NINE

“You can’t leave your clothes in the washer.” Queenie was scolding a young girl on the other side of The Laundry Club. “It’ll get all mildewed and stinky.” She threw her hip to the side and planted her hand on the lime green waistband of the tights she was wearing. “Who wants to smell a stinky uniform when you’re trying to deliver delicious food?”

I couldn’t help but smile. The poor young lady didn’t look more than twenty-years-old. She had her dishwater blonde hair pulled in a high ponytail. I could tell by the length of her ponytail that her hair must’ve been long because the end of the ponytail went past her shoulders. She had a thick waist and full hips and stood about five feet eight inches tall. There was a look of terror on her face when she watched Queenie push buttons and pour liquid in the cups of the laundry machine.

“How did the library gig go?” Dottie asked. She was sitting at card table where Queenie’s fake crystal ball had once sat.

“Crazy.” My brows shot up. “First I got sidetracked when I was putting the returned books back on the shelf.” I held up a couple of the books about Normal. “I found these in the non-fiction section and was really happy to see that the brochure and the photos in the book look similar, so we can get the RV park back in tiptop shape. And now I think I can figure out how this whole RV living thing works with the books Abby pulled for me. She also found me some books on how to run a business.”

“That’s what you call crazy?” Dottie asked and pointed to the coffee station. “Fresh pot. Go grab you one and fill me back up.” She exchanged her coffee mug with the books in my arms. “And the book club book.”

“Yeah. Abby shoved that into my hands after I had to do the story time for the children,” I said over my shoulder on my way to the coffee. “and crafts. That was crazy because I’ve never been good with kids,. And Hank.” I poured, and Dottie interrupted me.

“Detective Sharp?” She asked.

“Yeah. He came in to talk to me and he actually got the kids to do the craft by bribing them with stickers.” I walked back with a cup in each hand and sat them on the table.

“Did he say anything about the investigation?” She asked, which reminded me about what Betts had said about overhearing the older ladies in the community gossip as she cleans their houses. 

“He said that Paul had been dead longer than I’d been in town and he’d subpoenad my cell phone records to show that I’d not been in contact with Paul by checking the location feature. Who knew phones were so smart.” I brought the cup up to my lips. “I told him I didn’t do it and I gave him a list of people from Normal who might’ve had motive from Normal.”

“That’s why I don’t have one of them darned cell phones. The government is spying on me.” Queenie headed over to the puzzle table and gave what was already completed a good onceover.

“No one cares what you’re doing, Queenie.” Dottie rolled her eyes.

Queenie shot Dottie a look, but Dottie didn’t see it. I gave Queenie a smile and mouthed that I cared about her. She grinned.

“Why do you think it was someone from Normal?” Dottie shifted in her chair.

“Because he did a lot of people wrong here and was found here. Not just money either.” I gnawed on the thought of whether I should ask her about the conversation Abby heard and just went for it. “Dottie,” I put my cup down and reached over the table, cupping her hand in mine. “I understand that Paul gave you a sob story, but I also understand that he was planning on firing you.”

“How did you know that?” She jerked her hand away and leaned further back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m finding out really fast that Normal is very small. People talk around here, even to strangers.” I circled my finger around my mug and sat there in silence.

“You think I killed him?” She leaned forward and tapped her fingernail on the table. “That just beats the band, Mae West. You come waltzing into our town and we,” she circled her finger around the air around her, “take you in, flaws and all, because honey, you’ve got a lot more issues than Time Magazine.”

“I. . .” I stammered from the little bit of tongue lashing I was getting. It wasn’t my intent at all.

“Don’t go and give me no excuse. I didn’t kill that sorry sack of youknowwhat and I don’t have to explain nothin’ to you or Hank Sharp.” She jumped up and grabbed her pleather cigarette case that had a top snap closure.

In a flash, she scurried over to the door and shoved it open, causing the glass door to slam into the outside wall of the building and light her cig as she sat on the curb of the sidewalk.

“Now what did you do?” Queenie glowered at me and rushed out the door to Dottie’s side.

I sat there wondering how to make the situation right, but she sure was acting guilty instead of just telling me about the fight, I thought as I watched her stiff lips fussing as the smoke rolled out with each word. Every once in a while, she jabbed the air with her cigarette and fingers towards me.

“Excuse me,” the young girl who Queenie was helping got my attention.  She had on a pair of black skinny jeans with black Converse tennis shoes on. “Do you know how to start this dryer? Mine broke and my boyfriend is out of town.”

“Sure. In fact, I didn’t know how to use it until yesterday.” My heart tugged knowing that without Dottie, I’d never survived my last couple of days in Normal where nothing was normal.

“Really?” She questioned.

“Really. I think we should write the directions down and post them. Don’t you?” I took her quarter and showed her what the best option was for the quick dry cycle since she didn’t have a whole lot.

“That would be a good idea. Thanks.” She nodded and went back to the bookshelf.

“No problem.” I glanced back out of the door on my way back to the front. Queenie was rubbing Dottie’s back. Dottie had her forehead planted in the palm of her hand. “I’m Mae.”

I wanted her to feel welcome because it was only a few short days ago that I was here in her shoes and didn’t know a soul in the Laundry Club. I recalled how good I felt when they helped me out and I wanted to pay the kindness forward.

“Trudy Bull,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you and I’m so glad you helped me.” She put her hands in prayer pose with a small bow.

“I can write down some directions, that way no one will bother me with it,” Queenie grumbled and walked over to the bookshelf where there was a pad of paper and pens stuck in a coffee mug.

After I helped Trudy, I thought it was about time to start taking responsibilities for all of my actions and not just Paul. I headed outside and ignored Dottie’s under breath comments on how I wasn’t invited to their little party.

“I’m crashing it.” I sat down on the curb next to her and realized I’d never sat on a curb before. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t mean for you to think I thought you killed Paul. I know he did wrong and even though he was a criminal, he was my ex-husband and was great up until the FBI raided our house. I’m trying to work through all those feelings I have. Was he the real man I fell in love with five years ago and married only a couple of years ago? Was he the man that took everyone’s money and a criminal? Did he get caught up into something that he just couldn’t get out of?” I shook my head. “These are questions, as someone who is trying to make his actions right, that I’m asking myself. I think I need to figure out who killed him and why in order to move on.”

“In the process you’re willing to say that I did it to Hank?” Dottie asked. “I never once asked if you killed Paul.”

“You didn’t. He asked if I knew anyone who in the RV park would want Paul dead. Trust me, you’re not the only one. I told him that someone got to Paul before me.” Both of us laughed. “I’m sorry.”

“If you wanted to know about the conversation, I’m more than happy to tell you,” she said and put the cigarette out on the edge of the curb. “He came by once a month to collect any lot fees and I gave you the printout. A few of the people on the list, I paid their fee with what little money I’d got paid from Paul. He must’ve known something was coming down the pipeline with all his dealings because the last time I heard from him, he told me that he was going to come live here and take over. When I asked him about my job, he said and I repeat, ‘Toots, times are hard. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.’”

“She didn’t take too kindly to being called Toots,” Queenie said in a matter of fact way with a hard nod. “I was there. Me and Henry. She had a good comeback.”

“I’m afraid that comeback just might be what will get me trouble.” Dottie twirled the edge of the curl around her finger. “I told him which way was which and how ashamed he should be about taking people’s money. I wasn’t stupid. I watch them big news channels. When I started talking to people around here, they started telling me how he’d been investing their money or something like that. I’m not gonna lie no more. I was the one who called the FBI. I gave the tip and I even warned Paul, telling him that I was gonna get him back.”

“Do you think he was on his way here after he broke out of jail to come confront you?” I asked.

“I don’t know why he came here. I figured it was for you, but then I wondered if like you, he had no other place to go.” She shrugged.

We all looked up as we heard a car approaching, Hank’s car. We stood up and waited for him to park.

“You didn’t tell the FBI who you were?” I asked.

“No. I called anonymously. I even did it from a pay phone in another town.” She put her hand over her brows to shield the sun. “He looks like he means business.” She dropped her hand and greeted him after he made it over to us.

“Dottie. Ladies.” He looked at me last. There was a bit of a smirk on his face. “Dottie, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, Hank.” She walked over to the side where he’d pointed and he followed.

“Hey, you two.” Betts walked up with a couple of bags in her hands. She leaned to look around us. “What’s going on?”

“We don’t know. Well, we have an idea.” Queenie cocked a brow. “We won’t even bother giving you a free guess.”

“Paul West?” She asked.

“Mmmhhhhm,” My nose drew a big line up in the air and an equally big one down to my chin. “Let’s go inside and give them some space.”

Queenie held the door open for us to walk in.

“I’ve got some good stuff for you.” Betts held the bags up a little when she walked into laundry mat. “I went back to the Tough Nickel after how he treated you this morning. I told him how ashamed he should be treating you that way when I see him every Sunday sitting in the front pew next to his wife.”

Queenie nudged me. “That’s why we keep her in the group. She’s good at using what we like to call our mama’s God guilt.”

She pulled out twinkly lights, flower necklaces, some blow up palm trees and beach-themed paper cups with napkins along with a couple of those flamingo lawn ornaments. They’d seen better days, but wasn’t all the chipping looking stuff coming back in style?

“I’ve got tons more in my car.” She beamed with pride. “I told Lester what you were doing and how you were going to bring back the tourists to Normal and how good it was going to be for the community to see you in church. We had a lot of leftovers from our beach-themed vacation bible school, that Lester donated it all.”

“Did you say see me in church?” I pointed to myself.

“Why, yes. You are now part of the community.” Her smile faded when she realized I wasn’t smiling. “You do believe in church, right?”

“I. Um.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Yeah, but I’ve not been in a long, and I mean long time, so maybe you should take it all back.” I gulped.

“Don’t be silly. We will see you in church on Sunday.” She patted my arm and headed back into the door that read office in rectangle, uneven letters.

“You just got mama God guilted.” Queenie drew her hands up over her head and tipped over at the waist, bending down to touch the ground. “I’ve got to go to class. You want to go? Good for stress.”

“No. I want to talk to Dottie and get a jump on cleaning up the RV park.” I watched out the door when I saw that Hank was walking back to his car and left Dottie standing there with her shoulders slumped.

“Strike class is in the morning.” Queenie did some sort of move that I think was supposed to resemble her hitting a punching bag, but it looked more like a wet noodle to me. “You should come.”

“Maybe one day.” I was promising a lot of one days to people around here. One day church, one day Jazzercise. I wondered if that one day would come. I pushed the door open and poked my head out.  “Are you okay?”

Queenie pushed past me and gave a wave over her shoulder. “I’ve got to get to class, but I’ll call after Dance Mix.”

Dottie acknowledged her.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Queenie said to Dottie, only this time she kicked her leg out to the side.

“I’m going to head on back home.” Dottie let out a big sigh. “Do you need a ride?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.” I offered a peace offering smile.

“Then we can talk about it on the way.” She dug her keys out of her pocket.

“Let me grab the stuff Betts brought and tell her goodbye. I’ll be right back.” I swung the door open and walked over to Betts’s office door, knocking on it.

She called for me to come in.

“Hey, I’m heading back home with Dottie. Do you want me to grab the stuff from you?” I asked.

“I can bring it over in the morning when I give you a ride to the library, that is if you need a ride.” She was sorting through some paperwork on her desk.

“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I looked at Betts for a moment longer before I headed out to meet Dottie’s old pickup truck.

“Hank said I’m a suspect.” Dottie spoke with the unlit cigarette stuck between the corners of her lip. She jerked the gearshift that was on the neck of the steering wheel down into drive. “He said that he had some folks come forward with some information about my conversation with him. I actually thought Paul and I were friends up until the last time he’d called.”

“I’m sorry. He made everyone feel like they were important in his life. Just look at all the people who invested with him and gave them all their money.” I looked out the window as we headed out of town.

“I’m one payment away from my camper being taken away from me.” She curled her lips together. “Like Henry, I had some savings. My husband and son were killed in a car crash.”

I looked over at her. She swallowed, hard.

“The trucking company that hit and killed them gave me a real big settlement,” her voice trailed off.

“Please don’t tell me that you. . .” I didn’t have to finish my sentence. By the look on her face, I knew the answer to my question. “Can you stop?”

Dottie brought the car to a halt in the middle of the street right in front of Normal Diner.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I forgot I was going to meet someone about the fundraiser at the diner.” I planted my palm on my forehead. “I’m forgetting a lot of things lately.”

“Do you want me to wait?” she asked.

“No. You go on home and get some rest. We’re going to figure out who did this to Paul.” I pinched a smile. “You aren’t the only one in Normal that wanted to kill Paul.”