Careful questions revealed what Archie already suspected. Teddy Ellis scarcely remembered Katie, much less meant her and her sister any harm, and went blissfully back to work unaware he had contributed anything to Archie's investigation.
Archie took the bus back to Maryvale and kept track of the fare for his expense account, hoping his assistant had remembered to do the same with his gas and expense tickets.
* * *
Coming out of the library, Hannah saw Cas going into the Smithy and hurried to catch up with him. She came in just as he finished ordering.
"Hi, Cas. I want to talk to you soon as I get my order in."
"Okay. They've opened the tables outside, I'll be out there."
She wasn't long in joining him. She set her stew down and looked around. "I'm glad you came out here, where there aren't so many curious ears around. I want to ask what you've heard about Mattie Carrington. I want to know how she's doing. And Cas," Hannah paused, her eyes serious. "You surely don't think Minnie Anderson had anything to do with poisoning her, if that's what happened, that she was poisoned?"
"Of course I know that. But my line of work demands more facts than feelings. We're checking out everything we can find to check out, and quietly questioning the people closest to her. There's not much to go on right now. It's no help that the new young prosecuting attorney is anxious to get something on somebody and earn his pay."
His annoyance showed on his face, "He's a regular rat terrier without a rat! He wants to get someone on this yesterday and get on with charging them."
"And get on to court and get his name in the paper you mean," Hannah spat.
Cas very carefully didn't answer that but the look on his face was confirmation enough.
"I'm glad this is a case of attempted murder instead of, that she's, I mean. Oh Cas, this is just awful." She stopped, looking closely at him for a few seconds. She bent forward a little, her green eyes searched his, "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Cas hedged, knowing he couldn't tell Hannah a lie she wouldn't recognize immediately. He decided on all the honesty he could afford to give and just depend on her to respect his silence. "There's a lot I'm not telling you, Hannah. What I can tell you and probably shouldn't, is right now we're looking at possible motives for this. There's not any that make sense. Not even any suspects."
He counted them off on his fingers. "The publisher wants her book finished, Katie wants her back home, and the Anderson sisters are their cousins who not only love them but have done all they could to help them. So, the classic motives of power, sex and money are out."
"Hadn't considered sex and power," Hannah studied her stew as if looking for clues among the potatoes. "Those and money being the most popular motives, I guess money would be the only one left to consider here?"
Cas chuckled, "I threw out the sex and power, too. But even money doesn't make sense. Mattie must have accumulated quite a bit of money all right, but the cousins probably won't get any of that, unless it's a small remembrance. The bulk of Mattie's estate will go to Katie. But that's still no motive, it will anyway. There would be no point in poisoning Mattie, even if Katie didn't love her, which she does. You met Katie, what do you think? You think she could do a thing like this?" He remembered Connie's suspicions about why he wanted Hannah to meet Katie, feeling uncomfortable. It also bothered him that if Hannah couldn't predict what she would see or know what she would feel, he certainly couldn't tell if she could read his feelings or thoughts right now.
"No, no, I have only sympathy for her. I don't believe such a thing ever crossed Katie's mind." Hannah shook her head, agreeing with him completely. Again, Cas was glad he had managed to let her meet Katie. She was more sure than any of the rest of them could be that Katie was innocent.
"This must really be hard on her," Hannah's green eyes were sad.
He nodded, sympathetic too.
"It's a good thing you went up there when you did, you saved Mattie Carrington's life."
"That's me," Cas winced. "Sheriff, hero, odd jobs around the county in general."
"Oh, Cas, I'm serious. And what did you mean, there's a lot you aren't telling me?"
"I can't talk about it, you know that. But Laurence Fields will represent Miss Minnie if she needs defending. And I've got him and other help trying to get to the bottom of who is responsible for this and why."
Hannah sighed, "Oh, I know you can't talk about it. I shouldn't have asked."
Cas leaned forward, speaking softly, "I can't talk to you but you can talk to me, Hannah. Have you seen anything in relation to this? About Mattie? Or about what could have brought this on? How she might have been poisoned? Any thing no matter how trivial that has anything to do with anyone connected with this?"
"No, not a thing." Hannah shook her head. "I wish I could control what I see, but I've never been able to do that. And I haven't seen anything at all about Mattie Carrington."
"Well," Cas picked up his bowl and napkins to dispose of. "If you do, if you see or feel anything that could have any bearing on it at all, tell me about it. Even if you don't understand whatever it is, tell me."
"I will."
* * *
Archie Wright wandered aimlessly around examining the posters in the Rid-A-Pest sales office until a clerk came to him.
"Are you interested in our service, sir?"
"I don't know." He mentally dusted off his much used confused and needing help expression. "I was thinking about getting my aunt's home treated for her, but I haven't decided yet."
He followed up the helpless bit with what he hoped was an engaging smile, "I don't know much about it."
The clerk picked up two brochures and handed them to him. "If you'd like to think about it, these will help." She smiled back, "Why don't you take them with you and look them over?"
Archie took the brochures and looked up when two men came in through a back door. They talked loudly, like men who were used to working outdoors, and wore the coveralls pictured on the brochure with the company logo on the pocket.
"One more day like today," one of them said loudly, "And bugs are going to be extinct!" He laughed just as loudly.
"More'n likely," the other rejoined. "Maybe we should be saving our money, what Uncle Sam let's us keep."
"The heck with that, and you can't fool me, you've got about as much left to save as I have."
"Yeah, wishful thinkin' on my part. I'll meet you at the waterin' hole soon's I turn in my papers."
"The watering hole?" Archie raised his eyebrows.
"No, not the watering hole," the clerk looked after them as a couple more followed them. "The Watering Hole. It's a bar about a block down the street from here," she explained.
"Oh. Okay, thanks for the brochures, I'll give it some thought." He waved them at her and looked around again as he went out. The service men were nowhere in sight.
Archie sat in his car making notes, thinking over what he had learned and writing down a few reminders and questions he'd thought of to check out. He put them in a hard backed folder and shoved them under the seat before he started the car. Leaving the parking lot he drove slowly, looking for The Watering Hole since the clerk said it was only about a block.
The sign caught his eye. It was an animated neon one which showed up in the gathering dusk and according to a placard in the window, the bar was now open for happy hour.
He found a spot to park in the provided lot where he could get out easily in case business got brisk. With his foot he checked his notes and related handy files he had stuffed under the seat. Then he turned his attention to The Watering Hole, assessing the place.
He took off his jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves, and put the brochures in his shirt pocket. He made sure the logo was facing out so it could be seen, then glanced around the half empty parking lot as he locked the car. He never left anything in it that looked worth stealing anyway and the notes were out of sight.
As he walked toward the door he examined the b
usinesses nearby. It was a pretty good bet the bar's clientele consisted of the people working in the neighborhood.
"Not many here now. I'll bet a lot of the men here and the next few streets over come by for a drink after work and just haven't gotten here yet." He wondered if the two men he'd seen at Rid-A-Pest were there yet.
A quick look around didn't reveal any Rid-A-Pest uniforms, but Archie didn't have long to wait.
He sat at the bar, still nursing his first drink as the two Rid-A-Pest men came in. He turned slightly so the brochures could be seen and trotted back out his friendly, approachable half smile.
"Hey, look," the younger man exclaimed, taking the bait. "We've got us a potential customer here."
"Yeah," Archie agreed pleasantly. "If I buy you a beer, will you tell me something about this stuff? I'm thinking of having my aunt's house done, but I don't know much about it."
"Sure, come on back. We always sit at that big round table in the corner back there. Looks like we're the first ones here."
During the next two hours, Archie found out more than he had ever wanted to know about bugs in general and the exterminating business in particular. He skillfully guided the uninhibited conversation to the pros and cons of the service job and its problems and benefits. He didn't mention Eugene Austin. All it took was a mention of the job sometimes requiring overtime for someone else to bring up Eugene Austin's name.
"The one that's been getting the most overtime is Eugene Austin. He's the luckiest cuss I ever met," one of the latest arrivals of the servicemen declared. "He always seems to be able to find a job when he wants overtime and on top of that, he's got a girlfriend with a rich sister." He practically spat it out, disgusted that life could be so unfair.
Archie cautiously drew him out, pretending to be impressed with that. Rich connections were always interesting enough to stir up some questions without sounding suspicious. Impressions from his peers might turn up something, Archie hoped. But none of the men seemed to be close friends of Eugene's and though he was the next to newest man on the payroll, they didn't know where he came from. The other servicemen didn't seem to have anything concrete against him either, they just knew enough to be a little envious of his overtime and well-to-do girlfriend. It was also obvious Eugene's smug air of control over all phases of his life in general didn't help him in their popularity poll.
Knowing he'd gathered all he could there, Archie let out a small burp. "Have I met all the servicemen now," he asked, pretending to be feeling his beer.
"Not quite." The man nearest him wrote three more names on his napkin and pointed to each of those seated around the table, giving Archie their names.
"Some of us will probably be doing your work if you do decide to call. Or I guess you could ask for whoever you want, I don't know. Anyway, when you see one of our names on a work ticket, you'll know who will be there to do your work for you."
"Do you know these other three," Archie held the napkin up to the light and squinted.
"We know them, let's see. This one," he pointed, "He may have a beer once in a while, but he has it at home. His wife doesn't work, and he's expected home promptly for supper." This brought a laugh from the men around the table.
"This one doesn't drink, I don't think Eugene does either. And there's Martin Elkins. I don't know about him." He looked around the table. Several of them shook their heads.
"Elkins is the newest one, so none of us know him yet. He hired on after this picture was taken of the service crew. I don't think his family's moved here yet, judging from all the phone calls he makes."
He pushed the napkin back to Archie, "We work the whole state. All of them are trained here though, and will be able to do a good job for you."
"Thanks, I'll keep this." Archie stuck the napkin in his pocket with the brochures and left.
At home, he added what he had learned to his notes, keeping the brochures and the napkin.
Seems Eugene puts in a lot of overtime and isn't above bragging a little about his girlfriend and her sister, got his eye on their money, maybe? Odd they don't know where Eugene comes from, makes you wonder if he's got something to hide, the way he seems to enjoy bragging.
He looked again at the napkin. There's nothing at all on the newest man, wasn't there when they took the picture on the brochure and makes a lot of phone calls? Wonder what that's all about? Or maybe they're to his family like the others are guessing.
He committed the new man's name to memory, Martin Elkins. Plans for checking him out were already forming.
* * *
Hannah entered the flower shop and not seeing Miss Mayme, selected a small ivy plant. She heard voices and went back toward the office.
Miss Mayme looked out and smiled, seeing the ivy plant. She beckoned her in.
"Poor Katie," Connie's voice was coming from the phone speaker. "Keep me posted," she said as she hung up.
"That was Connie checking up on Mattie," Miss Minnie explained to Hannah as she broke the connection.
"Katie's so good to call us and let us know Mattie's still holding her own and talk to us about everything," Miss Mayme said, looking sympathetic. "All of us are so sorry for her, and there's nothing we can do except to be here and talk to her and try to keep her spirits up."
"I'm going up there to get her clothes to wash this afternoon. I'll take her one of Mayme's arrangements to keep her company," Miss Minnie said. "I'll have to pick up the clothes by the desk and leave the arrangement there, since Mattie still can't have visitors."
Miss Mayme smiled a bleak little smile, "At least, the arrangement will brighten up the room and remind Katie we're thinking about her."
"Then Mattie still hasn't regained consciousness?" Hannah played with an ivy tendril, looking depressed.
"No, but she does at least seem to be holding her own," Miss Mayme pointed out, trying to cheer them.
"I can't help but feel they know more than the little they've already told Katie," Hannah worried. "It seems to me this coma or whatever it is, is certainly lasting a long time." Her head swiveled, looking from Miss Mayme to Miss Minnie. "Doesn't it seem that way to you?"
"I don't know, it may not be too unusual," Miss Mayme shook her head, "That's something no one seems to know much about. I've heard of cases where people slept a lot longer than this, then woke up for no reason anyone knew."
"That's true, I guess. I have heard of a few cases too. But they were unusual enough to make the papers if I remember right. And completely unexplained, as you said."
"At least, I feel everything that can be done for her is being done, and everyone says Dr. Kelso is a very good doctor, and dedicated."
Hannah looked up, nodding agreement at that. "It's said he could have gone a lot of other places, but he chose to put his clinic out there because it was needed." Hannah added, a little embarrassed, "I ah, sort of asked around, some of the people who come into the library regularly."
Miss Mayme smiled. "I know Katie would appreciate your interest and caring."
She reached out to touch the trailing leaves of the holly. "But I'm forgetting my business, do you want this ivy, Hannah?"
"Yes, it's such a pretty little thing." Hannah held it up for them to admire. "I saw these plants in here last time I came and I'm going to put it in my kitchen window at home."
"All right. I'll go ring it up for you, they're on sale this week. And we'll keep you posted about Mattie. Katie says Mattie still opens her eyes once in a while and looks at her like she knows her and is glad she's there. That's what keeps her hopes up."
* * *
Across town, Laurence Fields loosened his tie and reached for the ringing phone.
"That's Mr. Wright on the phone, Mr. Fields." His receptionist said standing by the door.
"Good, I've been expecting him to call. Hold everything else. And close the door, will you?"
He waited until Joyce's thin arm appeared and firmly closed the door.
"Archie? Let's have it." He listened without inte
rrupting until Archie finished his report. "This new guy at his work place, you're going to check him out aren't you?"
"Yes, he's new, but it seems strange to me he's on the phone so much the rest of them have noticed it."
"And the sister, Katie's ex is out of the picture?"
"Completely. If you asked him, Do you know you're a complete idiot? He'd answer, no... Hum a few bars."
Fields laughed. "Well, had to check. What's this about taking the bus over, car conk out?"
"No, my assistant's did and he borrowed mine. I'll have it back in the morning and get on with what I have to do. One of us is going to have to spring for some dependable wheels, I'm afraid. Mine's about a hundred and ten in car years, it just doesn't know it yet."
"I won't tell. Hang in there."
* * *
Hannah potted the small ivy plant and set it in her kitchen window where it would get the morning sun. She stood admiring it a minute until her thoughts turned back to Katie, all alone, sitting beside Mattie's hospital bed at the clinic.
"Connie is right, poor Katie. To have her sister in the hospital is bad enough, but to have anyone think Miss Minnie could do anything like giving her poison, that's outrageous! If only there was something I could do to help them."
Depressed, moving about the speed of cold gravy across a plate, she started her bath water and returned to look into the refrigerator. "Looks like a sandwich tonight and the Smithy's stew tomorrow."
Closing the refrigerator, she glanced at the wall phone and her face brightened. "Why didn't I think of it before, I'll call Flora. If she can't do anything to help, maybe she can at least tell me something I can do to make Katie feel better. And I'm glad Miss Minnie thought of taking the arrangement with her when she goes up there, how like them to do that."
Hannah hurried back down the hall. She turned off the bath water and searched in her purse for the address book with Flora's number in it.
Recipe for Trouble Page 17