“I think I ought to come visit you.”
Cordelia’s heart dropped to her stomach. “No, Momma. It’s really not necessary.”
“Nonsense. I was already feeling some type of way when you lied to me about Sarsaparilla Falls. I don’t trust that town. If I could see how you’re faring for myself and make sure people are treating you right, I think I’d feel much better about you being there.”
“Now is really not a good time. I’m still getting myself sorted, and you know how much of a bear I can be when I’m out of sorts. Not to mention how busy you must be with the store.”
“I got a part-timer now. I can take a few days off. Why don’t we plan for next month?”
“Sure.” Cordelia pressed her finger and thumb against hereyes as she attempted to thwart her growing headache. “We can see about next month.”
Cordelia hung up with her momma and rested her back against the stone hedge that separated the public sidewalk from the library’s front lawn. She didn’t want her momma anywhere near Sarsaparilla Falls, but it was becoming evident she wouldn’t be able to keep her away forever. And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad now. Cordelia was so used to protecting her momma’s fragile psyche that she never really learned to let go and trust her momma could fully take care of herself now. Near twenty years sober, and Cordelia still worried the littlest things could send her momma flying off the wagon.
Putting the unsettling call behind her, Cordelia stood to head into town. There was a little dress shop at the corner of Main that had been a video rental store twenty years ago. It was rare for Cordelia to wear anything other than a pantsuit or a proper A-line skirt and shell top, but she didn’t think either of those would be appropriate for a date with Archer. Of course, she still had to see how the mustache was coming in.
Voices from down the walk a piece had her ducking behind the hedge. She’d be able to pick out Edna’s shrill tone with two bits of cotton stuffed in her ears, but she didn’t recognize the gentleman she was arguing with. He had wide-set eyes, hair as black as Edna’s soul, and a bald patch that shined under the midday sun. His ill-fitting suit was the color of oatmeal, and he had three gold rings on each hand. He didn’t look local. There was an air about him. Her momma would call it a polished turd. Bad vibes. They wafted around him like heat off a ghost pepper.
Cordelia moved around the other side of the hedge, letting the stone facade conceal her as she inched closer to Edna and the mystery man.
“I already told you it’s going to take more time,” Edna said.Cordelia flattened her back against the hedge and slid down until her rear hit the short grass of the library’s lawn. “The untimely passing of Penelope West put a wrench in the plans.”
The man responded, but his voice was so low and raspy, he might as well have been talking through a paper tube on the other side of the street.
“We tried another angle, and that fell through too.” Edna tried to keep her voice down, but a flock of seagulls screeching over a discarded hot dog made less noise. “Corbin is working on the county tax collector, but even that’s taking more time since his daddy’s contact retired. He’s having to start from scratch. We need another two weeks. At least.”
The man responded again, and Cordelia risked lifting her head to get her ear above the hedge, but it was no use. This seedy man in Edna’s company was clearly someone accustomed to not wanting to be heard, and knew just how to go about it.
“I’ll tell Corbin.” Edna’s voice had gone from shrill and pleading to downright despondent. Whatever the man had told her wasn’t sitting right with her, but she still deferred to him. The red flags rose a little higher on the pole.
Cordelia would bet dollars to donuts the other angle they had tried to get their hands on the Chickadee was framing Daisy for the pastor’s murder. Edna’s certain guilt only solidified itself in Cordelia’s mind. Now she just needed to figure out who this apparent accomplice was.
At the sound of footsteps fading away, Cordelia stood and straightened her skirt. The mystery man had disappeared, as if he’d been conjured from a portal to another dimension, but the bad vibes lingered. Cordelia rubbed her arms against the chill. Whoever he was, Edna and Corbin were in deep with him, and it appeared they’d made some promises regarding the Chickadee they couldn’t possibly make good on.
Edna had picked up a brisk pace and had just rounded the corner, but Cordelia still had time to catch up if she hurried. Running along the grass, she hit the stairs and took them two at a time until she reached the sidewalk. From there, she traced Edna’s steps until she caught sight of her again, standing outside the bank, exchanging heated words with Corbin.
Cordelia pulled her sunglasses out of her purse and slipped them on. Edging in closer, she peeked around buildings and slipped under awnings. Once she reached the hardware store, she hid in the alcove that marked the entrance.
“He’s not giving us more time,” Edna said. “You need to move on the Chickadee now.”
Move on the Chickadee how? Just what were these two sneaks up to? Corbin had obviously tried his daddy’s tactics and failed, much to Cordelia’s relief. She wouldn’t let the Chickadee go without a fight, but she was hardly up-to-date on tax laws either. The only thing she could do was suss out their plans and hope she could slap them with a murder charge before they made good on whatever deal they had made.
“I’m doing my best. We just need to put him off a little longer.” Corbin glanced down the street, his puckered eyes squinting at passersby. Cordelia pressed herself farther against the wall of the hardware store entrance. “Come on, let’s get inside.”
They disappeared into the bank, and Cordelia moved to follow when a big set of hands clamped down on her shoulders. A short scream got stuck in her throat. Swinging around, she plunged her hand into her purse, ready to retrieve her pepper spray, when Archer’s amused grin stopped her in her tracks.
It had only taken him five days, but he’d fully grown his mustache back.
Chapter Eighteen
WHEN ARCHER SAID HE WAS TAKING HER ON A DATE, CORDELIA DIDN’Tknow what to expect. Archer wasn’t what she’d call a predictable sort. He was just as liable to take her to a possum roast in a barnyard hayloft as he was to bring her to a five-star restaurant with all the fixings.
Since he didn’t give her a dress code, she ended up going with a cotton sundress she’d gotten from Tilly’s Closet, the dress shop on the corner of Main. The owner, Tilly Gomez-Esteban, had been a grade ahead of Cordelia and spent a few years living in Austin before coming back to Sarsaparilla Falls to care for her father. She made polite conversation with Cordelia, but it was clear she didn’t remember her from school or approve of her current position at the Chickadee. At least she wasn’t nasty like Edna.
Cordelia ended up walking out of the shop with a butter-yellow dress that hit just below her knees, with little white flowers embroidered into the gauzy fabric. It was the softest piece of clothing she owned, and she wondered if wearing it would send the wrong message. She didn’t want Archer to start thinking she was the kind of woman who picked wildflowers in an open field with a baby on each hip. Her professional attire was a much more comfortable fit for her personality, but it didn’t feel right for a date, so here she stood in her apartment, wringing her hands and second-guessing all the poor decisions that had led her up to this point.
Daisy had come over earlier to help Cordelia with her hair and makeup, and it turned out Daisy had a deft hand for a natural look; she just preferred the big hair and bright lips that had become her signature over the years. The result of her subtler work left Cordelia stunned. She’d worried she’d end up looking like she had on the night she’d shown up at Archer’s office in a trench coat and not much else, but Daisy had curled her hair into loose flowing ringlets and touched up her eyes just enough to make them shine a little brighter.
“You’re going to have that man eating out of your hand by the end of the night, Miss Cordelia.” Daisy dashed a light layer of blush over Cordelia’s cheeks. “I don’t think you even realize what kind of power you wield.”
