A Life for a Life by Lynda McDaniel (best selling autobiographies .txt) đ
- Author: Lynda McDaniel
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âEating up your profits? Sounds irresistible. Iâll pick up some things while Iâm there.â Kitt held out her hand, performing some elaborate shake she must have brought from her hip art community. âSee you soon, sister.â
Two people were sitting in their cars when I got back to the store, waiting for a storm to blow through. And, of course, waiting for me. I tried to get help from Billie, a local woman who enjoyed time away from her three demanding kids, but she needed to take one of her passel to the pediatrician in Boone. I parked as close to the store as possible, ran from my truck, unlocked the front door, and tore off the Sorry sign. As they hurried in, dripping wet, I made my apologies. I felt better when one nodded and the other even smiled, seeming to understand the circumstances.
I knew I shouldnât dread customers, but at that moment, all I wanted to do was brew some coffee and grab something to eat. Besides, if they were like the parade so far that week, they were mostly in the market for a firsthand report on the biggest news since Jimmy Carter campaigned in town six years ago.
âHey, honey,â a third customer warbled as she came through the door, her sensible plastic rain bonnet and long yellow slicker keeping her dry. âHowâre doing?â
Dammit, what a cynic Iâve turned into, I said to myself. Myrtle and Roy Ledford, her husband of fifty-two years, were some of my best customers. And early on, theyâd welcomed me into their home, where Iâd sampled my firstâand lastâmoonshine. Something interesting always happened there. One evening, Roy pulled out his grandfatherâs wax-canister phonograph and played a recording of a tinny voice singing, âI thought you were a dream, but you were just an old string bean.â Another time, they regaled me with stories of Royâs bootleg days, right out of Thunder Road. Heâd gotten caught and sent to the federal prison in Ohio. Ever since, thirty some years later, locals still referred to him as âRoy He-Went-Up-the-River Ledford.â
I always returned from their home laden with giftsâcanned peaches and freshly baked bread, honey and jam, biscuits and pies. Until folks got to know you, being new could generate suspicion. But others wanted to be the first to entertain you, sometimes so they could one-up their neighbors, but mostly out of genuine kindness.
Myrtleâs voice sounded as though she had Parkinsonâs, but she was as healthy at seventy-one as I was some twenty some years behind her. Sheâd suffered from the lousy medical care at the local hospital, when the slip of a scalpel during a simple procedure had damaged her vocal cords. âYou sure had a rough day yesterday,â she added, piling groceries into her basket.
âYou was lucky you had that old dog with you,â Roy added.
âI was, Roy. In fact, Iâm lucky to have Jake any day.â
The mention of his name sent Jake howling upstairs. Heâd turned out to be the perfect shop dog. The first day he joined me in the store, he just naturally knew how to behave when strangers came and went. He held strong opinions about being part of the scene.
âSpeaking of the devil,â I said. âIâll be right back.â
The rain had let up, so I didnât have to rush up the stairs. Good thing. My ankle felt better, but it still bothered me enough to cause a limp. Iâd barely opened the door before Jake flew past me, down the steps. I followed, and as I rounded the corner, I saw him pressing his nose against the door where it met the frame, willing it to open. Roy obliged, so I took advantage of the moment and sat on one of the benches out front under the overhang, where the seats were dry. The sun was out again, and the fresh spring air carried the sweet scent of the hyacinths blooming nearby.
I looked over at Abitâs empty chair. Where was he? I shouldâve been glad he was off doing something more constructive, but I liked knowing he was nearby. I cracked the front door and asked, âEverybody doing okay?â Jake looked up sheepishly as Roy rubbed him behind his ears. He broke away and started running around the store, sussing out smells and possible rodents; he was better than any cat. âI want to check on Abit.â
âYou go ahead, honey. Weâve got a good bit of shopping to do,â Myrtle answered for everyone.
I took my time up the long flight of stone stairs to Vester and Mildredâs front porch. As I approached the house, I could see Abit sitting at the table, talking to his mother, finishing off a piece of apple pie.
âHey, Della, howâd it go?â
âWell, as good as could be expected. I wanted to let you know Iâm back.â
Mildred didnât frown, like she often did when I made a fuss over Abit. She had a prim mouth that said more about her thoughts than the few words that came out of it. I worried that she didnât trust me, or maybe she didnât like sharing her sonâs attention. âMildred, thanks for last night. It was good to talk to all of you.â
âI know that was mighty hard on you,â Mildred said. Looking down at the cars pulling up in front of the store, she added, âAnd I know youâll be busy for the next few days with shoppers and gossipers. Why donât you stop by for supper tomorrow evening? Iâm cooking a fresh ham.â
Mildredâs cooking was better than some four-star restaurants in D.C. I flashed on a table laden with homemade biscuits and beans and corn pudding and probably another fresh pie. âSounds great, and I could use some company. Itâs harder at night.â When I squeezed Abitâs shoulder, he spoke through a mouthful of pie, something that sounded remotely like, âIâll be down in a minute.â
Three more cars were lined up, with another pulling in as I headed down their steps. Lately, it felt as though all I did was go up and down stairs. Some days, especially before June when the tourists came, maybe only ten people shopped all day, and I was wishing for one of those now. Then I remembered my bank balance and quickened my step, best I could.
I was enjoying all the people coming and going that week. More copsâdifferent departments and dutiesâand even some guy up from Asheville. That reporter from our local newspaper was coming by a lot, too. Earlier, Della had made a joke about the Mountain Weakly, but I didnât get it. When she explained it to me, I snorted so hard, I got some Coca-Cola up my nose.
That babe from the new gallery stopped by at closing time on Wednesday. Della told me she was coming for some wine and cheese and chitchat, and I could see them inside when I had to go home to Mama.
We still didnât know who that dead girl wasâjust that her name began with L, but nothinâ else. Not a peep from anyone after the articles in the newspaper and even some news stories on TV. And nobody knew who the guy was who ran through the woods and told Della about the body. Brower said in one of the articles that he was probably just some tourist out for a nice walk in the woods. âThatâll be a walk he doesnât forget any time soon,â Brower told the reporter. What a jerk.
So, all kinds of gossip was flying. Brower and those other cops stuck with suicide. Della told me too many things seemed off to just leave it at that, but she admitted that we didnât have any evidence that L was murdered, either. Of course, that didnât stop two local thugs who didnât have nothinâ better to do than to get stinkinâ drunk and do mean things. Iâd seen âem come by the store for beer, but I went to bed too early to know what they was up to, late at night, cruising the county and acting up.
When I came down to the store the next morning, though, I found big red painted letters on Dellaâs picture window: MUIDEIEI. It was real scary looking, like blood with lots of drips. I figured it was a word I hadnât learned yet. Whatever it meant, I knew it was no good, so I got some blades from Daddyâs toolbox and started scraping. I was still on the letter U when Della came downstairs. Jake was jumping round all happy to see me, like we hadnât just seen each other the day before.
âWhat does MUIDEIEI mean, Della?â
âMURDERER, honey, but the Râs dripped into one big slug of a letterâthose three letters that look like I? Someone was writing MURDERER on my store.â I barely heard her, her voice so low.
âThereâs no âsomeoneâ about it. You know itâs got to be them drunks Buddy and Donnie. Donât pay them no mind.â I went back to scraping. âAnd besides, ainât no way you done the murder, even if she were killed. Why in the world would they write that on your store?â
Della just stood there a while before asking, âDo you have another one of those razor blades?â
Not long after Abit and I finished cleaning the window, Tony Benedict, the reporter from the Mountain Weekly, walked in. His shirt was buttoned wrong, and coffee stains made a peculiar pattern down the front. Over the past twenty-five years, Iâd seen a world of sloppy reporters. It was a hard life, and once you got engrossed in a story, personal hygiene could take a hit.
Ever since Iâd found the dead woman, it seemed Tony couldnât stay away from the store. No one at his paper had given Coburnâs as much as a new-business listing when I first opened. Not that I cared all that much, but I couldnât understand why Dockery Real Estate got a half-page spread and Coburnâs didnât merit a mention. Well, I knew, but I couldnât change that.
âMorninâ, Miss,â he said, as if he didnât know my name. I nodded. âJust wanted to let you know that weâre running the memorial service notice, the one Father Max has planned for next Wednesday. I got it in just before the deadline for this week, so itâs in todayâs paper.â
âWell, Iâm sure your readership will be up this week. People seem to be, well, enjoying this tragedy. How many pages this week?â
He looked surprised and answered, âTwenty-four.â
âFrom twelve? Wow. You are doing good.â
âHey, weâre not trying to milk this or anything. We think itâs important to keep people informed.â
âOkay. Now letâs hope all those
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