Blood Sisters

by Melody Carlson

  “That could be. She was certainly full of questions. And she had some suspicions of her own. I wish we could’ve talked longer that day.”

  “What were her suspicions?”

  “Well, like she thought perhaps Jasmine had been forced into marrying Hal. And she didn’t have anything good to say about Burt. And then she mentioned this box that Jasmine had left in her spare room, and she wanted me to go through it with her. But I’ve searched that room completely and have found nothing.”

  “Have you searched the whole house? It’s possible she may have moved it to another room.”

  “I haven’t searched her bedroom yet. I feel so intrusive as it is.”

  “Just ask yourself, ‘What would Aunt Lenore want me to do under these circumstances?’ ”

  “Yes. You’re right. She’d want me to get to the bottom of this. I’ll search her room tonight, but it had occurred to me that if Burt and Ellen took Aunt Lenore away, well, perhaps they may have taken Jasmine’s box with them.”

  “I suppose that’s possible. But do a thorough search, just in case. I suspect that box could contain something important. Why else would Jasmine leave it in her aunt’s house and not her own?”

  “Have you seen her own house?” Judith sadly shook her head. “I got a glimpse of that horrible trailer from the road.”

  “Yeah, the trailer was pretty bad, but it’s my understanding that was just supposed to have been a temporary thing—that trailer had belonged to Hal’s brother. Apparently, Hal had just finished building her a nice place up at the lake, but according to local gossip, Jasmine didn’t want to live up there and had been known to stay down at the trailer on occasion.”

  “That’s weird.” Judith held up her hands in a helpless gesture. “But then what about this whole thing makes much sense anyway?”

  “Hopefully, the more we learn, the more sense it will make. And right now, you’re our best inside source for getting the answers. Are you sure you can keep this up?”

  “I think so. You know, I’ve been praying quite a bit in the past few days. It’s kind of strange, but I really believe it’s making a difference. And it probably doesn’t make much sense, but it makes me feel more connected to my son Jonathan. He was a firm believer in God and prayer and spiritual things.”

  “It makes sense to me.” His voice softened. “It sounds like he was a fine boy, Judith.”

  She looked down into her now empty cup. “He was.”

  “Well, you look wiped out. I think I’ll let you get to bed. Pops thinks I’m out taking a walk, so I’d better get back.”

  “Thanks for coming by.” She smiled. “Your encouragement is helpful.”

  He stood. “Well, your help on this is invaluable to me. Keep up the good work.”

  “I’ll try.” She opened the door for him. “And I’ll keep looking for that box too.”

  “Good. Now, do you plan to see the Morrisons before the Fourth?”

  “Not that I know of, but Ellen seemed so needy tonight, I almost wouldn’t be surprised if I hear from her before Monday.”

  “That’s great, Judith. Just keep me informed. And we’ll have to get you wired before you go out to the lake on the Fourth. Maybe I can stop by tomorrow evening and explain how that all works.”

  “Wired?”

  “You know, a listening device.”

  “You really think that’s necessary? Won’t it be enough that I hear what they say?”

  His countenance grew sober. “It’s not just for evidence, Judith. It’s a safety measure as well.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t want to think about that.

  “Well, let me know if you hear from them. And if I’m not around, feel free to leave a message with Pops, just like you did today without giving anything specific away.” He scratched his head. “In fact, if it’s okay with you, I might allude to Pops and Josh that you and I are interested in one another—you know, just so they won’t wonder if they should see me coming over here sometime, or why it is you’re calling me so much. It’ll be a good cover.”

  “Sure, that’s okay.” As her cheeks grew warm, she felt thankful for the dimly lit porch. “But won’t they get suspicious if they see me fraternizing with the Morrisons? Surely they know you wouldn’t be interested in someone like that.”

  “We’ll just have to do the best we can, sort of play this thing by ear.”

  “Yeah, I kind of figure that’s what I’ll have to do.”

  “But if you see me around town, just ignore me. You never know who might be watching. And just so you’ll know, I drive a Ford pickup, dark blue, not so different from half the other trucks in town. But the first letters on my plates are DBS, and I remember them by thinking don’t be stupid. It’s a reminder I have to give myself from time to time in this business.”

  “Okay, I think I can remember that—don’t be stupid.”

  “That advice goes for you too.” He grinned.

  She said good night, then closed and locked the door while smiling to herself. So Josh and Jack were going to think that she was Adam’s new girlfriend. But what would they think the first time they saw her mixing in with the wrong crowd? Oh, well, like Adam had said, they’d just have to deal with it when the time came.

  She hesitantly approached Aunt Lenore’s closed bedroom door, almost feeling she should be tiptoeing. She opened the door, and for a moment felt reluctant to turn on the overhead light, but then realized this room faced toward the backyard and the only ones who might notice the light would be from Adam’s house anyway, and that wasn’t a problem.

  She flipped on the light switch to see a neat, orderly room. The small bed, covered in an old patchwork quilt with a basket design, dominated the center of the room, with a rocking chair on one side and a bedside table on the other. On the bedside table was an old Bible, a tissue box, and a water glass. A large bureau with a mirror stood against one wall. Nothing unusual here. Nothing out of place. She knelt down and looked under the bed to discover several dust-covered boxes, but upon closer examination found these only contained old clothing and linens and things. Surely nothing of Jasmine’s. She looked inside the bureau to find neatly folded articles of clothing and everything you’d expect to find in an old lady’s dresser. But no boxes. She went through the closet, discovering several old hatboxes, shoe boxes, and even a trunk. But all of these contained old items that were clearly not Jasmine’s. Interesting, but of no help.

  She stood and looked all around the room, studied the pictures and photos on the wall, the old lace curtains, a small bookshelf filled with old children’s books—a nice collection. She surveyed the top of the bureau: a silver tray filled with old bottles of various perfumes and creams, a tortoiseshell mirror and comb set, some framed photos, a basket full of hairpins, a small jewelry box inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and a neatly pressed handkerchief all ready for use. Nothing unusual. She turned off the light and closed the door, certain that Jasmine’s box had been confiscated by her parents. Perhaps on the Fourth she’d get a chance to snoop around their home a little.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  THE NEXT MORNING, JUDITH spent a couple of hours weeding and watering and puttering about in Aunt Lenore’s garden. She found the sunshine soothing on her back and the sounds of the birds peaceful to her ears. She understood why Aunt Lenore loved her little garden so dearly. Around ten, she was interrupted by a phone call.

  “Hello, dear, this is Ellen again. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “Not at all. I was just outside doing a little weeding.”

  “How good of you. You’re such an angel. You know, I had the most lovely time with you last night, Judith. Why, you were just like a breath of fresh air to me. And, well, I wondered if you were terribly busy today.”

  “No, Ellen. I’m not. In fact, I was just wondering what I was going to do.”

  “Well, I know I’m just an old lady and all, but I thought I’d love to spend some more time with you—that is, if you’re interested.”
>
  “Of course I’m interested. I’d love to see you, Ellen.”

  “Well, then, if it’s all right with Burt, I thought perhaps I could come on over there. And that way, I could pick up some things for Aunt Lenore too. She mentioned wanting her Bible. And maybe I could bring her some produce from her garden. It might cheer her up a little.”

  “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. I’ll get some things all ready for you. Maybe you’d like to come for lunch.”

  “Now, I don’t want to be any trouble—”

  “It’s no trouble at all. I’d love to have you come.”

  “Well, thank you, dear.” Her voice sounded like a happy bird.

  “Shall I expect you around noon?”

  “That sounds just perfect.”

  Judith went right to work cleaning and straightening the little kitchen. Not that it was so messy, but she wanted it to look absolutely perfect for Ellen. She remembered Ellen’s high standards (or were they only Burt’s high expectations?) as she scoured and scrubbed and polished. Finally, after everything looked shiny and clean, she began to plan for their lunch. She decided to keep it simple so that less could go wrong. She mixed up some tuna for sandwiches, a pitcher of lemonade; then she tore up some lettuce greens for a garden salad. And then she went to quickly freshen up herself, changing into a western style shirt with a denim skirt. She even put in a new pair of silver earrings and a little touch of makeup. Ellen should like that.

  Suddenly, she realized that she needed to inform Adam. She called over to his house, but got an answering machine. “Hi, Adam,” she said to the recorder. “I just wanted to let you know that my friend’s mom is coming over for lunch today, so I’ll have to see you some other time. Maybe this evening.”

  Satisfied with her coded message, she picked up the garden basket and went outside to select a few pieces of produce, some to use with their lunch, and some to send back to Aunt Lenore by way of Ellen. The tomatoes were coming on nicely these days. She knew Aunt Lenore would be pleased. Perhaps she might even find out where the old woman was staying. She picked a green pepper and gently dropped it in the basket. Suddenly, she felt hopeful about the idea of conversing with Ellen without Burf’s dominating interference. Who knew what she might be able to uncover with a couple hours of friendly,

  undisturbed chatting. Perhaps she might even find out more about Jasmine’s past life or why she married or—

  “Hello, there.” A woman’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “Hello.” Judith set down her basket and reluctantly walked over to the gate. She knew it was Martha, and remembered how her neighbor had wanted to talk to her about Eli today. Judith glanced at her watch. It was nearly twelve.

  “I thought I heard you out here,” said Martha. She opened the gate and stepped out, leaning onto her cane as she studied Judith closely. “I was hoping I’d catch you. You look nice, Judith. Are you on your way out again?”

  “No, I was just picking some produce from the garden.”

  “Oh, good. Well, as I said yesterday, I’m a little concerned about Eli Paxton. And I realize he knows what he’s getting into, but I think it’s imperative that his friends—what few there are of us—well, that we rally ’round and show our support for him. The worst thing that could happen right now is for him to appear isolated and alone— and as if no one in this town wants him here. Because, even though we’re few in number, we still count for something. And, who knows, Eli could be right—it might not be too late to turn this town around.”

  Judith felt torn as she saw the glimmer of hope in Martha’s eyes. She could tell this woman was excited about what seemed a chance for real change. And Judith hated to spoil her enthusiasm with her own charade of indifference, or worse. After a brief struggle with her conscience, she forced herself to say coldly, “What is it you want from me?”

  Martha blinked, but continued. “Actually, this is Eli’s idea, not mine. You see, I’ve never considered myself to be a particularly religious woman. I mean, when I consider the wickedness some people have done in the name of Christianity, it just sickens me. So, I made it perfectly clear to Eli that I have absolutely no interest in religion whatsoever—and he said that was just fine with him.” She stopped and shook her head as if this idea actually confused her. “So, anyway, Eli wants to start having a Sunday morning meeting. I think he called it a Bible study or something like that, but he also said that we would pray for our town. And like I said, Fm not a religious person, but I’m willing to do this to show my support for Eli. And he said he’d like you to come too, but he didn’t know your phone number, so I said, no problem, I’ll just go over and invite her myself. Anyway, the first meeting will be tomorrow at ten o’clock, and I offered to have it at my house. Can you join us?” She paused to smile. “By the way, Eli said some very nice things about you, Judith.”

  Twist the knife, thought Judith. She frowned as she searched for some excuse—any excuse—or just a good lie. “Actually, I already have plans for tomorrow morning...” Just then she heard the car engine, and glanced down the side of the house to see a big, white Cadillac pull up into the driveway.

  “Are you expecting someone?” asked Martha as she moved into full view of the driveway.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact. Jasmine’s mother is coming over to have lunch with me today.” Judith stepped out and waved as Burt climbed from the car. “Hello, there.” she called out in a friendly voice. She turned and glanced back at Martha, who now wore a suspicious scowl. “Excuse me, Martha,” she said in a crisp voice. “I have to go now.”

  “So I see.”

  Judith smiled brightly as she walked toward the driveway. “Hello, Burt,” she said as he closed his car door. “Are you joining us for lunch too?”

  “No.” He looked past her shoulder to where Martha was now returning to her own yard. “What does she want?”

  Judith rolled her eyes for the sake of drama. “Oh, I was playing the radio out in the backyard this morning, and I think I may have disturbed her.”

  He walked around to the passenger door, then grunted. “Doesn’t the old bat know it’s a free country?”

  Judith shrugged. “Apparently not.”

  “Hello there, dear,” called Ellen as she climbed from the car.

  Judith opened up her arms to embrace the older woman. “It’s good to see you again, Ellen. I’m so glad you called.”

  Ellen was beaming now. “Oh, so am I.” She turned to Burt. “You can go ahead and leave now, Daddy. I’ll be just fine here with Judith.”

  “Yes, I promise to take good care of her.”

  Ellen laughed. “You see, I don’t drive anymore, Judith. So if I want to do anything or go anywhere, I have to beg Daddy to take me.”

  “Well, thank you for bringing her, Burt. And if it would help, I’d be happy to drive her back.”

  “In that little tin can?” Burt was eyeing her MG.

  Judith smiled. “I suppose it is rather small. You see, it was my late husband’s car, and I just haven’t had the heart to get rid of it yet.”

  “Well, when you do, you make sure you buy American.” He tipped his head slightly, as if giving her an order.

  She mock saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

  Fortunately this made him laugh. “I’ll be back around two. Will that give you girls plenty of time to finish up your chitchat session?”

  “I don’t know,” said Ellen. “We’ll probably just be getting warmed up by then.”

  “We’ll do the best we can,” Judith assured him. “And if we don’t finish, we’ll have plenty of times to get together in the future.”

  Ellen reached for Judith’s hand as they walked toward the house. “Oh, I certainly hope so, dear.”

  After a quick tour of Aunt Lenore’s garden and flower beds, Judith invited Ellen to sit in the kitchen while she put the finishing touches on their lunch.

  “It feels so good to be here again.” said Ellen as she sipped her lemonade. “It’s been ages since I’ve been in
Aunt Lenore’s kitchen, and yet everything looks exactly the same.”

  “That’s just how I felt when I first came back,” said Judith as she set a plate of neat triangular sandwiches on the table. “But I would’ve imagined that you’d been here a lot over the years.”

  “No, not really. Aunt Lenore and I had grown apart over time.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Judith sat down across from her. “Did you have a disagreement or something?”

  “Something. I think Aunt Lenore has become a little persnickety in her old age,” she winked at Judith, “if you know what I mean.” She looked at the table all set for lunch before them. “Shall I say grace?”

  “Thank you.” Judith bowed her head as Ellen said a blessing over their food. But in her mind, Judith still heard Martha’s words about false religion and the wicked things people had done in the name of Christianity.

  “There now,” said Ellen. “This looks very nice, Judith.”

  “Did you notice I even remembered to cut the crusts off the bread, Ellen? I learned that from you.”

  “You are a smart girl. You’d have made a good Southern belle, Judith.”

  Judith laughed. “I don’t know about that, but I do remember how much I used to love dressing up in your old party dresses with Jasmine. I always imagined that you’d come from a very rich family—just like Scarlett O’Hara.”

  Ellen giggled. “Well, not quite like Scarlett O’Hara. My daddy was a businessman though, and we lived comfortably enough. My family did own a fairly large plantation once, long before my time, of course, but all that was lost after the war. My great-granddaddy used to tell me stories about being a boy on the plantation and all the fun they used to have. But then the war came, and they lost it all. My granddaddy said his daddy never got over it. He came home from the war all bitter and angry and nothing was ever the same again. Terribly sad.”

  “That’s so amazing that you actually had conversations with someone who’d been alive during the Civil War.”