TWELVE

“A car?” Betts questioned.

“Yeah. I don’t need something big. I just need a little something to get me back and forth into town and around the campground.” I’d asked her if she knew anyone with a used car lot around town. “That way you don’t have to keep picking me up. By the way, I want to thank you for sending Lester over to see Alvin.”

“It was nothing.” She scrunched her nose and pulled in front of the library. “Sometimes it’s good to use the big guy above when it’s for the good of the people.”

“Let me know if I can repay the favor. I know I don’t have much.” I gathered my beloved Gucci bag and another not so fancy backpack that I’d found from the previous owners of the camper that I’d dumped my purse contents into it.

“You can show up to church this Sunday, that’s me calling in my favor.” She was relentless.

“Are you on a mission to save every soul in Normal?” I joked.

“If I can.” She winked. “I’ll see what I can find out about a car. And don’t forget book club later,” she reminded me.

“I won’t.” I lied. I’d totally forgotten about it, but now I wouldn’t. “Thanks for bringing the fundraiser items over this morning too.”

“No problem. Do you know when you’re going to make the official date for it?” She asked a really good question.

“Now that Alvin is cleaning up the lake and giving me the sod, I’m thinking we can do it in a couple of days. I’m going to ask Abby to keep getting the word out through her social media marketing with all those hashtags.” I started to laugh. “She said that she’s been getting a great response and there’s a small window between now and the start of the camper season. She’s so nice.”

“Everyone here is nice.” Betts turned in her seat. “Say,” She grabbed her cell phone from the cup holder. “I think the church has a car that you can borrow until you can get your own car.”

“Really?” That would solve a lot of my issues.

“Yeah.” She nodded with a sparkle in her eyes. “We have a donation program. When someone donates a car, they get to write it off of their taxes and Joel Grassle from the gas station looks them over and fixes them up for us.”

“Do you really think I could use it?” I asked. “It’d be such a big help.”

“I’ll call Lester and let you know.” She reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Just another good deed from our church.”

“I hear ya,” I winked. “I know. Front row on Sunday.”

I waved goodbye to her and when she was out of eyesight, I didn’t go to the library.  I wanted to see Ann before Alvin had decided there wasn’t much more to mow and go in to work.

The bank was empty except for Ann.

“Mae West,” she greeted me and slid off the stool next to the drive-through window. “I’m not sure what you’ve got over Preacher and Mrs. Hager, but they sure have taken a like’n to you.”

“What? You don’t like my charm?” I joked.

“I didn’t tell no one about the money you put in Dottie’s account.” There was something to her words that made me think she was prying a little.

“I appreciate that.” I rubbed the outside of the Gucci to get one last feel of what it felt like, so I’d burn it into my memory. I nearly teared up just thinking about what I was about to do.

“Mr. Deters isn’t here if you’re looking for him.” Her eyes drew down to my hand that was gripped around my purse.

“I’m not here to see Mr. Deters. He’s at the campground right now,” I spoke with a softly and looked around to make sure we were still alone. I put the Gucci on the counter in front of me. “Ann, have you ever seen the inside of a real Gucci?”

“I’ve never seen a real one until you walked in yesterday.” She licked her lips.

“Detective Sharp and I were talking on the way back to the campground yesterday.” I tilted my head side to side a few times in a jovial way. “I’m helping him with the investigation since I know a lot of people Paul swindled. He said that the security footage showed Dottie Swaggert and Paul meeting the day someone killed him. When he got the copy back to the station, he said that it didn’t copy all of it and he sent me here to get another copy for him.”

“He did?” She gazed at me with questioning eyes. “That seems odd that he’d ask for your help since you’re not a police officer or detective.”

I pushed the Gucci a little closer to her and opened it up. She leaned in a smidgen and looked inside. Her big gulp told me that I almost had her on the hook.

“I’m willing to part with the Gucci if you’re willing to give me a copy of the tape.” I stared at her.

“Are you joking?” she asked.

I couldn’t tell if she was happy or just shocked I’d even consider a bribe.

“I never joke about Gucci.” I let the silence between us speak for itself.

Without a word or even a facial movement, Ann got up and walked back into the vault. I heard some shuffling and clicking, praying it wasn’t her calling the police or better yet, Hank.

The door of the bank opened and someone walked in, stopping at the counter in the middle with the extra deposit slips.

“Mrs. West.” Ann’s eyes glanced past my shoulders and she looked at the customer. “Here’s the contents of your safety deposit box.” She laid a CD file on the counter and grabbed the Gucci.

“Thank you so much. I just love this bank.” I smiled and looked behind me when the customer walked up and waited at the sign that said to wait there until the teller called them.

“The pleasure is all mine.” She smiled.

I took the CD and headed out the door, walking towards the library.

Today the library was nice and quiet. Story time was only once a week and there weren’t a lot of kids running around like yesterday. Abby was putting back books in the mystery department when I found her.

“What are you doing here today?” She picked up a book and looked at the spine.

“I need to use a computer with a CD.” I showed her the disc.

“Go on behind my desk and use that one. It’s the newest.” She shoved the book on the shelf. “Let me know if you need help.”

“Thanks.” I left her to finish the cart and grateful she was letting me do it myself, so I didn’t have to explain what I was doing.

The news popped up on the computer when I moved the mouse. There was a big picture of Paul as a main news story. Normally, I’d just not read it or even watch if it were on TV, but Grady Cox’s name caught my eye.

I scanned down the article and read about Grady being suspect since he’d gone missing the day of Paul’s murder. They even had a photo of Ava Cox, Grady’s wife, and Grady Jr., their son.

I’d only met Ava, Grady and Grady Jr. two years ago when Paul and I got married. They traveled from Kentucky to our house in the Hamptons.

My heart sank as I looked at their family photo. Just another casualty in Paul’s scheme. I hit the print button. I had a deep need to go see Ava and apologize. According to the google map, they only lived forty minutes from Normal, which also made Grady a suspect. The article said that detectives believe Paul might’ve come to Kentucky to meet up with best friend, but the best friend wasn’t so forgiving. The article still didn’t say what the FBI thought about the escape. Somehow, that played a part. But who helped Paul?

Out of curiosity, I googled the penitentiary where Paul escaped. There was a list of employees that I printed off. Just to make sure, I’d take the list and compare it to the list Hank had given me of Paul’s victims. Maybe someone in there knew him and let him out. Even the list of outside sources that came in was a possibility. Most of them were church groups that tried to turn the prisoners to God. I’d ask Betts about these groups and see if she knew anything about them.

Instead of wasting more time on Paul, I needed to see about Dottie. The computer buzzed after I put the CD in the slot and shut it. A window popped open with a movie link and I clicked it. The scene was the outside of the building. I scrolled over most of it until it showed two people in front of the bank.  They looked as though they were debating something. I put my finger on the small figure that was Paul. I could pick him out from anywhere. He was so debonair and mature. Even a little scruffy, he was still handsome. For a second, I let my heart go back to the Paul I’d been married to, not the criminal. I shook my head to bring me back to the reason I was in Normal.

It wasn’t him and Dottie I was focusing on. That was what Hank was doing. I was interested in the surroundings. I took the backpack off my back and took out my file, writing down everything I could see outside of the two of them. There was a clear view of Normal Diner.

I wrote down Trudy’s name and wondered if she could give me any names of customers who lost their money to Paul had been in the diner eating that night. Or maybe Ty Randal had seen Paul and my theory about luring him back to the campground was right. I sat and watched until Dottie and Paul had parted ways.