9

QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS

Uncle Neiman and Herculeah were silent for a moment, thinking about what had just been said. Their comments lay heavily between them, yet neither one took back their statement.

“What else did the woman say?” Herculeah prompted.

“I’m trying to remember her exact words, but she was at the back of the room. I do remember that she said the police had ruled her friend’s death a homicide, and that the murder weapon—a knife—was never found. Ever since she had read A Slash of Life, she had wondered if he knew anything about that. It was almost as if she was accusing him of having the knife.

“Mathias King said, ‘In my book, the knife was found in the victim’s back, not her chest.’

“I don’t believe I mentioned that my friend was stabbed in the chest. How did you know that? the woman said.

“ ‘Thank you for your interest and questions,’ he said firmly. It was as if he’d closed the door on further questions, but she was determined to push it open.

“The woman went on to say that all the details of the house in the book were exactly the things in her friend’s house—even a large jade Buddha in the front hallway. She said she didn’t know how he could have gotten those exact details unless he had been there. ‘Were you ever in my friend’s house?’ She asked that point-blank. Then she added, ‘She lived on—’ and gave the name of the street—it was Hawthorn or Oak or some tree.”

“Did he answer?”

“No, and after that he didn’t take any more questions—just turned to me and said, ‘Isn’t this supposed to be a signing?’ And he leaned forward and pulled a fountain pen from behind a woman’s ear.

“Later, after the audience had left, he came up to me and asked who the inquisitive woman was. I told him.”

“And what did he say?”

“I remember his exact words: ‘Hmmmm. Interesting.”’

Herculeah listened intently. “Do you still remember the woman’s name who asked the questions?”

“Oh, yes. I met her before the signing. I remember her name because she had the same name as one of my favorite movie stars—Rita Hayworth. She said all her friends at the Downs call her Gilda—that was Hayworth’s best role.”

“Rita Hayworth, and she lives at Magnolia Downs. Where is that exactly?”

“Take the Eastmont bus. It stops right at Peachford Street.”

“Well, this has really been helpful,” Herculeah said. “Not only did I get the book, but I got a lead to a mystery I’m trying to solve.”

The bell above the door jangled as a customer entered the shop, and Herculeah said, “Oh, you’ve got another customer. Don’t let me take up all of your time.”

“They can wait.”

“I’m sorry that Meat—I mean, your nephew Albert—couldn’t come with me. He had a dental appointment.”

“I thought Sears said he was going on a—” He broke off as a customer came around the stacks.

Herculeah was so shocked at hearing the word “Sears” that she didn’t take in what Uncle Neiman had said.

Herculeah knew that Meat’s mom and her sisters and brothers had all been named for stores. Uncle Neiman had been named for Neiman Marcus, and there was a Tiffany and a Macy.

Herculeah had been fascinated. She’d known people named for states, even cities, but stores?

She had found out, after begging Meat, that his mother’s name was Sears. Meat had told her to never, ever mention this because nobody was supposed to know, and his mother would be terribly upset if anyone ever, ever called her Sears.

She couldn’t believe that Uncle Neiman had said the forbidden word.

“I didn’t think anybody was supposed to say her name,” she said.

“I’m her brother. I’ve been saying her name all my life.” He smiled at her. “But you’d better not say it.”

“Oh, I won’t.”

The customer, empty-handed, waited until their conversation was over. Then she said, “You don’t have one single Mathias King book.”

“She just got the last one,” Uncle Neiman said.

Herculeah smiled and said, “Sorry.”

“What’d you get?”

Herculeah held up the book.

“Oh, A Slash of Life. I’ve read that two times. It’s scary.”

“I’ve read it, too, and it is scary, but so is the man who wrote it.”

The woman laughed. “You must have met Mathias King. Well, I guess I’ll have to look for something else.”

More people were entering the shop, so Herculeah said, “I’d better be going. Good-bye, and thanks again for the book.”

“You are more than welcome.”

Herculeah was already out the door when she wondered what the last half of Uncle Neiman’s sentence would have been. “I thought Sears said he was going on a—”

Oh, well, sooner or later she would find out the answer to that question. Now she had to get to Magnolia Downs and find the answer to murder.