Full Bloom

  Nunamaker shrugged. “From what you said over the phone, all the evidence is circumstantial. There’s no confession, no witness, no weapon. Hell, there’s not even a body,” he added with a wide grin.

  “All they’ve got is probable cause,” Nunamaker went on, “but that’s all they need to arrest somebody. I called the DA from the plane. He was ready to charge Mrs. Fortenberry with premeditated murder, if you can believe it, but I threatened to make his life miserable, so he changed his mind.”

  Jamie gasped, suspecting that wouldn’t bode well for Annie. “Can you get away with something like that?”

  The man grinned. “Ordinarily he’d probably report me to the bar, but we’re good tennis buddies, and he wants me to put in a good word for him at the Hilton Head Country Club so they’ll offer him a membership. They don’t let just anyone in. Do you play tennis, Max? You look awfully fit.”

  “Not as much as I used to. Do you think the judge will let her out on bail?”

  “Normally he wouldn’t, but he and I are tight.”

  “Is he a tennis buddy as well?” Jamie asked.

  “No, he’s my brother-in-law. I’ll still have to argue the point, mostly so I get good press, but I don’t foresee a problem. I should warn you, though: the bail is going to be high. Otherwise folks might think he’s showing favoritism.”

  “No problem,” Max said. “As long as he’ll take a check.”

  “Hell, you’re Max Holt. He’ll take an IOU on a gum wrapper. Seriously, you and I should get together and hit a few balls sometime.”

  Lamar returned with a file folder in his hands, a female officer beside him. “The defendant is changing clothes,” he said, handing Nunamaker the folder. “My officer will escort you back in a few minutes.”

  “You’re a good man, Tavis.”

  Annie paced the room and watched the clock. Only thirty minutes left before she would have to face a judge who would probably throw her in the slammer until she was old enough to use a walker. She wouldn’t be able to help Max and Jamie with their wedding. She had let them down, and she had shed more tears over that than she had over being arrested.

  She jumped when someone tapped on the door. The female officer who’d been so kind to her opened the door. “Your lawyer is here, Mrs. Fortenberry.”

  Annie blinked. “Lawyer?”

  A man in a tennis outfit stepped into the room. “Mrs. Fortenberry, at last we meet, and I must say you’re about the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen. I’m Cal Nunamaker, your attorney. You can call me Cal. May I call you Annie?”

  She nodded dumbly. “Did the court appoint you?”

  “Oh no. A friend of yours, Max Holt, hired me. I promise I’ll get you out of here lickety-split. Do you have any questions?”

  “You’re saying I won’t go to jail?”

  “Absolutely not. In fact, you’ll be home in time for supper.”

  Annie couldn’t hide her astonishment. “But I’ve been charged with murder.”

  He smiled kindly. “We both know you didn’t kill your husband.”

  “I’ve never killed anyone in my life.”

  “So I want you to wipe that worried look from your face and give me a big smile.”

  Annie just looked at him.

  “You’re not smiling,” he said.

  She forced herself to smile.

  “That’s much better. Now, you just sit tight for a few minutes, and I’ll be waiting outside to walk you next door to the courthouse.”

  Annie nodded as the officer let him out. The woman turned and gave Annie a thumbs-up before she closed the door.

  • • •

  “I have never been so humiliated in my life,” Annie hissed to Jamie when they exited the courthouse more than an hour later. Annie blinked several times when she saw the crowd that had doubled in size during her brief arraignment, where she had actually been charged with murder and given a court date. Several news vans waited out front, men and women stood on the steps holding microphones, and they raced toward Annie as soon as they caught sight of her. “Oh no,” she said.

  “Trust me, we want the publicity,” Nunamaker whispered. “I’ll handle everything.” He stepped forward as microphones were thrust at him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure all of you know me, but for the record, I’m Cal Nunamaker, and I’m representing Mrs. Annie Fortenberry. I am only going to comment briefly on the case, and if you’re nice I’ll take a few questions.” He gave them a movie-star smile.

  “Mrs. Fortenberry is absolutely and unequivocally not guilty of the preposterous murder charge that has been brought against her by a police force that is either too stupid or too lazy to perform a real investigation.” He paused to catch his breath. “Once this silly matter is behind us I plan to take measures to see that reparations are made.”

  “Are you saying you plan to sue?” one of the reporters asked.

  “I’m planning something more formidable,” he said. “My client is an honorable, law-abiding citizen, and I refuse to allow her name to be tarnished by frivolous charges that can’t be backed up with solid proof.”

  Annie perked up when she spied a smartly dressed woman she recognized from a Charleston TV station. The woman stepped right up to Nunamaker.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Nunamaker, but aren’t you jumping the gun here, if you’ll forgive the cliché? After all, I understand the police chief searched Mrs. Fortenberry’s residence and found incriminating evidence.”

  “It could easily have been planted,” Nunamaker said. “Chief Tavis is desperate to find a suspect after yesterday’s debacle regarding the loss of Mr. Fortenberry’s remains.”

  “Has there been any news on that?” the woman asked.

  “Not that I’ve heard.”

  “From what I understand, the suspect lied as to her whereabouts the day of her husband’s disappearance,” the woman went on smoothly. “There’s also talk of a troubled marriage and adulterous affairs. That, combined with the fact the remains were found buried in the backyard, is pretty damaging in my opinion.”

  “And that, young lady, is precisely why I’m representing her and you’re not,” Cal said, earning a dark look from her. “That’s all I have in my opinion.”

  The reporters called out more questions, even as Annie was led away with Max, Jamie, and Nunamaker surrounding her. The crowd was so thick that Annie didn’t see Wes standing at the very back.

  • • •

  Annie was feeling better by the time she arrived home. Cal had insisted on giving her a ride in the limo Max had sent for him. He’d gone over the case briefly with Annie, discussed his strategy, and given her his private cell phone number in case she needed to reach him. He didn’t stop talking until they arrived at her mansion, at which time his mouth fell open.

  “Well now, I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said.

  “And you probably never will,” Annie assured him.

  Annie barely made it to the front steps before Theenie threw open the front door. She rushed out, followed by Lovelle and Danny. “Oh, thank goodness you’re home!” Theenie cried, throwing her arms around Annie’s neck. “Lovelle and I have been sick with worry. I don’t know what we would have done had Danny not stayed with us. And, bless her heart, Jamie called several times with an update.”

  Annie gave Danny a grateful look and he smiled, but she could see the deep concern in his eyes. It was the same look he’d worn as he waited with Annie during her grandmother’s final hours, the look he’d worn when he told her about Charles’s infidelity and afterward, when Annie realized her husband was gone, along with their savings.

  Theenie pulled away slightly and reached for a tissue as Lovelle gave Annie a quick hug. “It’s going to be okay,” Annie said.

  Theenie took Annie’s hand. “Come inside, dear. We decided to hold off serving dinner until you got here.”

  “Welcome home, Anniekins,” Danny said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. “It’s good to have you back.”

&
nbsp; Annie’s kitchen had never looked more inviting to her. Theenie and Lovelle ordered her to take her seat at the table while they put the finishing touches on the meal. Although Annie had not eaten all day, she had little appetite, but she forced herself to eat so as not to hurt the women’s feelings.

  “Where is Erdle?” she asked.

  “Who knows?” Lovelle said. “He hasn’t been home all day.”

  “And Wes?”

  “He came back a couple of hours after you were arrested,” Theenie said. “He left as soon as I told him. He didn’t say where he was going.”

  Annie wondered if he’d gone to the police station, if he’d spoken with Lamar, if he knew the truth.

  Lovelle glanced up from her dinner. “Destiny called Lamar to check on you, then lost her temper on the phone, and then Danny grabbed the phone, and it went from bad to worse. You should have heard all the names he called Lamar. Even used the F word,” she added proudly.

  “I’m sorry to have put all of you through this,” Annie said.

  “It’s not your fault,” Danny said. “The good news is the ballroom floor looks great.”

  Annie smiled. “Thank you.” She looked from one to the other and was touched to have such good friends. “By the way, where is Destiny?”

  “She had to go into the office and help out, since Max and Jamie were at the police station. It probably saved Lamar’s life.” Theenie touched Annie’s hand. “Did they lock you up with one of those, you know, big women?” she whispered.

  Annie laughed. “No, Theenie. I never even saw a jail cell.”

  The woman gave an enormous sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness!”

  “Everything is going to be okay, you guys. I promise.” Annie hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt.

  It was late when Max and Jamie left the newspaper office. Muffin had news for them the minute they climbed into his car.

  “I have information on Wes Bridges,” Muffin said.

  “I’m listening,” Max said.

  “He used to be a cop in Columbia, graduated to detective and pretty much ran the homicide unit. Now he’s a private investigator.” Max and Jamie exchanged looks. “The man doesn’t come cheap, but he’s supposed to be the best in the business. Charles Fortenberry’s mother hired him to look into her son’s disappearance after she collected insurance money on her husband’s death.”

  “That explains why he rented a room from Annie,” Jamie said. “Eve Fortenberry suspected Annie had something to do with Charles’s disappearance.” She looked at Max. “I don’t like it. I think we should drive over and tell Annie right this minute.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Max said.

  “How can you say that? I think Annie has feelings for this guy.”

  “She’s also up for murder. If he’s that good, he just might find out who killed her husband.”

  “I don’t want to see her hurt, Max. Again,” Jamie added.

  Max reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’ll be a whole lot easier getting over a broken heart than doing prison time,” he said. “I’m going to have to ask you to go along with me on this one, Swifty.”

  Jamie was quiet for a moment. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  It was late when Wes arrived back at Annie’s. She was sitting on the piazza, a candle burning on the wicker table beside her. “’Bout time you got home, Bridges,” she said once he’d cleared the top step.

  He glanced her way. “Do you make a point of sitting up until all your tenants arrive back safely?” he asked.

  His tone was as cool as the breeze that whipped across her face and ruffled her thick hair. “I was worried about you.”

  “How was jail?”

  Annie frowned. “That’s a helluva thing to ask.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’m not feeling very sociable tonight.”

  He had learned the truth. She had been naive to think he wouldn’t eventually find out. She should have known that even Lamar would learn that she’d withheld information. Wes crossed the piazza and reached for the door.

  “I was scared,” she said. “Afraid that Lamar would think the worst if he found out I was in the bank that day.”

  “Well, he does think the worst, and now you’re in a shitload of trouble. You weren’t where you said you were, meaning you don’t have an alibi for what, a week?”

  She scooted forward on the swing. “I went to my mother’s house just like I said. But when I arrived, she took one look at my face and knew something was wrong. I told her I had an appointment with a divorce attorney the following week, and she insisted that I return to Beaumont immediately and clean out the savings account. I was only planning to take half of the money, but I was too late.”

  “So you confronted him?”

  “That was the plan, only Charles wasn’t home. I was so outraged that I didn’t think to check to see if he’d packed his clothes until I was on my way back to my mother’s. I just figured what the hell, he was well on his way to wherever he was going.”

  “Lamar found the money.”

  “And you think I knew it was here?”

  “I don’t know what the hell to think, Annie. I’m having a real problem distinguishing fact from fiction.”

  Finally, she stood. She didn’t know if she was angry or hurt at his response. “Fact,” she began. “I wouldn’t have spent the last few years struggling financially if I’d had that kind of money to fall back on. Fact: if I had found the money and Charles’s passport and ticket, I would have immediately suspected something was wrong and gone to Lamar.”

  Wes looked at her, and the hard lines on his face relaxed. “I’m sorry you had a shit day, Annie, but look at the good side. You were on CNN.”

  As Annie watched him go in, she pictured throwing her rolling pin at him and it bouncing off the back of his head. Like she needed to be reminded that she had made CNN. The telephone hadn’t stopped ringing since the story had first aired, only to be replayed every hour on the hour, as if the staff feared that one person in the town of Beaumont might miss it.

  Annie had finally taken the phone off the hook after her mother called from West Palm Beach, having watched the whole sordid thing unfold after headlines announced that the remains of a South Carolina man were missing due to a carjacking. Not only had they mentioned Charles Fortenberry by name; they’d also given a brief history of the case, beginning with the unearthing of his bones. There was a goofy picture of Lamar Tevis standing at the site pointing toward a mound of dirt, followed by footage of Annie at her best, in an old chenille bathrobe, hair out to there, yelling and shaking her fists at a TV camera. The next shot showed Annie trying to duck behind Cal Nunamaker on the courthouse steps after her arraignment.

  “I just want you to know I’m here for you, Annie,” Jenna Worthington had said. “I’ll catch the first plane out if you need me. I’ll even sleep in that god-awful house if I have to.”

  Annie had thanked her but said it wasn’t necessary. Still, the fact that she had offered to come had taken some of the sting out of being hauled off to jail that morning.

  Annie had been hard at work since dawn, getting things ready for the rehearsal dinner and trying to sidestep Peaches, who obviously hoped something edible would come her way.

  Annie looked down and shook her head. “You’ve already had two cans of cat food this morning. I think you have an eating disorder.”

  The cat meowed.

  “Sorry, all I have is lettuce.” Annie resumed her work. A moment later, she heard a noise, turned, and found Peaches digging in her plant.

  “No!” Annie said firmly, unaware that Wes was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She hurried toward the plant and, reached for the fat ball of orange fur, but Peaches dived to the floor in the opposite direction. Annie turned so quickly she lost her footing and fell, butt-first on the plant. It toppled over and dumped potting soil on the kitchen floor. Annie sat there for a moment, muttering four-letter words u
nder her breath as Peaches walked to the braided rug in front of the refrigerator, slumped on it, and began grooming herself.

  “Problems?” Wes said.

  Annie looked at him. “What makes you ask?”

  He grabbed a coffee mug, filled it, and sipped in silence. Peaches got up, walked over to him, and rubbed against his leg. Wes reached down and scratched the animal lightly behind one ear, and she began to purr. Finally, he belted down the rest of his coffee, placed the empty cup in the dishwasher, and started for the door.

  He paused and looked down at Annie. “Do you need help getting up?”

  “Nope. I like it here.”

  He nodded, unlocked the door, and opened it. “Just so you know, that plant is a goner.”

  Annie heard him fire up his bike, and a moment later he roared away. He no longer trusted her. At this point, she wasn’t even sure he liked her. And she didn’t have the foggiest idea how to make things right between them. It was her own fault. She should have told Lamar everything when he’d questioned her shortly after Charles’s disappearance. But she hadn’t. And that was only going to make things worse.

  Erdle arrived home as Annie was serving breakfast, and she and Theenie watched him stagger across the backyard and upstairs to his apartment. “I guess he fell off the wagon,” Theenie said.

  Annie looked at her. “You think?”

  Danny pulled up in his car, climbed out, and walked toward the carriage house, opening the door on the first floor that led into the garage. He emerged a moment later with the rake. “Oh, he’s going to tidy the yard for you,” Theenie said. “How sweet.”

  Annie nodded. She would take him a cup of coffee and invite him up for breakfast. “Yeah, he’s a good guy,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

  “Maybe it’s high time you gave it serious thought,” Theenie replied. “But I suspect it’s too late now, since you’ve already got it bad for Wes.”

  Max’s plane touched down on the small airstrip that afternoon. Jamie stood beside Max and Frankie as it taxied in while Dee Dee and her personal assistant, Beenie, waited in the stretch limo. Fleas, who’d insisted on following Jamie from the car, had immediately found a sunny spot on a patch of grass next to the building. He was presently sprawled on his back, eyes closed, snoring loudly.