Страница 48 из 72
“I wasn’t sneaking. I came here to see if I could find Emma Jean. Then I saw you down on the ground out here. I got curious about what you were up to.’’
“It’s been all over the police radio about Emma Jean’s abandoned car.’’
“So the Toyota is hers? I’m the one who found it, out near my house.’’
“It’s hers, all right. I’m on overnight at the jail tonight. I thought I’d swing by here on my way in and see if anything looked unusual.’’
I thought I saw the slightest shift in his eyes. But I could have been mistaken. There wasn’t much light.
“It seems like you’d go first to Emma Jean’s door. Knock and see if she answers.’’
“I was go
That made sense. But still. “You seem awful interested in that old pickup, Do
We both looked at the truck. With a hand to the fender, Do
“Truth be told, I’ve been staring extra hard at every truck I see since I got the accident investigator’s report about the night you landed in the canal. I feel bad I didn’t believe you. I thought maybe I could make it up by finding the truck that ran you off the road.’’
I wanted to rescue Emma Jean and find out who killed Jim Albert. Do
“Do you think this truck is related?’’ I asked.
“I don’t know. But it’s worth checking out.’’
“Are you going inside the house?’’
Do
Those words had a familiar ring.
“Well, I’ll wait then. I want to know what you find.’’
I followed Do
The silence was broken only by the crickets, tuning up for their evening serenade.
He tried the door. Locked. There used to be a time when doors were left open. But those days are mostly over, even in a small town like Himmarshee.
Do
His flashlight beam led the way inside. I stayed put, like he told me to. But I could still watch through the kitchen window. He turned on the light switch at the wall.
“Everything looks just the same as it did this morning, when Mama and I stopped by,’’ I yelled into the house. “We were worried about Emma Jean. Those are the same dishes we saw in the sink. That’s the same newspaper on the counter.’’
“Stay outside,’’ Do
More light spilled from the windows as Do
“No sign of a struggle,’’ he said.
He locked the door and slid the key back under the kitty. The real cat caught up with us at the birdbath, which had a concrete fairy dipping a wand into the waterless bowl.
“I guess I better call county Animal Control about Emma Jean’s cat.’’ Do
“Leave it be.’’ The words out of my mouth surprised me. “I’ll take care of the cat, Do
He stopped and stared. “I’d have pegged you as a dog person, Mace. You don’t seem like the kitty-cat type.’’
I bent to stroke the cat’s head. It rose on its hind legs to meet my hand. “This one’s kind of growing on me. I’d always heard Siamese were unfriendly. But this one’s more like a dog than a cat. Maybe there was a Labrador retriever somewhere in its gene pool.’’
The cat had eaten. I decided to leave it, in case Emma Jean came back. If she still hadn’t shown by tomorrow, I’d return to collect it with one of the animal carriers I use for possums.
“I’m going to hit the road, Do
“You said it. What do you think happened to Emma Jean?’’
As we walked to my car, I filled him in on her tire iron and threats of violence.
“That’s what seems weird,’’ I said. “If anyone was to go missing or get hurt, I’d have bet on Emma Jean as the culprit, not the victim.’’
Do
“What is it?’’ I asked.
“It seems strange Emma Jean was in a rage about being cheated on.’’
“Yeah, I know. But Mama told me that relationship with Jim Albert was a real whirlwind. How well can you really know anyone after just a few months?’’
Do
My mouth dropped open. I finally shut it, afraid I’d catch a bug drawn by the flashlight.
“You know how my mom moved to the south side of the lake? She works at that fish camp restaurant in Hendry County.’’
“The Gigged Frog?’’
“Affirmative,’’ Do
“Your mom doesn’t know him?’’
Do
“Maybe it’s an old boyfriend. And they quit going out once she got engaged.’’
“Mom says no. After Emma Jean was flashing her diamond ring last week at work, I mentioned her engagement. You know what my mom said?’’
I shook my head.
“Not two nights earlier, she’d been into the Frog, cuddling up with her lover boy. Mom said she pitied the poor sap who had agreed to marry Emma Jean Valentine.’