Page 19 of Family Jewels

Neely Kate tilted her head and gently rested her hand on the woman’s arm. “I just heard about Raddy.”

The woman gave Neely Kate the same scowl she’d been giving those sheets. “Lies! He’s telling lies!”

Neely Kate nodded sympathetically. “Of course they are, honey. Everyone knows about Randy Raddy’s reputation.”

Rayna’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

Apparently everyone but Rayna.

Neely Kate leaned closer. “Rayna, you’re ten times better off without him.” A mischievous grin spread across her face. “I heard his clothes burned so hot in your front yard the Henryetta fire department had to sendtwotrucks.”

Rayna’s mouth twisted into a slight grin. “He was fit to be tied when I burned his lucky bowling shirt.”

“I hope you kept most of his stuff.”

“Most of it was mine,” Rayna said with a scowl. “Lazy-ass son of a bitch only got a job about two months ago. Probably so he could pay for those damn hotel rooms.” Tears filled her eyes.

“Rayna, honey,” Neely Kate cooed, rubbing her arm. “Just let him shack up with those other hussies. You’re lucky to be rid of him and find you a real man.”

She nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“I don’t mean to intrude,” I said moving closer, “but I couldn’t help overhearing. I’m Neely Kate’s friend, Rose. I really hope you take him to the cleaners.”

Her sad eyes lifted to mine. “We weren’t even legally married. The damn fool admitted he forgot to send in the marriage license. And since Arkansas’s not a common law state, I’m not entitled to nothin’ of his. Not that he has anything. The house is in my name, and most of the stuff is mine. I held onto his big-screen TV for a week, but it’s one of those monster things that’s about five feet tall and it had funny lines through the screen. I put it out in the garage with all his fishing and bowling stuff.”

“There wasn’t anything else he wanted?” Neely Kate asked innocently.

“His grandmammie’s jewelry, but I handed it all over to the old bat.” When she saw our confused looks, she added, “His mother.”

“That had to have been worth something,” Neely Kate said. “You could have taken some of it and sold it, then bought yourself a brand-new big-screen TV. I bet you get an employee discount here, don’t you?”

Rayna snorted. “Raddy was always bragging that the jewelry was worth thousands of dollars, but he’s either deluded or he wantedmeto be deluded. I took that stupid owl brooch to the pawn shop, and Alberto said the eyes were cut glass.”

Raddy had claimed he’d only discovered the necklace’s valueafterthe breakup. Had he lied to us or inadvertently told Rayna the truth? I shot a look to Neely Kate, but she plowed on like she wasn’t fazed one bit. “So why would Raddy think it was real?”

“His momma probably filled his head with lies. She told me that junk was real when she picked it up.”

I shook my head. “Why would she say that?”

She pointed a bony finger at her temple. “To mess with my head. Now Raddy’s all worked up and accusing me of hiding it or pawning it, but he can ask Alberto. I ain’t been to the pawn shop since I sold his old trumpet.”

I made a mental note that we should talk to this Alberto ourselves.

“Can you believe he’s threatened to sue me?” she asked in disbelief. “Over some stupid costume jewelry.” She shook her head and crossed her arms. “You can’t get blood out of a turnip. They can turn my house upside down, and they ain’t gonna find nothing.”

My head tingled—a telltale sign I was about to have a vision—and I barely had time to tap Neely Kate twice with my fingertips, a system we’d created for this sort of awkward situation.

The Walmart bedding aisle faded from view, replaced by a hot tub. The woman sitting next to me in the water looked like she was in her early thirties, but life hadn’t been kind. She had bleached blonde hair piled on top of her head and saggy breasts covered by the smallest bikini top I’d ever seen. There was a glass of wine in her hand, and her wide smile showed chipped yellow teeth.

“We’ll get your revenge, Rayna. Just you wait and see.”

I lifted my own wine glass and clinked it with hers. “Here’s to gettin’ rid of the garbage in our lives.”

The vision faded, and suddenly Rayna was standing in front of me. I blurted out, “You’re gonna get revenge.”

Her eyes hardened and she threw back her shoulders. “Damn straight, I am.”

Neely Kate pressed her lips together and nodded. “That’s the spirit. You stand your ground, Rayna.”