“You can’t leave your clothes in the washer.” Queenie was scolding a young girl on the other side of The Laundry Club. “It’ll get all mildewed and stinky.” She threw her hip to the side and planted her hand on the lime green waistband of the tights she was wearing. “Who wants to smell a stinky uniform when you’re trying to deliver delicious food?”
I couldn’t help but smile. The poor young lady didn’t look more than twenty-years-old. She had her dishwater blonde hair pulled in a high ponytail. I could tell by the length of her ponytail that her hair must’ve been long because the end of the ponytail went past her shoulders. She had a thick waist and full hips and stood about five feet eight inches tall. There was a look of terror on her face when she watched Queenie push buttons and pour liquid in the cups of the laundry machine.
“How did the library gig go?” Dottie asked. She was sitting at card table where Queenie’s fake crystal ball had once sat.
“Crazy.” My brows shot up. “First I got sidetracked when I was putting the returned books back on the shelf.” I held up a couple of the books about Normal. “I found these in the non-fiction section and was really happy to see that the brochure and the photos in the book look similar, so we can get the RV park back in tiptop shape. And now I think I can figure out how this whole RV living thing works with the books Abby pulled for me. She also found me some books on how to run a business.”
“That’s what you call crazy?” Dottie asked and pointed to the coffee station. “Fresh pot. Go grab you one and fill me back up.” She exchanged her coffee mug with the books in my arms. “And the book club book.”
“Yeah. Abby shoved that into my hands after I had to do the story time for the children,” I said over my shoulder on my way to the coffee. “and crafts. That was crazy because I’ve never been good with kids,. And Hank.” I poured, and Dottie interrupted me.
“Detective Sharp?” She asked.
“Yeah. He came in to talk to me and he actually got the kids to do the craft by bribing them with stickers.” I walked back with a cup in each hand and sat them on the table.
“Did he say anything about the investigation?” She asked, which reminded me about what Betts had said about overhearing the older ladies in the community gossip as she cleans their houses.
“He said that Paul had been dead longer than I’d been in town and he’d subpoenad my cell phone records to show that I’d not been in contact with Paul by checking the location feature. Who knew phones were so smart.” I brought the cup up to my lips. “I told him I didn’t do it and I gave him a list of people from Normal who might’ve had motive from Normal.”
“That’s why I don’t have one of them darned cell phones. The government is spying on me.” Queenie headed over to the puzzle table and gave what was already completed a good onceover.
“No one cares what you’re doing, Queenie.” Dottie rolled her eyes.
Queenie shot Dottie a look, but Dottie didn’t see it. I gave Queenie a smile and mouthed that I cared about her. She grinned.
“Why do you think it was someone from Normal?” Dottie shifted in her chair.
“Because he did a lot of people wrong here and was found here. Not just money either.” I gnawed on the thought of whether I should ask her about the conversation Abby heard and just went for it. “Dottie,” I put my cup down and reached over the table, cupping her hand in mine. “I understand that Paul gave you a sob story, but I also understand that he was planning on firing you.”
“How did you know that?” She jerked her hand away and leaned further back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m finding out really fast that Normal is very small. People talk around here, even to strangers.” I circled my finger around my mug and sat there in silence.
“You think I killed him?” She leaned forward and tapped her fingernail on the table. “That just beats the band, Mae West. You come waltzing into our town and we,” she circled her finger around the air around her, “take you in, flaws and all, because honey, you’ve got a lot more issues than Time Magazine.”
“I. . .” I stammered from the little bit of tongue lashing I was getting. It wasn’t my intent at all.
“Don’t go and give me no excuse. I didn’t kill that sorry sack of youknowwhat and I don’t have to explain nothin’ to you or Hank Sharp.” She jumped up and grabbed her pleather cigarette case that had a top snap closure.
In a flash, she scurried over to the door and shoved it open, causing the glass door to slam into the outside wall of the building and light her cig as she sat on the curb of the sidewalk.
“Now what did you do?” Queenie glowered at me and rushed out the door to Dottie’s side.
I sat there wondering how to make the situation right, but she sure was acting guilty instead of just telling me about the fight, I thought as I watched her stiff lips fussing as the smoke rolled out with each word. Every once in a while, she jabbed the air with her cigarette and fingers towards me.
“Excuse me,” the young girl who Queenie was helping got my attention. She had on a pair of black skinny jeans with black Converse tennis shoes on. “Do you know how to start this dryer? Mine broke and my boyfriend is out of town.”
“Sure. In fact, I didn’t know how to use it until yesterday.” My heart tugged knowing that without Dottie, I’d never survived my last couple of days in Normal where nothing was normal.
“Really?” She questioned.
“Really. I think we should write the directions down and post them. Don’t you?” I took her quarter and showed her what the best option was for the quick dry cycle since she didn’t have a whole lot.
“That would be a good idea. Thanks.” She nodded and went back to the bookshelf.
“No problem.” I glanced back out of the door on my way back to the front. Queenie was rubbing Dottie’s back. Dottie had her forehead planted in the palm of her hand. “I’m Mae.”
I wanted her to feel welcome because it was only a few short days ago that I was here in her shoes and didn’t know a soul in the Laundry Club. I recalled how good I felt when they helped me out and I wanted to pay the kindness forward.
“Trudy Bull,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you and I’m so glad you helped me.” She put her hands in prayer pose with a small bow.
“I can write down some directions, that way no one will bother me with it,” Queenie grumbled and walked over to the bookshelf where there was a pad of paper and pens stuck in a coffee mug.
After I helped Trudy, I thought it was about time to start taking responsibilities for all of my actions and not just Paul. I headed outside and ignored Dottie’s under breath comments on how I wasn’t invited to their little party.
“I’m crashing it.” I sat down on the curb next to her and realized I’d never sat on a curb before. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t mean for you to think I thought you killed Paul. I know he did wrong and even though he was a criminal, he was my ex-husband and was great up until the FBI raided our house. I’m trying to work through all those feelings I have. Was he the real man I fell in love with five years ago and married only a couple of years ago? Was he the man that took everyone’s money and a criminal? Did he get caught up into something that he just couldn’t get out of?” I shook my head. “These are questions, as someone who is trying to make his actions right, that I’m asking myself. I think I need to figure out who killed him and why in order to move on.”
“In the process you’re willing to say that I did it to Hank?” Dottie asked. “I never once asked if you killed Paul.”