Murder by Yew (An Edna Davies Mystery #1)(48)

Watching them approach the house, Edna saw Peggy point to something overhead but couldn’t see what it was. As Edna strained to make out images through the rain-soaked windshield, Mary opened the front door. After a short conversation that Edna couldn’t hear, Peggy turned back to the car.

“Looks like a tree branch fell on the line. I’ll call it in and have them fix Mary’s phone when they come to work on yours.”

The officers assured the women that a patrol car would drive by as frequently as possible and left after Mary promised to stick close to Edna. The redhead told everyone solemnly that she herself had a feeling Edna might have been the target of last night’s marauders. Mary seemed to be enjoying her new role as bodyguard as she herded Edna and Hank into her jeep for the return trip to the Davies’ house. Benjamin stayed behind to nap on his new favorite spot atop the warm kitchen radiator.

“The first thing I’m going to do,” Edna said as they shrugged out of their wet coats and hung them by the back door, “is clean these floors.”

“I’ll keep a watch out for anyone coming near the house,” Mary announced and proceeded to show Edna how diligent she was by moving to the kitchen sink and staring out at the driveway.

“You’ll have to keep watch from another room. I’m going to mop this floor first. Why don’t you take Hank and sit in the living room? I’m sure he’ll let us know if anyone arrives.”

Looking slightly deflated, Mary volunteered to vacuum the rugs while Edna wielded the mop. Once the machine was turned on, Hank slithered off to hide.

After swabbing the kitchen and mudroom floors, Edna found Mary leaning on the handle of the Hoover, staring at Tom’s portrait. She must have heard Edna approach, because she quickly turned on the vacuum and headed further into the living room, keeping her back turned.

Watching the bowed shoulders, Edna thought Mary might have been crying. Quietly, efficiently, she folded up the easel and carried it and her drawings away to store them in the closet off the mudroom. Mary seemed to have recovered her composure by the time Edna returned to suggest they stop and have lunch.

The two women ate in companionable silence, since Edna had a lot on her mind and Mary, too, seemed lost in thought. After clearing away the luncheon plates, Edna poured each of them some tea and set a plate of oatmeal cookies on the table. Sitting across from Mary, she said. “Will you tell me some more about Tom?”

She had a dual purpose in prompting Mary to talk. First, Edna still needed to figure out whether something in Tom’s life would reveal a motive for his death and, second, she felt it would do Mary good to talk about the cause of her grief. She thought Mary probably had spent too much of her life hiding her feelings.

Quiet for a moment or two, Mary bent over to ruffle Hank’s ears and, most likely, to collect her thoughts. Always close by, the dog had curled up beside her chair. When she finally spoke, it was almost as if to herself, and Edna nearly missed the words. “What else do you want to know?”

“Whatever you can think of. For instance, what did he do after high school? Did he join the service?”

“No. They wouldn’t take him. They said he had a bad heart or a heart murmur or something. He went to work full time on Hoxie’s farm and took agi classes at the university when he could fit them in.”

Agi was how people referred to the agricultural school. A large part of Rhode Island’s economy depended on dairy and truck farming. At least, it had back in those days, and the local State university had one of the best agi departments in the country. “Did he get his degree from U.R.I.?”

Mary nodded. “Eventually. It took him a long time, but he did it.” She was obviously proud of Tom’s accomplishment. “He and Jenny were together a lot by the time he graduated from high school. Guess they already planned to get married as soon as she finished. Her parents made her promise to get her diploma first.” Mary looked down at the cookie she was pushing around on her plate. “They were really nice, Tom and Jenny. They used to invite me to do things with them, movies, picnics. I even went fishing with them once.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I can’t believe they’re both gone.”

Edna felt a lump in her throat and waited for a minute before speaking again. “Can you think of anything else? Anything that went wrong in his life? Anyone who didn’t like him? Fights, quarrels, anything.”

“No. We lost touch after Nancy was born. My father had had a stroke, and I helped take care of him. Jenny was real busy, too, with the baby and all. We ran into each other in town once in a while, but not often.”

Edna fell silent, feeling as though she’d gotten all the information she could out of Mary. She hated to admit it, but the next person she was going to have to question was Tom’s cousin and part-time employer, Norm Wilkins. The thought made her shudder, but she knew she couldn’t put it off. She’d have to call him and see if she could make an appointment. Appointment. The word stuck in her mind and brought back a memory. “The book,” she said aloud.

“What book?” Mary asked half-heartedly. Hank was standing with his front paws on her leg, and she was rubbing his neck beneath the collar.

“The appointment book. Tom’s schedule.” Hope surged in her veins. “I’ve got to call Charlie or Peggy or someone.” She felt like dancing around the room. “Tom kept an appointment book in his truck. I know, because he said so when Dee stopped by last Thursday. She asked him if he was available, because she had some work she needed done before the winter weather sets in. He said he’d have to check his schedule, that his book was in the glove compartment of his truck.”