Where Shadows Meet(72)

“Do you think she’ll talk to you about such a personal matter?”

“I don’t know. But I have to ask. If I know she gave a child up for adoption, I’ll know for sure that Reece is lying to me. It will put my mind at rest. And if she knows who has the child, that might lead us to important information. The little girl is on my mother’s quilt.”

“You’re sure about that? The picture isn’t that big.”

He seemed determined to disbelieve her. “I’m positive. I’m a quilt expert, remember?”

“I’m just not sure the quilt means anything more than that the killer finally started selling them off.”

She didn’t want to admit he might be right. Craning her neck, she pointed out an older house in Nyesville. “There’s her place.” Matt parked at the curb, and Hannah got out as soon as the SUV stopped rolling. She dashed through the downpour to the porch. When she knocked, the door opened immediately.

Mary’s face lit when she saw Hannah. “I didn’t think you’d really come.” She opened the door wide. “Come in out of the storm. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. And I made some peanut butter cookies. They’re still warm.” She led them into an immaculate living room decorated in blue and yellow. The chintz fabric on the sofa and overstuffed chair looked new.

Hannah settled onto the sofa. “I hope you don’t mind us barging in without calling first.”

“I’m tickled to death to see you! There’s no one left on my mom’s side of the family. My parents live clear across the country, and I get lonesome for family sometimes.”

Her cousin’s eager welcome made Hannah want to crawl under the sofa. She should have come sooner. Her gaze lingered on some pictures on the table. Standing beside her mother, Cathy, Mary smiled out from the photo.

“How about that coffee and cookies?” Mary asked.

“I’d love some,” Hannah said, even though the thought of more caffeine didn’t appeal. Her cousin was so eager to please. “You need some help?”

“No, you wait here. I’ll be back in a flash.” And she was. Two minutes later she returned to the room with coffee and cookies on a tray. “There’s creamer in the little pitcher, and sugar as well,” she said.

Hannah stirred creamer into her coffee and tried to think how she might bring up the subject of children. Maybe just show Mary the picture. She could ask if Mary had seen the child. She sipped the coffee, then put it down on the table and picked up her handbag. “I wondered if you might be able to help me.” She pulled out the picture and handed it to Mary.

Mary took it and glanced at it. Her smile turned plastic. “What a cute little girl. Who is she?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” She launched into the story of how she came to have the picture. Mary listened intently, but her expression didn’t betray what she was thinking. “I’ve got to find out if this child is mine,” she said. “Do you have any idea who she could be? You said you didn’t have children?”

Mary handed back the picture. “Not now. I had a little boy, but he died when he was a week old.”

Which explained the sadness in Mary’s face when Hannah had first asked. So this little girl might still be Hannah’s daughter. Elation made her voice raise. “Have you ever seen this child?”

Mary shook her head. “I’m sorry, no. Do you believe Reece? He would have needed help hiding the baby from you and the police.”

Had Reece been with her every minute after her tumble down the stairs? She vaguely remembered drifting in and out of consciousness, and he’d been by her bedside every time. “Maybe he had an accomplice. I’m going to ask him to explain it the next time he calls.”

She and Matt finished their visit, then managed to get away from Mary after promising to come back when Hannah could stay longer.

“You ready to go home?” Matt asked.

“I want to go see Irene,” Hannah said. “We’ve still got enough time.” A frown crouched between his eyes, and she wondered what had made him so quiet and grumpy.

“I guess,” he said. “But let’s not stay long. I’ve got things to do this afternoon.” He hesitated. “Just to warn you, Irene can be a little strange. She’s got some mental issues and may seem a bit off now and again.”

Hannah nodded. She hadn’t seen Irene in over ten years and had never known the woman well. “I might ask her about my mother as well as using the quilts,” she said. Ajax thrust his nose in her hair, and she rubbed his muzzle.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to her about the murders,” Matt said. “She knew all the victims well. I didn’t realize that until recently.”

Matt parked on the street in front of a two-story house with a rounded brick turret on the front. Oak trees shaded the quaint house, and hyacinths lined the brick walk to the front door. Hannah’s pulse quickened, but she didn’t know why. There should be nothing dangerous about talking to Irene.

Matt let Ajax out, then went around to Hannah’s door, but she’d already exited the vehicle and stood looking at the red front door. Before they reached the door, it swung open and a smiling Irene knelt to pet Ajax, who had leaped forward to greet her. With a final pat, she stood. Nearing sixty, she had only a little gray at the temples of her short dark hair. She was still slim and attractive in her capris and sleeveless top. She had a greenhouse in the yard like so many people in the area did.