spoke, but there was a definite air of guilt among the strawberries.
Finally, the litigious girl spoke up. “Terri used to date Connor.”
Will guessed Connor was the young man slumping against the refrigerator. He had the floppy blond hair and boyish good looks of a player.
“I broke up with her,” Connor said. “She wanted to get serious, but I was, like, not with you being gone for a whole year. Oh, hell no.”
Will provided, “Walker said he wanted Terri to know he was thinking about her.”
“Thinking about her?” Gloria trilled. “Sending a SWAT team to my house because my son broke up with his daughter?” She waved her cigarette in the air. “Fucking crazy, that’s what this is! Just crazy!”
“Whatever.” Connor started to leave.
Amanda asked, “Where did you say you were this morning, young man?”
“Here.” He indicated the house. “Me and Sheila was sleeping one off.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Gloria said, as if she would offer up her son otherwise. “I checked on them when I got in from work.”
“When was this?”
“Around eight-thirty this morning. I work the night shift at O’Kelley’s.” She sucked on her cigarette. “They’re a parts supplier off Kennedy Road.”
Will asked, “That’s near Exit 40?” The Lil’ Dixie was off 40.
“Yeah, I just missed all that traffic this morning from the holdup.” Her hand stopped a few inches from her face. The cigarette smoldered. “That was Wayne, wasn’t it? That whole thing this morning.”
Amanda asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Because that’s just the kind of asshole stunt he’d pull.”
“You seem to know a lot about him.”
“I got a pair of ears and we go to the same church. He’s probably just as much up in my business as I’m up in his.” She took a hit off the cigarette. “Plus, I dated Wayne’s half brother back in high school. Caused a bit of a stir.” She told her children, “Believe it or not, there was a time when a white woman could get killed for sleeping with a black man.”
“And I’m outta here,” Connor said. He slinked back out of the kitchen with the two girls following close behind.
Will saw the vein in Amanda’s forehead had started to throb. It seemed like she was having trouble speaking. “Wayne Walker has an African American half brother?”
Gloria nodded vigorously. “He lived with his daddy over on the other side of town, but everybody knew.” She played with her lighter, flipping it end over end. “Me and Doug-Ray dated in high school, then he moved to west Georgia to go to college, then he moved back here a couple’a-three years ago. His daddy died recently. I read about it in the paper. I guess I could’ve taken off to go to the funeral, but we’re on time and a half, you know?”
Will couldn’t keep the reluctance out of his voice. “What about Pete McClendon? Do you know him?”
“Pete.” Gloria huffed out some smoke. “There’s a blast from the past. I don’t know how that fool managed to get in uniform. He stole my purse one time when I was over at his aunt’s house. We found it under his bed, bless his heart.”
No one asked the obvious question, but Gloria was on a roll now.
She explained, “Pete is Wayne’s cousin on his mama’s side. Now, as I recall, Miss Mina passed away when Pete was a baby, so Wayne’s Maw-Maw raised him.”
Will got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Maw-Maw?”
“That’s Mrs. Lewis. I’m sure she has a first name, but I can’t remember it.” She jabbed her cigarette toward Amanda. “You run across her, you wanna be careful. That woman’s nothin’ but a spoon. She’s always stirring up shit.”
Amanda pressed her fingers to her temples. “Samantha Lewis is Wayne Walker’s mother?”
“And Doug-Ray’s.” Gloria laughed out some more smoke. “Which was hilarious, because if you’ve ever talked to her for even a second, you know she’s racist as hell.”
“Yes,” Will said.
Finally, the litigious girl spoke up. “Terri used to date Connor.”
Will guessed Connor was the young man slumping against the refrigerator. He had the floppy blond hair and boyish good looks of a player.
“I broke up with her,” Connor said. “She wanted to get serious, but I was, like, not with you being gone for a whole year. Oh, hell no.”
Will provided, “Walker said he wanted Terri to know he was thinking about her.”
“Thinking about her?” Gloria trilled. “Sending a SWAT team to my house because my son broke up with his daughter?” She waved her cigarette in the air. “Fucking crazy, that’s what this is! Just crazy!”
“Whatever.” Connor started to leave.
Amanda asked, “Where did you say you were this morning, young man?”
“Here.” He indicated the house. “Me and Sheila was sleeping one off.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Gloria said, as if she would offer up her son otherwise. “I checked on them when I got in from work.”
“When was this?”
“Around eight-thirty this morning. I work the night shift at O’Kelley’s.” She sucked on her cigarette. “They’re a parts supplier off Kennedy Road.”
Will asked, “That’s near Exit 40?” The Lil’ Dixie was off 40.
“Yeah, I just missed all that traffic this morning from the holdup.” Her hand stopped a few inches from her face. The cigarette smoldered. “That was Wayne, wasn’t it? That whole thing this morning.”
Amanda asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Because that’s just the kind of asshole stunt he’d pull.”
“You seem to know a lot about him.”
“I got a pair of ears and we go to the same church. He’s probably just as much up in my business as I’m up in his.” She took a hit off the cigarette. “Plus, I dated Wayne’s half brother back in high school. Caused a bit of a stir.” She told her children, “Believe it or not, there was a time when a white woman could get killed for sleeping with a black man.”
“And I’m outta here,” Connor said. He slinked back out of the kitchen with the two girls following close behind.
Will saw the vein in Amanda’s forehead had started to throb. It seemed like she was having trouble speaking. “Wayne Walker has an African American half brother?”
Gloria nodded vigorously. “He lived with his daddy over on the other side of town, but everybody knew.” She played with her lighter, flipping it end over end. “Me and Doug-Ray dated in high school, then he moved to west Georgia to go to college, then he moved back here a couple’a-three years ago. His daddy died recently. I read about it in the paper. I guess I could’ve taken off to go to the funeral, but we’re on time and a half, you know?”
Will couldn’t keep the reluctance out of his voice. “What about Pete McClendon? Do you know him?”
“Pete.” Gloria huffed out some smoke. “There’s a blast from the past. I don’t know how that fool managed to get in uniform. He stole my purse one time when I was over at his aunt’s house. We found it under his bed, bless his heart.”
No one asked the obvious question, but Gloria was on a roll now.
She explained, “Pete is Wayne’s cousin on his mama’s side. Now, as I recall, Miss Mina passed away when Pete was a baby, so Wayne’s Maw-Maw raised him.”
Will got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Maw-Maw?”
“That’s Mrs. Lewis. I’m sure she has a first name, but I can’t remember it.” She jabbed her cigarette toward Amanda. “You run across her, you wanna be careful. That woman’s nothin’ but a spoon. She’s always stirring up shit.”
Amanda pressed her fingers to her temples. “Samantha Lewis is Wayne Walker’s mother?”
“And Doug-Ray’s.” Gloria laughed out some more smoke. “Which was hilarious, because if you’ve ever talked to her for even a second, you know she’s racist as hell.”
“Yes,” Will said.
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