Mavis smiled at Joanna with an obvious feeling of sisterhood. “Wouldn’t they both be pleased to hear us quoting them?”
Joanna nodded. “Definitely. Aunt Sarah always said that fame was the number of people who remembered you after you were gone.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” Mavis shook her head, then blurted out, “Oh, gosh, Joanna, you sure look like her!”
“Caroline? So I hear.”
“You don’t sound like her, not a bit, and you’re so relaxed and friendly where she was sort of shy, I guess—”
“Shy? I read somewhere that she spoke in public quite a lot.”
“Oh, she did—at least, pretty often. Committees and the PTA, that sort of thing. But when it was one-on-one like this, just casual-like, she always seemed shy, at least to me. Quiet, hardly talked at all. Didn’t smile much. She was beautiful—I mean, hey, look in the mirror!—but kindof … subdued. She just didn’t sparkle, know what I mean?”
“I think so,” Joanna said slowly.
“Except when Regan was with her, of course. She did love that little girl, and it really showed.”
“I keep hearing that.”
Is that why Caroline wanted me here? Because of some danger to Regan? But what could it be?
“I met Regan, and she seemed … sort of frozen. Very alone. I had to remind myself that she still had her father.”
Mavis’s cheerful smile faded and she looked away from Joanna, not quite guarded but definitely uncomfortable. “Oh, yeah, she has him. But from what I’ve seen and heard, the poor kid might as well be a complete orphan. I’ve never seen a man with less interest in his own kid.”
Another one who didn’t like Scott
. “You mean, just now? Or—”
“No, he’s been that way most of Regan’s life. I guess some men should never be fathers. Everybody figures Caroline wanted kids and he just went along with the idea, the way he went along with all her ideas.”
“Was Caroline so … persuasive?” Joanna asked slowly.
“With men she was.” Mavis’s gaze returned to Joanna, and she made a little sound that might have denoted unwilling admiration. “She had that way about her, you know? Sort of helpless on the outside, and always needing a man to do one thing or another for her. Why, even the sheriff was more or less at her beck and call.”
“They were close?” It took an effort, but Joanna kept her voice only mildly interested.
Mavis looked thoughtful. “Well, I heard once that they were
very
close, if you know what I mean. But I never saw anything to prove that, and honestly, it might have been just gossip. All I know for sure is that he always seemed to have time to help her if she needed him. But I have to say, that’s true of most everybody in Cliffside. He’s an awfully good sheriff, Joanna. And he finds out things, you know? Imean, we don’t have a lot of crime here, but Sheriff Cavanaugh gets to the bottom of what we do have pretty quick. My Danny, he says the sheriff is like a terrier after a rat when he’s trying to solve a problem.”
Great. Just great. And he’s suspicious of me
.
“Sounds like he’s suited to his job,” was her only comment.
“I’ll say. We’re lucky to have him.”
Joanna nodded in casual agreement, but her thoughts were anything but casual. A terrier after a rat equaled a man dedicated to the truth, but if that man had been involved with a victim of a so-called accident, even supposing he had not been involved in causing that accident, just how deeply would he dig for the truth?
“Another Coke, Joanna? Or something to eat? It’ll be lunchtime soon, you know.”
“I’m not really hungry,” Joanna said, conjuring a faint smile. “I think I’ll go on with my shopping now that I’ve rested.”
“For a little town,” Mavis offered proudly, “we have some pretty good stuff, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Joanna said. “Oh, yeah.”
It was after two o’clock when Joanna came out of On the Corner to find Griffin leaning back against the
Joanna nodded. “Definitely. Aunt Sarah always said that fame was the number of people who remembered you after you were gone.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” Mavis shook her head, then blurted out, “Oh, gosh, Joanna, you sure look like her!”
“Caroline? So I hear.”
“You don’t sound like her, not a bit, and you’re so relaxed and friendly where she was sort of shy, I guess—”
“Shy? I read somewhere that she spoke in public quite a lot.”
“Oh, she did—at least, pretty often. Committees and the PTA, that sort of thing. But when it was one-on-one like this, just casual-like, she always seemed shy, at least to me. Quiet, hardly talked at all. Didn’t smile much. She was beautiful—I mean, hey, look in the mirror!—but kindof … subdued. She just didn’t sparkle, know what I mean?”
“I think so,” Joanna said slowly.
“Except when Regan was with her, of course. She did love that little girl, and it really showed.”
“I keep hearing that.”
Is that why Caroline wanted me here? Because of some danger to Regan? But what could it be?
“I met Regan, and she seemed … sort of frozen. Very alone. I had to remind myself that she still had her father.”
Mavis’s cheerful smile faded and she looked away from Joanna, not quite guarded but definitely uncomfortable. “Oh, yeah, she has him. But from what I’ve seen and heard, the poor kid might as well be a complete orphan. I’ve never seen a man with less interest in his own kid.”
Another one who didn’t like Scott
. “You mean, just now? Or—”
“No, he’s been that way most of Regan’s life. I guess some men should never be fathers. Everybody figures Caroline wanted kids and he just went along with the idea, the way he went along with all her ideas.”
“Was Caroline so … persuasive?” Joanna asked slowly.
“With men she was.” Mavis’s gaze returned to Joanna, and she made a little sound that might have denoted unwilling admiration. “She had that way about her, you know? Sort of helpless on the outside, and always needing a man to do one thing or another for her. Why, even the sheriff was more or less at her beck and call.”
“They were close?” It took an effort, but Joanna kept her voice only mildly interested.
Mavis looked thoughtful. “Well, I heard once that they were
very
close, if you know what I mean. But I never saw anything to prove that, and honestly, it might have been just gossip. All I know for sure is that he always seemed to have time to help her if she needed him. But I have to say, that’s true of most everybody in Cliffside. He’s an awfully good sheriff, Joanna. And he finds out things, you know? Imean, we don’t have a lot of crime here, but Sheriff Cavanaugh gets to the bottom of what we do have pretty quick. My Danny, he says the sheriff is like a terrier after a rat when he’s trying to solve a problem.”
Great. Just great. And he’s suspicious of me
.
“Sounds like he’s suited to his job,” was her only comment.
“I’ll say. We’re lucky to have him.”
Joanna nodded in casual agreement, but her thoughts were anything but casual. A terrier after a rat equaled a man dedicated to the truth, but if that man had been involved with a victim of a so-called accident, even supposing he had not been involved in causing that accident, just how deeply would he dig for the truth?
“Another Coke, Joanna? Or something to eat? It’ll be lunchtime soon, you know.”
“I’m not really hungry,” Joanna said, conjuring a faint smile. “I think I’ll go on with my shopping now that I’ve rested.”
“For a little town,” Mavis offered proudly, “we have some pretty good stuff, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Joanna said. “Oh, yeah.”
It was after two o’clock when Joanna came out of On the Corner to find Griffin leaning back against the
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