“Anything at all different about her?”
She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think so. She looked like she’d just stepped out of Vogue, as usual. Camel slacks: White boat-neck sweater. Carrying her coffee cup and her newspaper, as usual. She always brought her own cup.”
“And you talked about the meeting with the lawyer?”
“Yes. Teresa thought Wayne might have hidden some assets away. She didn’t want me to sign anything until Wayne had been forced to swear under oath as to what property we owned.”
“Who’s your lawyer?”
“C. Dale Gibson.”
“Where’s his office?”
“Here in El Gordo.”
“Did Mrs. Blair know him?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Anything else happen?”
“I’m trying to see her that morning, envision what she did. She skimmed the paper, like she always did. Somehow she could read and talk to me at the same time and absorb from both sources. Looking back, it does seem like she was worried about something. But it’s probably my imagination.”
“Any idea what might have worried her?”
“No. I don’t think Teresa ever once complained to me about anything.”
“She sounds like quite a woman.”
“She is quite a woman.”
I smiled. “Do you know anything about her being a witness in a criminal case?”
“What? Oh, that auto accident thing? Is that the one?”
“That’s the one. Did she talk about that at all?”
Kathryn Martin shrugged. “Back when it occurred, I saw something in the paper so I asked her what had happened. She told me she’d seen a car run down a pedestrian and would probably be called to testify against the driver if it ever went to trial.”
“Did she seem worried about it?”
“Not at all.”
“Did she mention it again?”
“No.”
“Was she the kind of person to run away from having to do something like that? Appear in court, I mean?”
“Teresa Blair wasn’t the type of person to run away from anything.”
The testimonial was heartfelt and didactic and as a result impressive. I asked Mrs. Martin if she could think of anything else that might be helpful and she shook her head. I glanced at my watch. I was late. I stood up.
“Hey,” Mrs. Martin said. “How about staying for dinner? I mean, I’m starving, and Davy hasn’t eaten anything hot for days. It’s easy to set an extra place.” Her words trailed off into silence. The invitation was awkward, too eagerly issued, revealing a lack of practice.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’ve got an appointment and I’m late already.”
I left Kathryn Ellington Martin standing in the middle of her family room and her divorce, a dazed and slightly apprehensive look on her face, and went over to call on the man she had just accused of murder.
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About the Author
Stephen Greenleaf (b. 1942), a former lawyer and an alumnus of the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop, is a mystery and thriller writer best known for his series of novels starring PI John Marshall Tanner. Recognized for being both literate and highly entertaining, Greenleaf’s novels often deal with contemporary social and political issues.
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Death Bed Page 31