Claws For Concern

SIXTEEN

“That poor girl,” I said. “I can’t begin to imagine how she felt, losing her whole family like that. Did she have any other kin?”

“As I recall,” Ernie replied, “she had an aunt on either side. Her mother’s unmarried, younger sister lived in Tullahoma at the time, though I believe she has since passed away. The father’s sister lived in Alabama. Elizabeth wanted to stay in Tullahoma and finish high school there, and her maiden aunt agreed to take her in.”

“With everything that happened,” I said. “I think I would have wanted to get as far away from it all as I could have. For a while, anyway.”

“I was frankly surprised myself by her decision,” Ernie said. “And the murders seemed to have changed her. When she came back to school, she was like a different girl. She paid attention in class, did all the assigned work, and her grades improved dramatically.”

“An event like those murders probably had a profound psychological effect on her, I suppose,” I said. “Sometimes great shocks can really change a person.”

“That definitely happened with Elizabeth Barber,” Ernie said. “She even went to college. Started out at the local community college and then finished up at Mississippi State. I believe someone told me she wanted to be a veterinarian, but she met her future husband while they were both students at State. They married when he started working on an advanced business degree, and she never went on to vet school.”

“I hope she has a happy life now after such a horrible tragedy,” I said. “What happened to the farm? Do you know?”

“Yes, I do,” Ernie replied. “Barber left a will. I don’t know the terms, but the end result was that Elizabeth inherited everything. She didn’t want to go back there to live, though, and one certainly can’t blame her for that.”

“No, I can understand that,” I said. What terrible memories there would be in a house where four people had been murdered, I thought. If any place was ever haunted, surely that house would be.

“Elizabeth sold the farm to one of those farm corporations,” Ernie said. “They razed the house and turned the area into a field. I think that was the right thing to do because I don’t think anyone else would have wanted to live there, either.”

“I certainly wouldn’t,” I said. “You’re a gold mine of information, Ernie, and I appreciate all you’ve told me.”

“I’m glad I could answer your questions,” Ernie said. “Is there anything else you want to know?”

“I can’t think of anything else right now,” I said.

“Feel free to call me if you do,” Ernie said.

“I will.” I thanked her again, and we ended the call.

“You look a little dazed,” Helen Louise said. “Overwhelmed by everything Ernie told you?”

“A little, I guess.” Diesel had come over and put a large paw on my thigh. I scratched his head, and he chirped. “I’ll fill you in once Laura and Frank have gone. They should be here any minute with the baby.”

Right on cue, the doorbell rang, and Diesel took off for the front door. I think he knew that Laura and Frank would be there with little Charlie. “Be back in a minute,” I said to Helen Louise before I left the room.

Diesel was pawing at the door when I reached it. He was anxious to see the baby, I guessed. “Stand back and let me open the door,” I told him. He meowed at me once before he complied with my request.

When the door swung open I beheld Laura with the baby in her arms. Behind her stood her husband, Frank, laden with bags. “Hi, Dad,” Laura said. “Here we are, right on time.”

“Yes, you are. Come in. Diesel is having a fit to see the baby.” I moved aside and they entered.

“Isn’t that Helen Louise’s car in the driveway?” Frank asked. “I figured she would be at the bistro all day.”

“I decided to follow the advice of a very sensible and quite attractive man I know,” Helen Louise said as she came toward us from the kitchen. “I’m learning to delegate and let my capable staff take care of things.”

“Good for you,” Laura said as she gave me baby Charlie to hold. “He finished a meal right before we left the house, so he should be content to sleep for a while.” She kissed my cheek.

“Thanks for looking after the baby while we have some time to ourselves,” Frank said. “I’ll go put the bags in the living room.”

“You know I’m always happy to see this little guy.” I gazed adoringly down at my sleeping grandson. I felt like my bones would melt every time I looked at this small miracle in my arms. The same way I had felt with my children when they were infants.

Diesel warbled loudly to let everyone know how happy he was to see the baby. Frank, returning from the living room, laughed at the sight of the cat reared up on his back legs, his front legs braced against my side, as he tried to get a look at little Charlie.

“That cat just about kills me,” he said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was a little person in a fur suit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an animal so in love with a baby before.”

“Diesel is a cat with extraordinarily good taste,” Laura said. “Aren’t you, boy?”

The cat meowed and reached out a paw to tap my arm.

“All right, come on,” I said to Diesel. “Let’s go put Charlie in his crib, and you can keep an eye on him, okay?”

That question elicited happy chirps, and Diesel followed me into the living room. I got the baby situated comfortably in the crib. I gazed down at him a moment, drinking in those perfect tiny features. Then I somehow managed to tear myself away, though I could have stood there for an hour or more to watch him.

When I left the room, Diesel was up on his back legs, looking into the crib. Since the cat was a bit over four feet long from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, he could easily see the baby. I knew he wouldn’t try to get into the crib. He would be content to watch the baby sleep, and the moment the baby stirred, he would let us know.

“. . . lunch at the bistro,” Frank was telling Helen Louise when I walked back into the front hall. “Then a movie. One of Laura’s friends has a small part in it, and Laura has been wanting to see it.”

Laura cast a longing glance in the direction of the living room.

“Have a good time,” I said. “Now, go and enjoy yourselves.” I put my hands on my daughter’s shoulders and turned her toward the front door. “Go.”

Laura laughed and gave me another quick kiss. “Thanks, Dad.” She gave Helen Louise a hug. “I promise we’ll call and let you know if the bistro is in a shambles because you aren’t there.”

Helen Louise made a shooing motion with her hands. “Get out of here before I call Henry and tell him to charge you triple for whatever you order.”

Frank grinned and took hold of Laura’s arm. “We poor academics can’t afford that, so we’d better leave. Come on, honey.” He opened the door and ushered his wife out.

I closed the door behind them. Helen Louise headed for the living room, and I followed.

We stood in the doorway. Diesel hadn’t moved since I’d left him and the baby. The cat’s gaze seemed to be focused intently on the sleeping infant. Helen Louise and I looked at each other and smiled. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and took a picture of the scene to share with Laura and Frank later.

Then Helen Louise and I returned to the kitchen. I was hungry, more than ready for the lunch she had brought.

I refreshed our wine while Helen Louise retrieved the hamper and began to unpack it. I felt my mouth begin to water as I watched. First came the brie, followed by grapes. Next she uncovered a bowl of vichyssoise, the only cold soup I liked. After that, a plate of baked chicken. Finally, a container of French bean salad.

Flourishing the latter, Helen Louise said, “Let me warm this, and lunch will be ready.” She took the container to the microwave. “Ordinarily I wouldn’t do this, but this is best served warm.”

While she attended to the bean salad, I set the table. We started with the cold soup, then moved on to the chicken and the bean salad. Our final course consisted of brie and grapes. During the meal I shared with Helen Louise all that Ernie Carpenter had told me about Bill Delaney, his mother, and the Barber family.

“Horrible,” Helen Louise said when I finished. “Just horrible. I wish they had found the killer. I’d hate to think that person is still walking around free and unpunished.”

“Yes, me too,” I said.

Diesel came into the kitchen, meowing. Over that I heard baby Charlie crying. “Probably needs his diaper changed.” I pushed back my chair and moved toward the hallway. “I’ll go check on him. He can’t be hungry already.” I stopped suddenly as something occurred to me. “What would we feed him if he is hungry? Surely Laura and Frank brought milk.”

Helen Louise said, “Yes, they did. Frank put it in the fridge while you were in the living room with the baby.”

“Thank goodness.” I hurried to the living room as my grandson’s volume began to increase. Diesel trotted right along with me to supervise.

The bawling ceased when I touched the baby. He looked up at me with such trusting eyes, and I smiled, my face now only about twelve inches from his. “It’s okay, Charlie. Grandpa’s here, and so is your nursemaid.” Diesel warbled loudly, and the baby smiled.

He had really smiled. It wasn’t just the reflexive smile all babies have in their first month or two. He smiled in response to my smile. He was also making eye contact with me. Two milestones in a baby’s life, and today of all days. Laura hadn’t mentioned to me that Charlie could do either one of these things.

“We’ll have big news for your mama and daddy when they come to pick you up.” I examined the diaper, and my nose wrinkled at the smell. “You definitely need a change, mister.”

Diesel meowed loudly, no doubt intrigued by the smell. He watched as I cleaned the baby and put him in a fresh diaper. I talked to Charlie the whole time, using every chance I had to get him accustomed to my voice. It shouldn’t be long now before he started cooing.

Helen Louise joined Diesel and me beside the crib. “He is the most perfectly beautiful child I’ve ever seen,” she said.

I heard the wistful note in her voice. We had talked once about having children, and she admitted during that conversation that she would have loved to be a mother. Trying to establish her law career and working the long hours that entailed gave her no opportunity for motherhood. Then when she decided she’d had enough of the legal career and moved to France to pursue her culinary dream, she’d been too busy learning. Back in Athena again, she was working hard to establish a new business. By the time she thought about having a child, she was over forty with no good prospect for a father in sight. Now that I was in the picture, with us both in our early fifties, we were too old to have a child. Nor did either of us any longer have the energy to adopt and rear one.

“Yes, he is.” I put my arm around her and drew her close. We stood that way for a minute or two, Diesel as entranced by the baby as we were. He smiled again as we both talked to him. Then he yawned, ready to go back to sleep. I wrapped him up again, and Helen Louise and I returned to the kitchen. The ever-vigilant feline nursemaid remained on duty.

“There’s a bit of brie left.” Helen Louise gestured toward the cheese as she resumed her seat. “I know it’s your favorite, so it’s up to you to finish it off.” She picked up a grape and popped it in her mouth.

I sighed. “Yes, it is. I’ve already eaten too much, but I can’t resist that lonely piece.” I picked it up and was enjoying it when the house phone rang. I hurriedly swallowed so that I could speak clearly into the phone. I grabbed the receiver and greeted the caller. “This is Charlie Harris.”

A woman’s voice sounded in my ear. “Good afternoon, Mr. Harris. I’m calling from the emergency room at Athena Medical Center.”