Digging Up The Dirt

CHAPTER 29

“Let me see.” An’gel held out her hand for the photograph.

Dickce held on to it a moment longer, staring at the image, before yielding it to her sister.

An’gel let it lie flat on her palm as she examined it. The setting was the kitchen at Riverhill, and the subjects were two women, their housekeeper Clementine and another young woman whom An’gel recognized as Coriander Simpson. They stood together near the stove, smiling into the camera. Both women wore red in honor of the season, and Coriander stood a couple of inches shorter than Clementine.

“She was a lovely girl,” An’gel said. “She looks about twenty-five here.”

“I found another one,” Dickce said. “Here she is with Callie. Now that’s interesting.”

“What do you mean?” An’gel asked.

Dickce thrust the picture at her, and An’gel took it and laid it over the first one. Callie Partridge and Coriander Simpson stood together in conversation near the staircase at Riverhill. Each was in profile as she faced the other. What struck An’gel immediately was that they appeared to be the same height. Then, as she continued to examine the picture, she noticed that their hairstyles were similar. Callie was about the same age as Coriander, and they were both beautiful young women.

“I see what you mean.” An’gel looked up at Charlie, who was regarding her and Dickce with interest. “Is there a way we could have copies of these pictures?”

Charlie nodded. “I can scan them and email them to you.”

“Excellent,” An’gel said. “We’d appreciate it.” She handed him the two photographs.

“Here’s one more,” Dickce said. “Scan this one, too.” She gave the one she held to Charlie.

“What’s that one?” An’gel asked.

Charlie passed it to her, and An’gel examined it. The composition was almost exactly the same as the one she had just seen, of Callie and Coriander. In this photograph, they also stood in profile near the staircase, but now An’gel could see Hadley Partridge standing nearby, to the left of Coriander. He was gazing at the two women, and An’gel couldn’t decipher his expression or be sure which woman was the object of his focus. She gave the photograph back to Charlie to scan.

“If you’ll excuse me a few minutes, ladies,” Charlie said, “I’ll turn on the scanner and have these ready to email to you right away.” He nodded toward a machine that stood on a desk nearby. He walked over to it, sat down, and began to work.

“It’s odd how Hadley is looking at them, don’t you think?” An’gel said.

Dickce nodded. “I can’t quite figure out his expression, but it certainly seems intense.”

“We’ll have to ask him,” An’gel said. “I just wonder, though, if he’ll tell us the truth.”

“I think he was really in love with Callie despite what he told us,” Dickce said.

“You may be right,” An’gel said.

They waited in silence after that for Charlie to finish his work with the photographs. Diesel continued to nap quietly between their chairs.

“All done.” Charlie came back to them with the photographs, and Dickce replaced them in the box. “I’ve emailed them to both of you. The scanner is high resolution, so the pictures should be really clear for you, depending on your computer monitor or your phone screen.”

“Thank you, Charlie, we really appreciate your help,” Dickce said.

“I’m sorry we can’t go into more detail about why we want these pictures,” An’gel said.

Charlie grinned. “I’m betting they have something to do with the remains found at Ashton Hall.” He resumed his seat behind the desk and continued to grin at them.

“How on earth did you hear about that?” An’gel said. “It hasn’t even been in the local newspaper.”

Charlie pointed down at the floor, and An’gel looked at him, puzzled. Then the light dawned.

“Melba, you mean.” An’gel shook her head. “How that woman finds out everything that’s going on in Athena is beyond me.”

“She has a network that rivals the CIA,” Charlie said. “She told me about it this morning when I mentioned to her that you were coming to see me.”

“Maybe we should ask her if she knows who those remains belong to,” Dickce said in a jesting tone. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she does.”

“I do want to have a word with her,” An’gel said. “I guess we couldn’t expect the news not to spread. It simply amazes me, though, how quickly things get around.”

“I asked her how she found out about it,” Charlie said. “She told me she heard it from one of the ladies from the garden club. I think the name was Gross. Not anyone I know.”

“Barbie,” An’gel and Dickce said in unison. It didn’t surprise An’gel that Barbie was going around talking about the remains. She and Lottie always liked to have “tidbits” to share.

An’gel thanked Charlie again for his assistance, and they chatted a few more minutes with him. They also made sure to give Diesel attention, and he thanked them with more warbles.

On the way out of the building they stopped to speak for a moment with Melba.

“I ran into Barbie Gross at the grocery store,” Melba said in answer to An’gel’s question. “I hadn’t seen her in a while, and we talked for a few minutes. She told me about the discovery of those bones up at Ashton Hall.” Her eyes gleamed. “I’ll bet they’re all that’s left of that Mrs. Partridge. I remember my mama talking about how she just up and left her husband and went after his brother.”

Dickce started to speak, but An’gel laid a warning hand on her sister’s arm. Anything they told Melba would likely be all over town by nightfall unless they swore her to secrecy. Melba talked a lot but she did honor anything told to her in strictest confidence.

“That’s what everyone thought at the time,” An’gel said. “Now that Hadley is back, though, he says it didn’t happen. In fact, he seemed to be surprised when we told him that Callie went away soon after he did.”

“Guess that makes sense,” Melba said. “Especially if that was Mrs. Partridge in the ground. So who do you think killed her? Her husband? I’m betting it was him. Mama always said there was something a little odd about him.”

“It’s a possibility,” Dickce said. “But it’s up to the sheriff’s department to figure it out. First, though, they have to identify the remains.”

“If anyone can do it, Kanesha Berry can,” Melba said.

“Yes, you’re right about that,” An’gel said. “Well, Melba, we’ve enjoyed visiting with you, but Sister and I had better get going. You take care now.”

Melba bade them good-bye, and An’gel led the way out of the building and back to the car.

“At least we know what the woman on the street thinks about all this.” Dickce buckled her seat belt and then inserted the key in the ignition. “Where to next?”

An’gel didn’t respond right away, and Dickce had to ask her again.

“Sorry, I was thinking,” An’gel said. “I’ve had an idea. Why don’t I call Barbie and see if she’ll meet us for coffee and a pastry at Helen Louise’s bistro? I think we need to talk to her about Hadley and what she might have been up to with him forty years ago.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dickce said. “Call her, and even if she can’t join us, we can still have that coffee and pastry.” She put the car in gear and headed for the town square.

An’gel pulled out her phone and found the number in her contacts. Moments later she was speaking to Barbie.

“We’re in town this morning on business,” An’gel said. “We’re heading over to Helen Louise’s bistro for coffee and a pastry, and we thought it would be fun if you could join us. Can you?”

“Love to,” Barbie said. “What a nice surprise. I’ll be there in two shakes.” She ended the call.

“She’s coming,” An’gel said. “Now if we can only get her to tell us what we want to know.”

Dickce found a parking space near the entrance to the bistro, and when the sisters walked inside, Helen Louise Brady, the owner, looked up from the cash register and smiled. She came around from behind the counter to greet them.

“Miss An’gel, Miss Dickce, how lovely to see you. I hope you’ve both been well.” Helen Louise gave them each a quick hug.

An’gel had to look up slightly when she returned Helen Louise’s greeting. The bistro owner was around six feet tall, a striking woman with dark hair and a sense of elegance about her, even in her work clothes and baker’s apron.

“We’re doing fine,” An’gel said. “We thought we’d have lunch here. A friend is going to join us. Barbie Gross. Do you know her?”

“Yes, I do. She’s a regular.” Helen Louise escorted them to the table she reserved for special guests. “What would you like to drink?”

“Water for now, I think,” An’gel said. “What is the special today?”

“Chicken cassoulet,” Helen Louise replied. “I can promise you it is vraiment délicieux, even if I prepared it myself.” She smiled broadly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had anything here that wasn’t vraiment délicieux,” Dickce said with an answering smile.

“Sounds perfect to me,” An’gel said. “I agree with Sister. The food here is always magnifique.”

“Merci beaucoup, Mesdames,” Helen Louise replied with a tilt of the head. “Cassoulet for two, then. Anything besides water to drink?”

“I’ll have a glass of whatever wine you think appropriate,” An’gel said, and Dickce echoed her.

“Barbie ought to be here soon,” Dickce added.

“I won’t serve the cassoulet until I know what she wants,” Helen Louise assured them. “I’ll be back in a moment with water for you.”

Right after An’gel and Dickce received their water with slices of lemon, Barbie breezed in. She spotted them immediately but paused on the way to the table to speak to another customer—an older man, quite distinguished looking, An’gel thought. She didn’t know him, though.

Barbie, dressed in a silk warm-up suit and sneakers and sporting pearls around her neck and on her ears, sat down across from An’gel. She stuck her purse on the vacant chair to her left.

“I’m so glad you called,” she said. “I was getting bored. Lottie had something she just had to do, and I didn’t feel like TV or a book. I’ve been feeling so restless lately, all these odd things happening.”

“I know what you mean,” An’gel said, rather mendaciously. She and Dickce rarely ran out of things to do and so were seldom bored.

“Yes, these terrible things.” Dickce shook her head. “First Sarinda, and then Arliss. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“There’s a lunatic out there.” Barbie shivered. “I’m surprised the police or the sheriff’s department hasn’t tracked him down yet. Surely they can find the person who ran Arliss off the road.”

“They are looking,” An’gel said. She debated whether to mention her own experience to Barbie. She decided she would, simply to gauge the reaction.

“As a matter of fact, I had a similar experience,” An’gel said. “To what happened to Arliss, that is.”

“Seriously?” Barbie’s eyes fairly popped. “When?”

“Right after we all left Ashton Hall yesterday afternoon,” An’gel said. She thought Barbie’s astonishment wasn’t feigned.

Helen Louise came to the table then with water for Barbie, who also decided on the cassoulet for lunch, along with wine. “Just bring the bottle,” she told Helen Louise.

Barbie turned back to An’gel. “Exactly what happened? Why aren’t you in the hospital?”

An’gel gave her a quick summary of the incident. After she finished, she waited for Barbie’s reaction.

“Are you sure it wasn’t simply a coincidence?” Barbie asked. “Seems to me if the person who hit you really wanted you in that ditch, he would have tried again.”

“It’s entirely possible,” An’gel said. “I’d much rather think that than think someone was trying to kill me.”

Helen Louise arrived with their servings of cassoulet before they could discuss the subject further. For several minutes all three women concentrated on the delicious dish.

An’gel ate about half of hers before deciding she had eaten more than enough. The rest could go home with them. “This is superb, but I think I’ve had enough for now.” She picked up her wineglass and finished off the contents.

“Yes, it is. I think I’m about done, too,” Dickce said. An’gel noticed Dickce had about half of hers left as well.

Barbie showed no signs of stopping. An’gel could see that there was little of her cassoulet left, and she seemed determined to finish it. She caught An’gel’s glance and grinned.

“I’ll burn it off on the tennis court,” she said. Three more bites, and she was done. She refilled her wineglass and drank half of it at one go.

Barbie was certainly a woman of healthy appetites, An’gel thought. Now that Barbie was full of wine and cassoulet, and hopefully in a somewhat mellow mood, An’gel decided to ask a question.

“Did you have an affair with Hadley before he left town forty years ago?”