one night, Ivy decided to take a kitchen knife to bed with her. Billy went into her bedroom, tried to force himself on her and took a knife in the side for his trouble.”
“She killed him?”
“No, last I heard he was still alive. Nobody pressed any charges on anybody, but Billy Turlow left town as soon as he got out of the hospital, and Ivy went off to Chattanooga for a couple of years on a college scholarship. She didn’t last there long. I guess her mama needed her too much.”
Sutton felt sick. One of Ivy’s deepest fears, he remembered, was that her mama was going to get raped or killed by one of the men she took home with her. Somehow, she’d never seemed to worry that she herself might be in danger.
But he’d worried. Not deeply, not daily, but from time to time, he’d noticed the way some of Arlene’s fellows looked at her blossoming daughter and worried that they’d start wanting the young version more than her mother.
He’d figured it would cause more trouble between mother and daughter than create any sort of danger for Ivy herself. But he should have known better. He should have seen the signs of danger.
He’d just been too busy thinking about himself and planning his escape from Bitterwood and his father.
* * *
MARK BRAMLETT TURNED out to be friendly and accommodating, making Ivy wonder if the link between Bramlett Nurseries, Davenport Trucking and the nightshade found at the cemetery was nothing but a coincidence.
“We clean the truck out after every delivery or job,” he told her as he let her take a look around inside the back of the rented panel truck while Antoine watched from a few feet away. “But we do the washing here at the nursery. I don’t deal in products with special sanitation needs, so there’s not much point in jumping through hoops to make sure the inside is sterile the way food processors do.”
The interior of the truck looked freshly cleaned, she noted. “When was the last time you used it?”
“I had a crew out delivering seedlings to a retail outlet up in Knoxville just yesterday,” he answered. “The crew washed it down when they got back.”
“Would it be possible to speak to the employees who drive the truck?”
Bramlett shrugged. “Most of them are trained to handle trucks this size, so any one of them might be called on to drive it, depending on the job and the work crew on any given day. I do have a handful of workers who drive it more than others. I’ll write up the list of names for you.”
“Thank you,” Ivy said with a grateful smile. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“Glad to do it.” Bramlett cocked his head, looking curious. “Is this anything to do with the murders in Bitterwood?”
“We’re just following up on the possibility that one of these rental trucks could have been used in the commission of a crime.”
“You think one of my employees used the truck to go out and kill those women?” Bramlett shook his head. “I know they say you can’t always tell who’s going to turn out to be a monster, but the guys we hire just don’t seem the type.”
“Most likely, your truck had nothing to do with any crime we might be investigating.” Ivy kept her tone noncommittal. “We’ll mark you off our list once we’re done and that will be that.”
“Just being thorough,” Antoine added with a placid smile.
“Okay.” Bramlett led them back inside and went behind the counter in search of paper and a pen. He jotted down a list of five names. “These guys do most of the driving, and they’re responsible for making sure the truck is cleaned and locked before they leave at night.”
Ivy took the list. “Thank you, Mr. Bramlett.”
“Glad to help.”
“Are any of them here today?”
“Gil Thomas and Jeff Plott will be in around ten today, and Kel Dollar’s off this morning but should be in by one. Shane McDowell is off today but comes in tomorrow, and Blake Corbin is on vacation until next week.”
“We’ll be back around ten to talk to Thomas and Plott,” Ivy said.
“I’ll make sure they’re around.”
“Oh. One more thing,” Ivy said as Bramlett walked them to the door. “Do you cultivate belladonna here at the nursery?”
Bramlett looked puzzled. “No. We don’t cultivate toxic medicinals. Too many liability issues.”
“Okay, thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.” Bramlett gave a little wave as they headed back to the department-issued Ford Taurus.
Ivy handed Antoine the