“All right!” Nana hopped out of bed and beat me to the bathroom. Dee Dee grinned from ear to ear.
The rest of the evening passed without incident. We grabbed a sandwich and chips at the aquarium deli for a late supper. I slept fitfully, my slumber filled with bizarre dreams. I was glad when Nana sounded the morning alarm.
“Rise and shine girls. Time’s a wasting.” Nana was already dressed in a teal green jogging outfit. “Let’s go. We have a murder to solve.”
Dee Dee pulled the covers over her head. If I had to get up she did, too. I took aim and threw my pillow onto her huddled form.
Dee Dee grabbed the pillow and took aim. A knock at the door interrupted her retaliation.
Giggling, I jumped up and opened the door, “Mama!” I flew into her arms. “It’s so good to see you. What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sit home one minute longer worrying about you girls.” She came in, shrugged off her coat, and gave Nana and Dee Dee a hug. “Nana, how’s your arm? Does it hurt?”
Nana held up her pink cast. “Aw, it hurts a little, but not enough to keep me from helping Trixie solve another crime.”
“Trixie, what are you going to do?” Mama looked like she’d aged ten years since the last time I saw her. I hated being the object of her concern. I’d given her enough to worry about since moving back to Vans Valley. When I’d married Beau a weight lifted from her shoulders, now I’d gone and gotten myself into another mess. I seemed to be a murder magnet.
I threw on a pair of khaki’s and a red pullover sweater. Dee Dee wore jeans with a blue sweatshirt covered in a snow scene. She carried an oversized Laurel Burch purse to match.
We ate pastries at the Café Espresso located in the lobby. I managed to get Mama alone and asked her to keep Nana busy, while I visited with Detective Sams. Nana wasn’t happy, but she acquiesced. We planned to meet back in the lobby later in the day.
“Hey, Trix. Do you want me to give you a break and drive?”
Dee Dee’s driving usually left me ready to kiss the ground when we arrived at our destination, but it was too tempting to pass up. “Sure, why not live dangerously?”
“Aw, come on, Trixie my driving isn’t that bad.” She offered me a knowing smile. “Where to first?”
“Let’s head down to the police station and talk with Detective Sams. I hope she’s receptive.” I was happy we arrived at the station without a mishap.
A young blonde with short spiked hair sat behind the desk. She entered data in the computer like a pro. She looked up from her work and smiled.
“How may I help you?”
“Is Detective Sams in? I need to talk to her,” I said.
Dee Dee nodded in agreement.
“She just came in. Let me tell her you’re here.” She asked our names and walked into the detective’s office.
Before we’d settled in our seats, Detective Sams followed the officer back into the room. “Hi, Trixie. Come on in.” Dee Dee tagged along. I appreciated her support more than she’d ever know. Then again, I was there for her when she was falsely accused of a murder in Dahlonega. She understood what it meant to have a true friend who would stand by your side no matter what.
The detective sat in an old swivel office chair. It squeaked in protest when her ample bottom hit the seat. I couldn’t get over how much she reminded me of Dee Dee. It was obvious they saw the resemblance, too, by the way they studied each other. “Hello Ms…”
“Lamont,” Dee Dee filled in for her. “But you can call me Dee Dee.”
“Okay Dee Dee.” She looked at me. “Is there something I can do for you? You here to give a confession?”
Yeah, right. “No ma’am. I’m here to offer my help.” Oh-my-goodness, now I sounded like Nana, and I imagined Detective Sams thought I’d be as much help.
She confirmed my suspicion when she sat back and laughed out loud. When she saw that we weren’t laughing she leaned forward and placed her arms on her desk. “You’re serious.”
“She’s serious,” Dee Dee said. “We’ve already talked to several of the people who were in Trixie’s class and she has some information she’d like to share. She helped solve three murders and I’m sure she’d be an asset to your investigation.” Dee Dee made it sound like I was a seasoned detective instead of someone who stumbled into murder scenes.
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned so far, then I can be the judge of that.”
“Detective Sams,” I had to stop to gulp back tears, “we’ve talked with Lori Wilson and she told us Annie failed her brother in college and kept him from graduating with his class. She didn’t have any empathy for Annie. And Bodene was charged with his ex-wife’s murder. Good grief, surely he’s at the top of your suspect list.”
The detective held up a piece of paper. “I have my list right here.” She laid it back down. “ And Bodene was acquitted of all charges against him. Like I told you, we’re looking at everyone. Listen Trixie, I like you. My gut tells me you’re not guilty of killing Annie. But the fact is, the evidence points toward you.” She leaned back in her chair, one knee bouncing.
Dee Dee spoke up. “Don’t forget to tell her about Amanda.”
“What about Amanda?”
The young lady from the front desk stuck her head in the door. “Excuse me, Detective. I need to see you for a minute.”
“I’ll be back right back.” The detective closed the door softly behind her.
Dee Dee grabbed her phone from her purse. “Keep a look-out, Trix.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Why?” I had no idea what was brewing in that mind of hers.
“Don’t ask questions, just let me know when she’s coming back.”
“Okay.” I kept an eye on the door and listened for signs of the detective returning.
Dee hurried around the detective’s desk, hitting her thigh on the corner. “Ouch, that hurt.” She stopped to rub the painful spot and hurriedly took a picture of the paper containing the names of the other students. She no sooner sat back down when the detective walked in.
“Sorry about the interruption,” she said. “I just got an update from the coroner’s office. The poison found in Annie’s body is from the Rhododendron family. She locked in on my eyes. I’m sure she was watching for a reaction from me, but the only one she got was shock.
I broke the stare under her scrutiny. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I just wondered what you knew about this.” She didn’t take her eyes off me.
“We don’t know anything about killing somebody with flowers,” Dee Dee said.
“She’s right, Detective.” Could this get any worse?
Detective Sams’ body relaxed and she released her gaze as she changed the subject. “Do you want to tell me about Amanda now?”
I looked at Dee Dee, who nodded for me to go ahead. “We saw her on the riverboat the other night and she said her room was down the hall from Annie’s. She heard my conversation with Tippi, confirming she was in the hall with me. Tippi could have been coming from Annie’s room making her a likely suspect.”
“Like I’ve already said, we’ll be checking everyone out. I can’t keep you from talking to the other writers short of arresting you, so I hope you’ll watch your step. If the killer is out there, then they’re not going to like you sniffing around for clues.” Detective Sams stood up signaling she was through. “I suggest you stick to antiquing, or whatever brought you here.”
“She came here to write a magazine article and got framed for murder,” Dee Dee blurted. “No thanks to you she may lose her job—”
“Yes ma’am we will.” I grabbed Dee’s sleeve and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go, Dee Dee.”
We made it back to the car, even though my knee protested every step in the dropped temperatures. “What were you doing with your phone?” I had gotten into the driver’s seat. I needed to feel like I was in control of something in my life.