point standing out in the sun.”
Everyone turned towards the door, letting Jack go first. He went to the elevator. My father stepped up to him.
“Would you like me to come with you? Sometimes it helps to talk.”
“I just want to be alone for a while. I should make some calls, too. But thank you.”
My father put his hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“I’ll check on you in a little while.”
“Thank you.”
He stepped into the elevator, looking bleak and broken. The door closed.
“He’s pretty cut up,” Garth said.
“He’s had a bad blow,” Morley Timms said. He turned his hat in his hands, around and around, his fingers jittering at the brim. “It puts me in mind of some of the fellows during the war. Shell-shocked, we called it. Even strong young men. We saw our share, didn’t we, Garth?”
“I don’t think they want to hear about it, Morley,” he said.
“He was very close to his mother,” I said, thinking of our conversation of the night before. “And of course, he loved your sister, too. It’s as if he’s lost two mothers in six months. That would be hard for anyone.”
“He knew Wilma better than I did, at the end,” Elshaw said, with an undercurrent I couldn’t quite define. Bitterness? Or just sadness?
“Well, let’s not stand around out here,” my father said, briskly, breaking the tension. “I think a cup of coffee might be helpful to us all.”
“Good idea,” I said. “I have to go to the room for a minute, and then I’ll join you.”
I went and used the washroom, and was heading back down the stairs when I ran into Andy.
“Have you got things set up?” I asked.
“They’ve given us the conference room on the second floor for whatever we need. I’ve ordered the coffee.”
“What about donuts?” I asked. “Can’t have an investigation without donuts. Or do Mounties go for muffins?”
“You know their motto,” he said. “They always get their bran.”
I groaned.
“I’m on the way to the café by the pool,” I said. “That’s where most of the people are. I don’t think anyone wants to be alone.”
“Given the situation, I think that’s for the best. I don’t want anyone who received one of those letters on her own right now.”
“Jack’s gone to his room. He said he had to make some calls.”
“I’ll check in with him.”
“Daddy’s keeping an eye on him, too.”
We were in the lobby by then, and were joined by Edna and my mother, who handed Andy a piece of paper.
“These are the women who were in the bar. We’ve put ticks next to the names of the ones who were there until the end. And which one played with Virna on the Belles, or later, for the Fort Wayne Daisies. The ones we know about, anyway.”
Andy took it and looked at it.
“Good work,” he said. “Thanks,”
Edna was looking very upset.
“It was such a good time last night,” she said. “Just a bunch of gals talking about old times and laughing. You don’t think someone at that table killed her, do you?”
“Not necessarily, but the police want to talk to the last people who saw her alive,” Andy said.
“We weren’t the last people,” Edna said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The murderer was,” she said.
Andy and I exchanged a quick look.
“One of us could be the murderer, Edna,” my mother said. “Don’t you see what it looks like? We all get together for the first time in more than forty years, and this happens. It could go back to when we knew each other before.”
“But why?” Edna asked. “She didn’t have enemies back then, that I know of. She was popular. She was the biggest star in the league.”
“What about jealousy?” I asked. “Because she got all the attention.”
“No one is going to kill her after all these years just because she got on the cover of
Life
magazine,” Edna said.
Andy held up the list they’d made.
“Someone here might have the answer,” he said.
My mother changed the subject by asking me about my
Everyone turned towards the door, letting Jack go first. He went to the elevator. My father stepped up to him.
“Would you like me to come with you? Sometimes it helps to talk.”
“I just want to be alone for a while. I should make some calls, too. But thank you.”
My father put his hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“I’ll check on you in a little while.”
“Thank you.”
He stepped into the elevator, looking bleak and broken. The door closed.
“He’s pretty cut up,” Garth said.
“He’s had a bad blow,” Morley Timms said. He turned his hat in his hands, around and around, his fingers jittering at the brim. “It puts me in mind of some of the fellows during the war. Shell-shocked, we called it. Even strong young men. We saw our share, didn’t we, Garth?”
“I don’t think they want to hear about it, Morley,” he said.
“He was very close to his mother,” I said, thinking of our conversation of the night before. “And of course, he loved your sister, too. It’s as if he’s lost two mothers in six months. That would be hard for anyone.”
“He knew Wilma better than I did, at the end,” Elshaw said, with an undercurrent I couldn’t quite define. Bitterness? Or just sadness?
“Well, let’s not stand around out here,” my father said, briskly, breaking the tension. “I think a cup of coffee might be helpful to us all.”
“Good idea,” I said. “I have to go to the room for a minute, and then I’ll join you.”
I went and used the washroom, and was heading back down the stairs when I ran into Andy.
“Have you got things set up?” I asked.
“They’ve given us the conference room on the second floor for whatever we need. I’ve ordered the coffee.”
“What about donuts?” I asked. “Can’t have an investigation without donuts. Or do Mounties go for muffins?”
“You know their motto,” he said. “They always get their bran.”
I groaned.
“I’m on the way to the café by the pool,” I said. “That’s where most of the people are. I don’t think anyone wants to be alone.”
“Given the situation, I think that’s for the best. I don’t want anyone who received one of those letters on her own right now.”
“Jack’s gone to his room. He said he had to make some calls.”
“I’ll check in with him.”
“Daddy’s keeping an eye on him, too.”
We were in the lobby by then, and were joined by Edna and my mother, who handed Andy a piece of paper.
“These are the women who were in the bar. We’ve put ticks next to the names of the ones who were there until the end. And which one played with Virna on the Belles, or later, for the Fort Wayne Daisies. The ones we know about, anyway.”
Andy took it and looked at it.
“Good work,” he said. “Thanks,”
Edna was looking very upset.
“It was such a good time last night,” she said. “Just a bunch of gals talking about old times and laughing. You don’t think someone at that table killed her, do you?”
“Not necessarily, but the police want to talk to the last people who saw her alive,” Andy said.
“We weren’t the last people,” Edna said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The murderer was,” she said.
Andy and I exchanged a quick look.
“One of us could be the murderer, Edna,” my mother said. “Don’t you see what it looks like? We all get together for the first time in more than forty years, and this happens. It could go back to when we knew each other before.”
“But why?” Edna asked. “She didn’t have enemies back then, that I know of. She was popular. She was the biggest star in the league.”
“What about jealousy?” I asked. “Because she got all the attention.”
“No one is going to kill her after all these years just because she got on the cover of
Life
magazine,” Edna said.
Andy held up the list they’d made.
“Someone here might have the answer,” he said.
My mother changed the subject by asking me about my
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