The Trial of Dr. Kate by Michael E. Glasscock III Page B

studying?”
    “Math. This year I’ll be a senior. I stayed in the marines a little while after the war, so I’m a little late with my studies. I’m going through on the GI Bill.”
    Shenandoah shook her head and thought, Mechanic, ridge runner, math major. Jesus, what an interesting man!
    Bobby turned to Shenandoah, leveled his gaze, and looked her in the eye. “Tell me about you, Shenandoah. How’d you get to be a big-city reporter? And why in the world did you come back to Round Rock?”
    Shifting her weight on the concrete bench, she said, “My history isn’t very interesting. I was born and raised in Beulah Land. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, I was working in Nashville as a secretary. I wanted to be an aviator like Cornelia Fort. Actually, Cornelia was in the air at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack and was scraped by a Japanese Zero. Anyway, she’s always been one of my heroines. So I took flying lessons and then joined the WASP. I spent the war flying B-24s and fighter planes. The army cancelled my contract near the end of the war, so I went to the University of Texas in Austin and received a BA in English. I worked my way through as a waitress. I’ve been working for the Memphis Express now for a little over two years. I’m a childhood friend of Dr. Kate’s, and I’m here to cover the trial. I also want to interview Buford Frampton for a book I’m writing on Boss Crump. That’s me in a nutshell.”
    Bobby asked, “What’s a WASP?”
    “It stands for Women Airforce Service Pilot. We freed up the men so that they could go into combat.”
    “That’s right interesting, Shenandoah. I’ve never even heard of such a thing as a woman pilot. I thought they were all men.”
    “Surely you’ve heard of Amelia Earhart.”
    “Nope. I guess I’m sort of behind the times, so to speak. I can tell you one thing, though: I’ve never met a sober Coleman.”
    “Ever since I got here that’s all I’ve heard. To tell you the truth, I’m sick of it.”
    Bobby shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault you’re a Coleman.” Then he got up and walked toward the water with Shenandoah close behind. On the way, he scooped up several small stones. At the edge of the lake, he handed Shenandoah two and kept two for himself. He threw one of his and watched it skip across the water. “Two,” he said, turning to Shenandoah. She threw one of her stones. It skipped once and sank. Bobby threw his second one, and it bounced across the water three times. Smiling, he waited for Shenandoah’s second try. This time she put all her strength behind the throw but got only two skips. “You win,” she said. “Is that important to you, winning?”
    “Why, Shenandoah, whatever gave you that idea?”
    Bobby stood close to Shenandoah, and her heart pounded like a sixteen-year-old on her first date. Shenandoah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How well do you know Dr. Kate?”
    “I wondered when you were going to get around to that.”
    “Trudy Underwood told me she thinks Army and Kate are having an affair.”
    “I’ve never believed that for a minute.”
    “You have to admit it sounds a little suspicious.”
    “I’m not going to gossip about someone I care about. Besides, all three of them were good friends. If you grew up with Kate and Army, you should know that.”
    “You don’t think Kate had anything to do with Lillie’s death?”
    Bobby glared at her. “That’s nuts.” Then glancing at the sun, he said, “I’ve got to get back to work or Army will have a hissy fit. Come on, girl, we need to get cracking.”
    On the outskirts of Round Rock, just as they turned onto Main Street, Shenandoah saw the Dodge pickup pull out of a side street and fall in behind them.
    She grabbed Bobby’s arm and said, “That’s it. Stop.”
    Bobby frowned. “What’re you talking about?”
    “The pickup that ran me off the road is right behind us.”
    At that moment, the Dodge