dispatcher for the city’s emergency services. She has been at it for years, and she’s good at her job. At best I thought she might know something that wasn’t public knowledge. At the least she could paint me a picture of what the local police heard, did, and concluded in those first few days. Susie and I were, if not friends, friendly acquaintances, thanks to Kiwanis. The year I’d been president of the club, she’d been secretary, which necessitated a lot of working together. It was time to do lunch, and I knew just where to look for her.
McPub is the trendy eating spot in the tiny old-town section of Allport. It’s one of those dark-paneled eateries with classical music in the background and art posters on the walls. They serve over-priced salads, sweet-potato fries, and twenty different kinds of beer. On any Friday between twelve and one, the local gentry gather, celebrating the end of the work week. Knowing I’d be welcome, I invited myself along for this Friday’s lunch.
The table was almost full when I got there, and Susie was elbow-to-elbow with two other women. Someone invited me to sit on the opposite end, and I spent a pleasant hour catching up. It was good to see everyone after my winter stay at my condo in Florida, and I love McPub’s food. The noise level was high as one person after another told stories to entertain the group. We all laughed even though we’d heard most of them before.
When lunch was over, I caught up with Susie just outside the place. “Suze, can I walk back to the station with you? I need your help.”
“Sure.” She balanced her take-out carton on her purse for a moment while she dug in her pocket for sunglasses. “I’m starting to get frown lines, so I’m fighting back.”
Checking to see that no one was near us I said, “I understand you knew Neil Brown.”
She turned to look at me for a moment, but the dark glasses kept me from reading her eyes. “We were in school together. It was terrible what happened.”
I didn’t ask if she thought he’d killed his wife. “Were you on duty when the call came?”
Her gaze slid in my direction. “Yeah.” There was a question in it.
“My sisters are trying to help Meredith find him.”
She sighed. “I heard about the brain tumor. Poor kid.”
Faye hadn’t known the specifics of Meredith’s condition. “Brain tumor?”
“Yeah. They say it’s benign, but they have to remove it. The tricky part is getting it all so it can’t grow back.”
“That’s awful.” We paused for a while, reflecting on the fact that you’re fine one day and not fine the next. “If there’s anything you can tell us that might help, we’d appreciate it.”
She blew out a breath. “I took the call, that’s it. Wozniak was shouting they were dead.”
“Then later you heard Carina was still alive?”
“She lived till they got her to the hospital, but I don’t think she really had a chance. It gave the doctors time to save the baby, though. Have you ever seen Brooke?”
“Not that I know of.”
“She’s a doll. Looks just like Neil, and she’s got his temperament, too. Not like Carina.”
“Carina was difficult?”
“Humph.” That was it for a few moments, but she added, almost to herself. “She did not deserve him, and I don’t care if that’s speaking ill of the dead. Neil did everything to make their marriage work, but Carina was a selfish, scheming brat.”
A note in her voice sent three clear signals. First, Susie Mason had feelings for Neil Brown she couldn’t quite hide. Second, she’d seen Neil and Carina’s relationship the same way Meredith had, and finally, she’d said all she was going to on the subject. I switched to questions about how her daughter was doing in track, listened for a few minutes, then watched her disappear into the dispatch office, heels clicking on the sidewalk like military drumbeats. There was something more than a friend’s outrage at work. Susie was hiding
McPub is the trendy eating spot in the tiny old-town section of Allport. It’s one of those dark-paneled eateries with classical music in the background and art posters on the walls. They serve over-priced salads, sweet-potato fries, and twenty different kinds of beer. On any Friday between twelve and one, the local gentry gather, celebrating the end of the work week. Knowing I’d be welcome, I invited myself along for this Friday’s lunch.
The table was almost full when I got there, and Susie was elbow-to-elbow with two other women. Someone invited me to sit on the opposite end, and I spent a pleasant hour catching up. It was good to see everyone after my winter stay at my condo in Florida, and I love McPub’s food. The noise level was high as one person after another told stories to entertain the group. We all laughed even though we’d heard most of them before.
When lunch was over, I caught up with Susie just outside the place. “Suze, can I walk back to the station with you? I need your help.”
“Sure.” She balanced her take-out carton on her purse for a moment while she dug in her pocket for sunglasses. “I’m starting to get frown lines, so I’m fighting back.”
Checking to see that no one was near us I said, “I understand you knew Neil Brown.”
She turned to look at me for a moment, but the dark glasses kept me from reading her eyes. “We were in school together. It was terrible what happened.”
I didn’t ask if she thought he’d killed his wife. “Were you on duty when the call came?”
Her gaze slid in my direction. “Yeah.” There was a question in it.
“My sisters are trying to help Meredith find him.”
She sighed. “I heard about the brain tumor. Poor kid.”
Faye hadn’t known the specifics of Meredith’s condition. “Brain tumor?”
“Yeah. They say it’s benign, but they have to remove it. The tricky part is getting it all so it can’t grow back.”
“That’s awful.” We paused for a while, reflecting on the fact that you’re fine one day and not fine the next. “If there’s anything you can tell us that might help, we’d appreciate it.”
She blew out a breath. “I took the call, that’s it. Wozniak was shouting they were dead.”
“Then later you heard Carina was still alive?”
“She lived till they got her to the hospital, but I don’t think she really had a chance. It gave the doctors time to save the baby, though. Have you ever seen Brooke?”
“Not that I know of.”
“She’s a doll. Looks just like Neil, and she’s got his temperament, too. Not like Carina.”
“Carina was difficult?”
“Humph.” That was it for a few moments, but she added, almost to herself. “She did not deserve him, and I don’t care if that’s speaking ill of the dead. Neil did everything to make their marriage work, but Carina was a selfish, scheming brat.”
A note in her voice sent three clear signals. First, Susie Mason had feelings for Neil Brown she couldn’t quite hide. Second, she’d seen Neil and Carina’s relationship the same way Meredith had, and finally, she’d said all she was going to on the subject. I switched to questions about how her daughter was doing in track, listened for a few minutes, then watched her disappear into the dispatch office, heels clicking on the sidewalk like military drumbeats. There was something more than a friend’s outrage at work. Susie was hiding
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