~ Small Town Secrets ~

by

Billie A. Williams

In the back of Chaneeta’s mind she knew Amanda would not show up Thursday for the reopening of the Café. After what she had seen in the park, coupled with the fact that Taaktu never found her after that to talk to her, worried Chaneeta.

Chaneeta resigned herself to be breakfast cook until they could hire someone else. She was prepared to open as cook. Twice and Hope showed up right on time glad to be back to work. The crowd was slow to show up. A few stragglers here and there appeared as the morning wore on. Not at all the typical breakfast crowd. The Golden Kettle was feeling the impact of the rat poison in the sugar. Chaneeta couldn’t blame them. Who’s to say someone didn’t dump rat poison or something worse in some other foodstuff?

She even posted the Health Inspector’s clean bill of health on the window for people to read. Half the usual breakfast crowd was struggling to regain their status quo health-wise, queasy stomachs, ulcerated stomachs, intestinal woes; luckily they had pumped everyone’s stomachs quickly. It took time to heal. Chaneeta knew this and she hadn’t spoken to many town folks since the incident. They all seemed to be hiding away waiting to see what developed. Of course, Olga’s lashing and bashing hadn’t helped at all.

Chaneeta easily kept up with the few breakfast orders, while she prepared the noon special of stuffed pork chops, scalloped potatoes with a choice of vegetables--either green beans or corn. That always went over well.

A gun shot from out front startled her. Was it in the café? Was it a backfire outside on the street? She hoped the latter but knew better. Chaneeta dialed nine-one-one as she rushed out to see what was going on. Angus Taylor stood near a booth toward the back of the café, a double barreled shot gun pointed at Iggy who sat in the booth looking neither scared, nor shocked, not the least bit worried. Hope was busily escorting the few customers that had come to the café, out the door. Angus didn’t seem to notice, his attention so intent on Iggy. “You are gonna pay for what you did to my little girl,” his voice choked with emotion.

Iggy looked defiant, not the least bit frightened. “I didn’t do nothing to that whore that half the other guys in three counties haven’t done.”

“She’s pregnant with your child.” Angus didn’t care who heard, obviously, he was more angry than embarrassed for his daughter’s indiscretion with this man. You are going to do the honorable thing and marry her.”

Iggy let out a hoarse, wild kind of laugh. “Go away old man, my breakfast is getting cold.”

“Angus,” Chaneeta approached him cautiously. She had to defuse his anger before he decided to pull the trigger on that shot gun in Iggy’s face. “This isn’t the answer; this isn’t the way to do this.”

Angus held the gun steady, aimed at Iggy. “Stand up,” he ordered.

Iggy put his fork down, but didn’t stand. He stared straight ahead, not a twitch, just defiance.

Chaneeta held her breath. Twice and Hope stood by the front door. Hope started to move forward and Chaneeta held up her hand to stop her. She shook her head no. “Angus, we can put him in jail. We can try him for his wrongdoings. But, in a civilized society, we can’t shoot him.”

“He ain’t civilized. He don’t deserve to be treated any better than a wild animal.”

“Daddy, don’t.” Everyone’s eyes turned to see Suzette. Chaneeta didn’t know she had come into the café. She had been in the bathroom, obviously. No one said anything. Twice and Hope apparently didn’t know she was there either, the looks on their faces told Chaneeta that.

Suzette held up her arms. Bright red streaks oozed from gashes in her wrists down her fore arms to her elbows. Some of her blood had dripped and smudged onto her blouse and jeans. Tears streaked her mascara down her cheeks. “Please,” she said in a gargled whisper before she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Angus and Chaneeta rushed to her.

Hope grabbed Iggy by the arm and tore him out of the booth to safety. She pushed him out the door, shut and locked it. Hope joined Chaneeta and Twice to see to Suzette. Sirens announced the arrival of the county sheriff just as Taaktu slipped in through the back door. She bent down and slid Angus’ shot gun out of his reach and took it to the kitchen. Twice went to the front door and let the officers and the EMTs in.

Chaneeta pulled Angus back so the EMTs could see to his daughter. “Let them do their job,” Angus stood and backed up with Chaneeta. He didn’t say anything, he stared at the scene. He looked to Chaneeta like a broken man.

“What happened?” one of the deputies questioned Hope.

“Father and boyfriend arguing, girlfriend-slash-daughter, goes into the bathroom slits her wrists--is the short version,” she said.

Chaneeta approved. The deputy looked at Chaneeta with her arm around Angus’ waist. She nodded, “Basically that’s it in a nutshell.”

Angus never uttered a sound. “Maybe when the EMTs finish with her they should take a look at him,” Taaktu said slipping into the mix having hid Angus’ gun in the kitchen.

“When did you get here, were you in on the happenings?” the deputy asked Taaktu.

“No, just got here myself. My deputy constable was here. I’m sure she gave you details,” she pointed toward Hope.

“Already spoke with her. Who called in the emergency?”

“I did, officer. The loud voices, harsh words, I thought someone was going to get hurt. Never dreamed...” she pointed toward Suzette lying on the floor, her wrists being bandaged by the EMT.

“She’s going to be okay, but we’re taking her in so the doctors can determine if she needs stitches. More than likely they’ll want to give her a tetanus shot, and maybe have a psychiatrist talk with her,” the female EMT said as they placed Suzette on a stretcher. She looked ghostly, like all the blood had drained from her body out the two small slits on her wrists.

“Daddy,” her voice barely above a whisper, pleaded with her father.

“Would you like to ride with the ambulance, sir?” the male EMT asked.

“I think he needs to be checked out. He seems to be in shock,” Taaktu pointed toward Angus as he collapsed, sliding out of Chaneeta’s arms like warm Jell-O from a mold.

“We’ll bring in another stretcher,” the EMT said as he knelt beside Angus to take his vital signs. The female rushed out to get the other stretcher. Hope rinsed a cloth under cold water and brought it to place it on Angus’ brow while the EMT checked his pulse and heart rate. “Poor man,” she said.

The sheriff deputies were busy talking to the few people who had been in the café. Chaneeta hoped no one mentioned the gun shot, but she was almost certain they would. Nothing like that happens in quiet little Nettlesville, nothing like that or the fire, or the poisoning.

“What about the gun shots?” Twice whispered.

“What? You mean he actually discharged that shotgun?” Taaktu’s face wrinkled with concern as she turned to face Chaneeta.

Chaneeta put her finger over her lips.

“Someone is bound to mention it. I took the gun to the kitchen so he wouldn’t be faced with any charges related to it. That could look like conspiracy to the sheriff’s men.

Chaneeta shrugged. Taaktu threw her hands in the air. “Where are the holes, where did the BBs land?” she whispered.”

“I think he shot in the air outside as he entered the café. I don’t think he shot, no--I know he didn’t shoot in here.” Twice and Taaktu scanned the ceiling quickly for any evidence that he had discharged the firearm inside the restaurant.

“That’s right,” Hope said standing as the EMTs transferred Angus to the stretcher.

“Then we may be okay,” Taaktu breathed a sigh of relief. “Where’s Iggy, since he started all this? The sheriff’s men will want to talk to him, too.”

“I got him out of here while Angus was distracted with Suzette, I thought it best.” Hope scanned the faces out front. “But, he seems to have disappeared. I should have hung on to him.”

“He won’t go far, he needs old man Taylor, he needs Suzette, he has no where else to go,” Taaktu’s voice seemed laden with disgust and anger.

“Angus is ready to kill him,” Chaneeta whispered so that the officers wouldn’t hear.

“Unless,” Hope ran her hand through her hair. Taaktu and Chaneeta turned to her with questions written all over their faces.

“He may think he can stay with me.” Hope’s face turned crimson and Chaneeta groaned.

“Didn’t I warn you?”

Hope put up her hands, “Wait, ulterior motive. I didn’t want to tell anyone.”

“You have our undivided attention now!” Twice moved in close to Chaneeta and Taaktu. “Speak!” she sounded as though she demanded Hope’s immediate response.

Chaneeta and Taaktu looked at her in disbelief. The outburst was so out of character for Twice. For her to be so assertive was nearly laughable.

“I’ve been--It’s a long story. I didn’t quit NYPD exactly.”

“You what? What does that mean, you didn’t quit exactly?” Taaktu’s stunned look echoed the others.

“Iggy, Ignazio Calendri, a.k.a. Dominique Delgato, a.k.a. Scorch Scantelli, the list of aliases will stretch from here to New York City. I’m not at liberty to tell you more. You need to trust me that his life of use and abuse is on a short, make that very short, gang plank.”

Chaneeta had a million questions, as she was sure Taaktu and Twice did. Their conversation was interrupted as the EMTs pulled the stretchers up on their scaffolding and wheeled Angus, still unconscious and Suzette toward the front door.