moment. “Do you think you could look into something for me? I’ve been checking some of the newspapers and public records, trying to get information about Susan. I found out she drowned at a place called Folly Beach in South Carolina in August 1989. Is there any chance you could find out what’s in the records there about Susan? I know you’re busy and everything, but I was just thinking …”
She ended with a hopeful lift of her eyebrows.
“It’s not technically police business since we’d have no reason to reopen the case, but let me see what I can find out for you. You said Folly Beach, South Carolina, in August of 1989?”
Annie nodded, and Chief Edwards wrote the information down on the yellow legal pad on his desk.
“Something that long ago may take a little while to hear back on, but I’ll give it a try.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’m not making any guarantees, you realize.”
“I know that, but if you can find out something, anything at all.” Annie exhaled. “I can’t help thinking there must be more to know. Why else would someone want to warn me to stay out of Susan’s business?”
The chief’s face was grave. “There is that. And I’m sorry we don’t have an answer to that particular question yet.”
Annie smiled. “There’s not much to go on, is there?”
“No, but we’ll keep our eyes open, don’t you worry. And on this Charleston matter, I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”
10
When Annie got home, she got out her recipe book and the ingredients for chocolate-chip cookies. Baking was such a soothingly ordinary task, and the twins would definitely enjoy a special surprise from Grammy. While she was in the middle of making the dough, her telephone rang.
“Sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you about Tom Maxwell working on the cabinets,” Mary Beth said. “With one thing and another, I’ve been really busy. Today I marked down the embroidery floss, and it’s flying off the shelves.”
“You’re not putting your wool yarns on sale anytime soon, are you?”
“I’ll make sure you’re the first to know. Now, do you want the good news or the bad news?”
Annie wedged the phone between her shoulder and the side of her head and went back to mixing cookie dough. “Hmm, if there’s bad news, you’d better sweeten it with the good stuff first.”
“I finally got the right cabinets in. I made the delivery guy stand there while I opened every one of the boxes and made sure they had sent what I ordered.”
Annie chuckled.
“And I talked to Tom Maxwell. He can do my cabinets, and his rates aren’t bad at all.”
“Great. I want to find out if his wife is all right and then drop the whole thing.”
“OK,” Mary Beth said, “but you’ll have to be patient until next week.”
“Next week?”
“That’s the bad news. Tom won’t be able to come until Monday. But it will probably take a day or two for him to get everything assembled and installed, so that’ll give you plenty of time to talk to his wife while he’s occupied.”
“OK, I guess that’ll have to do. Hang on. I need to put in some chocolate chips.” Annie put down the phone, added the semisweet morsels she had measured out, and then put the phone back to her ear. “Anyway, I guess if Sandy Maxwell’s been OK for this long, a few more days won’t make a big difference.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t have better news about Susan,” Mary Beth said, “but I see that hasn’t discouraged your sleuthing tendencies.”
“Ah, well, I guess we don’t always get happy endings, but at least I know what happened. And this thing with Sandy Maxwell isn’t a real mystery or anything. Just a neighbor checking on a neighbor. That can’t be a bad thing, can it?”
“Annie, you’re a sweetheart. And I bet you’re baking something to give to somebody else.”
Annie laughed and started stirring again. “Just some chocolate-chip cookies to send down to the
She ended with a hopeful lift of her eyebrows.
“It’s not technically police business since we’d have no reason to reopen the case, but let me see what I can find out for you. You said Folly Beach, South Carolina, in August of 1989?”
Annie nodded, and Chief Edwards wrote the information down on the yellow legal pad on his desk.
“Something that long ago may take a little while to hear back on, but I’ll give it a try.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’m not making any guarantees, you realize.”
“I know that, but if you can find out something, anything at all.” Annie exhaled. “I can’t help thinking there must be more to know. Why else would someone want to warn me to stay out of Susan’s business?”
The chief’s face was grave. “There is that. And I’m sorry we don’t have an answer to that particular question yet.”
Annie smiled. “There’s not much to go on, is there?”
“No, but we’ll keep our eyes open, don’t you worry. And on this Charleston matter, I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”
10
When Annie got home, she got out her recipe book and the ingredients for chocolate-chip cookies. Baking was such a soothingly ordinary task, and the twins would definitely enjoy a special surprise from Grammy. While she was in the middle of making the dough, her telephone rang.
“Sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you about Tom Maxwell working on the cabinets,” Mary Beth said. “With one thing and another, I’ve been really busy. Today I marked down the embroidery floss, and it’s flying off the shelves.”
“You’re not putting your wool yarns on sale anytime soon, are you?”
“I’ll make sure you’re the first to know. Now, do you want the good news or the bad news?”
Annie wedged the phone between her shoulder and the side of her head and went back to mixing cookie dough. “Hmm, if there’s bad news, you’d better sweeten it with the good stuff first.”
“I finally got the right cabinets in. I made the delivery guy stand there while I opened every one of the boxes and made sure they had sent what I ordered.”
Annie chuckled.
“And I talked to Tom Maxwell. He can do my cabinets, and his rates aren’t bad at all.”
“Great. I want to find out if his wife is all right and then drop the whole thing.”
“OK,” Mary Beth said, “but you’ll have to be patient until next week.”
“Next week?”
“That’s the bad news. Tom won’t be able to come until Monday. But it will probably take a day or two for him to get everything assembled and installed, so that’ll give you plenty of time to talk to his wife while he’s occupied.”
“OK, I guess that’ll have to do. Hang on. I need to put in some chocolate chips.” Annie put down the phone, added the semisweet morsels she had measured out, and then put the phone back to her ear. “Anyway, I guess if Sandy Maxwell’s been OK for this long, a few more days won’t make a big difference.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t have better news about Susan,” Mary Beth said, “but I see that hasn’t discouraged your sleuthing tendencies.”
“Ah, well, I guess we don’t always get happy endings, but at least I know what happened. And this thing with Sandy Maxwell isn’t a real mystery or anything. Just a neighbor checking on a neighbor. That can’t be a bad thing, can it?”
“Annie, you’re a sweetheart. And I bet you’re baking something to give to somebody else.”
Annie laughed and started stirring again. “Just some chocolate-chip cookies to send down to the
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