier of a sudden heart attack. Her faith and strength were an example I strived to follow. With her guidance I not only regained my self-esteem, but my faith grew stronger and stronger. Yes, I still dealt with old doubts and bitterness sometimes, but I found it a lot easier to recover from those bouts of doubt and uncertainty. I hoped I could be as good a friend to Dee Dee.

“That’s wonderful, Nana. Could I speak to Dee Dee again? I need to get back to work.”

“You sure can. Sorry you’re missing all the fun, but maybe you can join us later.” A cackle came through the phone. She didn’t sound upset over my absence.

“Hey, Trixie. I guess Nana filled you in.”

“She sure did. How in the world did you keep up with her? She has more energy than a grasshopper on steroids.” I couldn’t wait to give Dee a big hug for her help.

“It wasn’t easy, but I managed. I’m just glad we’re back in our room to take a break for the rest of the day. I’m so tired I wouldn’t even mind if the elves tucked me in tonight.” Dee Dee never failed to produce a laugh from me. “Your mama is a saint. I don’t know how she does it day after day.”

“I always say she’s a direct decedent of Job. I guess I need to go and get busy on my article. I hope you get a good night’s rest and Nana doesn’t pull any of her stunts tomorrow.”

“Night, Trix.”

I worked on my manuscript until my eyes crossed and then crawled into bed, grateful for the cool, dark room and firm mattress.

Sleep came quickly, but a growling stomach woke me up. The digital clock read 3:45a.m.

I tried to go back to sleep without much success. I gave up and slipped into my robe and slippers, and headed downstairs to find something to satisfy the hungry beast within. I cat walked downstairs hoping I wouldn’t wake anyone.

Moonlight shone through the window enough for me to find the light switch. When I flipped the switch, light flooded the kitchen. I headed to the industrial-sized stainless steel refrigerator and found some cheese and grapes. Popping in a juicy red seedless, something odd caught my eye. A length of fabric hung out of the freezer door. Worried the compromised seal would spoil the perishables inside; I opened the freezer to see a pink length of fabric, like a sash, that had gotten caught in the door.

It wasn’t the sash that stole my breath away. What laid me flat on the floor was the body attached to the other end.

CHAPTER SIX

“Ms. Beaumont.” The recognition of my name transported me back to the present.

Detective Biance Sams mirrored Dee Dee’s image with the exception of her dark brown skin. I’d met several detectives recently, but she was the first female. This could be a good thing – or not. “If you’ll please follow me, we’ll get started with your interview.”

She led me to a quiet office, grabbed a swivel chair and sat down across from me. Detective Sams possessed the same scrutinizing stare that was common among investigators – a mind-numbing gaze that urged you to confess to a crime whether you were guilty or not. “Now, tell me the sequence of events that led you to find Annie Henderson.”

I relayed how I’d gone to meet with Annie and encountered Tippi “with-an-i” outside of Annie’s door. Then I talked with Annie about combining my article from work with the article we were to write for her. She told me it would be fine and then Ladonna, the housekeeper, brought some towels in for Annie. Then she told us her stomach was killing her and asked that we leave her alone so she could lie down. Boy, she wasn’t kidding when she said her stomach was killing her. I stopped to take a breath.

Detective Sams looked a little dazed when I finally slowed down. “That’s fine, Trixie. Now tell me why you went downstairs.” She straightened up in the chair, accentuating her full-figured body. Hers was a formidable presence.

I told her I wasn’t able to sleep very well, and went down looking for something sweet – maybe ice-cream or popsicles. I looked at the Detective, “You know how that is. Don’t you?”

She got this far-away look in her eyes like Dee Dee does when we discuss chocolate. “Yes, I sure do.” She suddenly seemed to realize we weren’t here to deliberate sweets. She cleared her throat and her eyes snapped back to the present. “Okay, let’s get back to the freezer.”

I told her about the sash, and then the image of Annie lying crumpled in the small freezer was more than I wanted to remember. I felt light-headed, nauseous and then it became more difficult for me to breath. I heard a distant voice say, “I’ll be right back.”

Next thing I knew I was breathing into a brown paper bag. My breaths became slower and my head didn’t feel like it was going to explode. When my thoughts became clearer than mud I saw Detective Sams, about six inches from my face, looking at me with maternal concern. Maybe that was a good sign.

“Feeling better, Trixie?”

“Yes, I am. Thank you.”

The detective flipped her notebook closed, “I have what I need for now.” She replaced her pen in her pocket and said, “Let’s go back and meet with the others. I have a few things I need to discuss with the group.”

We met in the sitting room. Someone had lovingly furnished this bed and breakfast with antiques: a roll top desk, wingback chairs, leather sofa, and a fireplace with a clock sitting on the mantle. I wished I could enjoy my surroundings, but that wasn’t going to happen right now.