Missing Pieces(40)

“Ladies,” Sheriff Gilmore said.

Margaret rose from the bench, snatching up her purse. “Hello, Verne, I’m just heading in.” She consulted her watch. “I still have five minutes until I clock in.” To Sarah she said, “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Quinlan.” She stepped past Gilmore and moved toward the front doors.

“Margaret giving you an earful?” Gilmore asked, taking the seat that Margaret had just occupied.

“She seems very nice,” Sarah said diplomatically.

“Well, you want the best gossip, the Dooley women are the ones to consult.”

“I don’t think anyone’s very concerned about town gossip right now,” Sarah pointed out. “We’re more worried about finding out what happened to Julia and laying her to rest.”

Gilmore shook his head regretfully. “You’re right, that was insensitive of me.”

“Are you finished interviewing everyone?” she asked. “That went quickly.”

“Not quite. I still need to visit with Hal. But I do have a request for your presence.”

“My presence?” Sarah asked in confusion. “By who? Is it Jack?” He hadn’t returned to the sheriff’s office as far as she knew unless there was an alternate entrance.

“No, it’s Amy,” Gilmore said carefully, watching her reaction with his gunpowder-gray eyes.

“Amy wants to talk to me?” Sarah thought she must have misheard him. “Why?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, now isn’t it, Mrs. Quinlan? Why would your sister-in-law choose to speak to you and not anyone else? Not to us, not to a lawyer, not even her brother. Just you.”

“I don’t know,” Sarah answered honestly. She couldn’t fathom why Amy would want to talk with her unless it was to give her hell for calling for help when Sarah couldn’t rouse her from the couch the night before. “You’ve had her in custody for the past eighteen hours and she hasn’t told you anything?”

“Amy’s not in custody. She’s free to leave at any time. She keeps saying she wants to help us and we’ve been asking her a lot of questions that she doesn’t seem to have any answers to.”

“Maybe because she doesn’t know the answers,” Sarah said.

The sheriff, not looking convinced, stood. “Shall we?”

“Right now?” Sarah’s fingers tightened around the metal slats that made up the bench seat.

“She really wants to speak with you. I think it’d be best if we went right now.”

Reluctantly, Sarah stood and together they walked back to the main entrance. “Got a call from the medical examiner. He’s finished his work and Julia’s remains will be transported to the funeral home tomorrow. The family can go on and finalize funeral arrangements.”

“What did he say?” Sarah’s heart started to gallop as she thought of the covert peek of the report she had gotten in Gilmore’s office.

Gilmore fingered his mustache. “Cause of death is pending. Results won’t be shared until his final report is ready.”

“He must have told you something. What do you think?” she asked.

“I think I’ll wait until I see the final report before weighing in on it,” Gilmore said cryptically.

Sarah let this sink in as they entered the lobby where Hal, Dean and Celia sat waiting.

“Sheriff, can we wrap things up here?” Dean asked. “We have a lot to do to get ready for my mom’s funeral.”

“Sure thing. Just let me get Mrs. Quinlan squared away here.” He signaled to the female deputy who came to his side. “Tess, please take Mrs. Quinlan down to see Amy. You can put them in the small conference room.”

“Why would Amy want to talk to Sarah?” Hal asked, and then hearing his own bluntness, softened his tone. “I just didn’t realize you two were close.”

“We’re not,” Sarah admitted.

“I’m sure that Amy has good reason to want to talk to Sarah,” Celia spoke up from her seat. The pale, delicate skin around her eyes was swollen and blotchy, and the sleeves of her sweatshirt were pushed up, revealing a bracelet of bruises ringing her forearm. Sarah suddenly realized what toll Julia’s death had taken on her. Celia had been the one to fill Julia’s hospital with photos and the quilt from home. She had spoken so fondly of her mother-in-law but never mentioned her own parents or immediate family. Who was she left with? An explosive husband, her husband’s flighty cousin, a grief-stricken father-in-law and an ex-boyfriend who lived a thousand miles away.

“Hal, why don’t you come on back to my office. I promise I won’t keep you long. You, either, Dean. I know you have a lot of arrangements to make.”

From behind the front counter Margaret spoke up. “Mrs. Quinlan, you’ll have to leave your purse here.”

“I can hold it for you, Sarah,” Celia offered. “We’ll wait here for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Sarah said. “Just tell me where you’re going to be and I’ll meet you there.”

“We’ll probably get something to eat at the Penny Café and then head to the church. We have to settle some funeral arrangements. If you’re here longer than we are, I’ll give your purse to Margaret to keep behind the counter and we’ll text you where we’re going.”