Chapter Fifteen

I found myself riding shotgun as Gus was on the radio, trying to figure some things out. Sheriff Monroe’s son had torn up the town gardens and was in a holding cell, but we were off on a completely different lead.

“I saw Hank talking to Lola at the reception afterward, which I thought was weird,” I admitted.

“We’re pulling more info on Hank,” Gus said.

I grabbed my phone and called Bonnie. “Hi, Bonnie, can I ask you a weird question?”

“Hello, Annabelle Baxter. Is that how you talk on the phone?” she replied.

“I’m sorry, I’m with Gus and we’re trying to narrow down who killed the sheriff. It’s important and I don’t know how much time we have before we track down the suspect,” I explained.

“What’s your question?” she asked.

“I saw Lola and Hank talking to each other outside your house the day of the funeral. Is there any reason you can think of for those two to be nice to each other?” I asked.

“Nice? Unless she was asking him for money…no. I know he cashed in his inheritance quickly, but Lola might’ve tried to sweet talk him out of it.” Bonnie sounded annoyed.

“Did you mind that your husband left some money to Hank?” I asked.

Bonnie chuckled. “No. Eddie helped as much as he could, but most of it fell on Hank to care for her. Hank will need that money to help if his mother hangs on in this state. She and I never got along wonderfully, so it was a load off my shoulders. Hank needed the help and he won’t get any more of it. I have to look after my sons and grandkids.”

“Did Hank get along with your boys?” I asked.

She sighed. “They weren’t raised together. Hank was a mamma’s boy. He didn’t play sports or anything. He was an only child and smart enough. He should’ve at least been an EMT, but then he couldn’t drop everything and check on her or take her to the doctor.”

Bonnie was jealous that Hank doted on his mom and her sons had moved on to their own lives.

“At least we have our health. Do you know of Hank having any unsavory or dangerous friends?” I asked.

“No, he drinks a bit and helps friends by fixing up cars, because he has to fix his own car, but nothing bad. Is that all?” Bonnie asked.

“Yes. Thanks for the info, Bonnie. I’m sorry to bug you. I hope you can make the grand re-opening celebration. Bye.” I hung up.

“Bonnie?” Gus asked.

“She’s just jealous Hank takes care of his mom so much. No real help beyond that. Hank isn’t impressive in his career or education. Of course, Bonnie isn’t ill like Hank’s mom. But why would he be chatting with Lola?” I wondered aloud.

Gus got a call. I couldn’t hear the other side of it and all Gus did was grunt in acknowledgment.

“He’s off work right now, so the GPS from his delivery truck won’t help. His boss mentioned a bar he liked to go to with friends,” Gus said.

“It’s only barely three o’clock,” I said.

“No accounting for what people need,” he said.

“Why did you bring me?” I asked.

Gus sighed. “Sorry. I should’ve left you to your work. I just wanted to spend more time with you and we always seem to have issues.”

“We’re both working on our careers a lot right now. You need to solve a murder, prove yourself as sheriff and I am taking over Gran’s business. It’ll be in my name and everything, so that’s pressure.” I rubbed the back of my neck and tried not to think about it too much.

“You miss Atlanta?” he asked.

“Not really. I miss being invisible at times. Everywhere I go, it’s a half an hour chat about what’s happened since high school and how my family stuff doesn’t really matter. Which means it still does, of course. Sweet Grove is so small and people don’t forget anything.” I shook my head.

“Martha was very chatty with you,” he said.

“She was always nice. Her mom didn’t like me. I just can’t believe she has two little girls and an ex-husband. Katie has a bar. I feel so far behind,” I admitted.

“You have a smoothie and preserves shop,” he said.

I shook my head. “I’m buying it for cheap from my grandmother. I believe I can make it work, but it’s her preserves and baking recipes. I need to keep an eye on her. I guess I can sympathize with Hank.”

“But you suspect him,” Gus said.

“Just because someone is good to part of their family doesn’t mean they’re all good. Maybe he got Lola a large quantity of lily of the valley from his job so no one would suspect her? His uncle was playing two women. Taking advantage of them. Hurting them. Hurting his kids. Maybe if he wasn’t screwing around, the sheriff might’ve had more time to visit his sister or help his nephew a little more.” I was trying to think about the emotional strain and resentment. “I don’t have any siblings. I don’t have parents to help out. Gran’s health, safety and security are completely on me. That’s a lot of pressure. Hank’s mom got ill very young and is in the worst stages now. Gran is old and it’s not a disease per se, but I don’t feel like I’m ready.”

Gus reached over and took my hand with his. “No one ever does.”

“You?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’ve seen it. So many times. People give up everything to take care of their family, and it’s the right thing, but it drains them. Jobs don’t care, employers don’t understand and others, even others in the family, take it all for granted. Don’t stop living, Belle.”

“Thanks. That’s why the business has to be my focus and it has to succeed.”

“Thinking franchises already?” he teased.

His phone rang before I could reply. Gus answered and the voice on the other end was loud and muffled.

“Got it. Thanks.” Gus ended the call.

“Interesting,” he said.

“Interesting?” I asked. “You’re a tease.”

He sighed. “Hank was adopted. That makes it a bit more complicated. They were trying to get his birth certificate but hit a roadblock. It was a closed adoption.”

“Adoption? No way. Hank looks like his uncle.” I could see the similarities in how they stood, that little squint in the corner of their eyes and when they smiled really big, plus how their hair was curly and always cut short.

“He was adopted, no doubt about it. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Gus assured me.

Adopted but looks like Eddie Monroe…

“Oh crap,” I said. “Sheriff Monroe wasn’t his uncle.”

I grabbed my phone and called the keeper of Sweet Grove secrets. I put her on speaker phone.

“Yes, dear,” Gran answered.

“Gran, is Hank really Monroe’s nephew?” I asked.

“Of course, dear,” Gran said sweetly.

“Gran, we know he was adopted by the sheriff’s sister. Why?” I asked.

“That still makes him the sheriff’s nephew. She wanted a baby. Poor thing never could find a husband. She looked like her brother and couldn’t cook a lick.” Gran clucked her tongue.

I almost joked that at least I could cook, but Gus was in the car.

“But Hank looks like the sheriff. He has a family resemblance. If he’s not blood that doesn’t make sense,” I countered.

The line went quiet.

“Gran?” I asked.

“I’m having trouble hearing you, dear,” she said.

“Gran, don’t play games. Is Hank the child of Lola and the sheriff? Did they adopt him out to Eddie’s sister to hush it up but keep him close?” I pressed.

Gus gave me a thumbs-up. Flaw found—he was a bit dorky at times, but still good-looking and hard-working.

“No! I can honestly say he is not the son of Lola and Eddie. Oh dear, I have customers. You go have fun on your date and I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about a thing about the shop,” she said.

The call ended.

“She’s good,” Gus said.

“The best. Guilt bomb and skirting the truth. I’d bet she’d pass a polygraph with that.”

“She would. You said Lola was a lifer in Sweet Grove. She grew up there?” he asked.

“Always in the flower shop and the choir. Divorced and no kids with the ex.”

“People would remember if she left for some months to visit family then came back to hide an unacceptable pregnancy. Your Gran especially,” Gus said.

“She would. You think she’s lying?” I asked.

Gus shook his head. “I think Eddie had another girlfriend, at some point anyway. We didn’t find any current other other women, but twenty years ago, who knows.”

“Poor Hank,” I said. To be adopted by your aunt and forced to call her your mother and care for her while being denied by your true parents.

“Poor Hank is a murderer. I don’t think he helped Lola. I think he did it,” Gus replied.

My phone beeped and I checked the message.

“Who’s that?” Gus asked.

“None of your beeswax. Just a friend from Atlanta. Nothing to do with this case,” I replied.

“A male friend?” Gus asked.

Gus is jealous? I shook my head. “No, Trish. She came by the shop to visit when she had an interview in Nashville. She got the job.”

“Good for her,” Gus replied.

“It is very good. She loved Gran’s preserves. If she’s working in a big fancy hotel, she can slip a jar to the restaurant manager to try. Or if things go south here, she might be able to get me a job that I could at least commute to rather than uproot Gran.” I was very grateful for my friends and backup options. I had faith and would do anything for the shop, but the only sure things in life were death and taxes.

“Leaving us already?” Gus asked.

“Us? You’re new in Sweet Grove. I’m old news and home. No, I’m not leaving, but we have to do what it takes. I’m not too uppity or pampered to not consider my options when I’m the only one to look after Gran,” I shot back firmly.

He let the conversation lapse as he pulled up to the bar. It looked like the worst dive joint in a cheesy eighties movie about redneck roadhouses, right down to the Doberman Pinscher sitting outside—no leash, just a studded black collar.

Gus paused for a minute and seemed tense. He got on the police radio and let them know his location.

“You should stay here,” he said.

“No way,” I shot back.

He grabbed my arm. “Belle, I can’t protect you if things go badly. If he’s drunk and realizes we’re on to him, he might run or fight. I don’t want to wait for backup because someone will tip him off there’s a cop car out here.”

“They’ve probably already noticed. Go. I’ve been in bars before.” I was a small-town girl, but I wasn’t sheltered and clueless.

We got out of the car and went inside. Gus seemed tense, but he was on duty and things could go badly. Luckily, I’d taken a self-defense course while in Atlanta and I could always run for it.

He flashed his badge at the bartender. “Hank Monroe?”

I spotted him and went over. “Hi, Hank, sheriff wants to talk to you.”

I wasn’t an idiot. I kept enough distance between us so that he couldn’t grab me, though I was pretty petite, no good for using as a human shield.

Hank frowned. “Why?”

“Your cousin tore up everyone’s garden and broke Lola’s windows,” I said.

That wasn’t a lie, and Gus might want to see if Hank knew anything. I hung back and listened.

Gus walked over. “Hank, come on, we need to talk.”

Hank smirked at his buddies. “I don’t feel like it.”

“Sorry, not a choice.” Gus grabbed Hank by the arm.

“Let go of me. I didn’t do anything to Lola. She’s innocent. You’re trying to frame her because it’s easy.” Hank tried to pull away.

“No one is being framed. She’s innocent, but someone did it.” Gus slapped cuffs on Hank’s wrist and twisted his other arm until he was cursing in pain.

Finally, both hands were cuffed behind Hank’s back.

“Hey, Gus, I thought you moved,” said a woman.

The redhead had a tray in her hand, wore a tight T-shirt advertising the bar and had leggings for pants that were so tight I didn’t want to look anywhere near that area for fear the trim of her bikini line might actually be visible. Certainly, there were no panty lines. The hooker heels were overkill, in my opinion.

“Had some business blow through here. We’ll be gone in a minute, Dina.” Gus didn’t even look at her.

The tension between them was higher than between Gus and Hank.

“Hang on,” Dina said. She reached down her shirt between her assets and fished out a ring on a cheap chain. “Here. My new man said I shouldn’t keep it or pawn it. He has real class.”

“Fireman?” I asked.

“Mechanic,” she said.

“Nice. I’m Belle.” I would’ve shaken hands to be polite, but she’d just been wrist deep in her own cleavage.

“Dina. He’s got a new girl already?” she asked.

“No, I’m just a friend of a victim, sort of. Trying to get a crime solved. Gotta train the new sheriff,” I joked.

“Well, you tell the girls wherever he landed to steer clear. He’s a handful, and not the good kind,” she warned.

“Thanks for the info,” I said. “We have to go.”

Gus ignored our interaction. Dina stuffed the ring into his pocket and I headed for the door.

“I didn’t help rip up any gardens,” Hank insisted.

“Never said you did.” Gus nudged Hank along and read him his rights.

Hank struggled getting in the back, but Gus managed it.

“I didn’t touch the gardens. I’d never hurt Lola.”

“Is she your birth mom?” I asked.

Hank froze and the car got very quiet.

Gus shook his head. “Wait until we’re at the station. We need to record the interrogation.”

“She’s not,” Hank said.

I looked back and his head hung in defeat.

“We know you’re adopted. I don’t blame you for being angry at your birth father. He was a good uncle, but that’s not nearly enough to be a father.” I caught his gaze.

He shoved himself back into the seat.

“He never took care of them. Any of them. He just cast them off if they were too much trouble,” Hank replied.

“How many kids did he have?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I meant the mistresses. I’m the only bastard, as far as I know. Lola isn’t my mom.”

“Who is?” I asked.

“Birth mom? She died a few years back. Lung cancer. I couldn’t take care of her the way I do my adopted mom. I swear, I wanted to tell everyone the truth about Eddie, but no one could know. Lola told me it’d be wrong to hurt my cousins. She found out about Uncle Eddie’s history. I swear he only had his sister adopt me so she’d be taken care of by someone. He dumped me on her to get out of two obligations. I have two half-brothers who don’t know I’m their half-brother. That’s still a secret.” He shook his head. “It’s bad enough when no one wants you, but when they use you—put you close enough to watch but far enough away where they don’t have to really care. Not like a father.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“What made you do it?” Gus asked.

Hank looked out of the window. “He told me he was going to cut Lola loose. She was demanding that he leave his wife. He said she made threats about telling people. Ruin his job or something else. I tried to calm her and told him to leave it. He started telling her he’d leave his wife again and she was okay.”

“You were trying to help,” I said.

He shrugged. “I wanted what family I had. Lola was nice to me. I love my mom, adopted mom. I do, but she’s ill. She’s not herself at all anymore and doesn’t even know who I am. I don’t want to upset her when I visit her. Lola let me vent and acted like a mom. Bonnie didn’t want to be bothered with me. She treated me like the no-good nephew. It was fine—I wasn’t hers. But he just kept using and hurting people.”

“You put a stop to that,” Gus said.

“I didn’t plan it. It just came out,” he said.

I turned to look at him but held my tongue.

“Out?” I asked. I bit my lower lip. “You got that much lily of the valley together on the spur of the moment?”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t for him. I collected the berries of a bunch of poisonous plants. I crushed them, kept the juice just in case for Mom. I’d been gleaning from work for over a year. If she got too sick, she wanted a way out. Fast and certain death. I just couldn’t do it.”

“But she has Alzheimer’s. Can she make that decision now?” I asked.

Gus looked at me. I couldn’t fault her either.

Hank shook his head. “No. It’d be me making the call and I can’t do it. I’m a coward. I’ve always been a coward.”

“No one is saying your position was an easy one. Eddie should’ve helped more with that sister of his. But using that poison on him… How did you do it?” Gus asked.

Hank sighed. “Lola and I talked that day. I texted him that I wanted to talk about Mom. He came over after dinner. He was raving about that smoothie of yours, Belle.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“I offered him coffee and I put it in there. He said it tasted funny. I told him it was a chicory blend. He drank it all and asked for a refill in his to-go mug. I was just glad he made it home.”

“You just did it. Cold and planned? That’s not you, Hank,” I said.

Hank looked everywhere but at my face. A tear ran down his cheek.

“I told him it was wrong to cast off Lola. You don’t dispose of family, no matter what. He said she wasn’t family. That’s when I asked if I really was his family or if, once Mom passed, he’d cut me loose.” Hank sniffed.

“And?” Gus asked.

Hank shrugged. “He said I was a grown man. I was his nephew as long as I didn’t upset his real family or embarrass him.”

“Embarrass how?” I asked.

Hank shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I did it. For my mom, my birth mom, for my aunt or stepmother and for Lola.”

“I don’t believe you. You told him, didn’t you?” I asked.

“Told him what?” Gus asked.

Hank looked down, but his face was bright red. “Nothing to tell.”

“I saw you at the Honey Buckle. You came out of the back like you’d been caught. You were there making out with… It was you. I walked by,” I said.

“I don’t think anyone begrudges him having a girlfriend,” Gus said.

Hank looked up. “It’s not a girl. Sheriff’s gay nephew. He said he’d rather I was dead.”

“That’s what made you do it,” I said.

He looked down. “I told him I’d never say a word. I’d move away after Mom died. No one would know. He calmed down, I got him a whiskey and added the poison to that. Coffee was a lie. We drank to the new plan. He couldn’t get out of my house fast enough after he had a good stiff drink. Like the sight of me made him sick.”

“He was really sick and died shortly after getting home,” Gus said.

“That man’s selfishness had controlled so many lives for so long. He wasn’t going to control me for another minute. I’d rather be in a literal prison than one of his making.” Hank exhaled deeply and the tension seemed to ease away.

“I’m so sorry, Hank.” I meant it. I was also sorry for Katie’s brother.

“I know. You’re a good one, Belle. I’m sorry you got any blame or suspicion on you.” Hank nodded.

Sliding a look at Gus, I couldn’t read his expression. We’d found the killer, but nothing was black or white.

“Get yourself a good lawyer, Hank. Juries are human—you tell your story. You’re under arrest on suspicion of murder. The rest isn’t up to me.” Gus sighed.

I smiled slightly at him. If we could keep Gus, we had a good sheriff.