A Truth for a Truth (36 page)

“How do you know all that?”

Because my best friend was in love with the police chief, a man who liked to talk about his work? I couldn’t tell Geoff that part.

“Because she was proud of herself,” I said truthfully, “and defiant. Once she knew she was going to go down for this murder, she bragged about why she did it. Before her lawyer got hold of her, of course.”

“And to think all I worried about was whether she still loved Win or had really gotten over him and was ready to turn to me.”

If Geoff was going to move on, the truth seemed important, if somewhat brutal. I delivered it gently. “Keeping Win in the picture was a good way to keep you at bay, wasn’t it? Your friendship was convenient, but she didn’t want complications. She didn’t need or want a lover who would try to control her gambling. You can be glad you’re a take-charge guy, the kind who would never put up with losing all your money after you’d worked so hard for it, and she knew it.”

He didn’t look stricken. I think Geoff had figured that out on his own.

“Just one other thing,” I said after we’d both nearly finished our coffee. “The one important element I haven’t been able to figure out? It doesn’t bother the police, since Marie has already confessed, but it does bother me. Why did she call the coroner and insist on an autopsy? She nearly got away with murder. If she hadn’t demanded the autopsy, she might have. That was why she was never much of a suspect, at least not until everything else fell into place.”

“Yeah, I can answer that. For the very reason you just said. She did it because she thought nobody would question her innocence if she was the one who insisted on an autopsy.”

“Something’s missing there.”

“Me, I’m afraid.
I’m
missing. Because I’m the one who brought up the possibility Win had been murdered in the first place. I’m the one who mentioned it to her and told her I was tempted to talk to the coroner myself.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Win was doing so much better,” Geoff explained. “He’d told me he was eating right, taking it easy the way he was supposed to. And his meds had finally been stabilized. I’m a pharmacist, remember, and he got his prescriptions from Emerald Eagle. I wondered if maybe somebody at our store had made an error. So after Win died, I asked Hildy to check his medication. She read me the dosage on the phone and described the pills. I was relieved we’d given him the right strength, but then she mentioned how many were left from his last refill. And the amount was a lot less than I’d expected. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find more, because there might have been a few left over from another bottle that he took first, but I never expected so
many
to be gone.”

“And you mentioned that to Marie?”

“I wondered out loud if I ought to tell the police or the coroner.”

“So Marie told them first. That way there was a better chance no one would question her innocence.”

Geoff nodded sadly. “At the time I thought she was just afraid I wouldn’t come forward, and Win would be buried without an autopsy. All the time it was really just the opposite. She was afraid I would.”

When we’d finally parted on the sidewalk in front of Give Me a Break, Geoff had looked forlorn. This afternoon, standing in the crowd listening to the final verse of “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” I was glad I didn’t have to walk in Geoff’s. Still, he had been duped by the woman he loved, but he would survive. Win Dorchester and Ellen Hardiger had not, and Hildy had nearly joined them. Even Daisy Dreyfus, whose generous bequest had ended up on roulette tables, was Marie’s victim.

I noticed Hildy at the edge of the crowd and I waved. I figured the next moments would be historic. The two women who most loved to mother me, present in the same place at the same time. I was afraid to predict what might happen.

Junie is short, rounded, and blonde. So is Hildy. I wondered why I’d never before noted the similarities. They hugged like sisters. With a sinking heart, I wondered what was in store for my future.

From the podium Ida Bere motioned for Teddy. Junie said she’d escort her to the front, and I watched them go.

“She’s so nice,” Hildy said, “but I wouldn’t have expected otherwise.”

I slipped my arm around her waist. Hildy had been busy, and so had I. And maybe both of us had needed some space after the events at Lake Parsons. Whatever the reason, I hadn’t seen her in a week.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Busy. I’m packing.”

I drew back. “Really? You’re going on a trip?”

“For now. John’s asked me to visit him in Arizona.”

“John Hammond?”

“He thinks I need to get away from Emerald Springs, and I think he’s right. I’m not sure where I’ll end up permanently, but it won’t be here.”

I was stunned, as much at my own sense of loss as at the revelation. “You don’t want to stay here?”

“No, too many memories. I need a fresh start. John says I’ll love the Southwest. Win never had a church there, so it will be exciting to be somewhere completely new. And closer to my girls.”

I hoped her girls appreciated that.

Ed came over to join us. Maybe everybody was just grateful that the band had finished, because there was a lull just in time for Teddy to take the microphone. Ida announced that now someone with a huge stake in the future of Emerald Springs would speak to them, and she adjusted the mic.

Teddy looked darling in a peach-colored skirt and flowered knit shirt. She also looked as serene as a spring morning.

I listened to the familiar words. She was good, this daughter of ours. The lull actually continued, and I could hear her clearly.

I grabbed Ed’s hand, and he squeezed in return. Deena poked me, but she was smiling.

We listened, then we applauded.

I knew my mother would be right there by the steps waiting, so I let Junie retrieve our star.

As they threaded their way toward us, people patted Teddy on the shoulder and smiled at her. That’s when I realized that Fern Booth had stationed herself in Teddy’s path. She wasn’t smiling, and in the bright afternoon sunlight, she looked older and even more ominous than usual.

I wanted to protect my child, but it was too late. I watched as they exchanged a few words, then Teddy continued slowly toward us.

“I’ll find her later and congratulate her,” Hildy said. “When she’s not swamped with people.”

We moved away from the others a bit for privacy. “You’ll come see us before you go? I have something to show you, and you don’t want to miss it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving without saying good-bye. We’ll be friends forever. And I’ll always think of you right here, doing a job that’s so badly needed, and doing it well.”

This was high praise indeed coming from Hildy. “Being the minister’s wife?”

“Oh, that, too. Look how you took care of me? The way you reached out every way you could after Win’s death. I owe you so much, even my life, and who could ask for more from anyone? But what I meant? The job of being Aggie Sloan-Wilcox. No one could ever do that better.”

I felt tears rising, and I figured when Hildy saw my new floor, she would realize how I felt about her, too. Because, after unsuccessfully attempting to order one floor, then another, I’d finally taken a look at the one Hildy had ordered for me. Black and white squares made from an easy-care laminate, and not yet returned to the manufacturer. I’d felt an emotional pull that could not be denied. The tiles were now nestled comfortably together in my kitchen. Right at home.

One hug later Hildy strolled off to talk to Sally and Yvonne, and Deena went to head off her sister and tell her how well she had done.

I rejoined Ed and cleared my throat. “John Hammond’s asked Hildy to visit him. Did you know anything about that?”

“John’s smitten with her, Aggie. You never picked up on that?”

“Hildy?”

“I’m sure some time will pass before anything comes of it, but they’d be perfect for each other. And then she can do what she loves most of all.”

Be a minister’s wife one more time. Better yet? Be Hildy.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Teddy arrived, and Ed hugged her before I did. After a moment he was called off again, and Teddy and I were alone.

“Everybody loved your talk,” I said.

“It was fun.”

Teddy didn’t seem unhappy. I thought it might be safe to pry. “I’m curious, what did Mrs. Booth say to you?” I asked, as nonchalantly as I could.

“The lady in blue?”

I looked up and saw that Fern was watching us. She was indeed wearing blue. “Uh-huh,” I said, looking away.

“She said I was a very good speaker, and that if I worked really hard, someday I might even be as good as Daddy.”

For once I had absolutely no idea how to reply. I looked up again, and Fern nodded at me, then she actually smiled before she turned away.

“Do you think it’s true?” Teddy asked.

True? I really don’t know. Truth is a slippery concept. After everything that had happened in the past weeks, that was the only thing I felt sure of.

“I think you can be anything you want to be,” I told her. “And you have a lot of time to decide.”

“I might want to study gorillas.”

I hugged my daughter all over again as the next speaker made his way to the podium. Like Teddy, the young man was here on our Oval to promote a hopeless cause. But what do any of us know about the future? Truth is, I’m wrong as often as I’m right.

I gave up predictions and settled in to enjoy our beautiful spring day.