Jett noticed the redness in his eyes.
“You didn’t fail either of them. Earl survived his battle with the bottle and Mallorie turned out fine – in spite of her apparently wicked grandmother. And keep in mind, the ideal thing would have been for Marie to have raised her daughter – that was well beyond your control,” he said.
Bud’s eyes narrowed and Jett glimpsed not tears, warmth, or the humor he come to know over the years. He saw what he could only imagine was the killer instinct of a young army sniper in the jungles of long-ago Southeast Asia.
“You can bet your ass we’re gonna find out who did this,” Bud said.
Chapter Thirteen
Jett looked at Bud for a moment and clicked the pen in his hand. He jotted down a few notes.
“How do you account for the complete turnaround in Edna not wanting Mallorie and suddenly kicking everyone out that tried to help with her?” He asked.
Bud shook his head slowly.
“I really wish I knew. She did suddenly become jealous of Rose. I have no doubt about that. And I mean it was sudden. But she didn’t want either of us around. The really weird thing was how she started restricting access to Earl. So many of that tried to help in those years were suddenly no longer welcome in their home. Earl and I remained close as long as he was mayor. After the heart attack, well Edna controlled all access and I became a former friend,” Bud said.
“You mentioned something earlier about Edna and astrologers. Liz told me something similar about fortunetellers, psychics, séances, and dream interpretations. This is the first I’ve ever heard about any of this in all the years I’ve known Earl,” Jett said.
“Edna didn’t exactly broadcast her fascination with that kind of thing but she was deep into it. And after Earl’s heart attack she became pretty much a hermit and the gossip around kind of died out,” Bud said.
“This woman that raised Mallorie, Mrs., uh, Stone...is she still alive?” Jett asked.
“Bertha? Yeah, as far as I know. Last I heard she was living in a nursing home over in Williamsburg. Her kids moved her in there after her husband passed away,” Bud said.
“Think maybe she could give us a few answers?” Jett asked.
“Wouldn’t hurt to try,” Bud said.
“Know the name of the place?” Jett asked.
“No, but it’s Williamsburg – it won’t be too hard to find,” Bud answered.
Jett jotted down a couple of notes.
“Think maybe Bill Kantrell would be willing to talk to us?” He asked without looking up from the legal pad.
“I’m sure he will. Her death hit him hard too. Maybe there’s something he can remember that’s not in the reports but I doubt it. Bill’s the most thorough investigator I’ve ever known. I can’t see him overlooking anything,” Bud said.
“At some point we’ll need to talk to Earl and Edna – even if they don’t want to,” Jett said.
“Yeah, I know,” Bud said as he spat again.
Jett put down the pen and sat back in the chair.
“I guess we need to get this out of the way now. Walk me through what you remember in those last few weeks. I want to know this thing backward and forward before I start asking anybody else questions,” he said.
Bud exhaled softly and nodded.
Maggie found herself sitting in her State and Local Government class listening to Dr. James A. Burns drone on about the structure of the fiscal court in rural Kentucky counties. As much as she tried to focus and take notes, her mind wandered.
Discussing rural county government took her mind to Crystal Springs and the courthouse she visited just a couple of days earlier. Maggie found herself looking forward to getting to know the people in the courthouse and city hall. Everyone that Bud introduced her to was so friendly and welcoming.
But as much as she looked forward to working and having her own place, Maggie looked forward to seeing Dan every day. Thinking of Dan made her drift even farther away as Burns prattled on about the virtues of the office of magistrate. Her hand had long since stopped taking notes as she doodled in the margin of her notebook.
Maggie wondered what their relationship would be like when they could have free time, not be rushed, and have as much privacy as they wanted – or needed. Pleasure for hours – she remembered Dan’s words and tried to imagine what that would entail. Though she didn’t consider herself a prude, Maggie she preferred to think of herself as someone with limited intimate sexual experience. That sounded better than admitting she was still a virgin. Sitting in class alone in thoughts, she still felt herself blushing.
She wondered if Dan was an inexperienced as she was or if he would be too embarrassed to tell her if he was. Then another thought crossed her mind. What if he had been with other women – and there was nothing to prevent from happening because they technically were not in a relationship up until a few days ago – what he expect of her? Would he be disappointed or pleased?
Her brow furrowed as she came back to reality and heard the professor saying, “That’s the greatest thing about being a magistrate and remember that – it will be on the test Friday.”
What’s the greatest thing about being a magistrate? Maggie glanced at her watch. The class was nearly over. She looked to the skinny guy with glasses sitting next to her and wrote a question mark on the mostly blank page – except for the doodles – and slid it over so he could see.
He acknowledged seeing the paper and whispered, “Hell, I don’t know. I wasn’t listening either. But uh, we could maybe go out sometime and compare notes?”
Maggie smiled.
“Sorry. I have boyfriend and he’s a linebacker at SKU,” she whispered.
“Not a problem. I doubt my wife would approve anyway,” he said as he flashed his wedding band before leaning away from her.
Her eyes widened.
“You’re probably right,” she said.
***
Matt sat at a table in the Sir George Diner on the top level of the Baker-Young Campus Center. He had his tablet going over notes from his European History class. He took a sip from his bottle of water and unwrapped a piece of bubble gum and popped his mouth.
“I hope you brought enough for everyone,” said a familiar voice from behind.
Matt looked around to see Linda Sue. She stepped forward and bent over and gave him a quick kiss before sliding into a chair to his left. He handed a piece of bubble gum.
“There’s not enough for everyone but there is for you,” Matt said.
“As long as I’m happy we’ll call it even,” she said as unwrapped the gum.
He smiled and nodded.
“Not that I’m complaining, but did you cut class?” Matt said as he double-checked his watch.
Linda Sue laughed.
“No, Dr. Lacey cancelled class today. His wife went into labor about an hour ago,” she said.
“Wow, what a way to get out of Business Ethics class,” he said.
“I’ll take any break I can get. Besides we’re essentially reviewing finals next week anyway,” Linda Sue said.
Matt reached over with his left hand and took hold of her right hand.
“I’m just glad it gives me more time with you,” he said.
She smiled as she squeezed his hand.
“Same here baby but don’t let me keep you from studying,” Linda Sue said, nodding to the tablet.
Matt turned the screen off.
“I just doing a quick review and there’s as important in those notes as you are,” he said.
“How’s Dan doing?” She asked.
“He’s doing fine. When he’s not texting or calling Maggie, she’s texting or calling him,” Matt laughed.
“They are in love after all,” Linda Sue said matter of factly.
“I know they are and I’m happy for both of them. It’s not that I mean to complain, but he’s driving me nuts. It’s ‘Maggie this’ and ‘Maggie that.’ He even mumbles her name in his sleep,” he said.
Lind
a Sue chuckled and her expression changed as if she suddenly remembered something.
“I had an interesting entry for the dream journal this morning. Maybe it’s because of all of that talk about the dream you had with the crazy woman at the park yelling at you,” she said.
Matt looked curious.
“What was it? You’ve got my interest piqued now,” he said.
“It was really strange. To be honest, it was...unsettling I suppose would be the word. In the dream, you and I were walking on Main Street, near the courthouse when a crazy old woman came running out of the front of city hall screaming at us,” Linda Sue said.
“An old woman was screaming at us? Wow, wonder what I did to piss everybody off? I have people screaming at me in other people’s dreams,” Matt said.
“I realize it was a dream and it’s not uncommon for dreams to be strange. But this seemed exceptionally so,” she said.
“What was this ‘crazy old woman’ screaming at us?” He asked.
“It made no sense. She kept screaming ‘I know who you are.’ And then she pointed at me and kept screaming, ‘You’re supposed to be dead. Why are you here? You’re dead. They told me you would die and you did.’ And then the cops showed up and kept trying to drag her away but she kept breaking free and screaming,” Linda Sue said.
“And what happened then?” Matt asked.
“I woke up shivering,” she said as he noticed the tremble in her hand.
***
“I can’t describe the sheer grief and anguish that Marie had or at least displayed after Lee died – but then again, I don’t have to tell you what that feels like,” Bud said as Jett looked back down to the legal pad.
The flash of the pain he felt when Rose died nearly overwhelmed him. The depths of pure despair he experienced were paralyzing. Jett could relate to what Marie experienced. The sound of Bud’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Anyway as the pregnancy progressed she didn’t seem to get any better. But Edna didn’t make it any easier either. She constantly tried to send Marie away to relatives out of town and once even tried to force her to go live with Lee’s family. But Earl convinced Edna that times had changed enough that it wasn’t the scandal it once was and that if word got out that they forced their pregnant, grieving daughter to leave home or even worse, it would destroy him politically,” Bud said.
“And I don’t suppose he had any help in making that argument from someone in a position to...regulate the flow of information locally,” Jett said.
“I might have dropped a hint or too along the way that there would be no way to control the gossip and a full and open story might have to be printed to possibly offset the rumors. Either way, it would be embarrassing and damaging,” Bud said.
Jett paused for a couple of seconds.
“You said ‘forced their pregnant, grieving daughter to leave home or even worse.’ Did Edna want her to get an abortion?” He asked.
Bud laughed bitterly.
“Are you kidding? She had a list of abortion clinics in Knoxville and Chattanooga, because there might be someone in Lexington the family might now,” he said.
“But Marie flatly refused to give up the only part of Lee she had left,” Jett said.
“Exactly. So Earl kept Marie with him as much as possible. I think he suspected Edna was desperate enough to take matters into her own hands and to be honest, I think he was right,” Bud said.
“Just for the record, please clarify what you mean,” Jett said.
“I mean we – Earl and me both – suspected she would try to force Marie to have an abortion even if she had to get someone off of the street to do it,” Bud said.
“But she had access to more than just anyone off of the street,” Jett said.
“She was pretty thick with several doctors – not just Malone. They were all part of that circle that attended those idiotic astrology meetings at Earl and Edna’s house. And there was also the fear that all of the stress would maybe trigger a miscarriage. That’s why Earl spent so much time at Ducky’s playing poker with Marie somewhere close by,” Bud said.
“Did this go on throughout the pregnancy?” Jett asked.
“Pretty much. But after Mallorie was born Edna seemed to calm down a little as long as Marie took care of the baby,” Bud said.
“Sounds like Marie was tougher than Edna gave her credit for,” Jett said.
“Much tougher,” Bud agreed.
“I realize I’m not the world’s greatest detective but it looks like we can add our first prime suspect to the list,” Jett said.
Bud shook his head.
“But why would she want her own daughter dead? It makes no sense. What did she stand to gain? I’m sure there was a life insurance policy but it was ruled a suicide – no payout,” he said.
“Maybe – and this is just a wild guess – but maybe it was an attempt to draw enough sympathy to offset the disgrace of a child out of wedlock,” Jett said.
Bud pondered the words slowly.
“It’s certainly plausible and I wouldn’t put it past Edna, but that would be a pain in the ass to prove,” he said.
“Yes it would. It also might explain why Earl decide to hide in a bottle for so long,” Jett said.
“All I know to do is follow the evidence and see where it takes us,” Bud said.
“There’s something I don’t understand that maybe you know,” Jett said as he continued to write.
“What’s that?” Bud asked.
“Why didn’t Earl just divorce Edna? You know, leave her, get away and take his daughter and granddaughter with him? I mean, did he love her that much?” Jett asked.
“No - at least I don’t think so, not then anyway,” Bud said.
“Why then?” Jett pressed.
Bud just stared at the wall toward the various pictures of Jett, Rose, and the boys.
“I wish I knew,” he said with a shrug. “It’s like she had some kind of hold on him.”
“I guess we better get started. I’m going to give Alvin a call and see when he’s going to be in his office. I’ll go see him personally and get Marie’s file as quietly as possible,” Jett said. “Until then, I have work to do that concerns this world.”
“Hint taken. I think I’ll see if Bill can get out of the office for a nice scenic walk at Riverfront Park,” Bud said.
“Sounds enchanting,” Jett said.
Bud paused after standing up.
“That’s how I envisioned retirement,” he said.
***
Dan left the Carmichael Political Science Building on his way back to the dorm. Ordinarily he would drop by the cafeteria or the Sir George Grill for a quick lunch but he was in a hurry and didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.
Matt was already up and gone when Dan woke up earlier. His dream had been disturbing, so much so that he wanted to talk to his brother about it. Dan had written it down dutifully – he gave his word that he would help with his dad’s pet project, however strange it might seem.
He wanted to go back and look at his journal there was a detail he remembered and wanted to be sure to include it, not matter how disconcerting it was for him.
Dan made it across campus in less than ten minutes and hurried to unlock his door. He dropped his book bag and walked over to the desk and selected the dark purple-covered notebook. After flipping through several pages, he found the passage he needed to see. Dan read over his words.
“It was a beautiful day. The sky was bright blue and no clouds to be seen. It was fall because all of the trees had bright orange and red leaves. Maggie and I stood in front of a house. The place looked like a house I’ve seen before but I can’t place where. Cops and ambulances were all over the place. Dad was on the porch with Matt and they were both kneeling over a body and crying. Dad kept screaming ‘No! Not again!’ We looked and Uncle Bud was sitting on the bumper of a patrol car, bent over with his head in his hands. He was crying too and old woman stood on the porch screaming, ‘I
thought I took care of her the first time but it looks like I finally got it right.’ I walked toward the porch and it looked like mom was the person laying on the porch. She looked like she did in the old pictures of when she and dad were dating.”
Dan took his pen and started writing what he suddenly remembered in the middle of his American Foreign Policy class.
“I looked and another woman – I couldn’t see her face – was standing behind the old woman. She was carrying what looked like a knife. It had an odd shape, with a curvy blade. That’s when I woke up.”
He closed the book and put the pen down. Dan realized his palms were sweating. It was just a dream but it felt so real. He took a deep breath and took out his cell phone. He started to text Maggie but stopped himself. Dan didn’t want to worry her so he decided to wait.
“I’ll call dad later,” he said to himself as put his phone on the desk.
***
Mallorie sat at her desk while Liz stood at the counter. It was a slow day and they were enjoying the mid-morning lull. Liz looked over the pictures that came from the photo albums at Jett’s house. She grinned from ear to ear as she carefully went over each photo.
“You were such a beautiful baby. You looked so much like your mom – and still do,” Liz said.
Mallorie could only smile.
“And look at Rose – so young and lovely,” Liz added.
“And she got even more beautiful. I saw a lot of pictures of her and Jett last night,” Mallorie said.
“Yes she did. But her real beauty was on the inside. She had such a great heart and personality. Rose was the type of person that could make you smile no matter how bad you felt,” Liz said.
Mallorie’s smile faded.
“What was my mom like?” She asked.
“That’s a tough question to answer. Before your dad entered the picture she and Rose had very similar personalities. Marie was always cheerful and outgoing. She was a natural beauty and she knew it but she didn’t act that way. You remind me a whole lot of her - sweet, kind, intelligent, and strong,” Liz said.
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