“It shocked me too when I heard he confessed to the whole thing. For what it's worth, I don't think he really meant that man to die.” Theo couldn't bear to consider the horrible way that Red lost his daughter.
“It's not as if I was in love with the man,” said Jane. “I did think he was sweet, and we had fun the night we went to the play.” She took her frustration out on the shelf of books, pushing them off, one at a time.
Half of the books on the shelf had hit the floor by the time Theo's headache threatened to blind her. A large book hit the floor.
“Jane, my head is killing me. Could you please not slam anything else?”
“I'm sorry, sugar.” Instantly contrite, Jane's voice was barely louder than a whisper. “I could get you some aspirin if you like.”
“Thanks, but I took some already. It just hasn't done anything yet.” Theo pressed her fingertips against her temples. “I'm the one who's sorry. You need to be able to release your emotions. It's just that I need a few moments of peace and quiet, and then I'll be right as rain.”
Jane tiptoed toward the door. “I guess it is just a day for retribution. Nina's husband is back in town.”
“Wait.” Theo's eyes flew open. The light blinded her and she closed them immediately, covering them with her cupped hands. “How do you know?”
“I saw him sitting on a bench in front of the courthouse. I have to say that he looked awful, but I couldn't find any sympathy for the man.”
Theo sneaked a peek. Jane stood so straight, it looked as if she had swallowed a ruler.
“If Nina takes him back, she's a fool,” said Jane.
“Did you talk to him?” Theo knew that Jane was too sweet and too well-bred to snub the man. It just wasn't in her nature to be rude.
“No.” She was subdued. “Well, not really. I just said hello and asked when he got back into town.”
“And the answer was what?”
Jane looked at her watch. “About two hours ago now.”
Theo waited for Jane to leave before she then bolted for the telephone. Headache or not, she had to talk to Nina. Her friend answered on the second ring. “Good news. People will have to quit assuming that the body in your woods is your creep of a husband.”
“Why? What happened?” Nina sounded wary.
Theo relayed the story from Jane. As soon as she got off the phone, she would call Tony and fill him in. She knew he couldn't help but wonder what had happened at the Crisp house.
“That's good.” Nina's sigh came through the phone. “People at the Food City were starting to point and stare. If they are going to do that, I should at least have the satisfaction of being a widow.”
Theo moaned. “I can't laugh. My head is splitting open.”
“I might have some news that will help that. Good news in exchange for wonderful news.” Nina's voice softened. “I was just getting ready to call you because all the tops are finished and all of the patterns are perfect. You're good to go, kid. You can box it all up and send it to your publisher.”
“Bless you, Nina.”
“What about my baby?” Ruby's dark eyes looked black in her swollen, tear-stained face. “Did you ask Red if he knew anything about my Anna?”
Tony felt only slightly better now than he had when he'd heard Red's confession. He insisted on telling Ruby what he learned before heading home. Sheila paced in the hallway, rattling her keys.
His heart ached for this young woman. One of her hands clutched a soggy tissue and the other held Mike's hand in a death grip. His fingers looked like wax where she'd squeezed the blood out of them. It was the first time he'd seen her look like she hadn't combed her hair.
Mike cleared his throat. “I've got some vacation due, Sheriff.” With his free hand, Mike reached into his pocket and handed Ruby his handkerchief. He pulled the soggy tissue from her fist and tossed it into the trash. “If there is any clue at all, I'll pursue it.”
“I thought that might be your plan.”Tony rummaged through a pile of papers on his desk. Finding the ones he sought, he handed them to Mike. “Obviously, I cannot give you the originals, but these are photocopies of an envelope and the letter I found inside. They were mailed from North Carolina.”
Mike held them at an angle so that Ruby could share with him.
“Do they talk about Anna?” Ruby's whole body trembled as she tried to read them through the cascade of tears.
“Not exactly, and definitely not by name, but I called the sheriff over there. He said that this woman is Hub's sister.” Tony massaged the back of his neck while he considered what else to tell them. “He also said that he doesn't know of her having a girl of the right age, but she lives pretty far off the beaten track. She might or might not know anything.”
“It's worth a try.” Mike lifted his eyes from the envelope. “That's just on the other side of the mountains. We can drive there in a few hours.”
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
That evening, Tony leaned back in his recliner and checked the swelling in his leg. It looked better than it had earlier in the day, but he was so tired that it took the last of his energy to pull the flannel quilt over himself.
He had not heard from Mike and Ruby. Did that mean they had found Hub's sister? If so, did she know the whereabouts of little Anna?
He yawned several times, fighting to stay awake. At least Daniel Crisp had returned. That cleared up the problem of where he was and freed Nina from the musings of suspicious minds.
Tony couldn't help but wonder if they would ever know whose body Theo had found. The state lab had not reported anything. He doubted they would have had time to do more than assign a file number the remains. Maybe he'd give them a call sometime soon.
His boys were playing some private game that included plastic dinosaurs, lots of blankets and Daisy. It seemed to produce lots of giggling. They blocked his view of the television, but he wasn't even tempted to tell them to move or to be quiet. The moment of cooperation between brothers wouldn't last, but it was a joy for the moment. He forced his eyelids to stay up. It wouldn't be long before he lost that battle.
Theo sat in her nearby chair quilting. Although she appeared to be paying attention to nothing but her needle and the part of the quilt that was in the hoop, Tony knew she was keeping up with the program on TV and what the boys were doing. She turned and smiled at him.
“I meant to tell you earlier, the hospital called to tell you that Nellie Pearl regained consciousness.” She pushed a ringlet of hair behind her ear. “They think she will be fine and that she claims she is ready to testify against Samson.”
“That is good news.” Tony grinned, only halfway paying attention to what she said.
For a change, he was wise enough to keep his thoughts to himself as he watched Theo. She sat between two lamps, and all that light shining on her hair proved one thing. It really did look like dandelion fuzz.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
* * *
Barbara Graham began making up stories in the third grade and immediately quit learning to multiply and divide. Her motto is “every story needs a dead body and every bed needs a quilt.” Most of her early stories involved her saving the world. Fortunately for all involved, she and her heroic skills have never been put to the test.
A prize winning quilter and partner in a pattern company, her quilts have been in calendars and magazines, as well as displayed in shows. Married to a wonderful man who can do math in his head and as the mother of two perfect sons, she lives in Wyoming.
tons">share
Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) Page 28