Holly Grove Homecoming (14 page)

The sheriff nodded. “I even made copies of the pictures, although you’re welcome to see the originals if you’d rather. I don’t think any details were obscured when I scanned the pictures though. In fact, the copies may be clearer than some of the originals. I took some computer classes in college and learned a few tricks.”

Trooper frowned. “You couldn’t be old enough to have finished college. In fact, I’m a little surprised that you managed to get named sheriff at your age.”

Mike shrugged. “I graduated from high school a year early and then went through college in three years. Since I had a degree in criminal justice, the good folks on the county commission seemed to think I’d make a capable sheriff. So far, I think they’re satisfied with the job I’m doing.”

“I suspect they are,” Trooper said, shooting him a smile. He got to his feet. “I appreciate your cooperation. Do you need me to return the contents of this folder when I’m finished?”

The sheriff also stood. “No, that’s yours to keep. But I would appreciate it if you’d fill me in if you uncover any new information.”

Trooper regarded him silently for a minute. “Have you ever heard anything that might be of benefit to me?”

“No, and if I had, I’d already have told you about it. The thing is, Trooper, that this incident is just about as fresh on people’s minds today as it was twenty years ago, especially since you came back to town. Everybody I’ve heard talk about it says they don’t believe your mother would have done anything like Larry Abbott said she did. They figure maybe he was just a little crazy, especially considering the way his mother behaves. Most folks seem to think being a little unbalanced must run in the family. And if that’s the case, well, Larry might even have believed what he wrote in that suicide note. In which case, there’s really nothing else to know.”

Trooper nodded slowly. “You could be right, but you can see where I’d want to come to that conclusion on my own.”

“I can. I’d feel the same if it was my parents who’d been killed. You just let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks, Mike. And tell your parents I’ll stop by the office first chance I get.”

“Will do.” The sheriff came around the desk and shook hands with Trooper again. “Don’t forget me if you find out anything interesting.”

“I won’t. And thanks again.” He turned and walked through the hallway, past the receptionist’s desk, and back out into the blazing sun, the folder clutched tightly in his hand, a hand that had started perspiring before the heat of the day reached him.

He just hoped he had what it took to maintain an investigative distance while he read the reports and looked at the pictures that were contained in that folder.

T
rooper climbed into his car
, laid the folder in the passenger seat, then started the motor and turned on the air conditioner. While he waited for the hot air to blow itself out of the system, he sat and pondered, trying to decide what he should do next.

He already knew he couldn’t take that folder into his aunt’s house. He’d covered enough murders in his career to have a good idea what those pictures of his parents were going to look like. And while he felt sure he could hide them from Myrna, he still wasn’t willing to take pictures of her murdered sister into her home.

Which pretty much left Carly’s house. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in her number. She answered on the second ring but she sounded groggy.

“Hi. It’s Trooper. Am I interrupting anything important?”

She sounded as though she was stifling a yawn. “Not a thing unless you consider a first cup of coffee important.”

“You have a bad night?”

“I couldn’t get to sleep so I worked late. How about you? Is everything okay?”

“I’m sitting in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office, and I have a folder containing all the official reports on my parents’ deaths. I don’t want Myrna to know I have it because I’m afraid it would upset her, so I’m wondering if I could bring it to your place.”

“Sure. Are you on your way here now?”

“Yes, if that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. I’ll try to wake up before you get here. You want some coffee?”

Trooper glanced at the outside temperature on his car thermometer. Ninety-one degrees. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. Just a glass of ice water for me.”

“No problem. I’ll see you soon.”

Fifteen minutes later when Trooper pulled into Carly’s driveway, she was on the front porch watering a couple of hanging baskets. She had dressed this morning in short pink shorts that rode up over her rear as she stretched to reach the baskets with the tip of her watering can. Trooper couldn’t help reflecting that she had a very nice rear, and he felt the stirrings of desire that were coming more and more frequently when he was in Carly’s company.

He wrenched his gaze away from her softly rounded bottom and picked up the folder just as she lowered the watering can and stepped toward the edge of the porch with a smile.

He opened the car door and stepped out. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” She glanced at the folder in his hand and her smile faded. “Are you okay?”

“So far. I haven’t looked at anything yet.” And he discovered that he wasn’t ready to think about the contents of the folder yet either. He nodded toward her porch. “Were those hanging baskets here yesterday?”

Carly’s smile returned. “No. As a matter of fact, they were a gift from Mr. Abbott, who stopped by right after you called. Aren’t they great? They’re variegated spider plants, and Mr. Abbott says you can start new plants from these little baby plants.” She pointed at some new growth on the end of long, arching stems. “He started these from some plants he held over from last summer.”

“Nice,” Trooper said. He made a mental note to ask Myrna if passing out hanging baskets sounded in character for Ralph Abbott. If not, then perhaps Ralph was trying to make up for Marge’s behavior. He sighed. He’d forgotten over the past twenty years the dynamics involved in small-town society and the mysteries inherent in trying to understand the motives of people he’d known all his life.

Carly set her watering can down by the steps. “I’m finished here. Let’s go inside. The day’s already heating up.”

Trooper glanced toward his aunt’s front yard. He’d been afraid Myrna would be outside watering her flower garden and that she would holler across the street to ask him where he’d been. He knew she’d hear eventually that he’d visited the sheriff and he planned to go ahead and tell her himself, but not just this minute. He needed to come to terms with the reports and pictures related to his parents’ deaths before he tried to talk to anyone else about them.

With the possible exception of Carly.

He shifted his gaze back to Carly. She stood at the front door waiting for him, a tiny frown pulling at her brow as though she was concerned for him. He forced a smile. “Thanks for letting me bring this here.” He held up the folder. “I know it’s an imposition.”

Carly returned his smile and opened the screen door. “Nonsense. Besides, I’ve been thinking. I’ve got a formal dining room I never use. You could spread your materials out on the table there if you want to. You could even set up a laptop computer. I’ve got a wireless router, so you’d have access to the Internet.”

Trooper nodded. “That’s nice of you. If you’re sure I won’t be in your way, I’ll take you up on the offer.”

“I’m sure.” Carly stepped inside. “Follow me.”

The dining room was on the left side of the entrance hall between the living room and the kitchen. Wide windows faced the side yard, which was shaded by half a dozen of the sugar maples for which the street was named.

A large mahogany table centered the room. A matching buffet sat under the windows, and an empty china cabinet and old-fashioned rolltop desk occupied the opposite wall.

Carly motioned toward the empty china cabinet. “As you can see, I don’t use this room. In fact, I wouldn’t have bothered to furnish it except the folks who moved out ahead of me didn’t have room in their new house for this furniture so they authorized the real estate agent to make me a good deal on it. If you want to work here, just make yourself at home.”

Trooper glanced from the table to the desk and smiled. “This would be fantastic. Thanks.” He laid the folder on the end of the table. “Now I can sort the reports into piles and write up my notes as I go along. I’ll bring my laptop over later today.”

Carly stifled another yawn. “That’s fine. Now can we go back to the kitchen where the coffee pot awaits me? And I believe you said you’d like a glass of water.”

“Yep.” Trooper rounded the table and followed Carly through a swinging door that separated the dining room from the kitchen. The smell of brewing tea permeated the room. “Could I change my order to iced tea?”

“Sure.” Carly picked up her coffee cup and drained it. “The tea will be ready in a couple of minutes.” She poured more coffee into her cup and dropped into a chair at the table.

Trooper raised his brows. “I should go.”

Carly grinned at him, then stood. “Stay as long as you like. Fix yourself some tea and start working in the dining room if you want, but I’m going to take a shower and see if that will help me wake up.”

Trooper nodded. “Good idea. I’d like to tackle the folder but I really need to go talk to Aunt Myrna first. I don’t want her to get the idea that I’m trying to hide things from her.”

Carly walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Your aunt Myrna is a strong lady. I think leaving her out of the loop would be much harder on her than sharing whatever you learn with her.”

“Even if I become convinced that my mother was having an affair with a teenage boy?”

Carly’s hand dropped. “You don’t believe that.”

“I may after I read those reports.” Trooper nodded in the direction of the dining room. The words were out before he realized his mind had even taken him in that direction. But at that instant, he realized he could never believe that of his mother. Not even if the evidence seemed indisputable. She simply hadn’t been that kind of woman.

He glanced down into Carly’s eyes. She appeared wide awake now. Wide awake and upset. A slight shimmer of light in her eyes suggested she was close to tears. He couldn’t help feeling touched by her obvious concern for his feelings. He didn’t move as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Her hug almost brought tears to his eyes. He hadn’t realized how much he needed physical contact from someone who understood that the events of twenty years ago were still fresh in his mind and still capable of slashing and burning their way through to his very soul.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, reveling in her warmth. She snuggled her head against his chest, and the fragrance of her shampoo reminded him that he loved how she smelled—clean and tangy and earthy. She represented comfort to him, comfort and warmth. But the warmth was followed by heat.

He wanted to kiss her more than anything he could think of at that particular moment in time. And he didn’t believe she’d object. Surely she felt it too—this spark, this strong connection. But the timing was wrong. She was still tired and he had chores to do—chores he’d been putting off for twenty years.

So he hugged her back and then simply waited until she unwrapped her arms and stepped back. “Well,” she murmured. “I don’t know about you but I’ve got to get busy. I’m facing deadlines and I’m having trouble concentrating.”

Then she turned and walked over to the cabinet next to the dining room door where she pulled out a drawer. After reaching inside, she turned and held up a key. “Here’s an extra front door key. Since you’re going to be setting up an office here, you should be able to come and go as you need to.”

He held out his hand and she dropped the key into it. “Thanks, Carly.”

“You’re welcome.” She yawned again. “I’m going to go take that shower now. After that, I’d better spend a few hours writing. Stay as long as you like, but lock the door behind you when you leave.”

Trooper nodded. “Again, I appreciate your help. I haven’t decided exactly how to tell Aunt Myrna about what I’m doing so…”

“I won’t mention it to her,” Carly said. “But let me know when you’ve told her so I won’t be in the dark.” She picked up her coffee cup and headed for the stairs. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” Trooper repeated. He watched her walk out of the room, then helped himself to a glass of tea, and carried it back to the dining room with him. He sat for a while, staring at that folder he’d left on the table, but he could never bring himself to open it. He would later today, but first he needed to talk to Myrna.

He sighed, then returned his glass to the kitchen. He could hear the shower running upstairs so there was no sense in shouting a goodbye to Carly. Instead he let himself out the front door, locked it behind him, and turned to cross the street and talk to his aunt.

A
lthough the day
was heating up, Trooper was not surprised to discover that Myrna’s house was several degrees cooler than the outside air. After letting himself inside, he quickly closed the door behind him to help keep the heat outside.

He could hear Myrna humming and followed the sound to the kitchen where he found her seated at the kitchen table breaking string beans. She looked up with a smile and gestured for him to have a seat across from her.

“Where’d you get the beans?” he asked, aware that he was making conversation because he dreaded telling her what he’d done that morning.

“Karen brought them to me. She’d been out to Roy’s house this morning picking some cucumbers and while she was there, he called me and asked if I’d like some beans. Well, you know me. I’m not one to turn down free food. So he and Karen picked a good sized mess and she dropped it off on her way home.”

Myrna’s fingers flew as she strung a bean, then snapped it into several pieces before tossing the pieces into the pan on the table. Then her hands stilled and she looked up. “Karen says she saw your car when she drove by the sheriff’s office.”

Trooper nodded. He should have known his aunt would find out almost immediately. “You know why I went.”

“And how did the sheriff react?”

“He acted as though he’d been expecting me. He’d already made copies of all of the reports and had them in a folder waiting for me.”

Myrna smiled. “I figured Mike would do something like that. He’s a good boy. You remember his daddy, don’t you? You two were on the football team at the same time.”

“Sure I remember Kevin. He was ahead of me in school so we were never close, but I always liked him.”

Myrna nodded and smiled again. “Kevin’s made a good life for himself and Shelley and the kids.” Her smile faded. “So where are the papers the sheriff gave you?”

“At Carly’s. She’s going to let me make an office of sorts in her dining room. I can spread my work out on the table, and I can set my laptop up on the extra desk there.”

“That sounds convenient. But you could have brought the papers here. I wouldn’t have gotten upset.”

“Maybe not, but I feel more comfortable keeping them over at Carly’s. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No child, I don’t mind. You do whatever makes you feel best. This is harder on you than on me.”

Trooper looked down at the table. “It’s not going to be easy,” he admitted, his voice soft. “But it’s something that needs to be done.” He swallowed and glanced up into his aunt’s sympathetic gaze.

“You’re right about that, child. Some folks might say it’s past due, but you had to be ready before you could come back. I always knew that, but at the same time I always hoped you wouldn’t put it off too long. You need to come to terms with what happened so you can move on.”

Trooper sighed. “I know, but the time never seemed right. I doubt I’d be here today if I hadn’t got shot in April.”

Myrna picked up another bean and broke the end off. Her gaze drifted downward to the work she was doing. “You know, sometimes the Lord has a way of giving us a nudge.”

Nelson started to reach for his shoulder, then caught himself and laid his hand on the kitchen table. “Well, in this case, I don’t think the Lord would have been involved. Not when a child and a good man had to die.”

Myrna jerked her gaze up. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking of what happened to them. I’m sorry, dear.”

Trooper looked into his aunt’s eyes and realized she was tearing up. He forced a smile and reached across the table to grasp her hand, green bean and all. “Don’t apologize. I know what you meant, and you certainly intended no harm. In any case, I’m back now, and I don’t ever plan to stay away so long again. I didn’t know until I got back how much I’ve missed you. And the town, too. Even with all the changes, it still feels like home.”

Trooper almost heaved a sigh of relief when he realized his awkward attempt to change the subject had worked and his aunt’s distressed expression was turning into a weak smile. “It’s good to have you back. And it’s good to hear that the town still feels like home to you,” she said, then squared her shoulders and went back to her chore. “What’s next then? Are you going back to Carly’s house to start going over the old reports?”

“No, I’m going to give Carly some time alone to work. She needs to get some writing done. I think I’ll run out to Uncle Joey’s dealership and see if Tommy Underwood is free for lunch.”

“Why don’t you bring him back here for lunch? I haven’t seen that scamp for ages, and I always liked Tommy. Tell him I’m fixing fresh green beans with new potatoes, a cucumber salad, some sliced tomatoes, a pone of cornbread, and a blackberry cobbler. If his tastes haven’t changed to what they used to be, he’ll be more than happy to take you up on your offer.”

Trooper laughed out loud. “If that menu doesn’t tempt him, I’ll know his body’s been taken over by aliens from outer space and I’ll have him locked up underground somewhere.”

Myrna laughed too, then tossed her last handful of broken beans into the pan. “You run on because I need to get busy if I’m going to do all that cooking. Tell Tommy I’ll be expecting him.”

“Will do.” Trooper stood, walked around the table, and gave his aunt a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re still my favorite girl.”

Myrna swatted him on the arm. “Go on now. I’ve got work to do.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Trooper saluted and left her bustling around the kitchen while he made his way to the front door. In retrospect, he couldn’t imagine how or why he’d stayed away from Myrna for so long. But he was back now, and he hoped to make up for his abandonment of his aunt by proving once and for all that her sister was not a child predator.

Trooper was tempted to stop by Carly’s house as he drove down Sugar Maple Drive, but he didn’t want to risk interrupting her work. Still, he knew she might be expecting him to come back that morning, so he settled for calling her on his cell phone.

She answered immediately. “Hi Trooper. Where are you?”

“On my way across town to talk to an old friend. Aunt Myrna told me to bring him back to her house for lunch, so I’ll probably be tied up with him for a while. In fact, I probably won’t get back to your house until mid afternoon. Just thought I’d let you know so you wouldn’t be expecting me sooner.”

“Thanks. And if I’m not home when you come over, just let yourself in.”

“Okay.” Trooper paused, waiting to see if she’d say anything more, but the silence stretched long enough for him to realize she wasn’t going to elaborate. “That’s fine. I’ll ring the bell and if I don’t get an answer, I’ll make use of the front door key you gave me.”

“Sounds good. See you later.” She hung up.

Trooper flipped his phone closed and frowned. Carly had sounded as though she didn’t want to say where she was going. Of course it was really none of his business. After all, although he and Carly had grown unusually close in a short time, neither of them had a hold on the other. Carly could go anywhere she wanted to go without telling him. He just wished he didn’t continue to feel as though she was hiding something.

“Okay, idiot,” he muttered to himself. “Try keeping in mind that you’ve been trained to be suspicious. Carly’s probably just going to the store to buy some female stuff or maybe to the beauty shop to get her hair fixed. No need to start suspecting her of ulterior motives.”

Sighing, he slipped his phone back into the holder and tried to figure out how he was going to pin Tommy down on when they could meet so Tommy could tell him what he knew about the events that occurred on the day Trooper’s parents were killed.

* * *

W
hen Carly moved to Tennessee
, she already had a private investigator, Jeff Hearst, in her employ, so she asked him to continue working for her so he could keep looking for Eric Duran. When he agreed, Carly told him she would rather he didn’t visit her in Holly Grove. Instead, they could meet in Millertown anytime he wanted or needed to see her.

Millertown was situated about halfway between Knoxville and Holly Grove, which was convenient for Carly, and since she paid Jeff’s travel expenses, she figured he really couldn’t complain.

Today, the one-hour drive felt longer than usual, probably because Carly was still suffering from the case of jitters that had struck right after Jeff had called that morning. She’d just stepped out of the shower and hadn’t realized that Trooper had already left. Not wanting Trooper to know what she was up to, she’d quickly told Jeff she’d call him back in a few minutes.

After throwing some clothes on, she’d hurried downstairs and looked for Trooper, only to discover she was alone. She’d immediately called Jeff back. He had pictures of a couple of anonymous runaways who roughly fit Eric’s description, and he wanted her to take a look at them to see if either might be the boy she’d had him searching for. He was on his way south anyway and could meet her in Millertown in a couple of hours.

Carly had hoped to spend most of the day either writing or researching, but possible news of Eric took precedence over everything. She’d met the seventeen-year-old boy when she was a crime reporter. He’d been living on the street and had witnessed an attempted rape. He’d rushed to help the young woman being attacked and then, unlike most street people, he’d been willing to talk to the police and then to Carly about what he’d seen. She’d formed an immediate connection with the drug-addicted boy and after a few days had managed to get him off the street and into a rehab program.

She’d made a point of keeping up with him, and their tentative friendship had deepened until Eric had finally trusted Carly enough to tell her why he’d ended up on drugs and on the street.

Actually, he’d been a bit high when he finally broke down and confided in her. She figured he needed to be a little high before he could find the courage to tell her that he’d been sexually abused by an authority figure in his hometown. His abuser, Eric said, had gotten away with a triple murder years before because he made it look like a double murder and suicide.

Eric’s family hadn’t known about the abuse. In fact, he’d been so terrified of his abuser that he’d told no one. When he’d started taking drugs to help him deal with the abuse, everybody had pretty much washed their hands of him. Eric had finally concluded that the only way he could escape the abuse without endangering himself and his family was to run away and tell no one where he was going.

When Eric confided in Carly, he was still so terrified that his molester would find him that he had sworn her to secrecy. He’d also refused to give her the name of his abuser, although once he had slipped and referred to the man as “Pap.” When he’d realized what he had done, he’d become convinced against all reason that his abuser would find out and come for him. He was so shaken that Carly didn’t press him for more details.

And then on Tuesday of the following week, she’d gone to the shelter to visit him and he was gone. He’d disappeared during the night, leaving no word with anyone about where he was going. Carly couldn’t help thinking about Eric’s fear that his abuser would find and murder him. Not knowing what else to do, she called in all favors that the local police and the street people owed her, but no one could find out what had become of Eric.

That was when she’d decided to hire the private investigator. Twenty years her senior, Jeff resembled an accountant more than a PI. He was single, balding, and slender, with a calm nature and a caring disposition that helped Carly trust Jeff to do his best to locate Eric. Unfortunately, he could find no trace of the boy.

At about the same time, Carly had realized someone was stalking her. Logically, she’d figured the fellow was an overzealous fan, but she couldn’t help wondering if he was somehow tied into Eric’s disappearance. That turned out not to be the case. Her stalker had seen her on TV and became convinced that he and Callie Morris were soul mates. He’d first sent poems to her at the station, poems that were amateurishly endearing for a day or two when he merely expressed hopes of meeting her someday.

But the messages had soon deteriorated into frightening passages describing the joys they would experience were they to die in each other’s arms. Next he’d begun sending calla lilies to her at the station, and despite her best efforts to keep her cohorts in the media quiet, news leaked out, and her unknown admirer had been dubbed “the Callie Lily Stalker.”

When he’d started sending calla lilies to her home, Carly knew she had to take action. Considering the threat hanging over her head, she was able to get out of her contract with the station and start making arrangements to leave town.

Her parents, of course, had wanted her to come home, assuring her that they’d hire bodyguards if necessary to keep her safe. But ever since becoming acquainted with Eric, she’d dreamed about living in Holly Grove. In the back of her mind had been the hope that moving to Holly Grove might somehow provide clues to Eric’s location.

Too, she’d figured that life in a small town would help her concentrate on her writing career, with the possibility of adding a true crime book to her resume. She’d researched the apparent double murder/suicide Eric had mentioned and was convinced that the truth had never come out.