Chapter 40
You’re not kidding. All hell really did break loose, Annie thought, then took an orange jeweled embellishment and placed it next to her empty frame. The cops had interrupted their Samhain ritual, Cookie was carted off to jail for a murder she didn’t commit, and then she escaped—or was taken. The next thing Annie knew, Bryant told her that he knew where Cookie was, but he couldn’t tell her. Then Cookie had just shown up at their crop a few months ago. She said she had been struck by lightning and had lost much of her memory.
Cookie certainly did not seem like herself in many ways. But then again, many of the croppers had changed over the years. Sheila was now tending her sick daughter, along with the rest of her family, still running her scrapbook supply company and working as a designer. She appeared as if all the energy had been zapped from her. Paige, on the other hand, seemed more happy and content than Annie had ever seen her. Was that all because Randy had come back to town?
Annie looked at Vera, who was turning a page on her Halloween scrapbook. She was definitely happier than Annie had ever known her to be now that she was living with Eric in his house in the mountains. But she refused to marry him and that made Annie smile.
And then there was DeeAnn. Poor DeeAnn and her back. Her brows were knit together and she grimaced.
“Are you okay?” Annie said, reaching for a chip.
“The pain medicine just isn’t enough,” DeeAnn responded. “They won’t give me what I need. I think I might find another doctor.”
“Well, I would,” Paige said. “If you’re in pain and they won’t give you anything for it.”
“Land sakes,” DeeAnn said. “I’m a grown woman. I’m also a big woman. Stands to reason I need more medicine than the average woman.”
“That pain medicine is very addictive,” Sheila said, looking out over her laptop. “They’re probably doing the right thing.”
“But she’s in pain,” Paige said, getting up with her empty glass from the table. “Can I get anybody anything?”
“More wine, please,” DeeAnn said and handed over her glass.
“I don’t think it would hurt for you to talk to your doctor,” Annie said. “But it also wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion.”
“True,” Sheila said. “God knows, it took us awhile to find the right doctor for Donna. And we think we finally found the right medicine. She’s been stable for awhile. Though she still has moments . . . when she just sort of... stares off into space.”
“Because of the medication?” Annie asked.
“It could be that or it could be a part of the way her epilepsy is manifesting. In any case, she can’t go to school like that,” said Sheila. “She can’t be away from home. I’m afraid she may have to give up that scholarship.” Her voice cracked. “The world was at her feet.”
“But she is still alive,” Cookie offered.
Sheila reached out and grabbed Cookie’s hand. “Yes,” she said in a hoarse voice.
“So what’s going on with the Martelino cases?” Paige said after several moments. “What do we know?”
“Speaking of sad,” Annie said. “The women we met last night were so sad.”
“Angry, too,” Randy said.
“Did they have any idea who may have killed the women?” Paige asked.
“If they did, they didn’t tell us,” Randy said.
“But they did tell us some important things. They were a part of a community—a community I never knew even existed right here in Cumberland Creek. They were loved—which makes it all the worse,” Annie said.
“It doesn’t seem like they ever dated,” Randy said.
“Well, apparently they did have men interested in them from time to time, but nothing serious. So far, the only connection is that they are sisters that like to scrapbook,” Annie said, pausing a few beats. “You know, Pamela had mentioned to me that she has a problem with her foreign workers disappearing. Just not showing up. Not giving a notice or anything. Have there been any cases like that since you’ve been there?” She looked at Randy.
“Yes. One woman disappeared shortly after I started working there. I remember her vividly because she spoke perfect English and was very friendly, then didn’t show up one day. Pamela was livid.”
“Pamela has a temper, it seems,” Paige said.
“Oh boy, does she ever. Sometimes she behaves like a spoiled kid,” Randy said. “I like her most of the time, but I’ve seen that temper flare. And it’s not pretty.”
“So we have no boyfriends and no leads,” DeeAnn said. “But there is Hathaway Transatlantic. I’m with your mom on that,” she said to Vera. “Something strange going on there.”
“Oh I agree,” Vera said. “But what? It’s a huge company with offices all over the world. Yet, when Mama was looking for info, they couldn’t find records of the Martelino sisters.”
“Why would the company want to kill those girls anyway? That doesn’t make sense,” Annie said. “Why would two women living and working in Cumberland Creek warrant that kind of attention?”
The room silenced momentarily.
“It was probably some crazy guy who lives here,” Vera said, breaking the quiet. “Someone like Leo Shirley. Yeah, maybe it was him.” She could convince herself of any number of suspects. Any time there was a murder, Leo’s name came up on her list of suspects. He was the town drunk and had a troubled existence. So far, though, he hadn’t killed anyone.
Annie waved her off. “How many times have we tried to pin something on him? He’s not good, that’s for sure, but I don’t think he has it in him these days to get up off the couch, let alone kill someone.”
The women giggled around the table and murmured agreement with Annie.
“So there is still a killer out there. There’s some lunatic running around Cumberland Creek.” Vera said.
“I’m betting it has something to do with the gangs,” Paige said.
Just then the door flew open. It was Karen.
DeeAnn looked at her watch. “Oh, you’re a bit early.”
“Just a bit,” Karen said. “I thought you might need help gathering your stuff up.”
“What I need is another pill,” said DeeAnn.
“You can have one when you get home,” Karen told her, starting to help gather her mother’s things.
“How was the date?” Annie couldn’t resist asking.
“Fine,” Karen said. “Until he got a call and had to leave. Happens every time.”
“What kind of call?” DeeAnn said, shoving her papers into her bag.
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t talk about cop business too much.”
The women all stilled.
“You’re dating a cop?” Randy said.
“Yeah. It’s not a big secret, is it?” she said, shoving a scrapbook into another one of DeeAnn’s bags.
Nobody moved a muscle.
“Actually you haven’t said anything about him to me. I didn’t know he was a cop,” DeeAnn managed to say.
But Annie could see the wheels in her head turning. Who could it be?
“Yeah,” Karen said. “I’m dating Adam Bryant. You know him, right?”
Annie’s heart nearly stopped beating as some of the women gasped. DeeAnn’s face turned bright red and her mouth dropped. Annie had never seen her speechless before.