A Life for a Life by Lynda McDaniel (best selling autobiographies .txt) š
- Author: Lynda McDaniel
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I picked out three dimes and one nickel. I knew I was short on the tax, but I wanted to see what sheād say.
āIāll take one more penny, Mister, but just put it in the penny jar to help someone else who needs one, okay?ā
I picked up the rest of my change and stuffed it in my pocket. āHowās it going?ā
āWell, youāve seen the parade of curiosity seekers. I just wish theyād care as much about the young woman as the juicy crime story. She didnāt have any ID on her, and no oneās identified her yet. I finally remembered why Iād seen her at the store. She asked me to order some kind of bread she liked and gave me the money in advance. But she wouldnāt give me her name or a way to reach her when it came inājust said sheād be back for it.ā
āWhat kind of bread?ā
āIāve put a couple of loaves in the freezer over there. Some kind of healthy loaf. Iāll probably end up eating it myself.ā
I wandered over to the freezer and saw what looked like a couple of brown bricks with seeds glued all over them. Iād stick to Mamaās biscuits. āIād better scoot. Mama will have a fit if she sees me here.ā
āWhat time is it?ā Della asked, looking at her watch. āOh, hell, Iāve got to go see Brower in a few minutes. He wants me to sign something. You want to know the truth? Iām almost looking forward to Brower instead of all these questions here at the store, over and over again.ā
I musta looked at her like she were crazy, ācause she kinda laughed. āYeah, I guess that was over the top. Iāll just be glad for a little break. I wonāt be long.ā She patted my back as we walked to the door, then taped a āSorry Iām Closedā sign on the door, locked up, and drove off.
I went home for dinner, which was my favoriteāchicken and dumplings, green beans that Mama put up last season, and fresh rhubarb pie, first of the year. Afterwards, I started to head down to the store, where a couple of folks were sitting in their cars, waiting for a heavy rainstorm to move out. But Daddy called out and told me to clean up my mess in the barn. Thatās what he called my hubcap collection. My mess.
āLonnie, get me that damn file. And is that Kincaid woman here yet?ā
Deputy Lonnie Parker flashed an embarrassed look my way. Brower was never known as a cheerful guy, but his mood seemed particularly rank. Lonnie hesitated, then grabbed the file and headed into his bossās office. I could hear a mumbled discussion before Lonnie returned with his head bowed.
āHe said heāll see you in ten minutes. Heās got to make some phone calls first.ā
āThatās fine, Lonnie. Iām in no hurry to relive yesterday.ā
āMan, that musta been hard on you. Iāve never been involved in anything like that.ā
I just nodded, as I flashed on the similar incidents Iād seen in D.C. But I didnāt want to relive those eitherāor get into one-downmanship with the deputy. He and the sheriff lived in Laurel Falls (Lonnie with his mother, Brower with his ego), but their county office was about ten miles from the store. I mostly knew them by reputation and, of course, through the rumor mill.
Lonnie had always been courteous to me, though I knew he could pick on Abit as badly as the rest. While I watched him go back to typing a report, I couldnāt help but feel a pang of pity. He lived in a culture that expected him to be tough, but he didnāt seem well suited to that role. He was just the flunky of a hard man, and together they played out the old kick-the-dog routine. Brower got dumped on by his boss, he took it out on Lonnie, who made fun of Abit, and so on. Except it seemed to stop with Abit. He just absorbed the jabs, as though he deserved them.
āCoffee?ā Lonnie asked as he pulled the report from his typewriter.
āThanks, but Iāll hold off on any more. Iāve had plenty today.ā
āYou just donāt want the sludge we serve,ā he said, as he walked to the kitchen. He came back with a drip-stained mug that made me doubly glad about my decision.
āKincaid!ā Brower shouted through the office door. When I opened the door, I noticed that his face sagged with fatigue, and his shirt, buttons straining over his belly, looked as though heād slept in it.
āGood morning, Sheriff.ā
He motioned to the chair. āOkay, letās go over this again. What were you doing in the woods yesterday?ā
āHaving lunch with Jake.ā
āWhy that area?ā
I sighed. Iād gone over all this last night. āItās a favorite spot.ā
Brower smiled. āNot any longer, I bet.ā
I waited; I knew he was baiting me. I hadnāt left Abitās house till about ten oāclock, and after that, Iād had trouble winding down. I thought about a glass of wine, but alcohol had never been a good relaxer for meāIād fall asleep, then wake up a few hours later with jarring thoughts made worse in the dark. As it turned out, that would have been better than lying awake most of the night.
āSo did you recognize this girl?ā
Brower called every woman a girl, but that time he wasnāt off by much. āSheād come by the store once. Thatās where I see most people, and I knew there was something vaguely familiar about her face.ā
āSo, you did know her?ā
I ignored that. āHave you identified her yet?ā I asked. I didnāt mean anything by that comment, but he took offense.
āNothing from her prints,ā he said, then added, āWeāre doing the best we can. Itās not easy on our limited resources.ā Brower moved on to other details weād gone over last night. I didnāt understand why we were doing it all over again. Where was the damned typed statement I was supposed to sign?
Finally, he slid a sheet of paper over with a pen. āI better not find out you messed with anything. Itās bad enough you touched the body, but under the circumstances, Iāll let that pass. You sure you didnāt mess with anything else?ā
I just looked at him.
āOkay, thatās it for now. Looks like suicide. Weāll get the tox screen in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, as they say, donāt leave town.ā
I dug my fingernails into my palm to keep from saying something snide. I tried to think that somewhere inside him, deep down, there was something that would allow me to feel compassion for him, but at the moment, it alluded me. I stood and turned to leave his office.
āBy the way, thatās a damn fine dog youāve got. I never went much for mongrels, but I believe he got all the best features from his mixed parentage,ā Brower said. āLet me know if you ever want to give him away.ā
āSure, Sheriff. Iāll put you at the top of the listā ... of bastards, I thought to myself.
āListen, Missy, no one invited you to move here. Lose the bitch attitude if you want to stay in business.ā
I turned, my hand still on the door knob. āWhat did you say?ā
āYou heard me. Iāve always wondered why you came here. Running from something back there in the crime capital of this fine country?ā
āThis fine country, Brower, letās people move wherever they want.ā
āSo why here?ā
āI bought that store fair and square. I fixed it up, and now people want to come there because itās more convenient, and because, well, it doesnāt have your ornery father in it.ā
Brower stood, his face burning red. āGet out.ā
As I closed the door behind me, I knew Iād gone too far, taking a slap at Brower because I was tired and couldnāt stop myself. Lonnie kept his head down and typed a line or two on what looked like a blank sheet of paper.
āāāāāāāā
On the way back to the store, I stopped off to see Kitt Scanlon and check out what was showing in her gallery. Kitt had become one of my best customers, her taste in food and wine similar to mine. About the same time I bought Coburnās, sheād moved to Laurel Falls from somewhere east of here. Raleigh, I believe she told me. Rumor had it she and Brower had something going on.
I should have rushed back to the store, but I needed to shake off that experience with the sheriff. And I wanted to support her new ventureāif only with goodwill. I didnāt have money right now for art, not to mention the art was more edgy than my taste. It must have cost a fortune to redo the old gas station and add the moveable gallery walls and track lighting, but sheād done it right.
When I opened the door, she had her back to me, hanging a cumbersome piece of wall sculpture. She looked the part of gallery ownerātall, slim, black leather boots over tight designer jeans, a gorgeous purple silk top, and long blond hair, perfectly highlighted. A guy magnet. No wonder those rumors were flying about Brower, though I couldnāt imagine what she saw in him.
āHey, do you need a hand with that?ā She jumped. āOh, sorry, I didnāt mean to startle you,ā I added. āI just came from a meeting with Brower, and I wanted to stop by and see what was new.ā
She set the sculpture on the floor and wiped her hands on her fancy pants. āOh, Della. That must have been so roughāfinding that girl and then having to deal with our sheriff. I bet you need to get the taste of that experience out of your mouth.ā
I wondered if her last statement was more about her own experience with Brower than yesterdayās tragedy. āHe thinks itās a suicide, but Iām not so sure.ā
āReally? I thought it was a done deal.ā
āWell, yeah, Brower would like it that way.ā
āWonder who that poor girl was?ā Kitt asked.
āNo one seems to know. Maybe just a tourist passing through.ā
āStrange. Someone looking for a beautiful place to kill herself.ā She shivered, and we were both quiet for a moment. āWell, if I were you, Iād try to get that scene out of my mind. Take a look at the art,ā she added, sweeping her arm through the air. āThat always makes me feel better.ā
I glanced at the tortured sheet metal sculpture splashed with red paint and quickly said, āI will another time. Iāve got to get back to the store. Just wanted to say hi. Oh, and Iāve got
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