Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (34 page)

“That's good.” Nina's sigh came through the phone. “People at the Food City were starting to point and stare. If they are going to do that, I should at least have the satisfaction of being a widow.”

Theo moaned. “I can't laugh. My head is splitting open.”

“I might have some news that will help that. Good news in exchange for wonderful news.” Nina's voice softened. “I was just getting ready to call you because all the tops are finished and all of the patterns are perfect. You're good to go, kid. You can box it all up and send it to your publisher.”

“Bless you, Nina.”

“What about my baby?” Ruby's dark eyes looked black in her swollen, tear-stained face. “Did you ask Red if he knew anything about my Anna?”

Tony felt only slightly better now than he had when he'd heard Red's confession. He insisted on telling Ruby what he learned before heading home. Sheila paced in the hallway, rattling her keys.

His heart ached for this young woman. One of her hands clutched a soggy tissue and the other held Mike's hand in a death grip. His fingers looked like wax where she'd squeezed the blood out of them. It was the first time he'd seen her look like she hadn't combed her hair.

Mike cleared his throat. “I've got some vacation due, Sheriff.” With his free hand, Mike reached into his pocket and handed Ruby his handkerchief. He pulled the soggy tissue from her fist and tossed it into the trash. “If there is any clue at all, I'll pursue it.”

“I thought that might be your plan.”Tony rummaged through a pile of papers on his desk. Finding the ones he sought, he handed them to Mike. “Obviously, I cannot give you the originals, but these are photocopies of an envelope and the letter I found inside. They were mailed from North Carolina.”

Mike held them at an angle so that Ruby could share with him.

“Do they talk about Anna?” Ruby's whole body trembled as she tried to read them through the cascade of tears.

“Not exactly, and definitely not by name, but I called the sheriff over there. He said that this woman is Hub's sister.” Tony massaged the back of his neck while he considered what else to tell them. “He also said that he doesn't know of her having a girl of the right age, but she lives pretty far off the beaten track. She might or might not know anything.”

“It's worth a try.” Mike lifted his eyes from the envelope. “That's just on the other side of the mountains. We can drive there in a few hours.”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

That evening, Tony leaned back in his recliner and checked the swelling in his leg. It looked better than it had earlier in the day, but he was so tired that it took the last of his energy to pull the flannel quilt over himself.

He had not heard from Mike and Ruby. Did that mean they had found Hub's sister? If so, did she know the whereabouts of little Anna?

He yawned several times, fighting to stay awake. At least Daniel Crisp had returned. That cleared up the problem of where he was and freed Nina from the musings of suspicious minds.

Tony couldn't help but wonder if they would ever know whose body Theo had found. The state lab had not reported anything. He doubted they would have had time to do more than assign a file number the remains. Maybe he'd give them a call sometime soon.

His boys were playing some private game that included plastic dinosaurs, lots of blankets and Daisy. It seemed to produce lots of giggling. They blocked his view of the television, but he wasn't even tempted to tell them to move or to be quiet. The moment of cooperation between brothers wouldn't last, but it was a joy for the moment. He forced his eyelids to stay up. It wouldn't be long before he lost that battle.

Theo sat in her nearby chair quilting. Although she appeared to be paying attention to nothing but her needle and the part of the quilt that was in the hoop, Tony knew she was keeping up with the program on TV and what the boys were doing. She turned and smiled at him.

“I meant to tell you earlier, the hospital called to tell you that Nellie Pearl regained consciousness.” She pushed a ringlet of hair behind her ear. “They think she will be fine and that she claims she is ready to testify against Samson.”

“That
is
good news.” Tony grinned, only halfway paying attention to what she said.

For a change, he was wise enough to keep his thoughts to himself as he watched Theo. She sat between two lamps, and all that light shining on her hair proved one thing. It really did look like dandelion fuzz.

Barbara Graham
began making up stories in the third grade and immediately quit learning to multiply and divide. Her motto is “every story needs a dead body and every bed needs a quilt.” Most of her early stories involved her saving the world. Fortunately for all involved, she and her heroic skills have never been put to the test.

A prize winning quilter and partner in a pattern company, her quilts have been in calendars and magazines, as well as displayed in shows. Married to a wonderful man who can do math in his head and as the mother of two perfect sons, she lives in Wyoming.