We drove through the little village of St. Elmo’s at the bottom of Lookout Mountain. I took in the charming area of antique stores, restaurants, and ice cream shops.

“Stop!”

“Dee pull over! Something’s wrong with Nana.”

CHAPTER NINE

I turned around to discover the reason for Nana’s outburst, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. Was it a heart attack?

“Nana, what’s the matter? Do we need to take you to the emergency room?” She wasn’t holding her chest. Good sign. What was that big smile doing on her face?

“Oh, I’m fine sweetie. I just saw the incline and wanted to take a ride. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Nana, you are going to be the death of me yet.” That is, if I didn’t kill Nana first.

“Come on, Trixie. Let’s grab life by the horns and make a spur-of-the-moment decision.” Dee Dee pulled over to the side of the road and turned toward me. “It’ll be fun.”

I looked at the incline car and followed the tracks straight up to the top of the mountain. It didn’t look like fun to me, but Dee Dee was right. Why not? “Okay, let’s do it.”

“I knew you’d break, Trixie.” Dee Dee laughed with Nana like that was the funniest thing anyone had ever said.

Standing in the cold, waiting for the incline to arrive was not my idea of fun. I buttoned my coat and tightened my scarf. I withdrew the pamphlet from my pocket and read about the railway.

During the railroad boom of the 1880’s, a luxury hotel resort was developed on the mountaintop that was serviced by a simple narrow gauge railway. However, in November of 1895, a new, broader gauge passenger railway simply known as “The Incline” opened to easily whisk residents and visitors up and down the steepest part of Lookout Mountain.

Built by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, The Incline is a technical marvel that at its extreme, reaches an incline of 72.7%, making it one of the steepest passenger railways in the world. The original coal-burning steam engines were replaced by two 100-horsepower motors in 1911, but other than that the railway hasn’t changed very much in its more than 100 years of operation.

By the time the ride was over, I couldn’t wait to get my feet back on level ground.

“Admit it, Trixie, wasn’t that fun?”

“About as much fun as having a gynecological exam.”

“Well, it depends on how good looking the doctor is,” Nana quipped.

“Nana!” Where Nana had the ability to make me blush or want to hide my head in the sand, Dee Dee was able to take her like a trooper.

“Oh, Nana. You’re too funny.” She drew her into a big bear hug encompassing most of Nana. “I love you.”

Nana turned to me and smirked. “Well, I’m glad somebody loves me.”

“Oh, Nana. I love you, too.” It was my turn to give Nana a hug. “Come on ladies, we have to get up the mountain if we want to make it to my appointment on time.”

Dee Dee zoomed around the curves as fast as she could without leaving the road. My stomach lurched as the butterflies tried to escape. I had a death grip on the door-handle and my knuckles had turned white by the time we arrived at the top of the mountain.

“What’s the name of the street, Trix?” I wondered how Dee Dee could talk so calmly, but when I glanced her way she was as cool as a cucumber. “Isn’t the snow beautiful? This is my kinda snow – when it sticks to the ground and not the roads.”

When I gathered my wits, which were scattered all over the car, I looked at my note. “It’s Mountain Way, Dee.” The GPS lead us right to the door of Tilly Morrison, a long-time historian of Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga. She lived in a cute little cottage built to look like a log cabin.

I hoped three strange women – I mean strangers – standing on her doorstep didn’t scare her. I failed to mention I’d have company with me. A little sprite of a lady opened the door. “Come in, come in out of the cold.” She grabbed Nana’s arm and practically dragged her inside.

“I assume one of you is Trixie Beaumont?” Her laughter filled the room. “I guess I should have found out for sure before I welcomed you into my house.”

“Don’t you worry one bit Tilly. If I may call you Tilly.” Dee Dee stuck out her hand and Tilly reciprocated with a handshake. “I’m Dee Dee Lamont and this is Trixie.” She pulled me up beside her. “And this is her great-aunt. We just call her Nana.” Nana stepped up and offered her hand.

“Please, have a seat.” The living area of Tilly’s cottage contained furniture consistent with a log cabin theme. The sofa and chairs boasted rustic pine log frames. A fire crackled in the fireplace. The warmth and the glow of the fire made the room cozy and welcoming.

We removed our coats and made ourselves comfortable. I wasn’t sure where to start. There were a lot of blanks to fill in on this case and I hoped Tilly would be able to fill in the missing pieces.

“Wait just a minute while I get the research material I’ve found.” Tilly went into a study to retrieve what she needed, and returned with full arms. “This is a case I’ve been keeping up with over the years. It’s not often we get a famous member of the Dixie Mafia living in our little community. I hope it will be the last – his murder left a dark shadow on our mountain.” She spread the contents of her laden arms on a coffee table made of the same heavy wood as the rest of the set.

“That’s what I’d call a passel of information,” Nana said.

“You can say that again.”

I could tell right off these two were going to be a lot of help. Then again, maybe not. I rolled my eyes automatically. Not a good idea.

“I saw that, Missy. I may be old, but I’m not stupid.” It never failed Nana could pick up on my eye-rolls and would call me on it every time. If truth be told, I get impatient with Nana more often than not. I thought of all the adult children taking care of their parents and wondered how they kept their patience. I sent up a quick prayer for them and Mama. Lord, please give these brave souls the patience and love they need to care for their parents. Help them remember the love their parents showered on them.

“Sorry, Nana.”

I turned and addressed Tilly to get the topic back on track. “Tilly, what can you tell us about Bobby Lee Ghoston?”

CHAPTER TEN

Bobby Lee grew up here on the mountain,” Tilly said with confidence. I remember his parents – good people. He got into a little trouble as a teenager, but nothing serious. He hung around with another local youngster, Tad Hopkins. When those two got together it spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e with a capital T.”

“Were they ever arrested?” Since Dee Dee had helped with several of my articles, she felt comfortable asking questions. I didn’t mind. She not only helped me with work, she helped me get my feet back on the ground when Wade’s indiscretion knocked me flat on my back. Her strong faith during the sudden death of her husband was a never-ending example to me. My faith had grown under her care, but I strove to have the kind of faith Dee Dee possessed.

“Yes, they were, but I don’t remember what it was for. Since they were teenagers at the time, I doubt you’d be able to find out. After they graduated from high school, they settled down. Both of them got married and they opened a furniture store together. Nobody was surprised when they became business partners.”

“Where was their business located? It wasn’t on the mountain was it?” I took notes and recorded the conversation for later reference.

“No, there’s not much room on the mountain for businesses. It was located in Rossville outside of Chattanooga. Are you familiar with Highway 27 North?” I nodded. “It’s located along that road.”