Murder in Greasy Cove

By Rebecca Jones

An old murder that has been whispered about in a family for years seems to come alive after a mother and daughter go on an "adventure" to find out the truth. Was their grandfather / great-grandfather the state's star witness, or did he actually commit the horrible crime?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781648951916

Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones RVN DipAVN(Surg) qualified in 2000, and has since held various roles at a large referral hospital, including Nursing Manager and Clinical Governance Manager. Currently she is Chair for the VN Futures One Health working party.

Book preview

Prologue

The house was small, and it needed painting badly. The falling leaves were red, brown, and gold. They seemed to be dancing in the wind. September 30, 1931, had turned out to be a beautiful fall day. Seven-year-old Ruby Jo had never seen this place before.

Ruby Jo, her little sister, Jean, and their mama, Maebelle Cason, had walked four miles to the house; Mama had been crying, which wasn’t unusual. She cried a lot anyway.

Ruby Jo hadn’t cried though, no way! She was excited. Today they were going to meet their grandfather.

A grandfather Ruby Jo and Jean didn’t know they had. They had never seen their mother’s father, his family, or even heard his name until last night. Not only that, he was living here in Alabama City at his mother’s house. Mostly everyone who lived in Alabama City worked in the cotton mill. She wondered if he did. She didn’t know anything about him except that his name was John McLemore. They stopped at the foot of the stairs.

Mommy, are we are going in? Ruby Jo asked.

Of course, you’re coming in, a kind voice answered from inside the house. Maebelle! What a beautiful young woman you’ve become, and what adorable little girls! John has missed so much, she said as tears were forming in her eyes.

He sent for me, Mother said.

Come this way, the kind lady said as she held the door open. She was a small lady with gray hair, and she wore a red gingham dress with an apron that tied around her tiny waist. They walked down a short hallway stopping in front of another open door. In the center of the room, there was a four-poster bed with a skinny man lying on it. A woman with black hair was sitting in a chair beside the bed. She glared at her mother but said nothing.

Maebelle, come in, come in! Are those your precious girls? Their every bit as lovely as their mother. Please let them stay with Mother. I wouldn’t have them get what I’ve got for the world, he said.

The nice lady led them into a small kitchen; after they sat down, she gave them milk and teacakes.

I’m so glad you came today. I’m your great-grandmother. They played patty-cake and Simon says. Afterward, she read to them out of a book of fairy tales.

After a couple of hours, they heard the bedroom door open. When their mother walked out, they walked back to the bedroom door, waving goodbye to their grandfather.

Maebelle, I have something I need to tell you. Please, please come back. It won’t be long now.

Maebelle picked up Jean and grabbed Ruby Jo’s hand, hurrying to the door. She had tears in her eyes as they started walking back home.

Mother, what’s wrong? Ruby Jo asked. But Maebelle just kept on walking.

When they arrived home, Maebelle sat down in the living room chair crying. They were still in the living room when Herman came in from work an hour later.

Honey, what’s wrong? Did you go to see John? he asked.

Yes, we went, but I shouldn’t have, she whispered. My father wants me to come back, but I’m not going.

Did he tell you anything about the murder?

No, thank God. He brought it up. Several times old Lovella wouldn’t leave us alone. For once, I was glad she was there. I’ve heard about that murder all my life. I don’t want to hear anything he has to say.

Ruby Jo watched as her daddy held her mother, wondering why she cried. She had never seen her mother so upset. But why? He seemed so kind, and her great grandmother was an angel. She wanted to go back to revisit them. Why had she not been told about them? She knew she would never see either one of them again.

Honey, you sit here with the girls, Daddy said. I’m fixing supper tonight—some good old fried chicken and biscuits with gravy.

Maebelle smiled as she hugged both girls close. Then she started crying again.

Someday I’ll find out, Ruby Jo thought. Eventually, I’ll find out why Mommy doesn’t love her daddy. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the sweet, peaceful look on his face and the urgency in his voice as he begged his only living child to come back just one more time.

Part One

Chapter One

What Is Greasy Cove?

Tuesday night, January 28, 1973, was a beautiful night. Of course, any night was a beautiful night if I was spending it with my three favorite people in the whole world: my mother, Ruby Jo, and my grandmother Bebelle (her real name was Maebelle). My cousin Gary couldn’t pronounce her name when he was young, so he started calling her Bebelle, and everyone else followed suit and my grandfather Daddy Herman. Usually Daddy Herman was with my father playing rook, but tonight he decided to stay home and cook supper—his specialty, fried chicken and biscuits with gravy.

After supper, Mother and Bebelle started cleaning up the kitchen while Daddy Herman and I went into the living room. He started a fire in the fireplace then sat down to begin reading the newspaper. I walked back into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could do to help, but no, because two days before I had turned twenty-one and birthday girls don’t have to clean because they are unique. I smiled, closing my eyes. I feel unique being with them.

In a few minutes, I heard Bebelle call, Herman, who’s dead?

Lots of people, he answered.

You hateful old man! Bebelle yelled.

We all started laughing. Bebelle and Herman were so close. I thought about