handled trouble, but I was still struggling when Marie strode up the sidewalk and stopped just inches from Hildy’s reddening face.
“You thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?” She pointed a finger at Hildy. “You thought you were so clever!”
“I’m not the one who carried on an affair with my minister behind his wife’s back.”
“Don’t blame that on me. I’d have been happy to tell you right after the affair began! Your husband was the one who stopped me. He said there were children to consider.”
“Really? My girls grew up years ago. And if I’m not mistaken, Win remained with me .”
“Well, he had his career to consider, too. He knew you’d try to ruin it if he left you!”
Hildy’s cheeks were the color of ripe tomatoes, but she still hadn’t raised her voice. “He was retired, remember? He stayed with me to the end.”
Marie made a noise of dismissal. “He felt sorry for you.”
“Really, now that I think about it, I don’t know why I didn’t just hand him over to you.”
“Maybe you should have, instead of murdering him!”
I had to step in. I moved closer, so I’d be harder to ignore. “I think enough’s been said here. I’d like you both to back off.”
This was like stepping into the middle of Pickett’s Charge and asking the North and the South to go back to their camps and avoid the Gettysburg slaughter. Neither woman budged.
Marie leaned toward Hildy, as if I hadn’t spoken, and she picked up speed. “I bet you’re wondering why the coroner asked for an autopsy. Do you want to know why? Because I called him myself! I told him Win didn’t die a natural death. I told him that the night Win died, you had just discovered us together and were furious enough to kill him. I told him Win died not more than an hour after my little revelation, although he’d been perfectly well that evening. The coroner was a friend of my husband’s. He knows me. He knows I don’t make accusations lightly!”
I remembered that Marie’s husband had been a surgeon, hence the house in Emerald Estates and the expensive jewelry beautifully accenting what looked like an Armani or maybe a Versace pantsuit.
“I did not kill my husband!” Hildy roared.
Now I inserted myself between the two women. Junie might be a lot heftier than I am, but I’d finally remembered that acting as a physical barrier had always worked for her when things got tough. And thanks to my father, I do a mean karate chop.
“Done,” I said, remembering that repetition was also good. “Done, done, and more done. No more, either of you. This isn’t going to help anybody or anything. And you will not come to blows in my front yard. Please don’t make me demonstrate how I know.”
Marie gasped and stepped back. “Of course you would side with her! You’re two of a kind.”
Now that hurt, but I didn’t let on. I was suddenly glad the Grandower pledge was so small. Call me practical, but when I recounted this scene to Ed, I didn’t want to do it with smelling salts at the ready.
“I think you need to leave, Marie.” I took Hildy’s arm. “And we need to get to the church, Hildy.”
“If you try to come to the graveside service,” Hildy told Marie, “I will tell the funeral director to eject you.”
Marie gave a nasty laugh. “I have my memories.”
“We are so leaving.” I tugged, and Hildy gave ground. In a moment we were moving over the damp grass toward the alley that separates the church and our house. I didn’t look back to see what Marie was doing, but I was fairly confident with Hildy gone, she wouldn’t stand there. She would head back to her lavish home and pull out her mental scrapbook, with its many empty pages. Despite what she’d said, Marie’s memories wouldn’t be much comfort.
“I didn’t murder Win,” Hildy said, when we were finally off the lawn and nearing the church. “I didn’t.”
“I believe you.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.
“You thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?” She pointed a finger at Hildy. “You thought you were so clever!”
“I’m not the one who carried on an affair with my minister behind his wife’s back.”
“Don’t blame that on me. I’d have been happy to tell you right after the affair began! Your husband was the one who stopped me. He said there were children to consider.”
“Really? My girls grew up years ago. And if I’m not mistaken, Win remained with me .”
“Well, he had his career to consider, too. He knew you’d try to ruin it if he left you!”
Hildy’s cheeks were the color of ripe tomatoes, but she still hadn’t raised her voice. “He was retired, remember? He stayed with me to the end.”
Marie made a noise of dismissal. “He felt sorry for you.”
“Really, now that I think about it, I don’t know why I didn’t just hand him over to you.”
“Maybe you should have, instead of murdering him!”
I had to step in. I moved closer, so I’d be harder to ignore. “I think enough’s been said here. I’d like you both to back off.”
This was like stepping into the middle of Pickett’s Charge and asking the North and the South to go back to their camps and avoid the Gettysburg slaughter. Neither woman budged.
Marie leaned toward Hildy, as if I hadn’t spoken, and she picked up speed. “I bet you’re wondering why the coroner asked for an autopsy. Do you want to know why? Because I called him myself! I told him Win didn’t die a natural death. I told him that the night Win died, you had just discovered us together and were furious enough to kill him. I told him Win died not more than an hour after my little revelation, although he’d been perfectly well that evening. The coroner was a friend of my husband’s. He knows me. He knows I don’t make accusations lightly!”
I remembered that Marie’s husband had been a surgeon, hence the house in Emerald Estates and the expensive jewelry beautifully accenting what looked like an Armani or maybe a Versace pantsuit.
“I did not kill my husband!” Hildy roared.
Now I inserted myself between the two women. Junie might be a lot heftier than I am, but I’d finally remembered that acting as a physical barrier had always worked for her when things got tough. And thanks to my father, I do a mean karate chop.
“Done,” I said, remembering that repetition was also good. “Done, done, and more done. No more, either of you. This isn’t going to help anybody or anything. And you will not come to blows in my front yard. Please don’t make me demonstrate how I know.”
Marie gasped and stepped back. “Of course you would side with her! You’re two of a kind.”
Now that hurt, but I didn’t let on. I was suddenly glad the Grandower pledge was so small. Call me practical, but when I recounted this scene to Ed, I didn’t want to do it with smelling salts at the ready.
“I think you need to leave, Marie.” I took Hildy’s arm. “And we need to get to the church, Hildy.”
“If you try to come to the graveside service,” Hildy told Marie, “I will tell the funeral director to eject you.”
Marie gave a nasty laugh. “I have my memories.”
“We are so leaving.” I tugged, and Hildy gave ground. In a moment we were moving over the damp grass toward the alley that separates the church and our house. I didn’t look back to see what Marie was doing, but I was fairly confident with Hildy gone, she wouldn’t stand there. She would head back to her lavish home and pull out her mental scrapbook, with its many empty pages. Despite what she’d said, Marie’s memories wouldn’t be much comfort.
“I didn’t murder Win,” Hildy said, when we were finally off the lawn and nearing the church. “I didn’t.”
“I believe you.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.
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