Dead Wrong

“Maybe she corresponded with him while he was in prison,” Joa

“No,” Ted said. “You’ve got to believe me. Brad wasn’t like that, but that’s not why I came to talk to you just now.”

“Why did you?”

“I understand Dr. Winfield is ready to release Brad’s body, but so far no one has come forward to claim it.”

Joa

“That’s not too surprising,” Joa

“No,” Ted agreed. “I suppose not. But since no one else is going to claim the body, I’d like to. I’ve talked to people at the prison down in Douglas. The warden there is willing to let me officiate at a memorial service inside the Papago Unit. That way some of the inmates Brad was working with will be able to attend. Of course, if there’s any need or interest, I suppose I could do a second service outside the prison as well, although, since the unit is a minimum security facility, the warden might allow a few members of the public to attend the prison service as well.”

“You’d do that?” Joa

“He was a friend of mine,” Ted said. “Yes, I would. That’s what friends are for.”

“All right,” Joa

Moments later Joa

“Cochise Mortuary and Funeral Home,” Ted replied in answer to George’s relayed question. “They’re in Douglas. On G Avenue.”

“I know where they are,” George said. “Have Mr. Chapman stop by. Once he signs the necessary paperwork, I’ll call the funeral home and get things under way.”

“Thank you,” Ted said to Joa

“You’re welcome,” she returned. “But are you all right?”

Ted sighed. “I’m disappointed,” he admitted. “If this stalking thing turns out to be true, I can’t help feeling that Brad betrayed the trust I put in him. I pride myself on being a good judge of character. Maybe I’m losing my touch.”

“I doubt that,” Joa

But Ted Chapman was in no mood to give himself a break. “Even so,” he said, getting up to leave, “I should have seen through it.”

Joa

“It’s all right, George,” she said. “Better late than never. Don’t worry about it.”

“You know how your mother is,” George continued. “Once she gets the bit in her teeth, there’s no stopping her. We’ve been talking about cleaning out the garage ever since we got married. This weekend we finally went to work on it, and now Ellie wants it all done yesterday. I’m sure some of the stuff has been lying around collecting dust for decades. But not anymore, and now that we’ve started the process…” He paused. “Now she wants it all done immediately, if not sooner.”

“Sounds pretty familiar,” Joa

“Some of the boxes she had set aside for you and Je

“What diaries?” Joa

“Your father’s diaries,” George answered. “Several boxes were full of books. They were up in the rafters of the garage. When I started bringing them down, your mother knew what was inside without even having to look. She claimed they were just a bunch of worthless old books and that I should take them out to the dump and get rid of them. She was so adamant about it that it piqued my curiosity. When she went into the house, I unsealed one of the boxes and what did I find? Your father’s diaries.”

“My father kept diaries?” Joa

“Volumes of them, Joa

He paused uneasily.

“You don’t want me to let on to Mother that I have them,” Joa

“Exactly,” George Winfield breathed. “Ellie would be terribly upset if she found out that I had gone against her express wishes.”

“Don’t worry,” Joa

Once Joa

D. H. Lathrop had been gone for a very long time. Sometimes Joa

Had Joa

For a moment Joa

Joa