Holly Grove Homecoming (26 page)

She swiped her screen. “Hello. Are you still at the sheriff’s office?”

She listened a minute. “Oh, okay. I’m sorry you’re going to have to do that. I know you preferred to avoid it, but obviously that’s not going to be possible. What? Oh, no need for you to call Myrna. I’m standing here with her right now. We were both out watering our flowers and I walked over to try to learn some of her secrets for growing healthy impatiens. I’ll give her your message. Talk to you later.”

When she disconnected and turned to pass along Trooper’s message, she realized that Myrna was no longer paying her any attention. Instead her gaze was fixed on the sidewalk, and a welcoming smile tilted her lips. “Hello, Sam. It’s good to see you. You haven’t been out walking in a while.”

Carly spun to get a look at their visitor and was surprised to see Mr. Underwood slowly making his way toward them. He smiled and tossed up his hand in greeting.

Both Carly and Myrna stood silently and watched him approach. He finally reached them and paused, then nodded toward Carly. “Good day, Miss Morrison. I haven’t seen you lately.”

Carly returned his smile. “Unfortunately, this heat has made a coward of me. I probably won’t be back out walking until the weather cools off.”

“Well, I can’t blame you for that.” He nodded again and turned to Myrna. “I’ll bet you’re thrilled to have Trooper back in Holly Grove. I’ve enjoyed getting to visit with him a time or two, but I sure was sorry not to have kept Tommy’s papers safe so he could go through them.”

“Oh Sam, that’s not your fault. It could have happened to anybody. Which reminds me, Carly said you’re planning to look for Tommy’s yearbook, but there’s no need. I’m almost positive I know where Nelson’s yearbook is, and I’ll pull it out for him this afternoon.”

“Glad to hear it. I wasn’t looking forward to hunting for Tommy’s. Speaking of Trooper, is he having any luck digging up more information about what happened twenty years ago?”

Myrna glanced at Carly. “What did Nelson have to say when he called a few minutes ago, dear?”

“He didn’t go into details, but he said he’d learned something at the sheriff’s office this morning that meant he’d have to interview Mr. Graham again, even though he doesn’t really want to. As a matter of fact, he asked me to pass a message along to you. He said he’d reached Mr. Graham on his cell phone and discovered that he is out at the lake visiting with Roy. Trooper is going out there to talk to him, so he won’t be home for lunch. He also said to tell you that he’ll bring you some vegetables from Roy’s.”

“Well, that’s nice,” Myrna murmured. “Roy’s good about keeping me supplied with fresh vegetables in the summer months.”

“I wouldn’t mind having some fresh vegetables myself,” Mr. Underwood murmured. “Do you suppose Roy would have any extras if I could make my way out there?”

“Why, you know he would, but I’d be happy to share with you. Sometimes Roy sends me more than I can use.”

“That’s nice of you, Myrna, but I’d love to go out to Roy’s place myself. I haven’t been there in years.”

He shifted his gaze to Carly. “You have a car, don’t you, Miss Morrison?”

Carly smiled. “Of course. I’ll be happy to drive you out to Roy’s. Would you like to go along, Myrna?”

“I sure would. I haven’t been out that way in a month of Sundays. Just let me go inside and grab my purse. What about you, Sam? Do you need to go home before we head out?”

“Yes, I’ll need to lock up.”

“No problem,” Carly assured him. “I’ll go home, get my purse and car keys, and pick both of you up in, say, fifteen minutes. Will that work?”

“Sounds great, dear,” Myrna said, picking up her watering can. “I’ll be ready.”

“That’s fine with me,” Mr. Underwood replied. “I’ll also be ready.” With a quick wave, he turned and hurried down the sidewalk and back toward his house.

Mynra watched for a minute, then grinned. “Don’t that beat all? That’s the fastest I’ve seen Sam walk since his wife passed away. This outing is obviously going to be good for him.”

Carly, too, smiled. “I’m so pleased. Well, I’ll just run along and get everything closed up at home. I’ll see you shortly.”

T
rooper sat
at the table in his uncle Roy’s kitchen, carefully observing Charles Graham’s face. He’d learned a long time ago to judge a person’s tendency toward lying by watching the muscles in their face.

Eyes opened too wide were more telling than when someone dropped their gaze. And tone of voice was also important, not to mention word choice. Someone who used the word “honestly” too frequently was often not being honest at all.

However, Trooper didn’t think Mr. Graham was lying despite the way he began his next sentence: “Honestly, Trooper, I don’t know what else I can tell you. I was upset, as you can imagine, but I don’t think I left anything out of my statement that afternoon. And even if I had remembered something later, well, the sheriff called all of us back in a second time to go over our statements. I read through mine carefully and didn’t think of anything I’d left out.”

“You said the sheriff called ‘all of you’ back in. How many people were at the scene of the murders that afternoon?”

“How many?” Mr. Graham bit his lip. “Let me think. Besides me, there was the sheriff, the ambulance driver, a couple of deputies, and finally, the undertaker.”

“And the sheriff questioned all of you a second time?” Trooper was thinking that if that many people were in and out of the sheriff’s office while that file was lying in plain view, he could never narrow down the number of people who could have slipped the suicide note out.

And of course only one person would have had reason to want it to disappear. He sighed.

Mr. Graham shook his head. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, Trooper, but I can’t think of anyone who was called in to give a statement who would have had any reason to kill three people. Still, the sheriff was extra vigilant, or so it seemed to me at the time. Why, he even had Sam Underwood come in for a second time.”

“Sam Underwood? Why would the sheriff have wanted to question him?”

“I never figured that out. The poor man couldn’t have known anything. He had put your folks’ mail in the mailbox and was starting to pull off when I got there. He told the sheriff he didn’t see or hear anything, so I have no idea why the sheriff wanted him to come in a second time. Guess he was just being extra vigilant, as I said before.”

“Strange that no one has ever mentioned Mr. Underwood’s name in conjunction with what happened that afternoon. I don’t recall any statements by him being included in the copies of files the current sheriff gave me.”

“Maybe they didn’t even write down what he said. After all, he just happened to be delivering mail on his route that afternoon. He didn’t have any information that would prove helpful.”

“Still, if the sheriff was being extra vigilant as you say, I would have thought he’d have included everyone’s statements.”

Mr. Graham shrugged. “I can’t help you with that.”

“I guess not. Thanks for going over everything with me this afternoon. I know it wasn’t pleasant.”

“Not for you either. Of course, if you want to know more about whether Sam Underwood gave a statement, you could ask him. I don’t think he gets away from home much anymore.”

“I will,” Trooper said, then looked toward the back door. “I thought I heard a car pulling up outside.”

His uncle shrugged. “It’s probably just Karen and the kids or one of the other relatives. They all know to come swim anytime they want to. I’ll check in a minute. But first, I was hoping you could help me sort through some vegetables. I’ve got a table full out on the porch.” He motioned toward the screened-in porch at the rear of the house. “I want you to take some home to Myrna.”

“Sure,” Trooper murmured. He really wanted to call Carly and see how her day was going but his uncle rarely asked him for a favor so he decided to put off making that call. He laid his phone on the table and stood. “I’ll be glad to help.”

* * *

B
y the time
Carly went home, fed FluffBall, and locked up, Myrna was standing at the edge of the street waiting to be picked up.

“I’ll just climb in the backseat here in case Sam wants to sit up front,” she informed Carly as she clambered into the back. “I’m looking forward to seeing Roy. You’d think brothers and sisters living in the same town would get together more often.”

Carly murmured something noncommittal and pulled back out into the road.

A couple of minutes later she stopped in front of Mr. Underwood’s house. He must have been watching for her too, because he immediately pushed his front door open and a few seconds later was climbing in beside Myrna.

Carly twisted around so she could look into the backseat. “You can ride up here with me if you’d prefer, Mr. Underwood,” she said.

“No, no, my dear. No offense, but I’d love to ride back here with my old sweetheart.”

Carly’s eyebrows shot up. “You two used to be sweethearts?”

Myrna laughed. “We dated a few times in high school. But then Sam and Marcella started dating and he forgot all about me.”

Carly watched as Sam patted Myrna on the knee. “I could never forget my first girl, but I have to admit that Marcella stole my heart.” He smiled at Carly. “I’m sorry you never got to meet my Marcella. She was a wonderful lady.”

“I’m sure she was.” Carly returned his smile, then straightened in her seat and put her vehicle in gear. “Let’s be on our way.”

Carly smiled to herself as she started driving toward Roy’s farm. Myrna and Sam—happily reminiscing about their high school days—entertained her for the first few miles, but she soon found herself tuning them out. She couldn’t help worrying about Trooper and what he might discover from Charles Graham. It didn’t surprise her that the principal’s name had popped up again in connection with the crimes. She still felt it was a bit too convenient that he’d sent Trooper out of town on an errand right before his parents had been killed.

She was approaching the turn to Roy’s driveway when Myrna reclaimed her attention. “Guess what, Carly?”

“What?”

“I remembered where I put Trooper’s yearbook. It’s on the bookshelf in my bedroom right beside my own from the year when Sam and I graduated. I was just teasing Sam about the picture of him in our yearbook that was made when he had a big part in our senior play. He’s quite the actor. In fact, he received a standing ovation after our final performance. People even called him by his character’s name for the next six months or so.” She laughed. “Didn’t we, Pap?”

Hearing that name after years of searching for Eric’s Pap startled Carly so much that her hand jerked on the steering wheel and the car swerved to the right for a second before she managed to straighten back up again.

Myrna leaned forward and grabbed onto the back of the passenger seat. “My goodness, dear. What happened?”

Carly took a quick breath and improvised. “Sorry! I thought a squirrel had run in front of the car. Guess I’m seeing things this afternoon.”

Myrna settled back in her seat. “No harm done. Look. There’s Roy’s place. I didn’t realize we were so close. I can’t wait to see him.”

No one spoke again while Carly braked, flipped her turn signal on, and slowly turned into Roy’s driveway. Praying that Trooper was still here, she scanned the grounds frantically, looking for his car. She finally spotted it, pulled in toward the house near the back door. She would have driven up to park beside him, but Mr. Underwood spoke up.

“No, no, my dear. If you would, please park under the oaks closer to the lake. I want to walk out onto the dock. It’s such a pretty view from there, and I haven’t seen it in years.”

“No problem,” Carly assured him in as bright a tone as she could manage. “But I’m sure Myrna is eager to see Roy. I’ll walk on up to the house with her.”

Mr. Underwood’s voice turned a touch whiny. “Do you have to? I’m just not that steady on my feet these days, you know. Besides, I had envisioned myself visiting the lake again with a lovely lady on each arm.”

Myrna chimed in. “Come on, Carly. Let’s walk with him. I can wait ten more minutes to see my brother. I haven’t seen him in six weeks.”

Carly rolled to a stop not quite under one of the spreading oaks. She wanted her car in plain view from the house. “Okay, I’ll stop here, close to the lake, but I really think we should tell Roy we’re here. I’ll just dash up to the house, let him know we’re visiting, and then join you for a walk down to the dock.”

She glanced into the rear seat and met Mr. Underwood’s unflinching gaze. He shrugged. “You must do as you see fit, Miss Morrison. Myrna and I can go on to the lake by ourselves.” He shifted his gaze to Myrna. “Remember the time you fell in, my dear, and I had to jump in to save you? I was much stronger in those days, of course. I hope you’ve learned to swim since then.”

Myrna grimaced. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll just stay away from the edge of the dock.”

A chill swept down Carly’s spine. She couldn’t leave Myrna alone with this man. She forced a smile. “I’ll go with you. I’m not in that much of a rush to tell Roy we’re here.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Underwood said, also smiling. “In my weakened condition, I’ll feel better having you along.” He reached for the door handle. As soon as his gaze shifted away from her, Carly pulled her keys from the ignition and promptly dropped them into the floorboard.

“Darn it,” she said. “I’m unusually clumsy today. I’ll just be a second.” As she bent toward the floorboard, she swiped her hand over her cell phone, which had been lying on the seat beside her, and dragged it to the floorboard. While pretending to search for her keys, she managed to key in a text message for Trooper. “Pap. Lake.”

“Shall we come help you look for them, Miss Morrison?” Mr. Underwood called. Both he and Myrna now stood by the back door looking toward her.

“Got them,” Carly called back, twisting in her seat to swing her legs out. As she did, she muted her phone and slipped it into the side pocket of her cargo shorts. She stood and held her keys up, jingling them for good measure.

“Great. Let’s go then,” Mr. Underwood said. “I’m really looking forward to this afternoon.” He paused to wait for Carly to join them, then held out his arms and waited until Myrna slipped her arm through his on the right side. Carly had little choice but to take his other arm while praying that Trooper had received her message and would understand what she was trying to tell him.

Mr. Underwood kept up a steady stream of reminiscences with Myrna as they slowly made their way across the smooth lawn and toward the dock jutting out into the lake.

“That play was a lot of fun for all involved, don’t you think, Myrna?” he asked.

“Yes, indeed,” Myrna responded. Her tone indicated that she had not picked up on any undertones in the conversation. She smiled as she continued. “I just had a minor role in the play and was pretty pathetic with my small part, but everybody was impressed with your acting abilities, Sam. You played the role of Pap to perfection. Some said you should have gone into acting instead of teaching.”

“Teaching?” Carly realized her voice was too shrill and tried to tone it back a bit. “I didn’t know you ever taught school, Mr. Underwood. Weren’t you a postal carrier?”

“Yes, indeed. I retired as a postal carrier, but I taught a few years before I got on at the post office.”

“What grade?” Carly asked.

“High school. I loved teaching, but Marcella wasn’t working then and we just couldn’t make it on a teacher’s salary.”

By this time, they were walking toward the end of the dock. Mr. Underwood had appeared to stumble a time or two and then tightened his hold on Carly. She tried to pull back a little but discovered the man was stronger than she would have expected. Had he been pretending to be feeble the entire time? In any case, she didn’t want to go farther out on that dock with him, especially considering that Myrna couldn’t swim.

She gave a hefty yank on his arm. “Really, Mr. Underwood, we need to go back now. This heat is getting to me, and I’m feeling dizzy.”

He paused. “In that case, you go on back to the car without us. Myrna and I are perfectly capable of walking to the end of the dock by ourselves.” He huffed out a fake laugh. “I just hope Myrna doesn’t fall in. I’d never have the strength to save her by myself.”

Carly recognized a threat when she heard one. Myrna would not be safe if she left her alone with Mr. Underwood. She could only hope Trooper had received her text and interpreted it correctly. She used her free hand to fan her face. “I’m sure it will be cooler on the end of dock. There’s almost always a breeze off the lake, so I’ll go along with the two of you.”

Myrna leaned forward and looked around Mr. Underwood to address Carly. “Are you sure, dear? Sam and I will be just fine if you want to go back. I won’t get near the edge.”

“Don’t be too sure, Myrna,” Mr. Underwood said. “Anyone could hook their toe on one of these uneven boards and pitch into the water.”

Myrna frowned slightly. “That’s silly, Sam. I’m quite capable of watching my step.”

His only response was to take a step forward, his arms still linked with the two women, but Carly had heard enough. She had no idea how, but obviously Mr. Underwood suspected she knew who he was. Time for some action. She jerked free of him and turned to face him.