Word Has It (Wordplay Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  “Not all glamorous and gun-slinging is it?”

  “Nope. Praise God. But I can’t shake off the eerie cloak of dread that keeps wanting to wrap over my shoulders. Two suspects are still at large. And one, if not both, are murderers.”

  Betty stopped with her hand on her car handle. “I know. And I am sorry. I know you wanted Carl to be innocent.”

  Wanda glanced down to the sidewalk and nodded.

  “Thank you, Wanda, for organizing the neighborhood watch teams. Truly, one of your best ideas ever.” Betty Sue squeezed her shoulder and then opened the car door.

  As her best friend drove away, Wanda felt a surge of purpose erupt through her veins. The sooner Carl and Butch were captured, the better. Then maybe everyone in Scrub Oak could sleep soundly again.

  Common sense dictated the pair had fled far away. So why did the notion that they were still hiding out somewhere in town keep niggling at her brain?

  She slammed on her brakes and pulled over. The cave. That’s it. She had to find the cave. Something told her everything else revolved around it.

  She got out her phone and texted Evelyn. Ever gone spelunking?

  Not since a field trip to Cascade Caverns on I35 for my college geology class. They had just discovered a new cavern. We got dirty, but it was fun. Why?

  I want to find the Ferguson cave.

  Wanda . . .

  The texting stopped. Wanda stared at the screen. The cursor line blinked back at her. Then she saw the next message appear.

  OK. But let’s wait until next Saturday night.

  Long time away. Why?

  If we are arrested for trespassing and leave Betty Sue to host the whole thing, she’ll kill us.

  Wanda threw back her head and whooped. If we do it tonight, we’ll be out of jail by then. She ended with a winky emoji.

  OK. Deal. But let’s do it tomorrow night. I call my kids on Mondays. Will nine o’clock work?

  To her surprise, Aurora phoned her and accepted the invitation the next morning. Betty Sue had put Wanda’s phone number as the RSVP.

  Bewildered, Wanda asked Betty Sue why she had done it.

  “Transparency. I listed us as co-hosts of the Scrub Oak Widow’s Society. I didn’t want her to stomp out when she saw you perched in my living room.”

  “Oh. Good thinking.”

  “For an icebreaker, I thought I might look through the archives for pictures of our hubbies. I can definitely track down some for Robert and Aurora from the Dallas society pages.”

  Wanda chuckled. “No problem there.”

  Betty Sue cleared her throat. “And I can find ours in our yearbooks since we met our guys in high school.”

  The memory of that junior prom danced through Wanda’s thoughts as if it had happened a few months prior. She and Betty Sue had double dated. Both of their husbands-to-be went to school in Cleburne. They had met at church camp the previous summer. A sweet sadness flowed over her. “We were two blessed gals, my friend.”

  “Yes, we were. I still have a photo of us on our wedding day on my nightstand.”

  “I know I have a scrapbook from our wedding and engagement party. We can use some of those.”

  “Good. I’ll see what I can scratch up for everyone else. Beverly grew up in Arlington and Hazel is from around here. In fact, she may have gone to Cleburne High School with our men. Evelyn will be the hard one though. Where did she meet hers?”

  “At UT in Austin. Check out the years 1974-1978. They were both in the band.”

  “Got it.”

  “Of course, we could ask everyone to bring their own.”

  Betty snickered. “It would save time, but I’ve got plenty of leads now. I don’t mind scrounging them up as a surprise. I need a new project.”

  She did? It seemed Betty Sue always kept busy. Wanda shrugged it away and went about her daily chores.

  She had to admit working on something other than solving crimes felt like a fresh cool breeze just before a rain shower on a scorching summer day. So, to keep from thinking about caves and murders, she decided to rearrange some of the shelves in her pantry and check for expired dates. That led to her weeding through her clothes closet and bagging for charity some items she had not worn in a year or so. A few she decided to hang on to for another year just in case.

  Before she knew it, Sophie was whimpering at her empty bowl. Dinner time.

  That evening, over a nice cup of tea, she flipped through her wedding album and chose two photos as well as one of their engagement pictures. Running a finger down her husband’s face, she could almost feel his dimples again.

  The phone rang, with a very out of breath Betty Sue on the other end.

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll never guess. I went to the library and checked out several old yearbooks. People had donated them, you know.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway, I found one from Carl. And guess what. There is an inscription under Aurora’s picture. It’s in her handwriting, I guess. It says, “I won’t forget you. Love, Candy.”

  “Candy?”

  “Don’t you remember? She was always sucking on tootsie roll pops. Guess that was her nickname.”

  “Now that you mention it. Wasn’t there also an old song called Candy Girl.”

  Yes, by Frankie Valli. There is a reference to it in the yearbook. Seems the kids used to hum that when she came down the hall.”

  “Knowing Aurora, she probably liked the attention.” Then Wanda shuddered. “Wait. Candy was one of the words on the Scrabble board.”

  Betty Sue’s sigh came through the phone. “I know. That’s why I called.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Wanda felt uncomfortable about this whole brunch thing now. Maybe they should cancel?

  But that seemed silly. The reference to Aurora’s nickname on the Scrabble board could be totally coincidental. She had overreacted to Wanda’s snooping at the resort and tried to tarnish Wanda’s good standing in the town but that didn’t make her an accessory to a crime.

  On the other hand, what if she had married Robert for his money, come back to Scrub Oak, and fell in love again with Carl? Did he kill Robert so they could be together? Did she help plot it?

  Wanda shook her head. Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, the fact she accepted the invitation meant something, right?

  Right.

  Unless she accepted so she could keep tabs on them for Carl.

  No. Not worth considering. Carl probably thought Wanda remained on his side. And, deep in the corner of her gut, she did. Even if all the evidence pointed to the opposite, her little voice said Carl couldn’t be a cold-blooded killer of two, if not three, people. It was someone else. But who?

  She chided herself and caught up on some emails before taking a bath and getting ready to watch an old game show on TV.

  Then Melissa texted her.

  Drove down Woodway on my watch. Saw two shadowy figures duck into the woods. What do I do?

  Nothing more. I will call Todd. Thanks.

  But Todd didn’t answer. Wasn’t he on patrol tonight?

  Wanda bit her lip. Where could he be?

  Then she stared at her reflection in her phone. Think like a neighborhood watch chairperson, not a doting aunt, Wanda. Protocol.

  She called the police station and reported it to Jim Bob.

  “I am being a nosy aunt. Where’s Todd?”

  “At his apartment in Lakeview. I am taking his shift.”

  “Oh. Okay, thanks.” She wondered why. Had he been reprimanded? She decided to call his landline.

  “Everything is fine, Aunt Wanda. I had to give my testimony to the county judge in Cleburne today since I was first on the scene last Friday night. Tons of paperwork. Protocol for a murder investigation. I didn’t get back until after dinner.”

  Now Wanda felt stupid. Policemen had so many duties she didn’t know about. “Well, I called Jim Bob because one of my watch captains reported two shadowy figures dashing into the woods
from Woodway.”

  “We have had trouble with squatters hitching on the railroad cars lately. Signs of the times. And of course, kids are always trying to get free rides to Fort Worth and back.”

  “So, you don’t think . . .”

  “Aunt Wanda.” His sigh came through loud and clear. “If Carl was idiotic enough to remain in town, don’t you think we’d have figured that out by now?”

  “Of course.” His reprimanding tone stabbed her in the heart.

  “Look, it’s been a very long day. I am tired and a bit on edge. I didn’t mean to . . .”

  “It’s okay. Get some sleep.”

  She clicked off and stared out the window. Surely Carl would be long gone unless he had a very good hiding place. Someplace very few people know about . . .

  Like the cave.

  She and Evelyn planned to meet and explore the grounds of the Ferguson mansion. Assuming the existence wasn’t a local folklore but an actual place once used for bootlegging, perhaps it would be large enough for two men to hide out inside. But if they were, it would not be wise for two elderly women to be traipsing around trying to locate the entrance to their hidey hole.

  She didn’t dare call Todd again, but could it wait until their Thursday morning Scrabble game? Something told her it could not.

  She went to her prayer chair, otherwise known as the easy chair, where she often read her devotionals or studied for her Bible study lessons and asked for wisdom. After a minute, Adam Arthur’s name came to her.

  Was 9:25 at night too late to call?

  Probably. Tomorrow she would head to the firehouse.

  Wanda yawned as she headed down the short hall to her bedroom. A banging on her door halted her in her tracks. Who on earth?

  She tiptoed back to the living room and heard the banging again. Definitely at her front door. It wouldn’t be Evelyn or Betty Sue. They would call, text, or come in the back. They knew where she kept the key.

  She tiptoed to the peephole and closed one eye to peer through the miniature shaft. A distorted man’s face appeared, staring back at her.

  “Wanda? You awake?”

  She recognized the voice. “Adam Arthur?”

  “Yes. May I come in?”

  What on earth? His name had just been on her mind. A shiver flowed through her as if an angel had blown on her neck. Godly serendipities rarely happened to her.

  She unbolted the front door and let him in. “No, it isn’t too late. Are you all right?”

  He appeared disheveled in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair was mussed under a terry cloth head band.

  “I was taking a late night stroll. I do that when I can’t sleep. Ate at the Hoot and Owl too late I guess.” He motioned if he could enter further into the room.

  Wanda motioned for him to sit on the sofa.

  “No, I am a tad sweaty. I won’t stay long, It’s just, I thought Todd might be here.”

  “No. Why?”

  The fire chief ran his hand over his head. As he did, Wanda noticed it shake a bit.

  “I swear I just saw, but it couldn’t be.”

  “Who?”

  “Carl. As I walked down 6th from my house on Pecan, I saw him leaving Aurora’s out the side door and head toward the edge of the woods.”

  She placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, which meant she had to stand on her tiptoes. “Carl, you need to call Jim Bob, now. He’s on duty.”

  The man glanced to the ground and nodded. “He’s my brother though.”

  “He is a wanted criminal who escaped from jail.”

  “Right.” He bobbed his head quickly as if to let common sense settle into his brain. He plopped down on her couch and gazed at her face. “I can’t believe he’d do these things. Colton, maybe. But Carl? Never.”

  “I know. Carl was always the quiet one, the good one.” She raised her hands in front of her. “I know. He became bolder and more fervent, especially since he bought that gas station and started up the used car lot. But it seemed to me it was more misplaced enthusiasm. As if he’d finally found his niche in life and wanted everyone to know it.”

  Adam agreed. “This is tearing up my gut.” He massaged his slightly protruding belly.

  “That or the Irish stew?”

  His mouth formed a tiny smile. “Possibly both. Well, thank you. I’ll pray about what to do.”

  He rose and she did as well.

  His expression became sheepish. “Guess I better get home. Wife is visiting her sister in Houston and if people saw me leaving your house at this hour, well, I can hear the tongues wagging.”

  Wanda knew she blushed. She waved it away. “Adam. Really.”

  He chuckled and opened the front door.

  “Goodnight, Wanda.”

  “Goodnight.” She held the door slightly ajar so Sophie wouldn’t dash out. “And Adam? Let me know what happens.”

  He raised his hand in response as he walked down the steps from her porch.

  Then her brain kicked in. “Wait. Adam.”

  He halted and turned back. “Yeah.”

  She came toward him. “That cave business. It is real, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know where the entrance is?”

  “From outside or inside?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Wanda stammered. “W-what?”

  “There is the outside entrance into the cave, obviously, though I don’t know where it is. But I do know it connects to the wine cellar in the basement of the Ferguson mansion. Of course, the door is bolted so no one can get into the cave.”

  “You know this for a fact?”

  Adam Arthur shifted his weight to the left foot. “Ten years ago, there was a kitchen fire. It started from a gas leak behind the stove.”

  “Why, yes. I vaguely remember that.”

  “The pipes run into the basement where the wine cellar sits. I had to inspect the line for leaks afterwards with the insurance company adjustor and we saw the door half hidden behind a wine rack.” He walked back up her steps to the porch. “That’s when old Mr. Ferguson told us about his pappy’s bootleggin’ cave. I knew then that Carl had not been lying about his brother and those two hoodlums hanging out in it.”

  “Adam. You know those two hoodlums were shot dead, right?”

  “When?”

  “Bubba in the woods by Carl, or so it’s supposed. And Tommy in the park a few nights ago.”

  He wobbled backwards until he found a porch post to steady himself. “We need to tell Chief Brooks. Now.”

  “We?”

  He patted his hips. “No pockets. Left my phone at home.”

  “Ah.” Wanda went inside to grab her phone. “Okay. You can use mine. But you do the talking. Brooks thinks I am a meddling old lady who sticks her nose in his business.”

  When a gruff Chief Brooks answered, Wanda explained that Arthur had spotted something suspicious while jogging and didn’t have his phone so he knocked on her door and asked to borrow hers. Before he could respond she handed the instrument to the fire chief.

  Adam told Brooks what he thought he saw, then he said, “uh-huh” and walked back down the porch steps onto the sidewalk out of earshot.

  Her curiosity itch needed scratching, but Wanda resisted the urge to follow him so she could eavesdrop. Instead, she took deep, cleansing breaths and waited on the stoop.

  Finally, Adam walked back and handed her the phone.

  “Well?”

  “He wants me to meet him at the mansion and show him this entrance from the wine cellar. He is getting the key from the attorneys.”

  “Very well. Let me put on some shoes.” She wiggled her bare toes. Wanda rarely wore shoes at home during the summer.

  “Why are you coming?”

  Wanda pointed to her garage. “I’ve got the car?”

  His round cheeks darkened. “I guess I was going to jog up there. Where is my head?’

  “In your heart. You are a rescuer. That’s your nature. And you are also a
law-abiding citizen. Thus, you are conflicted.”

  He tapped his temple. “You are a wise lady, Wanda Lee Warner. No wonder my wife thinks the world of you.”

  “She does?” His wife was a successful owner of the beauty salon chain known as A Cut Above, with branches in Cleburne, Burleson, Keene, and Alvarado as well as locally. And she sat on the board of the county’s chamber of commerce.

  Warmth rush to her cheeks. She turned to go back inside. Slipping her feet into some old oxfords, she grabbed her purse and phone. Then she went to the garage and clicked the button to open the double doors.

  Adam stood on the other side waiting for her. She clicked the car door fob. Adam came around an opened the driver’s side for her.

  “I appreciate this, Wanda. But I don’t want you to get in danger.”

  “I won’t.” She got in and clicked her belt but didn’t start the ignition.

  “What’s wrong?’

  “Now I’m conflicted. I promised Todd if I learned about anything of importance, I would keep him in the loop. But I don’t want to jeopardize his career.”

  Adam touched her arm. “What does your heart tell you?”

  Wanda sighed and pulled out her phone, telling it to call her nephew. Then she put it on speaker.

  A very groggy gruff voice answered on the other end. “Aunt Wanda, you okay?”

  “I am. But listen. I have Adam Archer here with me. He has just called Chief Brooks. I will let him explain.”

  Adam leaned closer to the phone and once again relayed what he thought he saw.

  They heard bed springs creak and two feet thud across the floor. Then a drawer screech open. “I’ll meet you there. But Aunt Wanda?”

  “Yes, Todd?”

  “I want you to stay in the car. Do you hear me?”

  “I hear you.”

  “Good.” He hung up.

  Wanda and Adam drove toward the mansion, but she stopped at the entrance to the lane. “What if they see us coming?”

  “They will hightail it out of there through the cave and disappear again in the woods.”

  “Right. Not what we want.” She cut her headlights. The almost full moon hung in the sky above the mansion as if suspended between the bookend chimneys like a tightrope walker. Its soft glow cast across the lane, elongating the shadows.