LOVE, HOPES, & MARRIAGE TROPES Page 13

  “Yeah he did,” LaJay said, leaning into the mic, smiling at his friend. “He knew him longer, but we both loved him the same.” He turned and looked at Boone, who nodded in agreement.

  Boone took center stage again. “It was just a few days ago that we were all laughing and talking together. I hadn’t even thought I’d make it home to the wedding.” He shook his head. “And now I am so glad I did so I could get to see my best friend one more time.”

  “I miss him so much. But I’m sure everyone here who knew him will miss him too. And remember, Mrs. Hackett,” Boone said, looking over at her, “LaJay and I are still your sons, not by blood, but we are here anytime you need us.”

  “We’ll always be here for you.” LaJay leaned into the mic. “Just like we were for Bumper.” The dreadlocked friend looked at the casket, tapped his heart twice with the side of his fist, and said. “We love you, man.”

  Then together they said, “For the Gold, and for the Navy and White. Rah!”

  Those were Roble High colors. The colors they’d worn on their football jerseys every Friday night when the lights went on. Each had gone away to college and wore different colors for their team now, but I assumed they were saying there would always be a bond between them. That brought a lot of tissues to eyes, their words had touched the hearts of the crowd.

  During the next few songs, one courtesy of the JOY Club and their overzealous organist, my mind and eyes started to wander. That’s when I spotted the best man—Chase Turner. “There you are, I muttered. “I want to talk to you.”

  “Excuse me,” I said sliding past Piper then Mrs. Alvarez. “Sorry.” I bumped into Piper’s knee. “I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

  Piper gave me a polite smile, but Mrs. Alvarez seemed put out. She made a face and turned her legs to the side with a hmpf.

  “Sorry,” I said again and scooted past her. My heart raced as I tried to push through the standing room only crowd to get to Chase.

  He stood back against the wall, holding onto the program that he’d rolled up into a scroll. His eyes weren’t focused and he probably couldn’t have told anyone what was going on. He didn’t seem to be sad, just going through the obligatory motions. I was thinking that he didn’t want to be there, he had been elusive—disappearing right when Bumper collapsed, not being at Mrs. Hackett’s house and he hadn’t even gone up front during the funeral to speak. I wanted to speak to him before he disappeared again.

  “Hi Chase,” I said, I started speaking before I even got to him.

  “Hi,” he said and looked at me as if he was trying to remember who I was.

  “Romaine Wilder,” I said. “We met at the wedding.”

  “Oh,” he smiled, “I remember. You’re a doctor, right?”

  I nodded. “I’m a medical examiner.”

  “The coroner?”

  The two weren’t exactly the same, but the majority of people thought they were, no need getting into technicalities. “Yes,” I said.

  “So you’re the one that’s saying it’s murder?”

  “I performed the autopsy on Bumper.”

  “Same thing, right? You’re the one who signed the death certificate.

  “That would be me.”

  “Why would you think he was killed?”

  “It’s not what I think, it’s what the evidence has shown me.”

  “Oh really. So you know how they killed him?”

  “They?”

  “You know, whoever did it.”

  “I can’t speak on that right now, it wouldn’t be my place.” I stepped a little closer to him to make our conversation easier. “I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions.”

  “About what?”

  “About Bumper.”

  “Like what?”

  “I was just wondering if you knew what happened to the inhaler he had.”

  “Is that what happened to him?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “The inhaler wasn’t working?”

  “Like I said, I can’t really say. I have to wait for the police to release that information.”

  “I thought it was like public information or something.”

  I didn’t say anything. A funeral already wasn’t the best place to question a suspect, and I didn’t want to waste my time giving him the same answer over and over. He seemed to understand my silence.

  “No, I don’t know what happened to it,” he said.

  “Why did you leave the gazebo?” I wanted to hurry and get through all my questions.

  “What?”

  “I saw you through the window right when Bumper collapsed standing there with him and my auntie, but you weren’t there when we got CPR started.”

  “I thought the other doctor did the CPR?”

  “Dr. Hale.” I nodded. “He did. And perhaps I shouldn’t have said ‘we.’” I gave him a polite smile for catching my use of word after I’d just corrected him. “I was just wondering why you weren’t there.”

  “Well for one thing I wanted to get out of the way, I heard the doctor say he was coming. And second, I’d forgotten the ring.”

  “The ring?”

  “Jorianne’s wedding ring. I was so nervous about losing it that I’d locked it up in the glove compartment of my truck. I had gone back to get it. And that’s when I saw Piper and she told me he’d fainted or something.”

  “You and Piper friends?” I asked. I had already heard her answer.

  “I guess we’re starting to be,” he said and shrugged. “I don’t live here, so really no need to strike up any kind of relationship—friendship or whatever.” He glanced her way.

  “When did Bumper ask you to be his best man?” I asked. “You guys hadn’t been friends long, had you?”

  “No. But he was a good kid and he was just trying to do the right thing. Trying to show me he could, at least.”

  “What was the right thing?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “It really doesn’t matter now. There’s nothing that can be done about it. He didn’t even get the chance to tell me everything.”

  “Something was bothering him?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. I guess. But it’s not bothering him anymore.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The service was over and the pastor had announced that the family and friends could take another look at the body. I found Auntie Zanne. She stopped wearing her funeral director’s hat and switched to congregationalist. She was chatting and hugging everyone who passed by her.

  “Auntie,” I said, pulling her away. “Did the Roble Belles find out anything?”

  “They haven’t reported back yet,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said. “Well, I spoke with Mrs. Alvarez, Piper and Chase.”

  “And?”

  “And they’re still at the top of my suspect list.”

  “All three?”

  “Yes. All three.” I gave a firm nod. “And isn’t that the same organist who was at the wedding?” I was thinking that maybe she was someone we should speak to. She’d been up at the frontline of all the happenings the entire time.

  “Yes,” she said. “That’s Miriam Colter, member of the JOY Club, she’s our go-to organist.”

  “She sure gets around,” I said. “I was thinking of speaking to her, but it looks like she might fall over at any minute. Maybe I should wait.”

  “She always looks like that,” she said. “She’ll be fine as long as a breeze doesn’t push through.”

  “Is that all it would take—a breeze?”

  “Maybe even less. But she is not one to mess with, she’s as mean as a snake and sneaky as a cat. Don’t worry, though, I already asked her if she remembered seeing what happened to Bumper’s inhaler... Oh! Look a-there.” Her face lit up, and her attention was diverted mid-sent
ence. “It’s Rhett. He must be here as part of his sting operation.” She leaned in close to me and spoke in a barely audible voice. “I knew he’d be here to scope out the people attending. Told you it was the thing to do.”

  “If he had a sting going, he wouldn’t have to scope, he’d already know,” I said. “It would be the people he was investigating, and he wouldn’t have come after it was over.”

  “Who is that with him?” Auntie said, ignoring my observation, and pointing. She tried standing on toes to get a better look.

  I looked in the direction she’d pointed. It was the first time I’d seen Rhett completely dressed in a suit. Usually by the time I saw him, he’d have changed into a pair of jeans and his ratty tennis shoes. And, again I had to concede, he looked handsome.

  Very handsome.

  But what Auntie wanted me to take note of was the woman that came in with him, and that made something jiggle in my stomach and dry up the saliva in my mouth.

  She was a pretty woman. Younger than me, I could tell, with thick brown hair that wasn’t the least bit frizzed, and even thicker eyelashes. Her skin was smooth, even without makeup, an olive complexion that just seemed to glow. The two of them had a familiarity about them that would seem to transcend a working relationship.

  And I couldn’t figure out why I cared.

  “C’mon,” Auntie said. “Let’s go find out who she is,” she sidled up next to me and grabbed my arm. “Try not to act too jealous.”

  I grunted and made a face. “That hadn’t even crossed my mind.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry,” she said. “She’s probably the other half of his sting operation.”

  “Hi,” Auntie Zanne said as we got over to them.

  By that time she was practically pulling me. I just didn’t care to meet this woman. I tried to think about Alex, but that didn’t seem to work. All I could focus on was her face.

  “I’m Babet,” Auntie was saying, her voice to me now seemed it came from a vacuum. “Are you a friend of Rhett’s?”

  “This is Hailey Aaron,” Rhett said, smiling one of the smiles when the gold flecks in his eyes twinkled. “Hailey, I told you about Babet. Remember? I work for her. And this is...”

  I didn’t know if he was getting ready to introduce me or not, but suddenly I didn’t care one bit about my ingrained southern manners—I didn’t want to meet her so I turned and walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I didn’t have anywhere to go. I’d come in the car with Auntie, and until she finished socializing, I couldn’t even get into the car. But the further I got away from flawless Hailey Aaron, the better I felt.

  I gave one last look their way and turned back and ran smack into Piper, Boone and LaJay.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi again,” Piper said. “You were driving my mother crazy! I loved it.”

  “I didn’t mean to do that,” I said. “I just had a few questions stuck in my brain.”

  “Because you’re trying to figure out who killed Bumper?” LaJay asked.

  “That’s for the police to do,” I said. I smiled at the young men. “I think that the both of you did a nice job eulogizing your friend.”

  “Thanks,” they said nearly in unison.

  “They have been so good to the family,” Piper said. “I wonder did Bumper know what good friends he had.”

  “He would’ve done the same for us,” Boone said.

  “Boone was at the hospital when we all got there,” Piper said. “Helping Mrs. Hackett getting everything together, going in the back to get info for them and then comforting her.”

  “I only made it there before everyone else because when Mr. Hackett got there he was just too upset to drive,” Boone said.

  “I’ve never seen Mr. Hackett like that,” LaJay said. “He always was so big and strong.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Boone said. “It was scary, and then Mrs. Hackett.” He shook his head. “She’s always been like a mother to us and to see her so upset was heartbreaking.”

  “Yeah,” Piper said, “it was heartbreaking.”

  “We’re doing a tribute at Homecoming to Bumper,” LaJay said “We’re hoping Boone can get back for it.”

  “I’m gonna try,” Boone said. “I wasn’t sure I could do it and the wedding, so I picked the wedding, but now...” he shook his head. “I’on know, man. This is so messed up.”

  “Yeah, it is,” LaJay said.

  “Yes, I heard you weren’t even sure at first if you could come,” I said. “Is that why you weren’t the best man?”

  Boone nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Bumper didn’t know if he could count on me to be here.”

  “Where do you two know Chase Turner from?” I said. “The one who was the best man.”

  “We don’t really know him,” LaJay said and shrugged.

  “He was a friend of Bumper’s from California. They met on campus, I think,” Boone said. “I don’t know how good of friends they were, though.”

  “Must be pretty good buddies if Bumper asked him to do it,” I said.

  “It’s a shame,” Piper said, chiming in. “Come all the way here to be in wedding for a guy you hardly know and he dies on you.”

  “Right?” LaJay said, agreeing.

  “I mean, I just can’t believe what happened,” Boone said, pushing a finger into his still red eye. “And it’s even harder to believe someone did it to him on purpose. I just knew he was having an asthma attack.”

  “Yeah,” LaJay said. “And I didn’t think asthma was going to do it, his mother made sure we protected him.”

  “With all the inhalers?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Boone said. It was the first time I’d seen his face brighten. “She used to make us take one whenever we went out to play when we were little. And then she used to hide ’em in places she knew we went to play. There’re probably still some out and around that we never found.”

  “Yeah, I remember Bumper telling me about that,” LaJay said.

  “Yeah, and Bumper hated it, too,” Boone said. “He did not want to ever be sick.” Boone shook his head. “He’d say I know what makes me sick, and you know so we can take care of everything without her. I’m not a baby.” Boone made a face like he was pouting as he relayed his story.

  “That’s funny,” LaJay said. Then looked around the group. “Oh! Not funny that it made him die, funny how Mrs. Hackett acted.”

  “Asthma didn’t kill him,” Piper said. “And it seems like it might take a while for us to find out what did.” She gave me a look.

  “It’s alright, ma’am,” LaJay said, directing his eyes toward me. “We understand you can’t tell us. I was just saying, you know, why? Why would someone want to kill Bumper?” He shook his head. “Who would do it?”

  “My mother might,” Piper said. “I heard her tell my father she wanted Bumper out of Jorianne’s life.”

  “She said that?” LaJay said, his eyes wide, seemingly excited about that possibility.

  “That’s not nice to go blaming your mother,” Boone said. “This is serious, isn’t it Dr. Romaine?”

  I’d never heard anyone call me that. I thought it was cute, but it didn’t distract me from Piper’s comment. That had given me pause. I remembered something about Bonnie Alvarez wielding a “shotgun” to force them get married.

  “I heard she brought a gun to the wedding,” I said. God I hated gossip, but it sure was coming in handy at the moment.

  “My mother carries a gun everywhere she goes. She loves that little snub-nose Smith & Wesson. You must not be from Texas,” Piper said and looked at me. “Everyone carries a gun. Anyway, Jorianne was just wanting to show off, as usual, when she said our momma had lit a fire under Bumper. He wanted to marry her. He didn’t need a gun to make him.”

  “But your mother didn’t want Joriann
e to marry Bumper?” I asked.

  “Nope. Said she could take care of the baby, she and my daddy, Jorianne didn’t need no husband. I just think she didn’t want Jorianne to move to California.”

  “She can stay in Texas,” LaJay said. “She’ll have all the help she needs.”

  “Man,” Boone said and lightly punched his friend, “what I tell you about trying to hit on Jori?” He shook his head. “You’re such a rat.”

  “I thought you said we were going to take care of Bumper’s baby?”

  “Yeah, well, not like you thinking,” Boone said.

  “Did any of you see what happened to Bumper’s inhaler?” I asked.

  “Which one?” Boone asked.

  “The one he had with him at the altar.”

  “I didn’t,” Boone said.

  “I didn’t either,” LaJay added.

  “I did,” Piper said. “The best man had it. Chase. He put it in his pocket when we were waiting for the ambulance.”

  “What happened to you?” Auntie Zanne said. She came up behind me and pulled me out of the conversation I was having with Piper, Boone and LaJay, and walked me out of their earshot.

  “I had to question our suspects. And guess what I—”

  “You just walked away when Rhett was trying to introduce you to his friend,” she said cutting me off. “I know I taught you better manners than that.”

  “His friend?” I said, my dry mouth coming back.

  “Not that kind of friend,” she said. “She—her name is Hailey Aaron in case you missed it—is from his hometown. Houston.”

  “How do you know what kind of friend she is?” I asked.

  “Why do you care?” she asked.

  “I don’t.”

  “Anyway, I think that was just their front. She’s working on that sting with him. I’d be willing to bet.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “She asked me about Angel’s Grace.”

  “So?”

  “So that’s where I’ve got the Mighty Max stored and the information on that bogus scholarship Shane Blanchard wanted me to help him set up. But I know it’s all a front for his illegal activities.”