Edit to Death

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Miles said, “This is a new name for us. There’s an Edward in the family?”

  Boone gave a harsh laugh. “No, but I bet he’d sure want to be. Y’all know him, I’m sure. Edward Hammond is his name.”

  Chapter Ten

  MILES MADE A GRUNT of recognition. “Edward. Yes, I’ve played Scrabble with him before.”

  Boone laughed. “Is that what y’all are doing for entertainment around Bradley? I’ll have to introduce you to some better hangouts. Joe’s Bar has a dollar menu on Thursday nights.”

  Miles’s face reflected great concern that Boone might somehow induce him to go to a bar for dollar items.

  Myrtle said briskly, “Back to Edward Hammond. I’m confused as to what role he plays in your family. Is he a cousin?”

  Boone raised his eyebrows. “He’s Nell’s beau.”

  Myrtle and Miles exchanged a look again.

  Miles said carefully, “Nell Prentiss?”

  Boone said, “Yep! My aunt.”

  Myrtle frowned. “But your aunt has never married. And I’ve not heard of her being in a relationship. Besides, Edward has been married for decades.”

  Boone wagged a finger her way. “Nell might be an old maid, but that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t had a beau. And Edward was married for decades. They’ve been separated for a while. Edward has his own place.”

  Myrtle said slowly, “That’s very surprising news. I hadn’t heard anything about it.”

  Boone said, “That’s because they’ve been able to keep it on the down-low.” He stood back and grinned at them with the expression of someone who knows they’re delivering a bombshell.

  Myrtle said, “What makes you think that Edward would kill Nell’s sister? That doesn’t sound like a very reasonable thing to do if you’re trying to get in good with the family.”

  Boone shrugged. “At that family dinner you’re talking about, Edward got pretty upset. He stormed out and Nell left to follow him out. I reckon he didn’t want his relationship with Nell to be revealed in Mama’s book. Nell is prim and proper. She wouldn’t want anything to appear untoward. Although I’m pretty sure that Nell being Nell, there wasn’t anything untoward.”

  “You think her relationship with Edward was in your mother’s memoir?” Miles pushed his glasses up farther on his nose and blinked at Boone.

  “Sure. She said that she put everything in there and didn’t leave anything out. That should include her sister and Edward, too.” Now Boone looked uneasy. “I’m not saying he did it, mind you. But I sure can’t think of anybody else who would have. He isn’t family after all.”

  Boone now had that restless look about him that Myrtle remembered from when he was in school. It meant that his limited attention span had just about hit its end. She quickly changed tack. “How about if you show me one of your used cars? Then I can take it for a spin. I’ll bring it right back, of course.”

  The tension in Boone’s shoulders seemed to relax a little, and he grinned at her. “No worries, Miss Myrtle. I know where you live, remember? You can keep it out the rest of the day or even return it tomorrow if you want. All I want is for you to be happy with whatever car you end up with. Then we can repeat the process a few more times with different vehicles so that you can make sure you’ve got the best one for you.”

  Miles was giving Myrtle another one of those sideway looks, but Myrtle studiously ignored him. “That’s perfect, Boone. Lead the way.”

  Just thirty minutes later, Myrtle was driving a bright red sedan out of the dealership. She followed Miles home for Miles to drop off his car. Then Miles reluctantly got into Myrtle’s loaner. She backed out of Miles’s driveway. Miles grasped the door with white knuckles.

  Myrtle gave him a cross look. “I’m an excellent driver, Miles.”

  “Well, I’m a nervous passenger.”

  Myrtle said, “Moving on, let’s consider what we’ve found out so far.”

  “We’ve found out that Pearl’s family is very odd,” said Miles. “Even Boone. Right now, he gets the prize for normalcy and I don’t think he’s even all that normal.”

  Myrtle entered downtown Bradley. She spotted Red’s police car ahead and gave a jaunty toot of her horn that nearly made Miles jump through the windshield. Red glowered at her as she waved and smugly drove on.

  “All families are odd,” said Myrtle with a shrug.

  Miles, having observed her interaction with Red, said, “That’s true.”

  “But not every family houses a killer,” said Myrtle thoughtfully.

  “Perhaps it’s as Boone said—not a family member at all, but a friend. Like Edward. It sounded like Pearl was ready to expose his secrets, too,” said Miles.

  Myrtle slowed the car down even more as they approached downtown. “Edward seemed to consider himself practically a family member, though, so that doesn’t really count. Edward should be the next one on our list to speak to.”

  Miles said, “How do you propose to do that? He’s retired, isn’t he? I don’t think we can legitimately go knocking on his door to interrogate him about his secrets and Pearl’s death.”

  “Well, of course we won’t do that! We’re not police officers. Fortunately, Edward’s routine is something of a known entity. He’s one of the old boys who likes to hang out on in front of Bo’s Diner with a coffee,” said Myrtle. “And my stomach’s growling anyway, so we might as well pick up some food. I’m craving that new menu item.”

  Miles made a face. “What was it again?”

  “A pimento cheese dog with barbeque sauce,” said Myrtle. “And it’s perfection.”

  “Perfection for inducing indigestion,” muttered Miles. He winced as Myrtle swung into a parking space outside the diner without braking until the last second. Once she stopped, he hastily got out of the car.

  Sure enough, Edward Hammond was sitting on the bench outside the diner. He appeared to be almost holding court there, greeting people as they came and went while he sipped on a coffee. He was a big man with a gray handlebar mustache and a no-nonsense air.

  Miles murmured, “So, are we just going to plop down next to him and start shooting questions?”

  “Certainly not,” said Myrtle, frowning at him. “For one thing, we need to get some food. For another, Edward’s always been a bit prickly. He’s not particularly fond of me.”

  “That can happen when a prickly person encounters someone very plain-spoken,” observed Miles pointedly.

  Myrtle pressed her lips together. Then she smiled. “I have an idea.”

  “Have you eaten yet?” called out Myrtle as she approached Edward, thumping her cane on the pavement as she walked.

  “Eaten?” Edward looked suspiciously at Myrtle. “I have, yes, but it was a long while back.”

  “Why don’t you join Miles and me? We’d love the company,” said Myrtle.

  Miles looked as though he wasn’t sure that was the case, but he gave Edward a tight smile.

  “Well, okay. Haven’t seen either one of you for a while,” said Edward.

  Myrtle beamed at him. “I know. I was just telling Miles how it would be good to catch up with you, and here you are!”

  Fortunately, the diner wasn’t crowded. Usually when they arrived, there was a wait and no place to sit. But this was a between-meals time and the place was a lot quieter. Myrtle purposely steered the waitress who seated them to a quiet booth in the back. Miles squirted his hands with sanitizer.

  Myrtle ordered the new pimento cheese and barbeque sauce dog. Miles ordered a side salad with the ranch dressing on the side. Edward, on the other hand, went all out and ordered a double-decker hamburger with sides of baked beans, potato salad, and a slice of lemon pie.

  Myrtle, not wanting to be stuck with Edward’s bill, told the waitress, “Individual checks, please.”

  Miles hid a smile.

  Myrtle leaned forward and gave Edward a sympathetic look. “I hope you’re doing well, Edward. It has been a while.”

  Edward sighed. “Well, I suppose I’ve been doing
all right. But you know how it is. My sciatica will act up. And I’ve had another cataract that I need to take care of. Not to mention the fact that I’m having a harder time getting around than I used to.”

  Myrtle pursed her lips. She did not want this to be an ordinary conversation with a fellow senior. That’s because most ordinary conversations with her peers descended into healthcare issues rapidly. They all had war stories about their doctor visits. In fact, Myrtle was sure she’d had a lucky escape when Miles demonstrated the voice recorder for his latest conversation with his physician. She tried redirecting. “I know what you mean. But I was really referring to all the recent troubles at the Epps house. I just found out how close you are to the family.”

  Edward’s face grew thunderous. He hissed, “That is not for public consumption! You newspaper reporters are all the same. Get a guy off his guard and then delve into his private life. Put it all over the papers.”

  Miles said mildly, “Edward, I don’t know if you’re reading the same paper I am. The Bradley Bugle focuses on little league scores and stories like Jim Reed’s complete collection of National Geographic Magazines. It’s not a gossip rag.”

  Myrtle sniffed. “As if I would write for a tabloid, anyway.”

  Edward was not quite placated and still very much on his guard. “Then I guess you found out about it when Pearl took that stupid manuscript of hers over to your house. Did you read it?”

  “Considering it was in my house for less than an hour, no I didn’t read it. But I found out from an Epps family member, whose name will go unspoken, that you had a relationship with Nell,” said Myrtle.

  Edward swung his head around to ensure that Myrtle hadn’t been overheard. “Be quiet!” he told her. “Keep your voice down.”

  Myrtle said, “I also heard that you were divorced. Even in a small town like Bradley, there isn’t a scandal when a divorced man dates a single lady.”

  Edward shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not quite divorced yet.”

  “Well, separated then. Whatever. I don’t know what you’re going on about, Edward. I was going to congratulate you on having the good sense to start seeing someone as sensible as Nell,” said Myrtle huffily.

  Miles looked thoughtfully at Edward. “Perhaps you’re trying to protect Nell’s reputation?”

  Edward gave him a grateful look. “Yes. Yes, that’s it exactly. Nell doesn’t need to be mixed up in any kind of local gossip. And the fact that the divorce hasn’t gone through yet means that tongues will wag. You don’t know what my marriage was like. She was the one who essentially walked away from our marriage. She was absent emotionally and quite frequently physically absent, too, since she’d travel to see her family a lot. Before long, we were separated. And that’s when Nell and I started spending a little time together.”

  He shut his mouth quickly as the food was delivered to the table. Then, when the waitress walked safely out of earshot, he added, “But that’s not the town of Bradley’s business. They are in no position to judge Nell or me.”

  Miles, who was in the process of lifting some of his side salad to his mouth, stared at Edward’s hostile tone.

  Myrtle finished a bite of her hot dog and said, “It sounds like you’re really passionate about that.”

  “Of course I am! You know what this town is like when it finds out a secret. They eat that person alive,” said Edward.

  Myrtle gave him a stern look. “The good people of Bradley are not zombies, Edward. But I do find it very interesting that you’re so wound up about the word getting out. I heard that you walked away from the dinner table when Pearl announced that she’d finished her memoir and was sending it to me to edit.”

  Edward flushed again. “You’re saying that I was so upset about the book that I killed Pearl over it.”

  “I believe you just said that,” said Myrtle.

  Edward seemed to be trying to contain his temper. He took another bite of his meal and chewed it thoughtfully. Finally, he said, “All right; I was mad. I had no idea that Pearl would take writing that memoir seriously. Then she springs it on us at dinner. You can imagine how we all felt.”

  Myrtle said, “I can’t quite imagine that, no. That’s why I need your help.”

  Edward said, “It was quite the bombshell. Boone gave one of those horsey laughs of his to hide his panic. Rose started weeping, which is totally normal for her, of course. Hubert looked annoyed. And Nell, bless her, turned completely pale. That’s what got me so keyed up—seeing how upset she was by the news.”

  Miles cleared his throat. “I don’t understand why this was such a shock to everyone. Didn’t the family see her typing some days? Or a lot of days? It would have taken some time to write a book that long.”

  Edward shrugged. “After she initially told us that she was writing a memoir, she didn’t say anything else about it. I thought it was some flight of fancy that Pearl had had. As far as typing, Pearl was always sending emails to committee members. You know how involved she was in everything.”

  Miles said, “That’s what’s confusing to me. Pearl was so involved and so well-respected in this town. Why would she do something to jeopardize her standing? Why would she write something that would make people think less of her?”

  Edward shrugged. “You’d have to ask Pearl that, and she’s not available.” He glowered at Myrtle. “But I had nothing to do with her death. I was with my wife then.”

  “You’re still doing things together?” asked Myrtle.

  “Nope. I was there trying to convince her that we needed to proceed with a divorce,” said Edward.

  Myrtle said, “So you were with your wife, working out details. You don’t know anything about the missing manuscript at my house.”

  Edward stiffened. “I’m not in the habit of breaking into elderly women’s houses.”

  Myrtle glared at him. “From where I’m sitting, we’re both elderly, Edward.”

  “There you go. Can you see me clamoring into somebody’s window to grab some pile of papers?” Edward sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, Rose is the most unstable one of the bunch. And now she’s even more unstable, from what I can see. At that family dinner that you’re referring to? After Pearl made her announcement about the book, Rose whispered, “It’s all my fault.”

  “Her fault? What did she mean by that?” asked Myrtle.

  “Who knows? It’s sort of been her mantra for decades. Hubert shut Rose up real quick at dinner so she wouldn’t say anything else. The man is very protective of her. I thought Rose had some sort of martyr syndrome, but Nell has always felt that Rose takes everything too personally. That she has some kind of guilt complex or something.”

  “But we understood that Rose depended on her mother to be her confidant,” said Miles. “Why would she do anything to endanger that?”

  Edward shrugged and finished chewing a large mouthful of food. “That doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t turn on her. I’m not saying that Rose would plan some kind of elaborate plot to murder her mother. But would she become frustrated or upset in some petty way and shove her? It’s certainly possible.”

  Miles said, “So you’re thinking that the whole thing could have been a tragic accident. That Rose could have merely given her a little push and not ever even intended for her mother to fall down the stairs.”

  “It’s certainly possible. Then she may have panicked and took off out of the house,” said Edward.

  Myrtle said, “And then had the presence of mind to break into my home and steal her mother’s manuscript?”

  Edward sighed. “I don’t really see her doing that. But Rose could have persuaded Boone to. Boone is up for anything and he and his sister have always been close. At least, he worries a lot about her.”

  Myrtle looked regretfully at her empty plate. Her pimento cheese and barbeque dog and sides were already gone and she’d been so absorbed in the conversation that she hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy them. Irritated, she shifted her questions to Nell in retaliation. “Wh
at was Nell’s relationship with her sister like?”

  Edward blinked. “With Pearl? It was fine. Everyone got along with Pearl because she was so easy-going.”

  “And Nell isn’t?” guessed Miles.

  Myrtle shot him a look. Every once in a while, Miles seemed to step out of his sidekick status and into full-blown investigator mode. She had to remind him of his place.

  “Nell isn’t like Pearl. She’s not difficult to get along with, but she’s not the Queen Bee like Pearl was,” said Edward.

  Myrtle said, “Although Nell is involved in groups, just like Pearl was.”

  Edward said, “Well, she really enjoys the bellringing at the church. And she’ll play Scrabble now and then, as I think Miles does.”

  “I’m a sub,” said Miles. Miles had no desire to play Scrabble more than he already did.

  “But Nell isn’t nearly as involved in things as Pearl was. Pearl was in everything and she was in charge of everything. Nell is a bit quieter and prefers not to be out of the house the entire day,” said Edward.

  Myrtle said, “So they were different. And you’re saying that they did get along, on the basis of the fact that Pearl was easy to get along with?”

  Edward finished his food and pushed his plate away impatiently. “It wasn’t just for that reason. They were sisters. They’ve lived in the same town for their entire lives and they’re invested in each other. Even though Nell disagreed with Pearl sometimes, she always supported her.”

  “Disagreed with Pearl how?” asked Myrtle.

  Edward said, “Nell was very protective of her little sister. Sometimes she felt that Pearl wasn’t taking care of herself. She wasn’t crazy about how Hubert treated Pearl, for one. That could lead to disagreements because Pearl would stand up for Hubert and Nell would roll her eyes over that.”

  Myrtle raised her eyebrows. “Pearl and Hubert had a challenging relationship? I’m not sure that I was aware of that. Every time that Pearl spoke of Hubert, she always had a funny story to tell. She seemed quite fond of him.”

  “Strangely, she was. Even though Hubert did absolutely nothing to help her out and sat around drinking way too much. Nell would fuss about that most of all. Pearl would have volunteering and committee meetings all day long and then she’d come home to find that Hubert was sacked out on the sofa in front of the TV with a bunch of empty beer cans around. The house would be a mess and he’d have made himself snacks and not even put away the food.” Edward shook his head. “And after all that, Hubert didn’t even show Pearl any respect. I guess she was just used to it, but it wasn’t right.”