Chapter 1
Cleveland, Mississippi was astir. Excitement filled the air. This small town seemed distant from the rest of the world, but those who lived in it knew differently. It was growing into a tourist destination. Delta State University, home of the unusual Fighting Okra mascot, attracted college students for years, but now they had the Grammy Museum Mississippi, the Bologna Performing Arts Center, and the internationally known Tollar Plantation Cotton Bin Porch – where blues music was born.
Also, a new event had been added to Cleveland’s attractions. Churches in town partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to hold an Easter Parade; a first for Cleveland and another sign of change. Zita stood on the front steps of the police station, watching the children excited to see the large white Easter Bunny riding on the back of a classic car through the center of town. She even caught a sweet whiff of cotton candy as a vendor handed the puff of pink to a child.
Everyone was in a festive mood, small brightly painted floats belted out peppy tunes as they drove down Main street, and the Delta State University Band played the school football fight song. She thought she saw Shannon’s flaming red hair in the crowd, which meant Charles and Karla were here as well.
The first three months of the year had been uneventful as far as crime went, but this wasn’t unusual. In the coldest time of year, it was best to stay off the icy roads. Now, even though it was chilly in early April, people were ready to stop being cooped up and have some fun. Half the town’s 15,000 residents showed up for the event.
V, the antique store owner and Hunter’s landlord who occupied the bottom floor of the building, was out in his front yard blowing leaves into the street early that morning when Zita passed by on her way to the station. His Cuban cigar–he only smoked the best–dangled from his lips as it dropped ashes on his white-streaked beard. Dressed in cutoff shorts and a white tank top, he danced to a peppy tune blasting through his iPod.
As Zita stood at her post in front of the Sheriff’s office, she watched the patch of red hair move through the crowd and across the street. It was indeed Shannon Brown edging as close as she could get to Sheriff Hunter Harley, who stood watch in the same area.
Shannon had no claim on Hunter Harley. Zita sighed. Neither do I. She smiled, reminding herself that she and Hunter worked together and saw each other daily. Zita knew him better than Shannon and was around him at his worst and as his best. She knew first-hand that a sheriff’s job wasn’t easy. She admired and accepted all sides of Hunter, especially his tenacity. She tolerated him when he was down and tried to hide it. She wasn’t sure Shannon could do that.
A recent change improved Hunter’s mood dramatically, when his arrogant, know-it-all, but inefficient deputy, Carlton Newman, had another job arranged for him in Alabama. No one in the office cared why he left; they were all relieved he was gone.
When Hunter received a job application from a Harvard graduate, the first black man to win the Collins Cold Case Award in their Criminal Justice program, he wasted no time inviting that man to Cleveland for an interview.
Hunter and Zita were curious as to why Daryl Felder applied for a job in Cleveland when they both knew he could get a job anywhere he chose. They suggested as much when he was interviewed, but he hedged around and did not give an answer. They gave him a tour of the town, a synopsis of what his job might entail, and possible places to live, including the Shackem’ Up Inn. Despite all of that, he still wanted the job, and they could not turn him down since his application was so strong.
It was obvious to Zita that Daryl did not need to prove himself when he strolled into the office on his first day of work. She arranged a place to stay, like she did with Hunter when he first moved into town. It did bother her a bit that Daryl Felder seemed to cozy up to her in a way. He had the habit of walking into her office and sitting down and stretching out his long legs even when she was clearly working on a case.
She respected him but wasn’t interested in that way. Whether his attraction to her was imagined, or real, she wasn’t sure. Maybe he was just a friendly type of person. He did get along with everyone and never acted superior, despite his esteemed background. She shrugged. Time will tell and I’ll deal with it, if or when I need to.
A bump from the front brought Zita back to reality as she glanced down at a small boy at her feet. The boy’s mother picked him up and said, “Sorry Bobby ran into you, Deputy. He’s just excited.” Zita nodded, as they rushed by and she glanced over the crowd again.
The Cleveland High School Band came around the corner blasting out the old favorite, Easter Parade. Their neatly pressed uniforms made them look classy. To Zita’s dismay, though, they had crooked lines and didn’t keep in step. The crowd didn’t notice. Kids scrambled for candy thrown from the floats in all directions. Even adults picked up throws they’d never use and didn’t want. Most handed over their loot to their children or grandchildren. Such insignificant trinkets were valued as much as gold, especially the stuffed bunny rabbits. They’d be taken home to be placed on a shelf and bragged about until next year.
As the last classic car, a 1958 Buick Limited, passed with Ms. Delta State riding and waving from the open top; Ms. Cleveland High School and others in it threw stuffed animals which were sought after the most. Even Zita caught a multi-colored stuffed egg which she promptly handed to a little girl who’d caught nothing. The fire engine followed with its lights whirling and horns blazing, signaling the end of the parade. She saw Shannon again with Charles and Karla in tow, but this time she was headed in Zita’s direction.
“Hi! What a great parade!” said Shannon to Zita. “Are you going to be in the office in about an hour? I need to get the kids lunch, but I can come back in a little while. I have something to tell you. It’s important.”
“Sure,” said Zita, but Shannon had already passed her and directed the kids to the new restaurant two doors down from the office. So much for heading home for lunch.
True to her word, Shannon arrived one hour later and took a seat in Zita’s office. Zita noted her appearance. Her skirt to her ankles accentuated her slender figure and her blouse with a large red rose in the top center matched the skirt. It looked like a designer brand. Hunter had texted her earlier. He went home since he worked the night shift yesterday. Zita was glad Hunter had left for the day. She pointed to a chair and asked, “Where are the kids, Shannon?”
“Oh, I asked your new deputy to entertain them while we talked. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to meet him. He happened to be in the restaurant. We invited him to have lunch with us and he told them an Easter story, ha, ha. He’s sure good-looking, isn’t he? He appears to be great with kids, too. Said he would stay with them till we are finished.”
“His name is Daryl…”
Shannon cut her off. “I read his badge. Daryl P. Felder, right? What’s the P stand for? He is also sharp looking. He must iron everything or get it dry cleaned.”
Hmm, maybe I can switch Shannon’s attention to Daryl. Zita whispered, “He never said what the P stands for. Avoids it when it’s brought up, so I guess it’s a name he doesn’t like. We were surprised when his resume said he was a Harvard graduate. He really wanted this job, and he is overqualified, but we could not turn him down. So far he is doing a great job.”
The response she expected didn’t come. Instead, Shannon shrugged. “Well, no matter what he’s got, he can never measure up to Hunter.”
Zita bit her tongue. “Okay. Now what’s so important that you want to talk to me about?”
Steepling her index fingers, Shannon said, “You’re not going to like this, but the kids’ mother is on another rampage. I was informed Frederica is drinking and using drugs. ”
“Who told you?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. As a lawyer, I can’t repeat what my client tells me in confidence. But take my word for it, this is a reliable source. Frederica is trying to cause trouble again. Every time that happens, she says she wants the kids back and starts asking me for money and threatening me. It’s extortion. You can bet she’s dangerous.”
“Is she in Cleveland? We thought she left town.” said Zita.
“I don’t know–yet.” Shannon said. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t have come. I’m just trying to prevent any trouble by giving you a heads-up.”
“Shannon, you know it is to your benefit to let us know when she is in town. If you do not give us all the information, we might not be able to help you,” said Zita in a serious tone.
Shannon stood, slung her purse strap over her shoulder, and turned to leave, indicating the conversation was over. Then she stopped. “Is Hunter here? I might do better talking to him.”
Zita beat her to the office door and opened it. “Hunter’s gone for the day. I’ll relay this information to him.” Without a word, Shannon walked out of the office and towards the restaurant to get her children.
Zita eased the door shut and went back to her office. What else is going to happen today?
Not five minutes later, Daryl walked into the office and sat in the same chair Shannon vacated. “That bombshell, Shannon, doesn’t waste any time, does she?” He let out his breath. “She doesn’t even observe the European distance between people talking. Man! When she picked up her kids, she got so close I thought she was going to step on my toes.”
Zita chuckled. “Well, what does a good-looking guy like you expect?”
If he blushed, she couldn’t tell because of his dark skin. He did give a quick retort. “Looks like she’d at least check to see if guys she’s hitting on are married. Or, maybe that doesn’t matter.” He cocked his head. “I have seen her type before, but in big cities, not small towns. What is she doing here?”
Funny, Zita thought, I could ask the same of you. She kept quiet but continued to inform Daryl of a bit of town history. “Long story short, Shannon is the great-granddaughter of the famous Goldie Parsons. She inherited the Tollar plantation from her mother who had run off and married the black blues singer.”
Daryl readjusted his position in his chair and then replied, “Oh, yeah! His body washed up from the Sunflower River decades later, not long after Hunter became sheriff, right?”
“Right. He solved the case, but it took a while,” said Zita.
Then Zita’s cell phone rang, she looked down at the screen to see it was Hunter calling her. “Daryl,” she said, “It’s Hunter. I am going to put it on speaker.”
“Hi, Hunter, how is it going? I also have Daryl here.” she said.
“Yea, he needs to be updated on this,” said Hunter, “I just had the strangest call from Shannon. She said she had information Frederica is starting to cause trouble again. She also told me about talking to you and how you were not helpful, whatever that means. Excuse me, ‘King, get out of that bowl!’ Sorry, let me continue. Then she hinted that I should come to her house, but she didn’t give any details on how she knew Frederica was around. You think she’s overreacting?”
Zita looked up at Daryl, and whispered, “Probably.” She cracked a smile when he shook his head. He probably didn’t want to sound unconcerned. Shannon was right about one thing: Frederica could potentially be dangerous.
Hunter continued, “Okay, I’ll let it ride for now. Frederica’s no threat yet. We’ll just stay on guard. I don’t see anything else we can do. Keep Daryl informed. Thanks. Excuse me, ‘King, stop chewing on the cord!’ I got to go. See you tomorrow. Bye.”
Zita put her phone back in her pocket as Daryl shrugged and stood to leave. “That cat is something! I’ve got to get back to work on real cases. I swear, I chose Cleveland expecting peace and quiet. Like Hunter, I didn’t know a small town could have so much crime. Glad most of it is petty, but even those cases require written reports.” He wiggled fingers on both hands. “Back to the keyboard.” Then he winked, saying, “Bye, beautiful,” as he walked out.
Zita wasn’t comfortable with the compliment. She’d rather he’d turned his attention to Shannon, even though she knew that wasn’t going anywhere. Shannon just liked to flirt.
Zita forced herself to think Daryl was just being nice, maybe he didn’t mean anything more than that. She couldn’t hold onto that thought. It nagged at her that maybe he wasn’t. She also had another concern. Did Daryl really come to Cleveland for the reason he said? Or did he have an ulterior motive. Maybe her inquisitive mind was too busy.
She had work to do, too, so she put that thought aside as she scanned the latest files on her computer, looking for the most pressing case to start on.
Zita couldn’t help but think about Mama Cheche again, she just knew Mama was the only person who could make sense of all of this.
“Hey, I am going to run to the courthouse; be back in an hour.” Daryl opened the front door to the office and walked out. It caused a gust of wind to push through her office, blowing an older stack of printed case files onto the floor.
Zita sighed as she bent over to gather them all together. Yes, one of those days. The papers were bits of older cases she processed when the work was slow. A few of them were passed on to her when Carlton left. She bent over to pick up one sheet in the middle of the scattered pile, but it slipped from her hands. When she looked at it again, she saw a date from a couple of months ago scribbled on the top. Then, with another glance, what was written underneath caused her to gasp.