Holly Grove Homecoming (16 page)

Ten minutes later, Trooper stood on the front porch watching Tommy back out of the driveway. Then he glanced across the street. Carly’s car still wasn’t there. He’d thought she wanted to write all day. Instead she seemed to be spending the day away from home.

Oh well, he reminded himself again that it was none of his business how Carly spent her time. She’d been nice enough to let him have the run of her house and he sure wasn’t going to start questioning what she did with her time.

But after talking with Tommy, he was especially eager to see the sheriff’s copy of the note that was supposedly Larry’s suicide note. He ran his hand in his pocket, found the key Carly had given him, and stepped back inside to tell Myrna where he was going.

Then he walked across the street and let himself into Carly’s house.

T
he note wasn’t
in the folder. Trooper knew for sure because he’d gone through everything three times. The pictures, fortunately, were in a separate manila envelope. Although he wasn’t ready to deal with those yet, he opened the envelope flap and carefully examined the space between each of the eight by ten photographs. If he was careful—and he was—he could manage not to focus on the pictures and still determine that no sheets of paper were nestled in the space between the photographs.

He blew his breath out in a sigh. The missing note meant he’d have to make another trip to the sheriff’s office and wait while someone went through the files again. He hated to do that, but he needed to see the original note in hopes of comparing it and the one Tommy had said was a copy.

Unless, of course, the note that Tommy had seen all those years ago was the original. “Dammit all,” Trooper murmured aloud. Now, of course, he was wondering what other evidence might have been lost or misplaced.

Or purposely omitted from the file.

Not that he suspected Mike of tampering with the evidence. The kid would have no motive that Trooper could think of. Any tampering that might have occurred had probably taken place some time in the past, which meant he likely would not find anything now, but he had to check.

A car door slammed outside and Trooper felt a smile lifting the corners of his lips. Carly must be back, and with that thought came a definite lifting of his spirits. He’d better meet her at the front door so she wouldn’t be startled by his presence in her house.

He made it to the front porch before Carly even started to get out of her car. In fact, she appeared preoccupied, just sitting and staring out her windshield. Half afraid that something was wrong, Trooper walked across the porch and down the steps to meet her.

He was only a couple of paces from the car when Carly looked up and spotted him. The quick smile that brightened her face reassured him. Obviously nothing was seriously wrong. Probably she’d just been daydreaming about something. He hoped any daydreams were about him. That thought brought a grin to his face.

Carly unlatched her car door and Trooper pulled it open. She stepped out, moving slowly as though she was tired through and through. But her voice was cheerful enough. “Hi there. Guess you’re here making use of your office.”

“Yep. I took you at your word about letting myself in. You look tired. Had a busy day?”

Carly turned and seemed to make a point of retrieving her purse from the middle of the front seat, almost as though she didn’t want to look him in the eye. “Not really. How about you? Has your day gone well?”

“Yes and no. If you’ll let me fix you a glass of tea and sit with me in the kitchen a few minutes, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“That’s an offer I can’t refuse. Just give me time to run upstairs and change into something cooler. Even with my car’s air conditioner going full blast, I’m too warm in these slacks.”

Trooper nodded. “It’s another scorcher.” He paused a minute to give Carly time to elaborate on her day but when she didn’t, he stepped back and then fell into step beside her as she headed toward the porch.

Once inside, after Carly had excused herself to go upstairs and change clothes, Trooper hurried to the kitchen and took a couple of glasses out of the cabinet. Interesting how quickly he had started feeling at home around Carly’s place.

He opened the refrigerator door, pulled the pitcher of tea out, and then filled the glasses with ice. He’d just started pouring when Carly stepped into the kitchen. She’d replaced her slacks and shirt with shorts and a sleeveless top and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Man, she looked great.

If Trooper had given in to his preferences, he would have crossed the room and pulled Carly into a passionate embrace. But although she looked great, her slumping shoulders and slight frown indicated she was both tired and preoccupied so he settled for giving a quick smile of approval. “You look more comfortable.”

“Believe me, I am. Do you need any help?”

“Not with the tea. That’s ready. And I can fix you a sandwich if you’re hungry.”

“Heavens no. I ate while I was out.”

“Anyplace good?” Trooper hoped Carly didn’t realize that he was fishing for information.

She shrugged. “Just an old standby. What about you? Are you hungry? If so, there are leftovers in the fridge.”

That was interesting. She obviously didn’t want to tell him where she ate lunch. He couldn’t imagine why. He forced another smile, then turned and carried the two glasses of tea to the table. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m stuffed. Aunt Myrna cooked a lunch today that would have won half a dozen blue ribbons if she’d been in a competition. I invited Tommy Underwood to eat with us.”

Carly crossed the room and sat down at the table. She took a sip of her tea and waited until Trooper sat down opposite her. Then she asked, “Did you get a chance to talk to Tommy about the case?”

“I did. But the only thing I really learned is that there was a copy of Larry Abbott’s suicide note floating around soon after the crime. At least I assumed it was just a copy until this afternoon when I looked through the folder the sheriff gave me and realized there was no suicide note there.”

Carly’s eyes widened. “You think the one Tommy mentioned could have been the original?”

“There’s no way of knowing yet. I’m going to meet Tommy tonight at his father’s house. He thinks the note might still be somewhere in his former bedroom and he’s going to look for it. I also need to check with the sheriff again. I suppose it’s possible the original is still in the files in his office and just didn’t get copied with the materials he passed along to me.”

“Wow,” Carly commented. “Seems that you’re running into one mystery after another.”

“Seems like it.” Trooper decided they’d talked about his interests long enough. “So, did you get any writing done today?”

Carly’s gaze flickered, as though she was trying to think what she should say. “No, unfortunately. I’d planned to write, as you know, but an old friend called this morning. He was in the neighborhood and wanted to have lunch, so I drove to Millertown to meet him.”

Trooper managed not to flinch, but just barely. The name “Millertown” had haunted him ever since his parents were murdered. He’d always blamed himself for taking too much time coming back with the school banner the day his parents were shot. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe if he’d hurried, he would have been back home and could have prevented their deaths.

The shrinks he’d seen after this past April’s incident had tried to convince him that his actions on the day his parents were killed had no effect on the outcome that day. They wanted him to be able to accept the fact that if he’d arrived back from Millertown more quickly, he would probably have been killed too.

He let them think that he’d accepted their way of thinking. What they didn’t realize, of course, was that when he agreed that if he’d been there, he probably couldn’t have saved his parents, it was because he now saw he couldn’t save people under any circumstances. He’d been present this past April when he and Hank had tried to rescue a kidnapped child from her abductor, but his being there hadn’t saved either Hank or the child.

He clenched his teeth and swallowed hard. He couldn’t continue down this path, letting a simple word like “Millertown” drag him into the past and start him questioning his actions both twenty years ago and again this past April. Somehow, some way, he had to come to terms with his inability to save the people he cared about.

Suddenly aware that Carly was staring at him with worry written clearly in her eyes, he gave himself a mental shake and forced a smile. “So did you find a good restaurant in Millertown?”

Her expression immediately lightened. “Yes. You may remember the place. I understand it’s been around for several years. Micki’s Diner?”

Trooper shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell, but then we wouldn’t have been driving to Millertown to go to a restaurant. In fact, we hardly ever went out to eat at all. Mom liked to cook, so we either ate at home or at one of the relatives’ houses. With Mom being one of eighteen children, it seemed like we were always getting invitations to eat with one of her sisters or brothers.”

“Did you enjoy that?”

“It was great. I always had playmates wherever we went and usually had a good meal to go along with it.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Trooper smiled. “It was.” Then he turned up his glass and drank the rest of his tea. “Guess I’d better get to work. I thought I’d try to go through a few of those reports this afternoon.”

Carly bit her lip, then grimaced. “Do you have to?”

Trooper set his glass down and gazed across the table at her. Carly was acting a little strange this afternoon. Or at least it seemed that way to him. Of course he didn’t know her all that well yet. “Did you have something in mind?” he asked.

She sighed. “I was just thinking that a swim might be nice, considering how hot it is, but I probably should get to work myself. I haven’t gotten enough writing done lately.”

Trooper almost moaned with pleasure at the thoughts of swimming instead of digging into those reports. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Please say you’ll go.”

Carly shrugged. “I doubt I’d be able to get back into my writing this late in the day anyway. I usually prefer an earlier start.” She jumped to her feet. “Okay. I’ll go up and grab my swimwear. How long will it take you to get your stuff?”

“Ten minutes. I’ll meet you back here.”

“Done.” Carly grinned at him. “But let’s keep the talk about alligators and snakes to a minimum today. I want to cool off, not freak out.”

Trooper laughed. “You have a point. So don’t worry. I won’t warn you about any of the critters in that lake. That way, you won’t be worrying all the time about something grabbing your leg and pulling up under.”

Carly wadded up a paper napkin and threw it at him. “If I listened to you, I’d be expecting to see a first cousin to the Loch Ness Monster.”

“Say, who told you that we have our very own Nessie?” Trooper asked. His attempt to appear indignant dissolved into a grin.

“No one told me,” Carly responded. Her eyes twinkled. “I saw it for myself when we were there the last time. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, and then I realized an alligator and a snake had mated and voila, Uncle Roy’s lake had its very own Ness-like monster.”

Trooper laughed aloud, then shook his head and turned toward the front of the house. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say my outlandish imagination has rubbed off on you.”

Carly called after him as he walked down the hallway. “I don’t need any help from your imagination. I’m a writer, remember?”

L
ess than an hour later
, Trooper steered his car onto Roy’s property.

“It looks as though your uncle already has company,” Carly noted, nodding toward the vehicles in the drive ahead of them. “But I don’t see anyone down at the lake.”

Trooper pulled off to one side under the shade of an oak where he wasn’t blocking anyone in. “Uncle Roy has always had lots of company. This time of year he’s especially busy because he invariably makes a huge garden and then gives most of the produce away. He says he can only eat so much, him being single, which is probably true, but basically he just enjoys sharing.”

Carly smiled. “He certainly seems like a nice man. Is his twin equally as nice?”

Trooper paused, then shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t know. I haven’t seen Uncle Joey since I got back. He’s out of town on business a lot, or so Tommy tells me.”

“Tommy works for your uncle, right?”

“Yep. He’s been a car salesman for Uncle Joey for years and seems to make a good living. At least that’s what Aunt Myrna tells me.”

He opened his car door. “You ready?”

“Sure.” Carly opened her door too. “Do we need to find your uncle or shall we just go on to the lake?”

Trooper glanced down the driveway toward the house. “Looks as though we’ve been spotted. Here comes Uncle Roy and...” He paused and stared. “I’m not sure but I think that may be my old high school principal with him.”

Trooper had hoped to visit with Charles Graham to ask him about what he’d seen when he stumbled on the bodies of Mary and Jimmy Myers and Larry Abbott. Today, obviously, wouldn’t be the time for such a talk, but perhaps it was best that their first meeting be a social one. There would be less awkwardness involved in greeting each other in Roy’s driveway than in Trooper calling on Mr. Graham for a formal interview.

Carly shut her door and walked around the front of the car. “They’re definitely headed this way. Shall we go to meet them?”

“Yeah.” Trooper had forgotten for a second that Carly was with him. Memories from his high school days had flooded back as Mr. Graham approached, a wide smile on his face. Was that unnaturally broad smile an effort to hide the fact that Trooper’s presence was summoning up horrific memories for his former principal?

If so, Mr. Graham was doing an excellent job of hiding it. He lengthened his steps and strode down the driveway, leaving Roy several steps behind him. Trooper was less than eager for the meeting and was glad to have Carly along to serve as a sort of diversion. He took her arm and they strolled side by side toward the man rushing toward them.

They were still ten feet apart when Mr. Graham called out. “Trooper! You’re a sight for sore eyes. How are you, son?”

Trooper hadn’t been called “son” in a number of years and didn’t particularly appreciate it today, but he forced a smile. “Hello, Mr. Graham. You’re looking good yourself. Have you met Carly Morrison?”

Unfortunately, Trooper’s efforts to deflect Mr. Graham’s attentions didn’t work. Although the older man nodded at Carly, he didn’t take his eyes off Trooper. He stuck out his hand, forcing a handshake that he maintained a few seconds longer than Trooper was comfortable with, then said, “Now, now, Trooper, we’re both grown men. No more of this ‘Mr. Graham’ business. Call me Charles.”

“Okay, Charles.” He paused, aware that he didn’t have any idea what to say next. Fortunately, Carly appeared to recognize the sudden awkward gap in the conversation and jumped in.