Tommy Wayne Returns – Chapter 6

Oliver McKay, McKay Funeral Home

Folks say the dead tell no tales. That’s a lie, and I reckon I ought to know.

I’ve run McKay Funeral Home goin’ on forty years now, and I’ll tell you; the dead don’t stop talkin’, they just get quieter. Their stories hum through the floorboards and hang in the air like the smell of formaldehyde. It’s not words exactly, but if you’ve been around ‘em long enough, you catch their meaning.

When Tommy Wayne come walkin’ back into Piedmont last week, every last one of ‘em started stirrin’. I could feel it. The old ones, especially, the ones who went to their rest whisperin’ about that night and that letter.

He come by here two days ago, stood in the doorway a long minute before speakin’. Didn’t look like a man haunted by ghosts. Looked like one followed by ‘em. Said he wanted to see Merlene’s stone. Asked if I’d drive him out to the cemetery, said he didn’t trust himself to go alone.

We went in my old hearse, the 1959 Cadillac with the cracked dash and the smell of carnations baked into the seats. He didn’t say a word till we got there.

“Was she peaceful?” he asked me.

“As peaceful as a woman can be when she dies with her secrets intact,” I told him.

He didn’t answer, just looked down at her name cut in marble,

Dorothy Merlene Turner,

1912–2009.

I could see him tryin’ to pull something out of that silence. A reason, maybe. Or a forgiveness.

“You know,” I said, “some folks never believed she did what they said.”

He turned, sharp-like. “And what do they say she did, Owen?”

I didn’t answer right away, just watched a blackbird hop across the fence rail. “Depends on who’s tellin’ it,” I said. “But you start askin’ questions, and the Sheriff’ll come around soon enough. He always does.”

Tommy Wayne smiled then, and I swear it chilled me more than the morgue cooler.

“I was counting on that,” he said.

He left me there with the bird and the quiet and a feeling I hadn’t had in years; like maybe the dead weren’t the only ones restless in Piedmont.

*****

New Yesterdays is available through the following links: Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and your favorite bookstores. The Audiobook is available from Libro.fm, as well as Amazon.

About Ol' Big Jim

Jim L. Wright is a storyteller with a lifetime of experiences as colorful as the characters he creates. Born and raised in Piedmont, Alabama, Jim’s connection to the land, history, and people of the region runs deep. His debut novel New Yesterdays is set in his hometown, where he grew up listening to stories of the past—stories that sparked his imagination and curiosity for history. Today, Jim lives in Leeds, Alabama, with his husband Zeek, a tour operator who shares his passion for adventure and discovery. Known affectionately as “Ol’ Big Jim,” he has had a diverse career that includes time as a storekeeper, an embalmer, a hospital orderly, and a medical coder. There are even whispers—unconfirmed, of course—that he once played piano in a house of ill repute. No matter the job, one thing has remained constant: Jim is a teller of tales. His stories—sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking—are often inspired by his unique life experiences. Many of these tales can be found on his popular blog, Ol’ Big Jim, where he continues to share his musings with a loyal readership. Jim’s adventures have taken him far beyond Alabama. For seven years, he lived in Amman, Jordan, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. His time there, spent in smoky coffee shops, enjoying a hookah and a cup of tea while scribbling in his ever-present notebook, deeply influenced his worldview and his writing. When Jim isn’t writing, he’s thinking about writing. His stories, whether tall tales from his past or imaginative reimagining is of historical events should read from his past or imaginative reimaginings of historical events, reflect a life lived fully and authentically. With New Yesterdays, Jim brings readers a rich tapestry of history, fantasy, and human connection. Visit his blog at www.olbigjim.com to read more of his stories, or follow him on social media to keep up with his latest musings and projects, one of which is a series that follows Bonita McCauley, an amateur detective who gets into some very sticky situations. His book, New Yesterdays, can be found at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

View all posts by Ol' Big Jim →