Murder by Kindness

by Barbara Graham

  “Mints?” Tony guessed.

  “And baby aspirin,” Richards replied. “Her doctor says it’s fine and maybe even helpful.”

  Even as he nodded his understanding, Tony watched the Grand Duchess pull the heavy necklace from its hidden pocket. Her blue-veined hands caressed the huge jewels. “And the jewelry?”

  “Absolutely real.” The chauffeur must have noticed the shock Tony felt. “It’s worth millions, but she only cares about it because it belonged to her mother.” Richards grinned. “Whoever found it could have sold it and made a quick fortune.”

  Tony thought maybe he would not mention the value when he told the boys how happy the older lady was to have her treasure returned.

  “She gave my wife a gold coin. From our Civil War.” Tony expected the chauffeur to be surprised or to request its return.

  “Oh, that’s fine. She rarely tips but keeps gold coins for the occasion.” Richards leaned closer. “Your wife must have made her feel quite good. It’s been months since she handed out her last tip.”

  Tony collected Mike and headed for Jack Gates’s house. The quickest way to learn about Eunice’s family could be to ask another relative, one from a different tree. Jack didn’t answer the bell when he rang. Tony considered it hardly surprising, since people were free to come and go at will, without checking in with the sheriff. Most of the citizens had day jobs, some worked nights, some had multiple jobs and a few worked from home.

  It was only when he considered the county’s work force that Tony first wondered whether or not Jack Gates held a job. The man was about forty, his own age, which seemed too young to be retired. For all he knew, Jack could be living on disability payments, or charity, or maybe he had robbed a bank in Kansas and paid cash for his house. People had secrets.

  Tony was pulling away from the curb when Jack came around the corner on his three wheeler, pedaling with his arms and singing along with whatever music poured through his ear buds. Tony backed up and parked again. When he joined Jack on the driveway, he could hear labored breathing. The high-tech tricycle was not a toy.

  “Sheriff?” Jack wheezed but he grinned. “You need me?”

  “I have some questions about your late aunt.”

  Jack climbed awkwardly from the bike and had to pull himself onto his feet. The smile vanished. “Have you found out what happened to her?”

  Tony’s head moved from side to side. “No. We have certainly learned more, but nothing conclusive. There are too many loose ends to count.”

  “Do you mind if I sit?” Without waiting for an answer, Jack walked toward a pair of lawn chairs with his usual awkward movement. “How can I help?”

  “Tell me about Eunice’s brother and his children and where you fit in the family tree. How are you related?”

  “My mom is Eunice’s baby sister. You might not have even heard she has a sister.” Jack shook his head and his face pulled into a frown. “No one ever hears from Mom. She’s a throwback to another era.”

  “How do you mean?” Tony wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the term used.

  Jack sighed. “Maybe fifteen years ago now, she returned to live the simple life of ages past. Her words, not mine. What that actually means is she decided to go off into a wilderness in Montana and live in a hut she constructed herself. No telephone or electricity, no indoor plumbing, no wheelchair ramps.”

  Tony guessed that was the deal breaker for visits from her son. “Why?”

  “I have no idea. She always loved the outdoors but, really, winter without plumbing? Who thinks it’s a fun life?” He stared into Tony’s eyes. “I can’t honestly say if she’s still alive. I got a card before Christmas, which arrived two, maybe three months ago. I don’t expect to hear anything from her again until mid-August, when I should get a birthday card.”

  There was a question Tony felt he needed to ask, but he hesitated. “I know little about what happened to you, physically.” He paused. “I heard somewhere that you were injured in an accident. Did your mom leave before or after your accident?”

  “After.” Jack’s face held no noticeable expression. “Mom helped me through the initial period after the accident. As soon as it became apparent that I would have a certain degree of mobility, she took it to mean I would not need more mothering and took off for the woods.”

  Tony had nothing to say. He could barely comprehend the scenario. It was the polar opposite of dealing with his own mom.

  “You must wonder about my family.” Jack smiled and the expression held no bitterness, only sorrow. “We’re a family of nut cases. Half are hardworking, and the other half are people always looking for a handout. I moved back to Silersville because I like it here and also because I adore my Aunt Eunice. She has always treated me like a whole person.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Theo slid out of bed. As she stood, she swayed on her feet, nausea taking over her entire system. “Oh, no.” She collapsed onto the bed clutching her head and waited for the room to stop spinning. “I can’t be sick this morning.”

  “Are you all right?” Tony, already showered and dressed in his uniform, stood in the bedroom doorway holding one of their little girls. He did not come closer but watched her from across the room. “I don’t want to hand over Kara until I know what kind of illness you have.”

  “Don’t bring any of the kids near me.” Theo pressed her face into a pillow and took a deep breath and managed to fight down the next wave of nausea. “I don’t remember the last time I felt this sick.”

  “Do you want me to see if Mom can watch the kids?” Tony dodged the inquisitive child trying to stab him in the eye as he stared at Theo. “Do you need to go to the doctor?”

  “I don’t know.” Theo moaned. “I can’t decide whether I’m going to pass out, throw up or be okay.”

  She realized there was no amusement in Tony’s expression when he looked at her. Theo knew he was generally good with first aid, but she couldn’t tell him exactly what was wrong. She wasn’t sure herself. It was a combination of symptoms, all unpleasant.

  “Thank goodness you’ve been spayed.” He mumbled. “At least we know you’re not pregnant again.”

  Theo groaned, delighted she wasn’t pregnant and too ill to take umbrage about being compared to a pet. “Yes, that is the bright side.” She managed a deep breath as she sat on the bed and was encouraged when the room didn’t spin. “I think I’m going to be okay.”

  Theo made it to the shop and even managed to get some of her work done, but now she felt herself getting sicker with every passing moment. She had not felt this bad in years, if ever. She hated to take advantage of Tony’s mom and aunt, but she knew she could not take care of her children in her current condition. Maybelle was headed to Knoxville with her family for the day so she called Jane. Predictably, her mother-in-law was excited about having all four children in her care.

  It had been forty years since Jane had cared for four children at one time, without help. And those had been her own children. Somehow, Theo thought it was different with your own children. At this point, Theo really didn’t care who minded her brood. If Attila the Hun offered to babysit today, she would agree, positive it would be just fine. At least Jane had her sister to help with the wild bunch.

  Theo picked the boys up from school, and headed out to the museum. It was a dump and run operation. As the boys climbed out of her bright yellow SUV, she mumbled, “Help your grandmother with the girls.”

  Chris and Jamie gave her “the look,” and rolled their eyes. Their father gave her the same look when she tried to microman-age him. She tried not to do it but the only way she seemed to be able to deal with all of her conflicting responsibilities was to overthink everything.

  Jane and Martha had evidently spotted her vehicle coming up the road and hurried outside to help. After a quick glance at her face, they greeted the boys and each took a baby girl out of her car seat. “We can keep them as long as you need us to.”

  “Thank you both. I’ll le
t Tony know where they are.” Looking forward to a little privacy, and some sleep in her own bed, Theo headed home.

  The road seemed to be wavering before her eyes, and she heard an odd ringing in her ears. She ignored the symptoms and concentrated on keeping the car’s wheels between the center yellow line and the ditch on her right. It seemed more difficult than usual because her eyes did not seem to be focusing properly. She tried blinking almost continuously, fighting to see where she was going. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, starting to cramp up because she squeezed so hard. This wasn’t the way to her house.

  She was lost.

  “Sheriff?”

  Through his radio, Tony immediately recognized Rex’s voice. Of the various people who worked dispatch, Rex was the most experienced and the calmest. Today, even Rex’s voice held a note of dismay. Tony automatically tensed. “What’s the problem?”

  “We have a call about an older lady hiking with a couple of boys. It seems she has fallen and appears to have broken one arm and possibly her pelvis. That was the official report.”

  Tony didn’t need more information to guess the next part. “Where are my mom and sons now?”

  “They’re all still up on the ridge. You know, the one that runs along behind the folk museum. The ambulance is on the way to them, but I can’t find your wife. She’s not answering her phone and according to your aunt, when I talked to her, someone needs to go get those boys. She says dealing with the twins is all she can handle.”

  “If you called my aunt, how did you know about mom falling?” Tony was also confused by his aunt’s statement about dealing with the boys and the twins. The boys were pretty easy. Throw lots of food at them and let them entertain themselves. They were growing like kudzu and would probably eat cardboard if they got hungry enough.

  “One of your boys called in on your mom’s phone.” Rex said, “I don’t know which one it was but he gave better, clearer information than most adults.”

  Tony wasn’t sure if he was more alarmed by his mother’s injuries or the news that Theo was not answering her phone. She always had it with her now, in spite of his telling her she could probably leave it in the kitchen while she went to the bathroom. For a long time, she didn’t carry it at all or she would leave it in weird places. He lost count of the number of times he’d find it under the newspaper or in some drawer. Since Halloween, she had practically been welded to it.

  “I’m on my way.” Tony jogged out to the Blazer. He would deal with getting the twins from his aunt, but that would have to wait until he learned more about his mom’s condition. Flipping on the light bar and siren, he headed out of town.

  It was only a couple of miles, but the twists and turns in the narrow road slowed him somewhat. By the time he turned onto the dirt road that ran up the ridge, he could see the ambulance ahead of him. He heaved a sigh of relief. In their small county, emergency medical services were rather limited. In short, they could only handle one emergency at a time. Two if they shared the ambulance. His mom was lucky. At the last curve, he pulled off the road, leaving plenty of room and not blocking the ambulance’s way. Without seeing her, but hearing of the type of injuries she had, he was sure his mom would be taken to Knoxville. He climbed out of the Blazer and hurried along the road.

  Sure enough, the ambulance, the paramedics, his deputy Mike Ott and his sons filled up the small clearing. The boys spotted him and headed toward him at a dead run.

  “Grandma fell.” Those words were the only ones he could actually understand. The two boys were talking a mile a minute, simultaneously, and showed no signs of pausing to breathe. Tony just let them chatter on. He could see the EMTs working on his mom. It would take a while to stabilize her and pack her up for the transport. He worked his way around the crowd, the boys in tow, until he could see his mom’s face. Her expression, although filled with pain, indicated more than a little aggravation aimed, he was certain, at herself.

  “Mom?” Tony gave her a hard look. He covered his deep concern with his own irritation. “Didn’t you say you gave up mountain climbing when you got your Medicare card?”

  A slight gasp from a paramedic, one obviously unfamiliar with the patient or her youngest child, snapped Jane’s glare onto the newcomer.

  “I did say it,” she confessed to the paramedic and lowered her lashes to cover her eyes. “I didn’t mean it, though.”

  Tony felt a combination of fear and outrage. “I suppose, now I have to break the news to my brothers and sister.” He was genuinely not looking forward to making those calls. As the only one of Jane’s children who lived in the same county as she, it often fell upon his broad shoulders to attempt to ride herd on the most independent, irritating—and fragile—member of the Abernathy family.

  With a motion of her hand, Jane waved away his concern. “What’s really bad is Theo’s not going to trust me alone with my own grandchildren anymore.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” The mention of his wife’s name brought back his own concerns about her. He stepped away, leaving the paramedics to deal with his mom. Theo’s phone rang six times, then went to voicemail. This time he left a message. “Theo, honey, I’m up in the hills behind the museum. Mom’s taken a fall and will be headed to the Knoxville hospital. Should I bring the children to your shop?”

  He waited five minutes, which should have been plenty of time, then he called the shop number. Gretchen answered, “Theo’s Quilt Shop.”

  “Sorry to interrupt you, Gretchen, but Theo doesn’t seem to be near her cell phone.”

  “She left here over an hour ago to go home. She didn’t call you?” Gretchen sounded very concerned. “I’ve never seen her sick like this before. I offered to drive her, but she made me promise to stay in the shop and disinfect everything I could think of. She told me she was taking the children out to stay with your mom.”

  Mumbling something that neither one of them could understand, Tony disconnected. He checked for a missed call. Nothing. He hurried over to Chris and Jamie. “I don’t suppose you know where your mom went?”

  Many adult heads turned in his direction, eyes wide.

  Chris grinned. “Home. She gave the girls to Aunt Martha.”

  “We’re ready to leave here.” The ambulance driver looked aggravated. “Can you all move out of the way?”

  Tony glanced around. Deputy Mike Ott was gone. He’d evidently decided to leave Jane in Tony’s reluctant care. He and the boys were standing well out of the way. Nothing was blocking the ambulance’s departure. “It looks like you’re good to go to me.”

  The paramedic sitting in the back with Jane gave Tony a thumbs-up and mouthed, “This driver is all about a power trip. He just loves an audience.” Then he pulled the ambulance doors closed and they drove away, lights flashing but no siren.

  “Why don’t you know where Mom is?” Jamie turned to his father. The boy seemed more distressed now that the ambulance had driven away, taking his grandmother.

  Tony’s stomach rumbled with the increased acid caused by his worry. “I don’t know, son. Gretchen said she went home sick. She’s probably just not answering her phone. Let’s go by the house and check on her. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Jamie sounded less than optimistic. “I hope she’s there.”

  As they headed to the Blazer, Tony considered the seating arrangement. “Chris, you ride shotgun.”

  “Can I ride in the cage?” Jamie’s brilliant blue eyes sparkled with excitement. The prospect of adventure erased some of his concern about his mother.

  Tony hated to disappoint him. There was only one seatbelt in the steel mesh prisoner transport area. “I’m afraid not. I’ll need to put one of the car seats in there. You’ll need to ride in the center of the back seat.

  “Bummer.” Jamie accepted it reasonably well and climbed into the Blazer and buckled up. “I bet it’s Lizzie who gets locked in.”

  Minutes later, they returned to the museum. Martha, carrying both girls, was beyond frantic and did not wait for them to get o
ut of the car but hurried out the door and over to the Blazer. “Where’s Jane? What’s happened? What were all the sirens for? Can you make these girls stop crying? I’m losing my mind.”

  Tony climbed out of the vehicle and started explaining the hiking accident to his aunt, even as he took the loudest little girl, Kara, from her. He was instantly rewarded by a charming toddler smile. The smile was immediately followed by the unbelievably loud rumbling sound of a small sewage system emptying into a diaper. Kara’s smile widened. “Proud of yourself, little one?” Tony wanted to laugh, but the news he had come to deliver was serious.

  He pushed his aunt toward a bench and waved for her to sit. She shook her head. “Okay, here’s the deal. Mom’s broken some bones.” Tony summed up the traumatic events on the ridge. He couldn’t think of an easy way to tell his aunt. “The ambulance is taking her to Knoxville. They think she has a severely broken arm and her pelvis is at the least cracked, maybe broken.”

  “I have to go.” Martha immediately handed him Lizzie.

  Tony jiggled Lizzie and tried to shush her, but the little girl kept crying, and the next thing he knew Kara was screaming as well. Conversation was impossible. Between the sounds of the girls and the speed at which his aunt was moving, Tony barely managed to ascertain that he should lock the office but that Celeste, the museum’s combination curator and relief snack bar operator, would take care of the rest.

  He had to admire his aunt’s efficiency. Martha had collected her purse, and Jane’s, and picked up her jacket and was out the door before he could say good-bye.

  The twins’ screams increased in volume.

  “Tony?” Fumbling with her cell phone, Theo wasn’t sure who she was talking with, her husband or some other male in the sheriff’s office.

  “No, Mrs. Abernathy, it’s Rex. Are you in need of help or looking for your husband?”