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Ryan didn’t find any tracks other than his own on the road east of Shandra’s driveway. It also didn’t make sense for the man to have used a fence post to kill Kerby if he’d driven to the ranch with the intention of killing him.
Wanting a better idea of the man, he headed to Nattie Small’s place to ask what she thought of her son-in-law, and then he’d head to the high school and talk to his colleagues.
At Nattie’s, he found the older woman hanging laundry up on an outside clothes line. She wore gloves.
“You know it could take a couple days for that to dry now that the weather has turned colder,” he said, standing beside the basket of sheets and blankets.
“I’d rather let it hang for two days and have the freshness of the outdoors than spend the money to run the dryer.” She hung the last pillow case and eyed him. “What are you doin’ here? Do you think I killed Donald Kerby?”
“Did you hate him enough to kill him?”
She dipped her chin once and picked up the empty basket. “There was a time if I’d seen him, I wouldn’t have flinched at giv’n him a lick or two upside the head. His leaving put poor Ruthie into a sadness I thought would never go away.”
He hurried ahead of her, opening the door to the porch.
Nattie placed the clothes basket on the dryer and entered the kitchen. “But she growed up and became a successful business woman and found a good man for a husband.” She poured coffee into two cups and set them on the kitchen table still wearing her gloves.
Ryan sat down, picked up the cup, and sipped. As he’d thought from the smell, the coffee was as strong as the batch Chief Sandberg cooked in his office.
“I’m here to discover more about your son-in-law, Clarence Timms.” He noted her eyes spark before her lashes lowered.
“Clarence. You think a man who only cares about numbers would have the courage to kill another?” She swallowed a loud gulp of the strong brew.
“He cares about your daughter. He married her.”
Nattie waved a hand. “He cares that they are an even number because they are married. That man told her they couldn’t have children because the first one would ruin the symmetry of their family.”
“Yet, she stayed with him. Why?” Ryan added this bit of information to his notepad. Why would a woman who seemed to love children, marry a man who didn’t want any?
The older woman shrugged. “I guess it was better than living at home with her mother.”
“You’re saying she doesn’t love her husband and he doesn’t love her?”
“I’m saying, I believe they have their reasons for marrying one another. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because they couldn’t live without each other.” She took another sip of the bitter brew.
“You don’t think Clarence would kill someone he thought was a threat to his marriage?”
“I didn’t say that. Remember, he likes even numbers.”
“But you didn’t think him capable of having the courage earlier.” He was beginning to think the old woman was playing with him.
“He is very protective of what he believes is his. But how would he know that Donald would be at the wedding? No one knew.”
Here he had her. “Your daughter knew. She talked with him beforehand and drove him to Shandra’s.”
The woman’s mouth opened, then shut with a snap of dentures.
“I take it from your reaction, you didn’t know about their reunion.”
She shook her head but didn’t say anything.
“I’m guessing, Clarence somehow found out about Donald being back and Chea meeting with him. His meeting at the high school was over in plenty of time for him to get to Shandra’s and wait for a time when he could get Donald alone.”
Nattie stood. “You can conjecture all you want. Somewhere else. I have work to do.”
Ryan understood she was throwing him out. But why? She didn’t seem all that fond of her son-in-law. Was she hiding something about her daughter and Donald?
He stood, plopped his hat on his head, and left through the back door.
Maybe he should see if anyone at the Huckleberry Elementary School had seen Donald there with Chea. The woman hadn’t been straight with him any time he’d talked to her.
~*~
After finishing Ryan’s costume, Shandra called Ruthie to see how she was doing.
“Hey Shandra,” Ruthie’s voice sounded brighter than it had in days.
“Hi. I thought I’d call and see how things were going.” She knew it would be a long process to get the diner back up and running.
“Good. Uncle Orin is a worker! And he’s already showed me some drawings of renovations we can do on the diner.”
“Good! I’m so glad he is in your life. Will he come to the party with you tonight?” Shandra had learned Orin was living with Maxwell and Ruthie until he could make money to pay for a place of his own. She’d thought about offering him the apartment over her studio but Lil used it for her showers.
“Yes. He and Maxwell are out looking for a costume for him. I can’t believe how well the two are getting along.” She sighed. “He’s been telling me all kinds of stories about him and my father. All those years I went not knowing anything and now...I’m just so glad he came to me.”
Shandra smiled. She wouldn’t tell Ruthie that Ryan had suggested it. “I’m glad everything is going so well. I can come help with clean up tomorrow if you need me.”
“I think we’re good. I’m paying Orin and a couple of men who Maxwell’s father suggested. They’re on retirement but need a little more spending money. People who know it’s a short-term thing. Orin thinks we can find enough help and he can lead them to rebuild. It would be a whole lot cheaper than a contractor and I won’t be on a waiting list.”
“That is really good news.” Shandra didn’t want to douse her friend’s enthusiasm but she had to voice her thoughts. “I take it your uncle isn’t concerned about anyone wanting to harm him or you like your father was?”
“He said everyone that was involved in that besides him is dead.”
A shiver raced up Shandra’s spine. ‘Everyone but him is dead’ echoed in her mind. She didn’t like the idea coming to her. Could Orin have killed his brother to make sure the truth, whatever it was, didn’t come out?
“I’ll see you tonight,” she said, pushing the off button and opening her laptop.
The first item she googled was ancient armor. Her thought was if she could identify the armor the people in her dream were wearing, she might be able to figure out who they were or why Ella thought it was something she should know.
Her shoulders and back ached from hunching over the laptop peering at photos. Sheba woofed at the back door. Swinging her arms and stretching her back Shandra walked down the hall and opened the back door.
Sheba brushed by her, heading for the large bowl filled with water in the laundry room shower. She made such a mess when she drank, Shandra had found it easier to clean up the mess if the water bowl sat in the shower.
“Were you chasing squirrels to get such a thirst?” Shandra asked, ruffling the thick black fur on Sheba’s head.
She was rewarded with a slobbery doggy smile.
A jazz tune drifted down the hallway. Her phone. She ran to the great room and picked it up. Ryan.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hi back. You’ll have to bring the costume into town with you. I’m still over in Warner. I’ll be back to Huckleberry about five-thirty.”
“Okay. Do you want to put the costume on at the Police Station or at the party?” She was pretty sure she knew his answer.
“The party. The fewer people who see me the better.”
“Ye of little faith. I wouldn’t give you a costume that would make you look silly. Remember, I am your date.”
He laughed. “That’s true. I’ll meet you at the party.”
Before she could tell him her suspicions about Orin Kerby he’d hung up. She’d have to wait until after the party or when he was dressing to bring it up.