Chapter 27

Bristol, Virginia was just about the size of the Tyson Estate, at thirteen square miles. Hell, if you added the span of the pond that flowed through their property, the estate would be larger than the small town they had just arrived in. To say that they stuck out like a red cape at a bullfight would be an understatement.

“I counted one stop sign,” Drake said as they entered Margie’s Bed and Breakfast.

“Stop it,” Rachel punched him in the arm. “We are here to gather information, so be nice.”

“Why are you insisting that we stay here instead of a hotel?” Dane asked as he looked around.

“It’s personal,” Wade replied.

“Man, I don’t know the last time I saw a Coke bottle,” Ross chuckled.

“Coke? Where?” Drake perked up.

“Not the white power, the soda,” Dane clarified.

“The soda?” Drake questioned.

“Yes, it used to come in a bottle. See,” Dane pointed to the bottles of drinks in a small refrigerator next to the front desk.

“The rocking chairs in front of the general store with men sitting in them rocking is freaking me out,” Monty smirked.

“The rocking chairs got you,” Rachel laughed. “The fact that they have something called the general store was my indication that we are out of our comfort zone here in southwest Virginia.”

“Well, comfortable or not, this is where it all began,” Wade stated as an older Black woman walked towards them from what appeared to be a restaurant.

“Can I help you folks?”

Wade had to smile. “SuzieMae.”

“That’s right,” the woman nodded. “Do I know you, son?”

“You probably don’t remember me, but I sure remember your fried chicken.”

The woman beamed. “Well, that’s not surprising, son. You ain’t ate fried chicken until you had mine. What’s your name, boy?”

“Boy,” Drake raised an eyebrow.

SuzieMae turned to him. “You under forty?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re a boy to me,” she huffed.

“Don’t mean no harm or disrespect, it’s just how people around these parts talk.” An older white man who was sitting in the dining area when they arrived spoke from around the corner. “I can see yawl ain’t from around here. Had some boys like yawl here a few years back. One of them is president now, you know.”

“There you go, making one of them darn assumptions again,” another older white man sitting at another table spoke. “Just cause they got the same color skin don’t mean they know each other. Ain’t you learned nothing from the last time their kind was here?”

“Their kind?” Rachel raised an eyebrow. “What kind would that be?” She asked with hands on her hips.

“The Colored kind,” the man replied without remorse.

Monty chuckled.

“You find that funny?” Rachel turned on him.

“I find your reaction to it funny,” Monty smiled then spoke. “Ms. SuzieMae, we called ahead for five rooms. Are you able to check us in?”

“Do I look like the receptionist to you? I do the cooking and cleaning around here. Now, I can feed you til Ms. Margie comes back. She’ll be the one to check you in. Put those bags down right there and come on in here to rest yourself.”

“Leave our bags in the middle of the floor?” Drake questioned.

“Yeah, ain’t nobody gonna bother them if that’s what you’re thinking,” SuzieMae walked into the dining area.

Wade dropped his bag on the floor, then followed SuzieMae. “Leave them there, ain’t nobody gonna bother them.” He smirked over his shoulder.

Drake and Rachel glanced at each other, skeptical of the request.

“They will be fine,” Monty nodded. “Let’s have a seat.”

Rachel glanced around. The receptionist desk that was directly in front of the entrance seemed to be in the center of a curving staircase leading to what she assumed to be the second floor of the building. Looking straight back behind the staircase, she could see a deck and a lake out back. It was a beautiful view. Hesitantly, she followed the others as they stepped into the archway on the right. The room was set up like a restaurant, with about twenty chairs and tables covered with red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. The chairs were draped with white chair covers with bows on the back. Red-and-white-checkered curtains rustled gently in the breeze coming through the screened windows. Near the front of the opening on the left was an honest-to-goodness old-time jukebox.

“Haven’t seen one of these in a minute,” Wade whispered in her ear as he held her chair for her to sit.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. Do you think it still works?” she asked.

“The jukebox?” SuzieMae replied. “Sure it does. For everyone who puts a quarter in there.” She pulled out a paper pad and pencil. “Since y’all are going to be staying here, meals are on the house. Since it’s still lunchtime, I’m going to fix y’all a couple of club sandwiches to hold you over until dinner. We serve dinner around five in these parts. So, I’m going to go ahead and take your dinner orders for later. Now, I got fried chicken, smothered pork chops and some fresh trout. What you got a taste for?”

“Chicken for me,” Wade quickly replied.

“I’ll take the same,” Monty replied.

“Make that three, “Dane added.

“Four,” Drake nodded.

“Fish for me,” Ross added.

“Huh, you would be the different one,” SuzieMae huffed.

“Why, because I’m white?” Ross questioned.

“Naw, it’s that blonde hair and blues,” she pointed to Dane. “That one over there is white, too, but I don’t have to watch him cause he’s got dark hair and those brown bedroom eyes. You, I have to watch.”

“I keep trying to tell you,” Rachel laughed. “I’ll take the smothered pork chops.”

“Do you have to watch her, too?” Ross raised an eyebrow.

“No, because she is a lady. She has the right to be different. I got lemonade and sweet tea. What’s your preference?”

“Lemonade all around,” Wade replied.

SuzieMae nodded. “I’ll be right out with your sandwiches.”

“Within the hour, everyone in town is going to know we are her.” Ross smiled, shaking his head.

“I knew when you pulled through the stoplight,” one of the men stated.

“You a slow old buzzard,” the other man snorted. “I knew when they stepped off that fancy plane. The doc called to tell me on this here small phone.”

“Cellphone?” Dane questioned.

“Seem smarter to call it a small phone, as it being smaller than the phone I have on the wall at the house,” the man replied.

The brothers laughed.

“Makes sense to me,” Monty smiled, then turned back to everyone. “Let’s eat, get settled in, then head out. The boys and I are going to check out the block we all seem to have visited in our past.”

“Rachel and I are going over to the clinic first,” Wade said as a waitress approached them.

“Well, hey now,” the young woman spoke as she reached the table. “SuzieMae asked me to bring a pitcher of lemonade and sweet tea out here for y’all.”

At seeing the young woman, Drake perked up. “Thank you, we appreciate that.”

“I bet you do,” she smiled as she placed the drinks on the table. “My name’s Redbone. I’ll be helping SuzieMae with y’all during your visit. All of you gonna be staying with us? None of y’all are going over to the hotel?”

“We’re staying here,” Dane replied.

“That’s a good bet. Ain’t nothing in town close to as nice as Margie’s Bed and Breakfast. I’m going to have JimBob take your bags and put them in your rooms. I’ll have your keys at the front desk when you’re ready to go on up. Enjoy your meal.” She winked, then walked away with the tray.

Drake, Dane, and Ross followed her as she left.

“Danger on heels, is what I call her,” one of the old men stated.

“Hell on wheels is more like it,” the other old man chuckled.