“Ugh!” I bumped into someone as solid as a bear.

“Hey, why don’t you watch where you’re going,” yelled my victim.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.” His eyes shot daggers at me.

“Well, he didn’t have to be so rude,” Dee Dee said.

Nana grabbed my elbow. “Let’s get off the street where you’re a menace and find out why you keep turning up dead people.”

Heads turned at her remark, and we hastily entered the restaurant behind a family with four small children. They were having a little trouble keeping the active youngsters in tow.

The hostess approached. “How many please?”

“Three. How long is the wait?”

The young girl awarded us with a broad smile revealing a set of shiny braces. “You won’t have to wait at all.” She grabbed three menus and packs of tableware and motioned for us to follow her. “Come this way. Your waitress will be Jenny. Could I take your drink order while you wait?” It was unanimous. Sweet iced tea all the way around.

After she left, Nana leaned in conspiratorially. All right, Missy, tell us all about the murder.”

I agonized over how much to tell Nana. I knew she’d want to get involved when she found out what happened. I started to relay my story when Jenny, our waitress, approached.

“Ready to order?” We weren’t, but we opened our menus and hurriedly picked out what we wanted. We decided on the $7.99 menu. Nana opted for a bowl of Brunswick stew and half a turkey sandwich. Dee Dee ordered a barbeque sandwich and I chose the brisket sliders. As soon as Jenny left, I started to tell my story again when a phone shrilled. We scrounged through our pocketbooks in unison. I was the winner.

I read the caller I.D. with trepidation. “Harv?”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Y ou’ve got that right, Kiddo.” A booming voice emanated from the phone. “What’s going on in the town of Chattanooga? How’s the article coming?”

“Whoa, Harv. Look, I can’t talk right now; I’m in a restaurant. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.” I pictured my boss at his desk sucking on a cherry Tootsie Pop. After a scare with his ticker, he’d traded in his ever-present cigars for the sweet treat. I rarely saw Harv at the office without the new vice.

“Okay, but don’t take too long. I want an update of that murder story you’re working on. Just because you’re at a writer’s conference doesn’t mean you can slack up on your work.” I’d found early on that Harv was a sheep in wolf’s clothing. His size alone could be intimidating, let alone his booming voice. But underneath the gruff exterior was a heart of gold. He gave this rookie a chance when no one else would. Yes, he expected my best, but I knew he’d look out for me.

“I promise I’ll call you later.” I knew when Harv found out I’d discovered a dead body he would jump on the story like a dog on a biscuit. We said our goodbyes and I hung up. With the help of another server, Jenny brought out our food and placed it on the table. The next few minutes were quiet, except for the licking of fingers and the smacking of lips.

When we’d eaten enough to satiate our appetites, Nana probed me again about my harrowing experience. “Spill the beans, Missy.”

I took a long swig of sweet tea, then wiped my mouth. “Oh, Nana, it was terrible. I got hungry during the night, so I ventured downstairs to find a snack. I noticed what looked like a sash hanging out of the deep freeze. Of course, I opened it. You know what they say…”

“Nothing more than a corps-ical in the middle of the night?” Nana quipped. Her snark broke the tension. Heads turned as laughter rang from our table.

Her gallows humor actually helped me recall the details with more clarity. “Anyway, I opened the lid and there was Annie Henderson surrounded by ice cream and frozen vegetables.”

“Oh, Trixie,” Dee Dee leaned over and hugged me, “how awful for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to comfort you. What happened after you found the body?” Dee Dee poised her fork ready to take another bite of potato salad while I explained.

“Detective Bianca Sams showed up, as well as her assistant Sergeant Gary Sargent.” Grins broke out on Nana and Dee Dee. “Before y’all say anything, I know it’s a funny name, but be careful. She’s very protective of her Sergeant Sargent.” I stifled a giggle.

“Anyway, she questioned some of us and the sergeant questioned the others. The process seemed routine until Detective Sams asked me to wait after the others had left.”

“What did she want with you, Trixie?” Nana tried to scrape more stew from an empty bowl.

Nana wasn’t the only one with a healthy appetite. I finished off my sliders, and wondered how I could eat at a time like this. But no matter how dire the circumstances in our life, we still had to eat.

“She said that the house staff, Ladonna, heard Annie and me arguing. We weren’t though. Annie was talking and she got louder and louder – it wasn’t arguing. I guess it seemed that way to her. Anyway, the detective asked us to stay in town. They’re working on the crime scene, so we can’t go back to spend the night. I guess you girls are stuck with me.”

The waitress walked up and refilled our tea glasses. “Could I get you ladies a dessert?” It was a unanimous “yes.” After much discussion we decided on homemade bread pudding drizzled with caramel sauce and served with a scoop of ice-cream.

I’ve been told “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts” so it must mean we should eat desserts in time of stress. We were out to prove that point. We dug into the delicious treat and said little while we savored the wonderful flavors.

Dee Dee shook her empty spoon in my direction. “Trixie, I’m thankful you’ll be staying with us. Maybe this Detective Sams will have all this sorted out in no time.”

I hoped Dee Dee was right. “In the meantime, I have this article I’m working on that needs to be finished. If y’all don’t mind I’d like to do more research on this Mr. Ghoston. He lived up on Lookout Mountain. I’d like to go back and interview the local historian.”

Nana’s eyes popped wide open. “Of course we don’t mind.” She wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin. “Let’s go.”

I should have known she’d be up for an adventure. I didn’t know if taking on this research was in my best interest right now, but I had to get my mind on something other than seeing Annie’s body in the freezer. I knew Harv would expect a report when I called him back tonight, and I wanted to be ready to share I was working on the story.

“Hey, I need to go to the ladies’ room. Anybody want to come with me?” Dee Dee used to go to the bathroom at the drop of a hat. But since she’d been wearing the patch, her trips had been cut in half. It was nothing short of a miracle.

“I’ll go with you,” Nana said.

“Y’all go ahead while I call the lady I want to interview and see if she’s available. We’ll meet in the lobby when you’re through.” I placed a call to Tilly Andrews. She assured me she’d be home.

We took off in Dee Dee’s rented car. And I mean literally took off. Dee drove like she was in a race on the Talladega Speedway, dodging in and out of cars at a speed leaving you dizzy. We almost clipped a Mercedes when she changed lanes. “Slow down, girl. We’re not going to a fire.”

“You’re just a worry wart, Trix. I’ve been driving a long time. Who has all the speeding tickets from Vans Valley?” She guffawed at my expense.

Nana had to get in on the fun. “Yeah, Missy. Isn’t that the kot calling the pettle black?” Her tongue twisted around the words of the common cliché. We burst into laughter. I glanced over to the car next to us. They stared at us like we’d grown extra heads. I told the girls, which triggered another bout of laughter. It was good to let go of the tension for a little while.