“And who told you Doc was a suspect? And we do not call them suspects anymore; we refer to them as persons of interest.” He measured his next words carefully. “Ms. Montgomery. I don’t care how much you helped on the case in Dahlonega, but you will not get involved in this case.” He hiked up his pants over his protruding belly. “Do you understand?”

All eyes turned to me. “Yes. I hear you.” I wanted to point out I wasn’t the one who mentioned getting involved. Every time Dee Dee and Nana were around Detective Bowerman they had to expound on my attributes as a crime solver. I’m sure they meant well, but their bragging kept getting me in trouble.

“Excuse us, Detective, we were just leaving.”

We made sure Dora was settled in and comfortable before we left. Detective Bowerman followed us into the hall.

“Ladies, I don’t think I need to remind you someone broke into Dora’s house. Just keep that in mind and stay out of this investigation.” He gave us a firm look, and hustled down the hall.

“Well, shoot, we were just trying to help him,” Nana said.

“It’s as plain as his rumpled suit Nana, he doesn’t want our help.”

“Hey, there’s Nurse Patton, too bad we don’t have time to stay around and pester her.” Nana laughed mischievously.

“Nana!” I surveyed the hallway to see if anyone heard her. I have to admit though; I thought it might be fun, too.

“Maybe she’ll be here next time,” Dee Dee rubbed her hands together.

“Girls, we’re awful. Come on let’s find some food.”

The drive to the restaurant should have taken fifteen or twenty minutes, but we hit a modern day traffic jam from all the tourists.

As I drove, the day turned from sunny to cloudy in a matter of minutes. I could smell the rain before it started. Raindrops drizzled down the windshield, and I hit the wiper button. Nana and Dee Dee talked about Dora’s therapy. I used this time to ponder the events of the past few days. What a mess we’d fallen into.

Not only had I offered to help Doc, I had an article due soon. Harv expected a manuscript on the Marietta History Museum and the resident ghosts when I returned home. I needed to focus on work more.

Dee Dee disrupted my thoughts. “Is that it?”

“Yep.” I whipped into the parking lot. Only a few spaces remained. A good sign.

“Didn’t they misspell Country Cousins?”

“It’s catchier this way, Nana. Come on, y’all. Let’s check this place out.” Dee Dee had the door open before I came to a complete stop.

The building, a log cabin, was a little bit of nostalgia in the middle of suburbia. As we entered, I noticed old timey signs hanging on the walls. Antiques decorated every corner of the quaint restaurant. The hostess, all of 5’2” and a good 150-160 pounds, showed us to a table in the back corner.

“Hello girls. My name is Velma. How y’all doin’ today?”

Dee Dee shot her a sad look with her puppy dog eyes. “Well Velma, we’re doing pretty well, considering we’re starving.”

“Shoot, I guess you’ve come to the right place. Let me tell you about our special of the day.” She took a pencil from behind her ear and licked the end. Yuck. She poised it over her pad. “Today we got meatloaf and two vegetables for $4.95. Of course, that includes dessert. Ruth, my cousin and the cook, whipped up a batch of her special bread pudding this morning.” Velma rattled off more specials without as much as a pause.

“The meatloaf!” three voices told Velma in unison. While we waited on our food, she brought us sweet tea served in quart jars, a slice of lemon hooked on the rim.

Ice clinking back into her tea glass, Dee Dee smacked her lips. “That’s the ticket. Trixie, we should go over to the Gone with the Wind Museum after we finish eating and pick out our dresses if we’re going to the ball tonight.”

Nana jumped on this like a flea on a dog. “What ball are you talking about?”

Oh boy, Dee Dee let the cat out of the bag. There was no way out of this but to tell Nana about the fundraiser.

“The Marietta History Museum is giving a Civil War period gala tonight, and Doc wants us to attend so we can meet some of the Board members. The Gone with the Wind Museum is graciously providing dresses for attendees.” I took a refreshing sip of cold, sweet tea. “Why don’t you spend the night with Dora while we go to the ball?”

She stared at me like I’d grown two heads. “Are you crazy?” She scrunched up her face. “You are not going to leave me out of this. You know, me and Scarlett have a lot in common.” She clapped her hands. “Oh, this is so exciting.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Velma muttered as she approached our table. “I told her so, but nooo she wouldn’t listen.” She shook her head. “Girls, sorry to have to tell you this, but we’re out of meatloaf.” We issued a collective groan.

“Ruth never takes my advice. She’s Ms. Know It All. I told her she didn’t make enough meatloaf. It’s always a crowd pleaser, so it wouldn’t hurt to have more than enough. But no, she doesn’t want to have too many left overs,” Velma spouted. She put her hands on her hips and took a determined stance.

“That’s all right Velma,” Dee Dee tried to cut her off before she continued her tirade. “What choices do you have available?”

“Let me think.” She flicked her pencil on her chin. “We have plenty of steak and gravy or fried chicken. I’ll let you have either one for the same price of $4.95.”

I chose the steak and gravy. Dee Dee and Nana went for the fried chicken. Cholesterol heaven here we come.

We talked about Dora’s progress and then discussed who we’d question next. “Let’s go to the bookstore first thing in the morning and talk with Susan. Dee Dee, you can look around and I’ll find some reason to ask her questions.”

While we planned, Velma and a young lady brought our food to the table. Good grief, each plate held enough food to feed a starving family of five.

“Did I hear y’all mention Susan over at the Magnolia Books and Antiques down on the square?” Velma wiped her hands on her apron, and struck a pose.

“Do you know her?” Dee Dee asked.

“Yep. She comes in here now and again. She always treats me like I’m some second-class citizen. Sure, she has money and is dressed in them nice clothes, but that don’t make her any better than the rest of us. She puts her pants on the same as we do. Anyway, I’ve heard she’s about to lose her antique store.”

She glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening and leaned in conspiratorially. “As a matter of fact, I’ve seen her and Jacob Wallace in here more than once. Lookin’ all goo-goo eyed at each other.”

Susan and Jacob as a couple was definitely an interesting twist. This information could take the investigation in a different direction. “Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I’ve lived here all my life and know most everyone from around here. A good number of people who work down on the square eat here.” She looked at me indignantly.

“That’s good news, Trix. Maybe she killed Jacob and we can get Doc off the detective’s hit list.”

“Yeah, ain’t that great, Trixie,” Nana said.

I kicked Dee Dee’s shin under the table, I wasn’t sure if Velma would tell Susan about our snooping. I had to put a sock in Nana and Dee Dee’s mouths.

“Ouch, what did you do that for?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

“Sure it was.” Dee Dee reached under the table and rubbed her ankle.

“Thank you, Velma. We’ll holler if we need anything else.” I hoped she’d take the hint and leave.

“Hmph. I’ll be back to check on ya.” She turned on her heels and left us to our delightful bounty. We bowed our heads and said a little prayer of thanks. I dug into my food like I’d never eat again. The helpings didn’t look so big after all.