Dying Scream by Mary Burton Page A

garden and have friends up for long weekends.”
    “Craig their only child?”
    “Yes. Born to them after they’d been married about eight years. You never saw a daddy as proud as Robert Thornton when Craig was born. That boy never did without once.”
    Marie smiled. “He threw a big party to celebrate Craig’s birth.”
    Gage noted Dwayne’s frown. The man had something on his mind regarding Robert Thornton. He paused, believing the man had more to say. He did.
    “Thornton’s spoiling just about ruined that boy. I can’t tell you how many late-night calls I got from Craig asking if I could pick him up from a party because he’d been drinking too much.”
    “Why didn’t he call his father?”
    “Didn’t want to disappoint him, I guess. And I was kinda like a Dutch uncle to Craig. A few times I tried to speak to him about his partying ways, but he wasn’t listening. Shame. The boy had so damn much potential.”
    Marie shook her head. “And then he gets killed by a drunk driver and Adrianna loses her baby. Fate can be so cruel.”
    Gage thought about the accident photos. His blood ran cold each time he thought of Adrianna encased in twisted metal. “What happened after Craig’s accident?”
    Dwayne’s eyes darkened, his anger almost palpable. “You never did see a better wife than Adrianna. She stuck by Craig, even when doctors said he’d be in a coma forever. No better wife.”
    Gage wrote Adrianna on his notepad and circled it three times. “Do you have any idea who might be buried on that property?”
    Both shook their heads but Marie was the one that answered. “It’s caught us all by surprise. We’re all just sick about it.”
    Dwayne shook his head. “Hell of a way to end up. Too bad. But the timing couldn’t be worse for Adrianna. Poor thing just wants to be done with the place.”
    “You like Adrianna?”
    Dwayne nodded, unapologetic. “Kind of like a daughter to me. I’ve watched her grow up. Handle some nasty stuff with her folks.”
    “Such as?” His own curiosity about the woman prompted the question.
    “Her mother suffered from all kinds of health issues. She’s kind of fragile. And her dad didn’t have much use for either one of them.”
    Marie interjected, “Mr. Barrington was always working.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “Miss Frances and Miss Margaret talked. Hard not to hear.”
    “Who else did Craig date other than Adrianna?”
    Dwayne looked puzzled, shook his head. “A few girls in high school, maybe one or two in college. He and Adrianna didn’t get serious until his junior year of college.”
    Marie answered, “Once he and Adrianna got together I don’t think he looked at other women.”
    “No one from work?”
    Dwayne shook his head. “No. He was dedicated to Adrianna. Fact, there was a time a few years back they broke up for the summer. He was a wreck.”
    “Why’d they break up?”
    Marie frowned. “Truth be told, Craig did have some growing up to do. And I think he did a lot that summer. Losing Adrianna was like a bucket of ice water on his head. He straightened up. And in the end Adrianna saw that and came back to him.”
    Gage cleared his throat. “While they were apart, did he date anyone else?”
    Dwayne shook his head. “That I don’t know.”
    Marie shook her head. “He was so sad during that time. If he did date anyone, it wouldn’t have been serious. He wanted Adrianna back.”
    Gage let the comment pass. “Have you seen anyone on the property lately that didn’t fit?”
    “I’m not there every day, but when I am it’s quiet.” Marie snapped her fingers. “I did see that Mr. Mazur on the property last fall, right before Craig died. I asked him what he was doing here and he said he’d always admired the place. He was just walking the property. Left without a word.”
    “Anyone else?”
    Marie shook her head. “No. Like I said, the place is quiet since Miss Frances died. There is that Dr. Heckman fellow. Creepy. Always manages to