Sweet Ginger Poison 5

Ginger and Elijah got into his car and drove away from the nursing home. He had offered to break the sad news to Navy’s girlfriend, Kayla. Ginger asked to go along.

“Navy’s house is on the south side of town,” said Ginger. “The reason I know is because I’ve heard Lacey Greendale talk about that ‘crummy little rent house’ he lives in. She and Navy used to be a couple.”

“What broke them up?”

“Kayla.”

“Oh.”

“Well, in all fairness, it was really more about the drinking and the gambling, and wasting his trust fund.”

“It was a big mistake to give it to him all at once. I don’t know many twenty-one year olds who could handle that kind of money.”

“He didn’t stick around here for long. Remember? I guess he just couldn’t spend the money fast enough in Coreyville. So, he moved to Dallas. Lacey was a senior in high school. She didn’t even say goodbye to her parents. But according to her, they didn’t care what she did anyway.”

“I would have driven to Dallas and given that boy a piece of my mind. My daughter would have been back in her own bed that very first night.”

Unfortunately, Elijah didn’t have a daughter. Or a son. His ex-wife had deprived him of children. Not because she couldn’t have them—but because she didn’t want the responsibility. It would have been nice if she’d shared her true feelings with him before they got married. Once he had said ‘I do,’ it was too late. A divorce would have ended his career in the ministry—or at least he thought so.

Clara divorced him four years ago, saying she was sick of being a pastor’s wife—having to act a certain way around church members, leading the women’s group, and always having to put on a Christian face for everybody. She had drudged her way through it for thirty years. Now she wanted to be herself—whatever that meant. It seemed like a mid-life crisis to Elijah. But he couldn’t talk any sense into her.

He knew he would have to resign. At the time, he was fifty-nine years old. What jobs would be open to him at that age—with his background? Bosses don’t like to hire a former minister. They figure he’ll make the other employees uncomfortable. Or scare off customers.

But he could not go on as though nothing had happened. Being divorced and being a Southern Baptist minister were incompatibilities—like a staunch vegetarian participating in a hot dog eating contest. At least the vegetarian could puke up the hot dogs and repent. Elijah wished he had such an option.

He had prepared his resignation for the monthly deacons meeting on that Monday night. But the deacons were wise to his plans. And they surprised him with a show of overwhelming support. Nobody in the church wanted him to leave. He must stay. They would not accept his resignation.

So, by a unanimous vote of the deacons of Corey Acres Baptist Church that night, Elijah was allowed to continue the work he so loved. Too bad his childlessness could not also be fixed by a roomful of raised hands. Maybe Elijah wouldn’t have been a great dad. Perhaps his ministry would have suffered due to the strain of raising teenagers. He would never get a chance to find out—thanks to Clara.

“Lacey admitted that she enjoyed it at first,” said Ginger. “Who wouldn’t? Navy was buying her all kinds of jewelry and clothes—anything she wanted. He was taking her out to fancy restaurants and clubs. Navy’s the one who got her smoking. She was only sixteen when they started dating, and he was this cool college guy who smoked cigars and drove like a maniac.”

“Didn’t he flunk out of college?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Technically he wasn’t a college student when they started dating—but he wasn’t working either. He was just kinda bumming around.”

“Waiting for his trust fund.”

“And getting into trouble. But his mother always bailed him out.”

“She should have let him spend a little time in jail. That might have helped.”

“Yeah, maybe. But Lacey thought he could do no wrong. She finally began to wake up after they had been in Dallas for a year or so. She said he was spending the money so fast that she began to worry about their future. When were they going to settle down and buy a house? And what about kids? She decided to force him to do the right thing. She got on a bus and came home to Coreyville, thinking he would come after her. Then he would get his act together and they could live happily ever after. But her plan backfired.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. He got mad and found himself a hooker. I guess that was his way of paying her back for leaving him.”

“And then he came to his senses, but she wouldn’t take him back after she found out what he’d done?”

“No. He fell in love with the hooker, and the two of them spent the rest of the money. Then he tried to get more money from his mother. But she wouldn’t give him any.”

“I’m confused. When did Kayla come into the picture?”

Ginger raised her left eyebrow and waited.

“Kayla is the hooker?”

“Yes. Former hooker. But let’s try not to call her that.”

“This should be interesting.”

“There it is—that blue house on the right.”

Elijah pulled into the driveway and parked behind the cherry red Miata.

They walked up the stairs, onto the porch and Elijah knocked.

After a few seconds, a woman yelled, “Just a minute.”

Finally the door opened.

“Yeah?”

She was wearing a robe and her hair was a mess. Ginger figured she must have just gotten out of bed. But then she noticed the socks and tennis shoes.

“Are you Kayla,” said Elijah.

“Yes.”

“Hi. I’m Elijah Bideman, pastor of Corey Acres Baptist Church, and this is Ginger Lightley. I’m afraid we have some bad news. Would you mind if we came in?”

“Can’t you just tell me? As you can see, I’m not dressed for company. I just got out of bed. I like to sleep in on Saturdays.”

“Sure, I understand,” said Elijah. “It’s about Navy.”

“Yeah?”

She seemed curious, but not particularly concerned.

“This morning he was out at the nursing home and he fell down and…he died.”

“What? He just fell down?”

“The police think the fall is what killed him. But they’re not sure. They’ll know more after the autopsy.”

Kayla contorted her face. Ginger couldn’t tell if it was because Navy was dead and now they were going to cut him up, or because the thought of autopsy in general made her sick.

“Well…thanks for coming to tell me. Goodbye.”

She closed the door. They could hear her walking away, toward the back of the house.

Elijah looked at Ginger.

“That was kind of a weird reaction,” said Ginger.

“People react differently to the loss of a loved one,” he said, as they walked down the stairs. “Five minutes from now she’ll probably be crying her eyes out.”

Ginger walked to the front of the Miata and felt the hood.

“What are you doing?” said Elijah.

“It’s still warm.”

They got into his car.

He started the engine. “So? What are trying to say?”

“Why did she lie? She told us she just got out of bed. Yet her car engine is still warm. And she was wearing tennis shoes.”

He pulled out of the driveway. “Okay, I’ll admit—it does seem strange.” He drove toward town.

“Not just strange. Her boyfriend died mysteriously—”

“—well, I wouldn’t say mysteriously. We’ll know exactly what killed him after the autopsy.”

“Maybe the reason Kayla wasn’t torn up about Navy’s death…is that she had something to do with it.”

“Who are you—Jessica Fletcher?”

“No. But think about it. It’s possible. A big-city hooker probably knows all kinds of ways to kill a person.”

“Okay, stop. Your imagination is starting to run wild. The police will solve this thing. Just leave it up to them.”

“You’re right, Elijah. That’s what I need to do.”

But somehow she knew it wouldn’t be that easy.