“So you mean he threw her down the well, brought her back up, buried her in the cellar, and then threw her down the well again?”
“That’s what he did. When the police searched the first time, they checked the well but she wasn’t there. Then later, when he dropped her back in, he covered her up so that when the tractor came to finish the job, no one saw her.”
“But Robert Campbell watched as he threw her down the well the first time?”
“Yep. First, he heard the gunshot and went over to see what was happening. He was just a curious little boy when he witnessed it but he never told anyone. I imagine it was quite traumatic for a youngster to see but at the time, even though he knew it wasn’t right to toss your wife down the well, he might not have fully comprehended what was happening. He definitely realized later though and used it to his advantage.”
“So, really, if Robert had come forward when it happened, it would have saved a lot of heartache, and Pa Patterson would have been put away a long time ago.”
“It would have but it’s pretty hard to blame a child. It’s easy to blame him when he gets older though.”
“Well, Reg, you’re sounding and acting more like a sheriff than a mayor. Hate to say that but it’s true.”
Reg laughed. “It’s hard to get used to my new life. It’s getting better though, Mabel. I’ll leave the policing to the young fellows. I realize how close you came to getting killed today - you and that Miss Carly. I’m glad I was able to help.”
“And I thank you, Sheriff Smee.”
“You’re welcome, Private Eye Wickles.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
It took about a week for everything to settle down. As usual, Parson’s Cove ran rampant with gossip and slander. And, that was only among the old women volunteering at the hospital.
Carly quit her job at the hospital. I was glad and she was relieved. Even though people felt sorry for her, they still didn’t treat her as an equal. As I told Flori, she wasn’t an equal; she was so much better than they were.
Ettie was happy to be back at the farm and her sons were happy to have three square meals a day. Tommy, I noticed on one of my visits, couldn’t take his eyes off Carly so I figured something would eventually come out of that. With Ettie’s blessing, I was sure.
Until the wedding bells rang for them, Carly was busy helping Brady. Winter would soon be here so she and Brady were getting the trailer all ready. The last visit out, I couldn’t believe how clean and tidy everything was. The dogs were still there but there was no one starving them to make them vicious and for the first time, they were being treated like real dogs. I took Sammy with me. Once again, he dashed out of the car and disappeared. I waited for him to come home but he never did. Carly phoned to tell me he was with them and what should she do? I told her to keep him. Three cats were enough. Besides, I didn't want to deal with Sammy's mood swings again.
A week or two later, Bob Crackers showed up at my door with three large wooden crates. He’d just come from a plumbing job so decided to drop them off after he was finished.
“What on earth are those, Bob?” I asked.
“We’ve been cleaning out Sadie MacIntosh’s place. Me and my wife.” He switched his toothpick to the other side of his mouth. “Seein’ as how you like Sadie’s wine so much, we decided that she’d want you to have these.” He pointed to the wooden crates.
“What’s in there?” I said.
“Wine. Twenty bottles of chokecherry wine in each crate.”
If Bob Crackers hadn’t smelled so foul, I would've hugged him.
Nathan dropped in to see me that evening. He was pleased that I had enough chokecherry wine to last for a while.
“How long do you think, Mabel?” he asked.
I laughed. “Well, I’ll stretch it out as long as I can,” I said. “You didn’t come all this way to talk about wine though, Nathan. What’s up? You’re usually with Shayla in the evenings. What’s happening?”
I had to admit Nathan looked sad but he looked relieved at the same time.
“It’s Shayla,” he said. “We decided it’s best to be friends. Nothing more.”
“Really? Was this her idea?”
He nodded. “I was glad she felt that way, Mabel. I’m not ready to settle down yet. In fact, you got me thinking. Maybe I should take a course in computer science or something like that. I’m good with a computer so why should I work at the post office for the rest of my life? I ran it past my mother and she seems thrilled. What do you think, Mabel?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Is Shayla still going to stay on at the hospital?”
“Oh, yes. In fact, she said she loves it here in Parson’s Cove. I was surprised how she got so involved in this murder case. She told me that the sheriff took the time to explain everything to her the other night.” He smiled. “Maybe she’s like you, Mabel; she loves a good mystery.”
I smiled back. That explanation must have taken up the whole evening. I wouldn’t tell Jim’s secret to anyone and Nathan was too naïve to catch on. I’m sure if Jim kept making trips to the hospital to drop in and see Shayla, the old women volunteers would have something to say. Of course, now that there wasn’t a handsome doctor there, maybe there weren’t any volunteers either. I’d have to ask Flori.
It was about time there was a wedding here in Parson’s Cove. Two weddings would be even better.
“Want a cup of coffee, Nathan?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? No, I want some of Sadie’s chokecherry wine. We’re celebrating, Mabel.”
Nathan and I sat and ate a muffin and drank our wine. Outside, I could see the first fluffy snowflakes drifting down and I wondered what the next season would bring to the quiet little town of Parson’s Cove.
The End.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Mierke and her husband live in Manitoba, Canada. They have four grown children and four grandchildren. For many years now, they have spent some of their winters in Galveston, Texas, where Sharon does much of her writing. Besides writing the Mabel Wickles mystery series, she also writes Historical Fiction (Sarah's Valley and The Widow's Walk), and another mystery series, The Beryl Swallows series, (Virtual Enemies and Case Closed.not) She has had several short stories and children’s stories published.
Cold Case Conundrum Page 16