by Anna Drake
Blackie, on the other hand, was striding about the room like the king of the walk.
“You’re evil,” I told him.
He lifted his chin, raised his tail skyward, and pranced over to the cupboard.
“Okay, okay. A few extra treats coming right up.”
He settled back onto his haunches and mewed.
***
When I arrived at Megan’s house that day, it stood tall and proud with its colorful turquoise and pink color scheme glowing warmly beneath the noonday sun. The windows glistened. The grass was mown. Flowers graced its foundation. I climbed from the car and headed for the front porch.
Finding the front door unlocked, I let myself in.
“Hello?” I called out.
“Hi, we’re in the kitchen,” Megan answered. I followed the sound of her voice and found my grandsons finishing up a lunch of mac and cheese. Jeremy had the orangey goodness smeared all over his cheeks. I assumed he’d been shoveling his food into his mouth by the fistsful. Hugh caught the drift of my gaze and rolled his eyes. “He’s such a baby.”
I laughed. “Of course he is. And you’re such a big boy.” I ran a hand through his hair.
He grinned.
“The coffee freshly brewed,” Megan said. “Help yourself.”
“How’s your tooth?”
She slapped a hand to cheek. “I’m hoping it will feel better after Gorman’s dealt with it. I’ll just put the boys down for their naps, and then I’m off.”
“Don’t bother with the boys. I can see to that.”
“Thanks, Mom, but I’d rather leave knowing they’re in their beds.”
I shrugged and poured myself some coffee. Megan was as dedicated to overseeing their lives as she was to Damon’s and mine. And, I suspected, she failed to believe she could be suitably replaced by any of us.
I could also tell from the set of her jaw that she longed to pump me for information about my hunt for a killer, but I knew she’d never do so in front of the boys.
“So what have you been up to?” she asked instead.
“Not much. I can fill you in on my current project later.”
“You’ve made some progress then?”
“Nothing final, but at least I’ve been exploring a few possibilities.”
“That’s good, Mom. I appreciate that.” She pulled Jeremy from his high chair and carried him to the sink.
“I wish you’d let me do that.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m fine.”
Hugh slipped out of his seat and came over and gave me a hug.
“How’s your gerbil?” I asked.
“Chaos. His name is Chaos,” he told me somberly.
“Yes, thank you, I don’t know how I could have forgotten that. I’ll be sure to use his name in the future.”
Hugh nodded. “That’s good.”
“Come on, young man,” Megan said. “ Off to bed with you.” Still carrying Jeremy in her arms, she grabbed Hugh by the hand.
He gazed up at her. “Aw Mom, do I have to? I’m not tired. Honest.”
“If you want to watch that baseball game tonight with your dad, you’ll nap this afternoon.”
He sighed and yielded to his fate.
Megan had no sooner left the room than the back door opened and Damon stepped into the kitchen.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “If you want Megan, she’s about to leave for the dentist’s office.”
“No, that’s fine. I knew that. I came home for lunch. I just wanted to catch up with you. See how you were doing, and what more you needed from me, if anything?”
I must say, I had to admire his efficiency. I was here The children were headed to bed, and Megan would soon step out the door. He’d obviously timed everything perfectly.
“Can I fix you a sandwich?” I asked, rising from my stool.
He gave me half a smile. “That’s kind of you, but no thanks. I know how to look after myself. I thought, perhaps, with Willa Hillman’s death, my future had brightened.”
“Yes, I’d say it has improved, but you’re still a long way from cleared.”
He frowned, nodded and turned toward the fridge.
I let him assemble a lunch for himself while I quietly drank coffee. As I watched him work, I noticed again what a handsome man he was. Tall, with blond wavy hair, his coloring made an excellent contrast to his pale blue eyes. Megan had said he’d started working in his father’s grain operation at an early age. I suspected that was part of the explanation for his excellent physical condition.
Eventually, carrying a plate loaded down with two sandwiches and a handful or two of chips, he joined me at the breakfast bar. Megan came wandering in just then. “Well, look at you two. Aren’t you the cozy pair?”
Damon laughed and kissed her cheek. “You take care. I’m still willing to drive you to the dentist, you know.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m perfectly all right, or at least I will be by the time I’m out of the chair.”
“Call me if you feel differently at the end of the session. Promise?”
She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead. “I promise. But as they say, don’t wait up.”
With that she grabbed her purse and exited through the back door.
“You raised a wonderful daughter,” Damon said once she was out of the house.
I was so surprised that I barely managed to choke down my coffee. “Thank you, but I didn’t do it alone, you know.” I carefully put my mug back down on the countertop.
He nodded. “I know. But I’ve watched you. You’re good with each other. Warm. Loving. Just the opposite of what my parents were with me. You two give me hope my sons will have an easier time relating to the important people in their lives.”
“We all have our issues. Relationships are never easy.”
He smiled. “Ain’t that the truth?” He picked up his sandwich and stared at it for a minute. “So how’s the hunt for Eva’s background going?”
“Much of what I’ve turned up supports your story. She was reported by many to be standoffish.”
“It’s a family thing,” Damon said, nodding. “I don’t remember ever being hugged and nuzzled the way you and Megan do with the boys.”
“It was a different era,” I said.
“That might be part of it, but I doubt it. We were a staid and unemotional people.”
I laughed. “I had a friend once, who was Norwegian. She claimed her emotions had been frozen deep inside her because of the cold weather her ancestors had endured. Maybe somewhere in your parents’ backgrounds you have a Norwegian or two.”
Damon turned to me. “Do I look like a Von Hoven to you?”
“Absolutely. Blond hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones.”
He sighed. “Right. What else do you need from me?” He bit off a healthy portion of his sandwich and chewed.
“When Eva was here for your parent’ funerals, did she attend your parents’ visitation?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember if anyone spent an unusual time with her?”
He shook his head. “I was so young. I had no idea who some of the people were who showed up. They claimed they knew my parents. I’d seen them around town, sure. But know my parents? How would I know. Plus, I was so confused. I might not be a demonstrative person, but I loved Mom and Dad. I had no idea how I’d ever fill the void their deaths cut down deep inside me.”
“There’s your answer then.”
“Answer to what?”
“That little voice inside that wonders whether your parents loved you. Think of your loss and how badly it hurt. Maybe you never hugged them. Maybe they never hugged you. But just because you and they didn’t openly show emotion doesn’t mean their love... and yours... didn’t run deep.”
“Huh. I never thought of it like that.”
“Maybe, you should.”
He turned a grateful eye on me. “Maybe, I will, now.”
I felt my cheeks flush. “But let’s get back to
Eva, if we could?”
He took another bite of sandwich and nodded.
“How did she seem to take your parents’ deaths?”
“It’s funny, now that you mention it. She cried and carried on like losing them hurt almost beyond bearing.”
“So much for an unemotional clan.”
Damon chuckled softly and pushed his plate away. “I just wish now that I’d paid more attention to her.”
“You were still a child.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Andrew popped home about six that night. He arrived just as I was settling myself into my living room with my knitting. “He’s an interesting dude,” Andrew told me by way of greeting.
I stabbed my knitting needle into the first loop on the other needle. “I assume you’re speaking of Lawry.”
“That’s the man.”
“What’s he like?” I must admit I was curious. This was the man in whose attic Eva’s body had been hidden. He might have moved away by then, but he could have been home for a visit — just as Eva was. Perhaps, he was the killer.
“He keeps a remarkable house. You could fit twenty of this place inside his and still have room left over for an additional bathroom or two.”
“Good for him.”
“It’s beach front property.”
I raised my gaze to take in Andrew’s face. “So he really has done well for himself?”
“Or his folks left him a pile of money when they passed.”
“No wife?”
“Not that I saw. He does have a framed photo on his mantle. I wondered if it might not be of Eva?”
“Really?”
He nodded. “If you could lay your hands on a photo for me, I’d know if it was she.”
“There are pictures of her in the high school yearbooks, of course, but I don’t want you anywhere near the school. I think it might be interesting to see a later picture of her.”
“What about Damon? Wouldn’t he have one?”
“Exactly. Let’s see if I can turn something up.” I grabbed my cell phone from the small table beside me and called Megan.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, dear. I need a favor.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know if Damon has any photos of his aunt. I’ve seen what she looked like in high school. I’m interested in any snaps that might have been taken closer to when she died.”
“I can’t say if there are any off the top of my head. But I’ll flip through the photo albums for you.”
“Thank you, my dear. Are my grandsons around?”
“Sorry, they’re already in bed.”
I bit back a brief round of disappointment. “That’s fine. Let me know what you turn up on the photo.”
“Will do.”
We signed off and I replaced my phone onto the table. Glancing up at Andrew, I I pulled free more yarn from the skein. “So what is Lawry like?”
Andrew folded his arms over his chest and laughed. “He’s a balding, playboy in his sixties, who thinks he still looks thirty-five.”
“How could you tell that?”
He leaned in toward me and lowered his voice. “I’m a guy. We know these things.” He straightened back up. “Actually, he’s also that same strange, off beat little kid that he was in highschool, trying to score with the cool girls. Only now he’s older and has to try even harder.”
I set my knitting aside. “That sounds rather sad.”
Andrew shrugged. “I suppose it is. At least he’s got brains.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Well, I’d say you’ve heard right. There were a couple of plaques in his study from his employers, recognizing him for meaningful triumphs at work. They didn’t mention anything so simple as mopping floors.”
I sighed. “Well, that’s something. Still, it doesn’t really rule him in or out as far as being a killer goes.”
“Sorry, I can’t read minds, and Lawry refused to confess for me. So what’s been happening here?”
“Sam Hillman’s wife is dead. She was murdered.”
If a ghost could stagger, Andrew almost did at that news. “You’re kidding me.”
“No, I’m not. Her body was found in a stand of woods behind their house.”
“ Do you think her death is related to Eva’s?”
“I would think so.”
“That rules out Lawry then. I’m a witness. He was home chasing pretty young things around the whole time I was out there.”
“There is a slim chance the two murders aren’t related.Somehow, whoever killed Eva had to get into Lawry’s house to dump her body in the trunk. Plus. Lawry might not have killed Willa, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play some kind of a role in Eva’s death.”
“What can I do to help?”
“How about you visit Hillman? Hang around his house. See what his reaction is to his wife’s death, and what he’s saying about her and their relationship.”
“Do you think he killed Willa?”
“With his wife’s death, I now think he’s our most likely suspect.
***
The next morning, Andrew took off for Hillman’s farm before my eggs finished cooking. Eager beaver was a term I was certain that had been invented just to describe him.
I scurried around the kitchen pouring myself a cup of tea and slipping a slice of bread into the toaster. After carrying the tea and my breakfast outdoors, I sat and watched the sun’s rays reflect off the gently flowing river water.
Behind me, Blackie mewed. I returned the kitchen and grabbed a can of tuna fish from the cupboard. “Good morning, Blackie. How’s my best boy today?”
It was a relief to be able to speak our old, familiar greeting out loud without worrying about how Andrew was going to react.
Blackie wound himself between my ankles and purred. Later, as he was grooming himself, I could have sworn I saw a look of contentment cross his face. I chuckled and dismissed the thought. My experience with cats told me they revealed very little through facial expressions.
Back to work, I told myself, and I’d just finished cleaning up my breakfast mess when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the display. It was Megan calling. “Hi, dear.”
“I found a couple of photos for you. I can’t imagine what they can do for you or your efforts on Damon’s behalf. I’ve discussed it with him, though, and he says whatever you want, you can have.”
I chuckled silently. I liked Damon more and more with each day that passed.
“I’ll be right over, and thanks for tracking them down.”
“You’re welcome. See ya.”
So after a quick shower and jumping into a T-shirt and a pair of cropped pants, I took off for Megan’s house.
The sun was bright. The traffic was light. Slamming the car door closed behind me, I strode up the sidewalk. Megan must have been watching for me, because she had the front door open before I reached the porch.
“Good morning,” she crooned.
Hugh rushed out from behind her and tackled me mid-knee. “Thanks for coming Gram. Can you take me to the park?”
I bent forward and wrapped my arms about him. “Not just now. I have some errands to run. But I’ll come back this afternoon. We can go then. Will that do?”
He gave me one of his widest grins. “Sure.”
“Hugh, would you please unhand Grandma so she can come inside?”
He let go of me and dashed back into the house.
“Really,” Megan said, “you spoil that boy.”
“That’s a grandmother’s job.”
She muttered something under her breath and led me to the kitchen, where she poured me a cup of coffee. On her way to the table, she paused and picked up a large manilla envelope. “The photos,” she said, wagging the envelope at me.
As soon as it hit the table, I opened the flap and withdrew the pictures. I sat there flipping through the assortment for a moment before settling on one. “She was a beautiful woman, wasn’t she?”
“Uh-
huh, I see a lot of her best features in Damon.”
“Yes, I can see what you mean.”
I pushed the photos out in a line before me. It was a more mature face that I gazed at than the pictures I’d seen in the high school yearbooks. Somehow it looked as though Eva, over the years, had become not quite so full of herself. “I’ve talked to a woman who was her secretary,” I told Megan. “She spoke highly of Eva. Your might tell Damon that. She also said she wanted to know who killed her.”
“How in the world did you ever track her down?”
“As they used to say in days gone bye, ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”
“Mercy, what do you do with yourself when my back is turned?”
“So far it’s hopefully all for Damon’s good. Speaking of the man, how is he holding up?”
“You saw him. He’s coping. He stays busy at work, but I must say he’s making it a point to come home earlier than before. I like that part, but I wish this were over for him. I’d like our lives to return to what they were.”
“Keep the faith. You’ll get there.” I paused for a moment. “I know we all feel Willa’s death takes some of the pressure off Damon. But I still hope he has an alibi for the night she was murdered?”
“He was at his job until about ten. Then he was home with us.”
“I hope there’s someone at work who can vouch for him.”
Megan stared at me. “I just want this nightmare to end.”
I patted her arm. “ I suspect he is in the clear. Because I thought it might help Megan to know, I decided to share the rumors I’d heard. “As it turns out, Sam had a crush on Eva in high school and he met with her on the night she died. It was even said that Eva and he had planned to run off together. So II can’t help but believe he played a part in both deaths.”
“Good grief. Where did you hear that?”
“From various sources. And that’s not to be shared with anyone. either.”
“Well, I’m happy to tell you that Damon was either at his office or here with me and the kids the whole night. He’s gone practically no place else since this whole mess began.”
I nodded. “That’s good.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN