he'll let her leave him?"
Sheila set her glass down carefully. "That bothers me, Ruby. What you just said, I mean. Robbins may have had a motive, but there's no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. No gun, no prints, no blood drops, no witness, nothing. And he's got an alibi. Rosemary was killed while he was with his sister."
"His sister!" Ruby exploded angrily. "I keep telling you, you can't trust a sister!"
"Ruby!" Pam and Sheila and I protested, and Ruby subsided. "Not our kind of sister," she muttered. "You know what I mean."
Maggie crossed her arms on the table and leaned on them. "If her ex-husband didn't kill her," she said softly, "who did?"
"I wonder if she was involved with somebody," Ruby mused. "That would've made Robbins see red." When Ruby gets her teeth into something, she holds on.
"She was seeing Jeff Clark," Sheila said, almost reluctantly.
"Jeff Clark. That's the man who owns The Springs Hotel, isn't it?" Pam asked. "I met him when our department hosted a seminar there."
"Jeff Clark?" Ruby asked. "No kidding. I went to high school with Jeff." Unlike the rest of us, Ruby was born and raised in Pecan Springs.
I looked at Sheila. "I guess you and McQuaid are the only people who knew about that," I said. "How did you find out?"
"She told me. We went out to happy hour a few weeks ago, to celebrate finalizing my taxes. She'd just come from — " Sheila hesitated. "She was, well, sort of excited about something. Otherwise, I don't think she would have told me about Jeff Clark. She never talked about her personal life."
"Kind of late filing your taxes, weren't you?" Pam asked teasingly.
Sheila grinned. "That's what accountants are for—to file extensions."
"What did she say about Jeff Clark?" Ruby asked, shamelessly curious.
"Apparently they met when he asked her to straighten out a few things in the hotel books. The relationship was pretty serious, but she was keeping it quiet. I gathered that she didn't want her ex-husband to know. Or maybe he wasn't her ex, at that point. I don't remember when they were divorced." Sheila paused and I thought she might say something else. But Ruby spoke up again.
"There, you see?" She pounded her fist on the table. "She was afraid of Robbins. She was scared he'd be violent."
"Well, maybe," Sheila said thoughtfully. "Or maybe she just didn't want to hurt him."
Ruby didn't pay any attention. "There's the motive," she said excitedly. "Robbins was already upset about her getting a divorce. When he found out about Jeff Clark, he came unglued and — "
"You're guessing, Ruby," Maggie said firmly. "As
Sheila says, there's no evidence. And you can't know what was in the man's heart. Nobody can know what's in anyone's heart."
I turned to Sheila. "Anything new from the PSPD on the investigation?"
"Nothing, as far as I know. If they've found the gun, I haven't heard about it."
Ondine stirred, and I turned to look at her. Her silver-flecked eyes were intent, her gaze turned inward, as if she were seeing something we could not see. We stopped talking, and the noise of the conversations around us seemed suddenly muted, as if somebody had lowered a glass dome over our table. Ruby leaned forward to speak, but Ondine made a gesture that established distance. Ruby sat back as abruptly as if she'd gotten an electrical shock.
"They will find it tomorrow," Ondine said. She spoke in the ringing oracular voice used by La Que Sabe, a voice rich in harmonic vibration and overtone, full of portent.
"Find what?" Sheila asked curiously. She had not yet been introduced to Ondine's supernatural buddy and had no way of knowing that this was supposed to be a Significant Pronouncement.
Ondine impaled Sheila with a long look. "They will find the weapon beside the river."
"How the hell do you know?" Sheila asked incredulously.
Ruby twisted. "Sometimes Ondine has .. . well, intuitions."
Pam put her hand on Sheila's arm. "I'll explain later," she said, sotto voce.
Sheila ignored
Sheila set her glass down carefully. "That bothers me, Ruby. What you just said, I mean. Robbins may have had a motive, but there's no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. No gun, no prints, no blood drops, no witness, nothing. And he's got an alibi. Rosemary was killed while he was with his sister."
"His sister!" Ruby exploded angrily. "I keep telling you, you can't trust a sister!"
"Ruby!" Pam and Sheila and I protested, and Ruby subsided. "Not our kind of sister," she muttered. "You know what I mean."
Maggie crossed her arms on the table and leaned on them. "If her ex-husband didn't kill her," she said softly, "who did?"
"I wonder if she was involved with somebody," Ruby mused. "That would've made Robbins see red." When Ruby gets her teeth into something, she holds on.
"She was seeing Jeff Clark," Sheila said, almost reluctantly.
"Jeff Clark. That's the man who owns The Springs Hotel, isn't it?" Pam asked. "I met him when our department hosted a seminar there."
"Jeff Clark?" Ruby asked. "No kidding. I went to high school with Jeff." Unlike the rest of us, Ruby was born and raised in Pecan Springs.
I looked at Sheila. "I guess you and McQuaid are the only people who knew about that," I said. "How did you find out?"
"She told me. We went out to happy hour a few weeks ago, to celebrate finalizing my taxes. She'd just come from — " Sheila hesitated. "She was, well, sort of excited about something. Otherwise, I don't think she would have told me about Jeff Clark. She never talked about her personal life."
"Kind of late filing your taxes, weren't you?" Pam asked teasingly.
Sheila grinned. "That's what accountants are for—to file extensions."
"What did she say about Jeff Clark?" Ruby asked, shamelessly curious.
"Apparently they met when he asked her to straighten out a few things in the hotel books. The relationship was pretty serious, but she was keeping it quiet. I gathered that she didn't want her ex-husband to know. Or maybe he wasn't her ex, at that point. I don't remember when they were divorced." Sheila paused and I thought she might say something else. But Ruby spoke up again.
"There, you see?" She pounded her fist on the table. "She was afraid of Robbins. She was scared he'd be violent."
"Well, maybe," Sheila said thoughtfully. "Or maybe she just didn't want to hurt him."
Ruby didn't pay any attention. "There's the motive," she said excitedly. "Robbins was already upset about her getting a divorce. When he found out about Jeff Clark, he came unglued and — "
"You're guessing, Ruby," Maggie said firmly. "As
Sheila says, there's no evidence. And you can't know what was in the man's heart. Nobody can know what's in anyone's heart."
I turned to Sheila. "Anything new from the PSPD on the investigation?"
"Nothing, as far as I know. If they've found the gun, I haven't heard about it."
Ondine stirred, and I turned to look at her. Her silver-flecked eyes were intent, her gaze turned inward, as if she were seeing something we could not see. We stopped talking, and the noise of the conversations around us seemed suddenly muted, as if somebody had lowered a glass dome over our table. Ruby leaned forward to speak, but Ondine made a gesture that established distance. Ruby sat back as abruptly as if she'd gotten an electrical shock.
"They will find it tomorrow," Ondine said. She spoke in the ringing oracular voice used by La Que Sabe, a voice rich in harmonic vibration and overtone, full of portent.
"Find what?" Sheila asked curiously. She had not yet been introduced to Ondine's supernatural buddy and had no way of knowing that this was supposed to be a Significant Pronouncement.
Ondine impaled Sheila with a long look. "They will find the weapon beside the river."
"How the hell do you know?" Sheila asked incredulously.
Ruby twisted. "Sometimes Ondine has .. . well, intuitions."
Pam put her hand on Sheila's arm. "I'll explain later," she said, sotto voce.
Sheila ignored
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