I'll Be Watching You Page 23

“I’m not sure.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Funny, you paying a social call and not finding that out.”

  “Yeah, it is funny,” Kim agreed. Crap. She’d given herself away. “Mostly we talked about his mama, reminisced a bit.” Kim doubted anyone would believe that, but it was her best shot. She decided to change the subject. “So, where’s Zell tonight?”

  Charlotte lifted her shoulder in a coy shrug. “I’m not his keeper. Maybe he’s out on a date.” She studied Kim for a moment and then leaned closer. “You were telling the truth the other morning, weren’t you?” She indicated the morning Charlotte had caught her leaving Zell’s house, and obviously her claim that she wasn’t in love with him. Thankfully JoGene didn’t seem to know about that. “You’re looking a little pale.”

  “I swear it on the Bible,” Kim said and busied herself wiping down the bar.

  Owen was watching her, too. Knowing the Macgregors, her exit from Zell’s place had probably been the topic of dinner. No, dessert. Winnerow liked to save his haranguing for dessert for some reason.

  Charlotte had a lazy smile on her face by the time JoGene and Owen wandered over to talk with Angus. She leaned against the bar and said, “You should come out to Heron’s Glen for lunch sometime. Just you and me, you know, girl talk. When Daddy’s out of the house, of course. We could have some real cormodity.”

  “You mean camaraderie.”

  She narrowed her eyes, but waved off the correction. “Yeah, that. We should be friends.”

  “Why? I mean, why are you so nice all of a sudden?” Kim asked.

  Charlotte ran her finger down the side of her dewy glass. “Well…it could be because you own the bar and maybe I’d like a free drink now and again. Or it could be that I’m bored of all the jealous, spiteful women in town and maybe I think you’d be interesting to hang out with. Or maybe I want to keep tabs on you, see what you’re up to.” She waited to see what Kim’s reaction would be.

  Kim eased her suspicious expression into a smile. “Or maybe it’s all three.”

  Charlotte gave her a look of reluctant respect. “Maybe that’s what it is.”

  Kim poured the remainder of the rum runner from the blender into the glass. “You’re not getting free drinks, but lunch sounds good sometime.”

  “Good. I’ll have Gisella whip us up something provencally.”

  “Do you mean Provencal?”

  “You keep correcting me, and I’ll rescind my invitation. I’m trying to improve my vocabulary.” She crossed her legs. “Everybody’s around during the weekend. Can you do lunch during the week?”

  “Mondays I can. Sometimes other days if it’s slow.”

  Charlotte mentally checked her calendar. “Tomorrow Owen and I take Daddy into Naples for a doctor’s appointment. He’s been working himself to death lately. Let’s keep Monday on the burner, shall we?”

  “Sure thing.” How wise was it to become her friend? What was her motivation? One thing Kim remembered about Charlotte in years past was that she couldn’t be trusted.

  Charlotte finished her drink with a loud slurp as the two men returned to their stools. “It’s a pretty good drink. I’m feeling a little buzzy.” She slid off the stool and leaned a bit. “Owen, honey, take me home and sass me around some.” She winked at Kim. “He’s got a tiger inside him.”

  Owen steered his wife toward the door before she could say anything else. Kim looked at JoGene. “A tiger?”

  “Yeah, right. That woman has him ball-and-chained for sure. Not that he doesn’t enjoy it. Owen was heading for trouble when he met Charlotte. Who knows where he would have ended up if she hadn’t cut his line short.”

  It was an odd marriage, but Kim wasn’t about to say that to Owen’s best friend. “If it works,” was all she’d commit to. She had to wonder if the good little submissive husband act was just that: an act. How far would he go to protect what he had?

  JoGene was still leaning against the bar when Amy and Smitty started ushering out the clientele at closing time.

  “Thought I’d watch over you,” he said when she looked his way. “Zell can’t get all the credit around here for saving damsels in distress.”

  Kim rolled her eyes at the phrase. “Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”

  He stayed anyway. He even helped clean up and then he stayed after Amy and Smitty took off, assuring Smitty he’d take care of Kim. As she was running the totals for the night, he slipped a dollar into the jukebox and chose the sultry Garth Brooks song, “Shameless.” Her pulse tripped, not out of anticipation but trepidation. She wasn’t up to anything romantic with JoGene.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t like this song?” he asked.

  “I’m not much into country music these days.”

  He grinned. “I also picked something from that Madonna CD.”

  Oh, jeez, not something from Erotica.

  “How’s the bar doing?” he asked, nodding toward the receipts.

  “It’s getting better. Business is still slower than normal, but people are beginning to come around. I think I’ll make it.” She stuffed the cash and credit card receipts in the bank bag and put it in the safe in the office.

  When she came out, he was leaning against the end of the bar. “Is there something between you and Zell?”

  Heat flushed her face. “Zell? No. He’s not my type.”

  JoGene wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but kept a casual distance between them. “What is your type these days?”

  She thought of Simon and the guys like him that she’d dated before. Comfortable, safe…boring. “No one right now.”

  He kissed her without much warning. There was something comforting and familiar about that kiss, the way he still held her head at an angle and covered her mouth completely. Did anyone ever tell him to cut down those interminably long kisses, so long her mind began to wander? She realized her mind was wandering. Her body didn’t feel like melted chocolate the way it had when Zell had kissed her. While her heart was beating a little faster, it wasn’t crashing around in her rib cage.

  Guess no one had told JoGene about those long kisses. He tasted like beer. She rode the kiss, maybe to see if any leftover teenage lust remained. Apparently, it did from his side; she could feel him hardening against her. He finally did bring it to a close. He didn’t notice her lack of enthusiasm, obviously.

  “Like old times,” he said with a smile.

  “Exactly.”

  Madonna started singing about erotica and romance in her sultry voice, which was way too bizarre, mixing JoGene with Madonna. He was a country boy from way back.

  He cupped her face. When he was going to kiss her again, she turned away.

  “I’m flattered, I really am, but I’m not looking for that right now. I need to find my place here in town, and that’s been hard enough as it is. I just broke up a long-term relationship.” She tilted her head. “I’m not sure it would be the best thing, considering the past. And your father.”

  He shoved her away and ran his hand through his hair in a jerky motion. “Forget my father! Forget him. I’d like to. I had a talk with him, set him straight on who’s in charge of my life. If I wanted to marry you and run this place with you…if I wanted that, I’d do it.” He regained his temper. “Sorry. I’m sick of people thinking I cower under my dad’s rule.”

  He did, but she decided not to point that out. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You didn’t.” He forced a laugh. “I wasn’t kidding about the marriage thing, Kim.”

  She walked over to the jukebox and turned it off so he wouldn’t see the grimace on her face. “Like I said, JoGene, I’m not ready for any of that. I may not be for a long time. Come on, Oscar. Let’s go home.”

  JoGene took the hint and followed them out. She breathed a sigh of relief when she locked the door—until she saw Buck’s truck parked next to JoGene’s.

  Buck was leaning against the front grill with his arms loosely crossed in front of him. “Figured you’d be
here,” he said to JoGene. “With her.”

  JoGene’s jaw tightened. “Go on home. You’re drunk.”

  That surprised Kim. She’d rarely seen JoGene stand up to his father, especially when he was drunk. He’d had a few beers himself.

  She ushered Oscar to her truck and helped him in. As she maneuvered, she got out her tear gas. Footsteps sounded across the gravel, and she heard JoGene softly saying to Buck, “I told you, I’m handling this.”

  Buck only grunted in reply as he approached. She kept her back to the truck and faced them, canister at her side. Her heart was beating thickly, as though her blood had jelled. “What are you going to do, threaten to beat me up and rape me like your two goons?”

  “I had nothin’ to do with that. If I was gonna cause you bodily harm, I’d do it myself and make sure it got done right.” He glanced at JoGene. “I wouldn’t be no sissy and have someone else do it.”

  She looked beyond the men hoping to see the deputy’s cruiser coming by. Except for a vehicle on the main road, the town was tucked away in their beds. It was up to her. She had to remember that this man might have killed Rhonda—and may have tried to run her off the road.

  Before she could think of what to say, Buck said, “What’s it gonna take to get you to get the hell out of here?”

  “I’m here to stay, Mr. Waddell. This is my home, and I’m not leaving it again. Maybe I made mistakes—maybe I didn’t. I’ll probably never know. Threatening, glowering, or hurting me isn’t going to make me go away. If you have any intention of the latter, know that I have a weapon.” Her fingers tightened on the canister that she held pressed against her thigh.

  JoGene said, “Dad, she’s probably got Elva’s rifle in that truck. Let’s go home.”

  Elva’s rifle? She hadn’t seen a gun. “I’m not afraid to use it, either,” she bluffed.

  Buck glowered at JoGene. “She doesn’t have no rifle.”

  JoGene nodded toward her. “She’s got a can of that pepper spray stuff.”

  She figured JoGene was trying to scare off his dad, for which she was grateful. “It’s police-issue tear gas, and it’ll lay you out bad.” She opened the driver’s door. “The rifle’s in the truck.”

  “You’re a brave girl for someone who’s standing all alone.” Buck turned to leave.

  JoGene gave her an apologetic look, but slinked to his truck like a scolded puppy. What had he meant by his assertion that he was handling this? As their trucks pulled away, Tullie’s words rang through her mind: Be careful who you trust. With a deep regret, she realized that Oscar was the only one in town she could really trust.

  She got into her truck, slammed the door shut, and looked at him. “Where is Elva’s rifle?”

  He didn’t offer any suggestions. As soon as they got home, she checked the house and Elva’s truck. When nothing turned up, she called Smitty. “Elva had a rifle.”

  “That’s what you called in the middle of the night to tell me? Heck, I knew that. I gave it to her. She said she was hearing noises and was thinking about getting a gun so I gave her one of my old hunting rifles.”

  “When was this?”

  “About five months ago.”

  Five months. When the payments started and when she’d added Kim to the bar and house. She’d known it was dangerous to blackmail someone. Maybe she thought the gun would protect her.

  “When was the last time you saw it?” she asked.

  “I dunno, probably right before she died. It was in her truck, which is where it probably still is.”

  “It’s not. I’ve checked everywhere, and there’s no rifle. What does it look like?”

  “Do I want to know why you’re asking?”

  “Probably not.”

  Smitty let out a groan. “It’s trouble, I just know it.”

  “What kind of rifle is it and does it have any characteristics that stand out?”

  “It’s a Remington Fireball. It has my initials carved into the buttstock.”

  “One more question, and then I’ll let you go. How would JoGene know about that rifle?”

  “I reckon a few people saw it in the rack of her truck.”

  “All right. If I’m late for lunch tomorrow, go on without me. Bye.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to question her further. The less he knew, the better. That’s what he’d said, but she had to wonder how much he did know.

  The rifle was gone, which meant someone had taken it. If Kim found it, she would probably find Rhonda’s and Elva’s murderer. But where to start looking?

  Charlotte, Winn and Owen were heading to Naples tomorrow. They’d be gone for a good part of the day. Charlotte had mentioned a Gisella making lunch for them. If she worked like their previous housekeeper did, she’d prepare meals in the mornings, do some cleaning, and be out of the house by noon. Tullie would go with the family.

  Winn and Buck were still near the top of her suspect list. Owen and JoGene were also contenders, in their own right or as a helpmates. She didn’t think Zell was a killer, but she hoped she wasn’t being blind where he was concerned.

  Someone had taken two lives and gotten away with it. Someone who lived in Cypress. Probably someone she’d spoken with during the last week. She didn’t doubt that they were keeping a close eye on her.

  Shar walked up next to Zell in the incubation room and lifted one of the lids on the wooden boxes. She ran a finger over the eggs. “If you’re interested in Kim, you’ve got competition.”

  He was measuring the eggs. “What are you babbling about?”

  “JoGene couldn’t take his eyes off her all night. He’s sure asking for trouble with his daddy, going after that one.” She gave him a nudge. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  He knew Shar was only telling him this to get a reaction. He wasn’t going to give her one. She’d always liked playing games and pitting people against people. Generally, he tried to ignore that side of her. “She’s free to do what she wants,” he said as he jotted down the last measurement.

  He’d driven by the bar near closing time to check on her and seen only hers and JoGene’s trucks parked outside. He was surprised by the sharp jab of jealousy he’d felt.

  “I think she’s going to do him tonight. ‘Oh, JoGene, give it to me, baby, oh, yeah, that’s how I like it, oh, oh…’”

  She was holding an imaginary man by the hips and thrusting, her head thrown back making theatric sounds of orgasm. Though the thought of Kim having sex with JoGene wasn’t palatable, Shar’s ridiculous show actually distracted him from picturing it. When she cracked her eye open to see his response, her enthusiasm drained.

  “I can leave you alone if you’d like.” He closed the lid and walked out of the room.

  At least she looked embarrassed as she followed him. “Well, you get the idea.”

  He did get the idea and he didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to let her see that. He stopped abruptly and turned to face her, letting out his irritation in another way. “And what were you thinking, fooling around in here? You’ll confuse the heck out of these guys.” He nodded toward the baby gators.

  “How’d you know—that danged Dewey and his big mouth. What a perv he was, standing there watching us. Sometimes he creeps me out. Oh, stop looking at me like I’m the perv. Owen’s been growing his balls lately and it’s getting me excited.”

  They walked down the central walkway, only the dimmest light to guide their way. “He’s been overstepping his bounds, Shar. It’s bad enough that Dad thinks he can all of a sudden be a father and tell me what to do. I won’t take it from your husband.”

  She waved him off. “Owen’s harmless. Ignore him.”

  Zell wasn’t sure how harmless he was. Oh, he played the wimp well enough. He’d known that was what appealed to Shar, so he’d become what she wanted. Zell had seen enough resentment and fire to know that Owen wasn’t necessarily harmless.

  The next morning Sam Wharton and Buck Waddell were sitting out on the front porch of the shopping
plaza Wharton’s office was located in. They watched Kim go into the Everglades Hair Salon.

  “Well now, ain’t that something?” Sam said before taking another puff on his cigarette.

  “Yeah, now. First, she went out to see Ernest, and now she’s seeing Grace. I heard she’s been asking questions at the bar too about who was friendly with Elva before she died. She’s up to something.” Buck felt the rage building inside him. She’d tried to point him out as a murderer all those years ago. The truth of what happened to that girl needed to remain buried.

  Sam said, “You got that look in your eyes, Buck, that same one you got when you ran your truck into Bobby’s house. Wha’cha thinking about?”

  Buck flicked his cigarette butt on the concrete and ground it with his boot. “She ain’t gonna get away with it, not this time. If she tries pointing a finger at me or my own, I’ll break that finger and stick it right up her—”

  “Don’t let people hear you talk like that. If something happens to her, you’ll be the first one they question. You don’t want to go through that again. You got lucky last time.”

  Buck waved that off. “I sure wish it were the days of my grandpappy when, if someone was doing you wrong, you just took care of it. Nobody looked into it too hard. People disappeared in the swamp all the time.” He waved his hand at Sam. “Aw, stop looking at me like that. I’m reminiscing, that’s all. ’Sides, JoGene’s got something in the works to get rid of her. I’ll give him a little more time. I’m worried that he’s going to go soft on her, like Zell Macgregor did. Unlike Winn, I won’t put up with that. The sooner she’s gone out of here, the better, as far as I’m concerned.” He stared at the front window of the beauty shop. “The sooner the better and by whatever means necessary.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Hair in the morning, trespassing in the afternoon. Kim flipped through a copy of Good Housekeeping while Grace finished with her current customer. “Decorate your home like a pro and stay within your budget,” one article proclaimed. “Discipline your kids with love,” another header read. It reminded her too sharply of what she wanted and didn’t have. She picked up Cosmopolitan and opened it right to an article about keeping your husband happy in the bedroom. A few months ago, she would have been picturing Simon as that husband, maybe even have thrown a couple of kids into the picture. Now the happy picture of home, husband, and children seemed a far cry from possible. She needed articles on “How to find a killer” and “Questioning people without giving yourself away.”