The Battered Body, page 15
A very excited James escorted Milla back to the Bronco. After cranking the heater to full blast, he drove out of the parking lot and headed north.
James was delighted that Milla had come along. He guessed that she would have preferred to watch Bennett from the comfort of their den, dressed in flannel pajamas and a warm cotton robe, but had decided to show her love and support for one of James’s closest friends by accompanying him. James suddenly felt guilty for accepting her offer. After all, she’d spent the day placing phone calls to members of her family and making funeral arrangements.
“I meant to ask you how your conversations with Chase, Chloe, and Aunt Wheezie went,” James said as he stopped for a red light.
Milla looked pained. “Chase was less than helpful about the funeral. He said that Patty wanted to be cremated, but I already knew that. I wanted to find out where to lay her to rest, but Chase told me he was too busy to talk and he didn’t offer to pay for as much as a single floral arrangement.”
“What a jackass,” James muttered. “And Chloe?”
“She whined about the cost of airfare until I told her I’d cover it. Wheezie was the worst, I’m afraid. Claimed she’d love to dance on Patty’s grave.” Milla sighed heavily. “Patty and her eggnog. She’s loved the stuff since we were little girls. Mrs. D. gave Patty that recipe when Patty first started visiting her house. She had shoeboxes stuffed with recipes. Enough to fill a hundred cookbooks. I wonder what she thought of Patty becoming a famous baker.”
“Is Mrs. D. still in Natchez?” James asked as he parked on the side of the firehouse. “Maybe you could tell her about Paulette. It might help you to talk to someone who knew her when you were both girls.”
Milla grew thoughtful. “I’ll ask Wheezie to look her up. The whole clan will be back this weekend, Lord help us. But I don’t want to think about such an unpleasant subject. Let’s go in and watch your friend show the world that country folk can be sharp as tacks!”
James was shocked by the number of people gathered in the fire station’s garage. The engines had been moved outside and the volunteer firemen were scurrying around the large space, erecting folding tables and chairs as Dolly and Clint set out enormous platters of sandwiches, condiments, a bowl of pickle spears, and snack-sized bags of potato chips.
“Help yourselves!” Dolly called out. She paused in her work to wipe her pink cheeks with a napkin. “Clint’s too busy messin’ with that fancy TV to say hello.”
Plucking a chicken salad sandwich from the platter, James ignored the chips and selected two pickle spears instead. “Did you make all of these sandwiches, Dolly?”
Dolly put her hands on her wide hips, glancing at the buffet with pride. “Every soul I talked to over the last few days said they’d be comin’ to watch Bennett win this game show. By the end of the morning, Clint and I knew we couldn’t fit that kind of crowd in the diner, so we called the chief and he told us to move the whole circus over here. It’s simple fare, I know, and I’ll just pass a hat once everybody’s settled to cover our costs.”
James and Milla had just picked a table when Gillian, Lindy, and Lucy appeared carrying pimento cheese, tuna salad, and ham and cheddar sandwiches. The firemen distributed cups of sweet tea as Clint wheeled out his new flat-screen television on a rolling cart. Passing an extension cord to one of the firemen, Clint directed the remote control at the screen and gave his wife a flirtatious wink. The townsfolk cheered and clapped when an image of a Coca-Cola bottle materialized on the screen.
“Show your appreciation to the man by giving him some money!” the chief roared happily and handed the person at the end of the row an empty boot. “If there’s extra money, maybe we can buy a fine new TV for the station,” he joked, before sinking his teeth into a roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwich.
“Oh, I’m getting nervous!” Lindy exclaimed and dropped a twenty-dollar bill into the boot.
“That’s a generous contribution for a sandwich,” Lucy said after putting in half that amount.
Lindy pointed at a small table near the firehouse kitchen. “I’m paying extra because I’m planning on more than one dessert. Dolly made those two-bite apple crisp tarts I love so much. And if that wasn’t tempting enough, she also baked chocolate and peanut-butter brownies.”
“You don’t say!” Lucy stuffed two additional dollars into the boot. “I need a sugary distraction. I’ve never checked my watch so many times as I have in the last five minutes.”
“We need to turn our thoughts to something else.” Gillian looked at James. “What’s the first thing you’ll do to make your new house a home?”
James described the few decorating plans he and Milla had come up with together. When he was done, he received advice from the other three women on which paint colors to use in each room and where to shop for furniture and accessories. Before they knew it, the Jeopardy! theme music started to play.
No one needed to yell for quiet. Even though the slightest sound echoed in such a huge space, a complete hush had fallen over the crowd. That is, until the camera’s lens panned across the anxious smiles of the three contestants. Upon seeing their hometown mail carrier, the crowd hooted and hollered with such gusto that James felt like he was at a rock concert.
“There must be over two hundred people in here!” James exclaimed to Lucy.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” she replied, her shining eyes never leaving the television screen.
Alex Trebek introduced the contestants, beginning with a female physician from Akron, Ohio. Next, Alex stated Bennett’s name and town, and the firehouse erupted in whoops and applause. The last contestant, a Harvard law professor, was the reigning champion. When the camera zoomed in on his smug face, the townsfolk booed.
Following the introductions, Alex reviewed the categories and the contest was afoot. The law professor, whose name was Harold, quickly took charge. After answering the first five questions correctly, someone from the firehouse shouted, “Come on, Bennett! You can take this guy!”
As if he’d heard the comment, Bennett suddenly came to life. He pushed his buzzer faster than Harold and swept the entire category on Official State Things. Barbara, the physician, rallied slightly when Bennett chose the category Bird Talk, but by the time the first round was over, Harold and Bennett were tied. Unless Barbara rallied in the second half, the game would be won by one of the men.
During the next commercial break, the townsfolk darted to the dessert table. They quickly grabbed brownies and tarts and armed themselves with coffee before returning to their seats.
“He’s going to do it, by golly!” the mayor declared.
The crowd exchanged animated chatter. James found their boisterousness contagious and couldn’t stop smiling.
“I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” Lindy cried.
“Christmas wasn’t exactly cheerful,” he said. “It feels like we’re having a delayed holiday tonight.”
With a smile, Milla hushed them and pointed at the television. The quiz show had returned and Alex briskly turned away from the camera to direct the viewers’ attention to the next set of categories. Seeing nothing relating to popular culture, James whispered, “He can definitely win this thing.”
Bennett whipped through the categories on Inventors & Inventions and The 1920s without interruption. In fact, the second question of Inventors & Inventions was “In 1858, Hymen Lipman was granted a patent to attach an eraser to this.”
Bennett’s contestant box lit up. “What is a pencil,” he said and patted his sports coat.
“I bet my pencil’s in his pocket!” Lucy shouted happily. “I knew it would bring him luck!”
The minutes ticked by and Bennett’s score increased until Harold reinserted some of his previous acuity in the Children’s Stories category. He answered every question correctly until Alex said, “This character’s sisters are Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail.”
“Who is Peter Rabbit,” Bennett instantly replied.
He was correct, of course.
“That rabbit’s foot you gave him is lucky too!” Lindy whispered to James.
Barbara answered a few questions in the Lighthouse category, but Bennett and Harold dominated Government Agencies and Holistic Healing. By the time Bennett had answered the last Daily Double correctly—a question on herbal tea—he was leading his competitors by three thousand dollars.
When the last series of commercials started, some of the townsfolk began to pace back and forth. James was also seized by nervous energy and offered to fetch desserts for the women at his table. He moved rapidly, fearing the show would resume while he was at the dessert table. Holding a fresh cup of coffee and a plate of brownies, James returned to the table just in time for Final Jeopardy.
“I missed the category!” He looked at Lucy. “What was it?”
“Sitcoms,” she said, accepting a brownie.
“I can’t stand the suspense!” Lindy chewed her nail. “Lucy! Pass me one of those apple tarts!”
Gillian gesticulated wildly. “Me too, please.”
Milla tugged on James’s sleeve. “Can you read the question out loud? I can’t see the words clearly enough. I guess I need new glasses.”
“‘The primary sponsor of this popular sitcom was Philip Morris tobacco,”’ James read. “Anyone know the answer?”
The camera panned over the three contestants scribbling on their blue boards. The crowd in the fire station held their collective breaths as Bennett frowned, crossed something out, and then hastily scrawled a different answer.
“One should always trust one’s first instincts.” Gillian worriedly rubbed her palms together.
When Barbara’s answer was revealed as “What is Happy Days” and Alex kindly told her that her reply was incorrect, the people of Quincy’s Gap breathed a sigh of relief. Barbara had risked half of her earnings, so she was still in the running. She could only win if both of the other contestants bet every cent and wrote down the wrong answer.
Next, Alex informed the viewers that Harold’s “What is I Love Lucy” answer was correct. Harold had risked enough to assume the lead.
Finally, it was time to reveal Bennett’s answer.
Alex frowned as he tried to decipher the squiggles on Bennett’s screen. The first four words were clear. Every single person in the fire station followed along as he read, “What is I Love . . .” The word Lucy had then been struck through two times and replaced by another name. James squinted at the screen, but could not make out the letters his friend had written.
“I’m afraid our leader has crossed out the word Lucy, but I’m having trouble reading what he wrote instead,” Alex began and squinted. “Not I Love Lucy, but—”
“Gillian!” Bennett cried passionately and looked straight at the camera, his dark eyes wide with surprise. “Not I love Lucy. Not I love Jade. But Gillian,” he muttered as though he wasn’t addressing an audience of hundreds of thousands. “Son of a gun,” he softly chuckled. “I love Gillian.”
Alex hurriedly explained that Bennett’s wager had earned him second place. He then hustled over to shake Harold’s hand, the theme music cranked up, and the credits rolled. The last glimpse James had of Bennett was of his friend pulling furiously at his mustache.
A woman at the table behind James declared, “Now that was a show worth watchin’!”
Chapter Twelve
Key to the Town Cookies
By the time Clint switched off the television, all eyes were fastened on Gillian. Without any warning, she jumped out of her seat and ran from the room, her bright red hair whirling around her head like an orange cyclone.
The moment she was gone, tongues started wagging, and Dolly was practically swooning in ecstasy over having witnessed one of the most dramatic events in the town’s history.
“Goodness gracious!” Milla exclaimed. “Talk about being in the spotlight. Should you go after her, James?”
“Knowing Gillian, she’s going to need some time alone. She’s probably heading straight for her meditation space, or whatever she calls it.”
Lindy looked impressed. “You got the name exactly right, James. She has a small room in her house with only a few pieces of furniture and a pair of gauzy curtains. She lights candles and listens to a CD that reminds her of the earth’s natural music—birds chirping and waves crashing. That kind of stuff.”
“We can leave her be for tonight,” Lucy said. “But I’m going to her place in the morning. I don’t want to find her in her meditation room three days from now, half-starved and dehydrated.” She stared at James. “Did Bennett ever tell you how he felt about Gillian?”
“He never said a word. In fact, I don’t think he knew how he felt until that question came up. You saw him. He was as shocked as the rest of us!”
Lindy giggled. “That man won’t be able to go anywhere in this town without someone asking about his love life.”
“Poor guy. And Dolly’s going to repeat this story until no one can bear to hear it,” James added, gesturing at the gleeful diner proprietor.
James noticed that no one was in a hurry to leave the firehouse. Even Milla, who’d seemed so tired earlier in the day, showed no inclination to depart. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes glimmered as she pointed to the front of the room. “Here comes the mayor. And she’s carrying a bullhorn.”
“Testing, testing.” The mayor’s voice burst through the mechanism in a loud gargle.
James recognized the lanky, tousled-haired figure of Scott Fitzgerald as he rushed to the mayor’s aid. He made a quick adjustment to the bullhorn, whispered some directions to the mayor, and resumed his seat.
“Your sweet boys are here,” Milla said with a smile. “I hadn’t seen them earlier.”
James craned his neck so he could get a better view of the Fitzgerald twins, who’d been sitting just out of his visual range. Exchanging waves with Scott and Francis, he saw that the brothers were sitting with Willow and Lottie. Willow pivoted in her chair and gave James a friendly smile, but Lottie didn’t acknowledge him at all.
Scanning the other tables, James saw Murphy seated with a group of firemen, her head bent over a pad of paper as her pen flew across the paper.
Groaning, James pointed her out to his friends. “Guess what tomorrow’s headline will read?”
“That witch,” Lucy mumbled. “She can never leave well enough alone.”
Lindy gave Lucy’s hand a light slap. “She’s just doing her job. You two aren’t that different, you know. You’re both devoted to your careers.”
Squirming at the thought of his former girlfriends sharing personality traits, James was relieved when the mayor finished her brief conference with the fire chief and brought the bullhorn to her lips.
“Bennett Marshall has done us proud, wouldn’t you agree?” She received a smattering of applause. “Now, I know he didn’t win. We all saw that he could have won, but something interfered with his claiming that victory. That interfering thing was love.” She surveyed her constituents. “He’s probably back in his hotel, hanging his head in shame. But I think that Bennett Marshall has shown the world what Quincy’s Gap is all about!” The mayor’s voice grew louder and more passionate. “We put each other over money, titles, or fame.”
“He’s a hero!” a woman shouted.
The mayor smiled at her. “A man of integrity and courage, surely. A man who knows what’s important in life. And we’re going to show him our support by welcoming him home in style!”
“Let’s give him a parade!” a man in the front row called out.
An elderly lady near James stood up and shook her cane at the previous speaker. “It’s too cold to stand around outside.”
“That’s a good point, Mrs. Chambers.” The mayor nodded deferentially at the old woman. “We should gather together like we did this evening, but with a bit more pomp and circumstance. We need decorations, food, and an honorary item to present to Mr. Marshall.”
“If it’s gonna be a party, we need some liquor!” a man bellowed heartily.
“And music!” someone else shouted. “And some dancing!”
The mayor hushed the crowd. “If you’d like to volunteer, come to the front of the room. We’ll divide into committee groups. Mr. Treasurer, would you be so kind as to join me on the stage? Bring your laptop, please. The rest of you should head on home. I’m sure we can convince Ms. Alistair to print off some sticky notes to slap on tomorrow’s Star announcing the time of our impromptu event.”
“Be more than glad to help spread the word, Mayor!” Murphy yelled, and James couldn’t help but smile at her.
Several senior citizens and parents with young children called it a night, but the majority of the townspeople remained in the firehouse, eager to assist in Bennett’s surprise celebration.
“I hope he survives his homecoming,” James murmured as he and Milla joined the group in charge of refreshments. “There’s no chance of him hiding at home now.”
“I’m going to make Bennett a whole Sweet Tooth goodie basket, so it’ll be worth his while to stand in the limelight for a spell,” said Megan Flowers. “And we know where he’ll be at this time tomorrow. The question is, will Gillian be here?”
“She’d better,” Dolly declared. “I’m not gonna close the diner early and cook all afternoon for nothin’! I need to know how this love story ends, because whether Gillian admits it or not, that’s what this is. A small-town love story.” She poked James in his side. “Isn’t it romantic?”
• • •
Luckily for James, Milla’s relatives were coming to Quincy’s Gap via car service, so he didn’t need to take off work to pick them up from the airport. As he was finishing the morning’s hold and transfer requests, Scott gestured at the phone behind the circulation desk. “Ms. Hanover’s on the line for you, Professor.”
“If I didn’t have tonight’s celebration to look forward to, I might have shot somebody as a stress reliever,” Lucy said by way of greeting. “Prepare yourself, James, because Murphy’s book came out ahead of schedule. One of the deputies showed it to me this morning.”
