his grandfather's obit. Part of it read that he was survived by "two grandsons," but then no other mention of the elusive Colin. I knew of one grandson, of course, who just so happened to be the current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. But having a second grandson who was completely a secret? In a town this small, with mouths this big, this was absolutely unheard of.
Was it possible to have your entire history erased? On purpose?
A tap on the door made me jump, and I hurried to close the computer and shuffle to the door. The darkness outside was almost complete now, coming later these days, thanks to the genius who invented the Daylight Savings Time idiocy.
Don't get me started.
With my earlier thoughts about the business of murder back on my mind, I snatched a golf umbrella from the bin by the door. I answered with caution pounding in my gut, hoping to see Colin; my stomach growled in expectation of the food he'd promised to bring.
"Well, aren't you in a better mood?" The voice wasn't the raspy tone belonging to Colin, and it certainly wasn't accompanied by heavenly scents of my future stomach contents. Instead it was the infuriating voice of Ty Dempsey.
I bit down on my lip to quell a smarty-pants reply of my own. "Can I come in?" He nodded toward the kitchen behind me.
I stepped back and allowed him to enter. How many times had he been in this very same kitchen over the years? After he cleared the doorway, my eyes did a sweep of the front porch. No mystery man. No food. Sigh.
I closed the door behind me, crossing my arms over my chest, umbrella still in hand.
He turned to face me. He looked tired. Eyes dark. Stress evident on slightly scruffy cheeks. "What's with the umbrella?"
I uncrossed my arms and let it slide down to the floor. Wrapping my hand around the curved handle. "A girl can't be too careful with a possible murderer on the loose."
At the pointed words, he squinted. "We didn't find a body, Mandy."
I attempted to swallow, but my mouth was dry, and the mechanics of the simple throat-clearing maneuver eluded me.
"But it was there, Ty. I don't know what else I can do to convince you."
"I believe you." His words were simple and yet surprising.
"Well, it's about time." His eyes caught mine, and I knew he was biting back his temper. I pressed on. "Did you find the freezer, at least? There might be some DNA in there."
He shook his head. "We went through the official motions. Got the judge to sign off on a warrant and everything. But, when we arrived, the mayor consented to the search, and we found mostly nothing."
"Well, when your sister bends and molds the news to fit her liking…it sort of tips off the suspects, don't you think?"
"Leave Penny out of this…" He swept his hand out toward me in an I'm-drawing-the-line motion. The Dempseys stuck together, and when one turned on you, they all turned on you. It was the story of my life, but I let it drop for now.
"So, what now?" I asked.
"The floor had been recently swept. Who sweeps out their attic on a regular basis?"
I nodded, looking down at the umbrella in my hand and then returning it to the bin by the door. I knew the implications of what he was suggesting. "Did you find anything else suspicious? What did they say when you questioned them?"
Ty rapped his knuckles on the kitchen chair's seatback and seemed to study the chair for a moment. "Same chairs you've always had. Floral Naugahyde. We did our homework here over Aunt Patty's brownies more than once."
The nostalgia in his voice surprised me. It almost sounded longing.
"I miss her." My own words surprised me. I hadn't taken the time to express my grief to anyone. I'd had to remain strong for Paget. I'd had to handle Aunt Patty's affairs, find a job, and get organized. Well, I still wasn't organized, but I'd been a little busy in the last few weeks. I hadn't taken any time for myself.
Ty's study of the chair had refocused into a study of me. I watched his Adam's apple move up and down as he
Was it possible to have your entire history erased? On purpose?
A tap on the door made me jump, and I hurried to close the computer and shuffle to the door. The darkness outside was almost complete now, coming later these days, thanks to the genius who invented the Daylight Savings Time idiocy.
Don't get me started.
With my earlier thoughts about the business of murder back on my mind, I snatched a golf umbrella from the bin by the door. I answered with caution pounding in my gut, hoping to see Colin; my stomach growled in expectation of the food he'd promised to bring.
"Well, aren't you in a better mood?" The voice wasn't the raspy tone belonging to Colin, and it certainly wasn't accompanied by heavenly scents of my future stomach contents. Instead it was the infuriating voice of Ty Dempsey.
I bit down on my lip to quell a smarty-pants reply of my own. "Can I come in?" He nodded toward the kitchen behind me.
I stepped back and allowed him to enter. How many times had he been in this very same kitchen over the years? After he cleared the doorway, my eyes did a sweep of the front porch. No mystery man. No food. Sigh.
I closed the door behind me, crossing my arms over my chest, umbrella still in hand.
He turned to face me. He looked tired. Eyes dark. Stress evident on slightly scruffy cheeks. "What's with the umbrella?"
I uncrossed my arms and let it slide down to the floor. Wrapping my hand around the curved handle. "A girl can't be too careful with a possible murderer on the loose."
At the pointed words, he squinted. "We didn't find a body, Mandy."
I attempted to swallow, but my mouth was dry, and the mechanics of the simple throat-clearing maneuver eluded me.
"But it was there, Ty. I don't know what else I can do to convince you."
"I believe you." His words were simple and yet surprising.
"Well, it's about time." His eyes caught mine, and I knew he was biting back his temper. I pressed on. "Did you find the freezer, at least? There might be some DNA in there."
He shook his head. "We went through the official motions. Got the judge to sign off on a warrant and everything. But, when we arrived, the mayor consented to the search, and we found mostly nothing."
"Well, when your sister bends and molds the news to fit her liking…it sort of tips off the suspects, don't you think?"
"Leave Penny out of this…" He swept his hand out toward me in an I'm-drawing-the-line motion. The Dempseys stuck together, and when one turned on you, they all turned on you. It was the story of my life, but I let it drop for now.
"So, what now?" I asked.
"The floor had been recently swept. Who sweeps out their attic on a regular basis?"
I nodded, looking down at the umbrella in my hand and then returning it to the bin by the door. I knew the implications of what he was suggesting. "Did you find anything else suspicious? What did they say when you questioned them?"
Ty rapped his knuckles on the kitchen chair's seatback and seemed to study the chair for a moment. "Same chairs you've always had. Floral Naugahyde. We did our homework here over Aunt Patty's brownies more than once."
The nostalgia in his voice surprised me. It almost sounded longing.
"I miss her." My own words surprised me. I hadn't taken the time to express my grief to anyone. I'd had to remain strong for Paget. I'd had to handle Aunt Patty's affairs, find a job, and get organized. Well, I still wasn't organized, but I'd been a little busy in the last few weeks. I hadn't taken any time for myself.
Ty's study of the chair had refocused into a study of me. I watched his Adam's apple move up and down as he
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