“Well, now, I’m not real sure. They went out there for Jasmine’s burial and all, but they may be coming back this way. You never know.”
Judith thought, I’ll bet you know, but simply said, “That’s right, I’d forgotten that Jasmine was buried in Mississippi. Was there a reason for that? I don’t mean to be nosy, but I’m just curious. Maybe it was what she would’ve wanted.”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s what we all thought. You know, she was born in the South, and it seemed fitting that she be buried in the South.”
“Well, that makes sense.” She started to head for the door, then paused. “I really appreciate your help with this, Hal. I know I’ve only just met you, but because of your relationship to Jasmine, um, I guess you sort of feel like family to me. And I really don’t know hardly anyone in town anymore. And, well, with Aunt Lenore taking off like that, it just was feeling sort of lonely around here.”
He smiled. “Now, that’s too bad. We should be making you feel more at home, Judith. I’ll tell you what. I’ll see if I can reach Burt and find out what’s going on with Miss Barker, and then I’ll give you a call over at her house. Would that be okay with you?”
She nodded, smiling in what she hoped was a shy and helpless sort of way. “Oh, thank you so much, Hal. I really do appreciate it. And, please, if you reach the Morrisons, tell them hello for me, and give them my love, and—” she paused for effect, holding her hand over her lips for a moment, “please, tell them how devastated I was to hear about Jasmine. I’m sure they’ll remember how we were like sisters growing up. I just feel so sorry for their loss.”
“I’ll do that, Judith.” He nodded soberly. “I know it’ll mean a lot to them.”
“Thank you, Hal. You’re a true friend.” She hoped that wasn’t laying it on too thick, but he seemed to appreciate it. “Bye now.”
She stepped out into the bright noonday sun, and without looking up or down the street, got directly in her car, and quickly drove away. She wanted to take no chance of seeing Eli or anyone else for that matter. Not even Polly. She knew it would be impossible to avoid people in a town this size, but she would certainly try.
She went back to Aunt Lenore’s and unloaded her packages. Feeling less like an intruder, she hung up her new clothes and opened some windows to let in some fresh air. Then she fixed herself a late lunch and started to take it outside to eat in the sunshine. She paused as she remembered Martha. What if she ran into her out there? What would she say? How would she act? Perhaps it was better to simply stay inside and avoid the chance of meeting her at all. Hopefully, this uncomfortable little charade wouldn’t need to last for too long. Oh, how she looked forward to the day when she could explain everything to innocent people like Martha and Eli. But until then, she’d just have to push them into the safest recesses of her mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE PHONE RANG JUST as she filled the small washing machine out on the back porch with her laundry. She ran inside to get it, thinking it might be Adam, but then remembered how he’d said he wouldn’t use Lenore’s phone line.
“Hello?” she answered breathlessly.
“Hello?” said a woman’s voice, followed by a long pause.
Judith’s heart began to pound. Something in her knew, whether from the Southern accent or just old familiarity, that this had to be Jasmine’s mother. Just the same she decided to play it safe. “Hello?” she said again. “If you’re calling for Miss Barker, she’s not here. But this is her house-guest speaking.”
“Judith McPhearson?” said the woman at last. “Is that really you?”
“Yes, it is.” Watch out, Judith, she warned herself. Mrs. Morrison had always been a stickler for good manners. “And may I ask who is calling, please?”
“This is Ellen Morrison.”
“Mrs. Morrison!” exclaimed Judith, trying to insert great pleasure into her voice. “Oh, is it really you? I can hardly believe it after all these years.”
“Well, now how are you, Judith?”
“I’m doing all right, I guess. Of course, I’m still very sad about Jasmine’s death. It’s such a tragic loss, Mrs. Morrison.” She felt authentic emotion coming on now. “I was really devastated by the news. And I feel so sorry for you, and for Mr. Morrison too. Please, accept my most sincere sympathy.”
“Why, thank you, Judith. I recollect how close you two girls used to be—I swear, you were just like two peas in a pod.”
“She was my dearest friend.” said Judith honestly. “Really, I never had a friend as close as Jasmine. And it’s just so sad how we lost touch over the years. I tried and tried to reach her for a while, but my letters always came back.”
“That’s too bad, dear. You know, it’s awful hard these days with people moving around so much.”
“It’s good to hear your voice again, Mrs. Morrison. You sound just the same. Are you and Mr. Morrison still in Mississippi?”
“No, dear. We came back last week. And let me tell you, it was awfully hard to leave my firstborn baby behind like that—” Her voice grew thick. “Parents should never outlive their children.”
“I understand how you feel,” offered Judith. “You see, I lost a child too. My only son. I don’t think you ever get over it completely.”
“Oh, Judith, I’m so sorry for y’all. How old was your little boy?”
Judith briefly told the story of Jonathan’s struggle against cancer, and even about her husband’s accident, but then tried to steer the conversation in another direction. “Of course, I know you didn’t call to hear about my troubles, Mrs. Morrison.”
“Please, Judith, honey, I don’t go in for all that Mr. and Mrs. formality much anymore. Just call me Ellen.”
“Well, thank you, um, Ellen. Did Hal tell you that I was concerned about Aunt Lenore and was hoping you might know something?”
“Why, yes, as a matter of fact, and I must admit I was a little curious about how you came to be staying at her house, Judith.”
This caught Judith slightly off balance, as if she were suddenly on the defensive, but she determined to keep her wits. “Yes, it is rather odd, Ellen. You see, I’d come to town wanting to find out more about what had happened to Jasmine. Naturally, Aunt Lenore had sent me a clipping of her obituary, but somehow she’d forgotten to include a note of explanation—you know how she’s becoming a little absentminded in her old age. Anyway, I was so shocked by the news that I just hopped in my car and drove down here. I came to see Aunt Lenore, and we had a very nice visit. But when she found out that I was staying in that horrible fleabag motel downtown, she insisted that I come stay here with her. She even gave me my own key. So the next day I left the motel, but when I got to her house she was gone. I thought maybe she’d gone to the store or something, so I just let myself in and unpacked. But then she never came home. I called around to a number of places like the hospital and nursing home and whatnot, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. A neighbor thought she’d seen a car come over the evening before, and thought maybe someone took her out for dinner or something. But that was all she knew. And to tell you the truth, the neighbor wasn’t too friendly.” Judith felt surprised, yet pleased, at how easily these lies were coming to her.
“Oh, that must be Martha Anderson. She’s not a very nice woman, Judith. You’d best stay out of her way.”
“Yes, that’s what I thought too.” Judith mentally scored herself a point. “But what in the world has become of Aunt Lenore? I wondered if she might not have absentmindedly forgotten that she’d had previous plans for a trip or something. Do you know anything?”
Ellen cleared her throat. “As a matter of fact, we stopped by to see her when we got back into town last week. You know, I feel it’s my responsibility to check on her when I can. And she, um, well, she seemed to be having some little health problems. But she hadn’t said a word to anyone about your impending visit, or I surely would’ve called to let you know. Anyway, we thought it best to take her in and put her under some supervised care un
til we felt assured that she was all right and ready to be back home on her own again.”
“Oh, dear. Is she okay?”
“Well, she’s doing a little better. But they want to keep her there for observation for a bit yet.”
“Is she nearby?” asked Judith. “Maybe it would cheer her up if I went to visit.”
“No, no, dear. I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. She was a little run down, and the doctor says she needs her rest to fully recover.”
“Oh. Well, I feel rather foolish staying at her house now, although I’ve been watering her garden for her and doing some cleaning and whatnot. I thought she might appreciate it. But now I suppose I should go back to that motel—”
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any reason to do that, dear. After all, Aunt Lenore invited you to stay, and you’re right, she’d be grateful to know you’re taking care of things for her. Why, you know how much she adores that garden out back.”
“I know. Well, then I think I’ll just stick around. I sure wish I could visit her and reassure her that I’m keeping everything alive.”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll see that she hears all about it.”
“And perhaps when she’s better, I could help take care of her at home for a while. You know, I’ve always loved her like a real aunt. I never had too many relatives, and Aunt
Lenore was always so good to me. In fact, do you know that she helped inspire me to become a teacher too?’’
“Well, isn’t that nice, Judith. I’m sure that made Aunt Lenore proud.” She cleared her throat. “So how long do you intend to stay in town, dear?”
“Actually, I’m not sure. But I’ve found that I really love being here. It brings back so many good memories of when Jasmine and I were kids.” She sighed. “Who knows, I might just stay the whole summer.”
“Well, that settles it then. We’re going to have to get together with you. Let me talk to Burt and see what we can do. I’d love to see you again, Judith. It would be almost like having—” she stopped herself, and Judith felt certain she was about to mention Jasmine’s name.
“I’d like to see you too, Ellen. And Mr. Morrison too. I was just remembering that time he took Jasmine and me fishing.” She laughed. “Jasmine absolutely hated it, but I loved it. And I so admired Mr. Morrison.” She took a breath and controlled her facial features. “He was such a wonderful father figure to me at a time when it wasn’t all that easy being a child of divorce.”
“Oh, I know, dear. I remember how we used to fret for you not having a daddy of your own to look out for you.”
“Well, Mr. Morrison was a good substitute.” She bit her lip, reminding herself how she’d have to do better if she actually got to see them in person.
“It’s been such a pleasure talking to you, Judith,” said Ellen. “And I suspect you’ve grown up to be a fine woman. I’ll call you back and see what we can do to get together for a nice long chat. Hopefully, real soon.”
“Great. I’ll look forward to it.”
Judith’s heart continued to race for several minutes after she hung up the phone. To pretend that she liked Mr. Morrison when lately she’d begun to hate him more than ever was completely repugnant to her. She felt she could tolerate Ellen Morrison for a bit, although she didn’t know for how long. But the whole thing made her feel like such a liar. She hated it! She knew this was exactly what she was supposed to be doing and how she was supposed to feel, but she found herself wondering if she could really do this. She pressed her fists against her eyelids and silently prayed, once again, begging for tangible guidance. Then finally she prayed aloud, “And, God, if what I’m doing is wrong, please, I beg you, please, just show me. Or just make this whole thing fall apart before it even gets started.” She said amen, and then realized that it was quite probable the whole thing would fall apart. Everything, including herself, seemed opposed to this scheme succeeding. Simply talking on the phone with Ellen had been a horrible challenge. How much harder would it be face-to-face? Plus she would have to deal with Mr. Morrison too!
To distract herself and relieve stress, Judith pulled out her sketch pad and began to furiously sketch a vase of flowers that she had just picked and arranged that morning. And to her pleased surprise, it wasn’t turning out too badly. Caught up in creating a realistic looking shadow, she jumped at the loud jangle of the phone’s ring. She glanced at the clock as she picked up the phone, amazed to see that it was nearly four in the afternoon.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Judith, this is Ellen again. I just spoke with Burt, and we’d like it if you could join us for dinner tonight, that is if you don’t have any other plans.”
“Oh, that would be great. I’d love to see you both.”
“Good. Now, Burt still likes to eat at six-thirty sharp. So, do you think you might possibly meet us at the Timber Topper then?”
“The Timber Topper?” Judith felt her heart begin to pound again as she realized she’d be meeting them in a
very public place. Somehow, she had expected they could meet privately, hopefully at their home.
“Sure, honey, is that okay with you?”
“Of course, that’s fine. Actually, I’ve only been there once since I got back in town.”
“Well, then, I’d say you’re long overdue for another visit. I know it’s not the fanciest place to eat, but Burt really enjoys their chicken-fried steak and gravy. The truth is, we don’t have a whole lot to choose from here in Cedar Crest, and Burt absolutely refuses to eat in Jasper, even though I hear they’ve got themselves some good eateries over that way.”
“Well, the Timber Topper sounds great. I’ll see you both there at six-thirty, then.”
“I can hardly wait.” said Ellen. She sounded genuinely excited.
Judith hung up the phone. This time she forced her face to remain placid, void of all the emotion that raged through her right now. It was good practice. Besides, she reminded herself, she had never disliked Ellen when she and Jasmine were kids. Sure, Ellen could be cranky sometimes, and she was often stressed out trying to keep a perfectly clean house for Mr. Morrison. Judith remembered how Ellen used to shoo the two older girls outside to play, worried that they might muss something up before “Daddy” got home. But Judith also remembered how, when “Daddy” was off on one of his numerous trips and Ellen would loosen up, she’d allow the housework to go undone and actually be rather fun. During those times she’d allow the girls to play dress-up in her old clothes. And she’d had a trunk filled with the most beautiful gowns, covered in ruffles and bows, all in sweet pastels and just perfect for playing a Southern belle or princess. And she’d had the best selection of high-heeled shoes. She gave Judith and
Jasmine each a pair of high stiletto heels to wear when they were about eleven.
Judith remembered the hot summer day when the two girls wore their fancy heels, along with their summer shorts, and clip-clopped all over town. Judith could still remember her pair, pink satin with sparkling rhinestone clasps at the toes. And because Ellen’s feet were so tiny, the shoes had actually fit the little girls. Of course, Ellen had no idea they were traipsing all over town in her old shoes, and most likely would have been chagrined if she had. But she had been fun as long as Mr. Morrison wasn’t around or the baby wasn’t fussing. Suddenly, Judith realized she hadn’t even inquired about Constance. She must do so this evening, although it wouldn’t be easy to discuss another death. Perhaps she would save that question in case things got too sticky. She couldn’t even guess how it might go with Mr. Morrison. Talking to Ellen was fairly challenging, but she’d have to be especially on her guard with Mr. Morrison. Once again, she prayed for help. How many times had she prayed today? And the day wasn’t even over with yet.
After a cool shower, she carefully dressed in the turquoise outfit. She paused to look at herself in the mirror, then remembered the silver-and-turquoise earrings the salesgirl had talked her into buying. She slipped them on and studied her image. The fitted wes
tern-cut shirt tucked neatly into the long skirt and was accented with a large leather belt and silver buckle. Not anything she would’ve normally selected, but it wasn’t so bad either. She glanced at her watch and wondered if Adam might be home by now. She had promised to talk to him before actually meeting with the Morrisons, but she knew she couldn’t call him at work, and it was nearly six now. She reached for her cell phone but, just as she began to dial, heard someone knocking on the back door. She turned off her phone and hurried to the door, certain Adam was checking up on her.
Without looking to see, she threw open the door and to her surprise was met by Martha Anderson and a sunny smile as she held out a bowl of purple plums.
“Hello, Judith.” she said warmly. “I wondered how you were getting on, and I thought I’d share some of these plums with you. Thanks to all this sunshine, they’ve come on extra early this year.”
Despite her pleasure of seeing Martha, Judith controlled her facial features to appear somewhat uninterested, and she kept her voice even and crisp. “Thank you. Those look lovely.”
“I noticed your car was gone for part of the day, and I wondered if everything was going okay.”
“Oh, yes, everything’s just fine.” She made an obvious effort to look at her watch. “And to tell you the truth, I was just on my way out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I better not delay you.” Martha handed her the bowl. “But I hoped we could talk sometime soon. Perhaps tomorrow?”
“Uh...sure,” said Judith, wishing for some excuse to avoid any future conversations. Anything not to lead this good woman on. “I think I’ll be around tomorrow.”
“Well, just give a holler over the fence,” said Martha as she gripped her cane and eased herself down the back porch steps.
Judith felt a sharp twinge of guilt.. .or was it regret? How she longed to become better acquainted with Martha, to explain everything to this dear woman. But she couldn’t put Martha or her mission at risk like that. “Take care now,” called Judith.
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