Page 51 of A Rose of Steel
“I guess Romaine should tell you that.”
“What Romaine?”
“I had a flat tire last night.”
“It was a little more than that.”
I frowned. I didn’t want to worry her, plus maybe since it was dark and late, I might have thought I was in more danger than I had been. Even perhaps I thought a little more happened than really did.
“What happened, Rhett?”
“She got ran off the road by some anonymous truck.”
“I didn’t get ran off the road,” I said.
“Did she?” Auntie looked at Rhett.
“That’s what she told me,” he said, smiling. I guess he enjoyed having me and auntie at odds.
“That’s not exactly what happened,” I said. “I got a flat. And,” I wanted to turn the table on Rhett, “he showed up out of nowhere. I think he follows me, Auntie.”
“Well, I could think of worse things,” she said.
Rhett winked at me.
“I think it’s kind of scary,” I said.
“You need to lay off the coffee,” she said and pointed at my cup. “It’s making you paranoid.”
“Did you wake me up this early to abuse me?”
“No,” she said. “I need your help.”
“Need your help,” I said at the same time.
“We need to make a run over to Angel’s Grace. We need to take over the mums and meet the caterer so I can show her the kitchen where she’ll prepare the food.’
“You’re just now getting the caterer?” I said. “This close to the dinner?”
“We had to change caterers. The one I had was hired to do the repast after the services today, too. She said she couldn’t do both in one week,” Auntie said.
“Wasn’t she contractually obligated to you?” I said.
“And what did you suggest I tell her?” Auntie said. “That if she did the repast I was going to sue her for breach of contract?”
“I guess that wouldn’t be a good thing.”
We left and went over to Angel’s Grace. It was just me and Auntie, Rhett stayed at the house. I didn’t know why he had been there so early if he hadn’t come to help us.
Auntie met the Roble Belles there and the caterer. She had me walk the hall, while she dictated where the decorations would go, where to store the mums for the people on the dais, and showed the kitchen to the caterer.
I saw no reason I should be there.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Auntie Zanne wore her navy blue, double-breasted funeral service suit. She had donned her complete funerary attire—white cloth gloves, nude stockings and black one-inch heel pumps. She stood, back parallel to the wall near the front of the church. Hands behind her back, nodding without a change in her facial expression as people walked up to view the casket, even directing with a wave of hand if they faltered, indicating for them to move along. If one didn’t know any better, it was easy to believe that Ball Funeral Home had been put in charge of the arrangements.
And then there were her “lieutenants” the Roble Belles. They were peppered out among the congregation. Walking up and down the aisles, talking, smiling nodding—taking in information I guess. She had given her entourage their orders and they seemed to be on task.
