Миранда Джеймс - Digging Up The Dirt

They drove around the house and approached the garage. Dickce spotted their car where An’gel had left it. She gasped. “Oh my Lord, look at that. The car’s been hit. I hope An’gel is all right.”

The moment Benjy had his car stationary in the garage, Dickce was out and headed for the house. “I’ve got to find out about Sister,” she said.

She left Benjy to deal with Peanut and Endora, and she hurried to the kitchen. She found Clementine inside preparing their dinner.

“Clementine, where’s An’gel? Is she okay?” Dickce said. “What happened to the car?”

“She’s okay,” Clementine said. “She’s taking a little nap in the study.” She explained what happened, and then repeated it moments later when Benjy came in with the animals. Peanut and Endora made a beeline for Clementine and greeted her like they hadn’t seen her in months. The housekeeper spoke quietly to them and gave each a few rubs on the head.

“Thank the Lord she wasn’t hurt.” Dickce collapsed into the chair Benjy hastily pulled out for her. Clementine handed her a cup of coffee, and Dickce took it gratefully.

“Somebody from the sheriff’s department was here a little while ago,” Clementine said. “He looked at the car and took pictures of the damage. I didn’t wake Miss An’gel, though. She needs to rest.”

Dickce shuddered. “I’m sure she does. How terrified she must have been, though. She could have ended up in the hospital like poor Arliss McGonigal. Surely the police or the sheriff’s department can find the car that caused these accidents pretty soon.”

“I surely hope so,” Clementine said. “How was the trip to Memphis? Did y’all find out anything?”

“We found the Simpson house,” Benjy said. “Coriander’s mother still lives there.”

“I talked with her,” Dickce said after a sip of coffee. She shared the news of Coriander’s death with Clementine.

“That poor girl, killed like that on her honeymoon.” Clementine closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she asked, “Who did you say she married?”

“A man named Wachtel,” Dickce replied. “I can’t recall anyone by that name from Athena, though the name sounds familiar for some reason.”

“No folks I know of by that name,” Clementine said. “Must’ve been somebody here just a short time, I reckon.”

“Maybe so,” Dickce replied.

“I’m going to look up the name,” Benjy said. “It’s too bad we don’t have the first name, instead of only an initial. Having a whole first name would make it easier. Still, I might be able to find something.”

“What are y’all talking about?”

Dickce started at the sound of her sister’s voice. She got up and hurried to An’gel. “Are you okay, Sister?” She gave An’gel a quick hug.

An’gel gave her a wan smile. “My back is getting stiff. I have a feeling it’s going to be sore tomorrow. My neck, too.”

“You need a hot shower and some aspirin,” Dickce said. “Thank the Lord it’s not worse.”

“Amen to that,” An’gel replied. “I’ll go up and take a shower in a few minutes. First, though, I want to hear all about what you found out in Memphis.”

Dickce escorted her sister to a chair, and Peanut came to greet An’gel. He whined, and she rubbed his head. Endora came near her, meowed, and then hopped into Dickce’s lap. An’gel smiled and continued to give Peanut the attention he craved.

Dickce gave her sister a report of the conversation she’d had with Coriander Simpson’s mother. An’gel did not comment until Dickce finished.

“That’s a strange story,” she said. “I wish we knew more about this Wachtel person.”

“So do I,” Dickce said. “Clementine doesn’t remember anybody by that name, either.”

“I’m going to see whether I can find out anything about him,” Benjy said. “I might get lucky, but without more to go on, I might not find anything.”

An’gel’s phone rang. Dickce took it from her hands. “Let me answer this,” she said. “You still look tired.” She glanced at the screen.

“Hello, Kanesha, this is Dickce. An’gel is here with me,” she said.

“Is she doing okay?” Kanesha asked.

“A little stiff, but otherwise okay,” Dickce replied.

“Glad to hear it,” Kanesha said. “I’ve got some news for y’all. We’ve checked the cars belonging to Mrs. MacLeod and Mrs. Dalrymple.”

“Which one of them tried to run An’gel off the road?” Dickce asked.

“Neither of them,” Kanesha said.

CHAPTER 27

An’gel held out her hand. “Give me my phone. I’m perfectly capable of talking to Kanesha.”

“All right then, Miss Grumpy Pants.” Dickce thrust the phone at her.

“Hello, Kanesha. This is An’gel. What were you telling my sister?”

“I hope you’re doing okay, Miss An’gel,” Kanesha said. “I told Miss Dickce we checked both Mrs. MacLeod’s and Mrs. Dalrymple’s cars, and they were intact. No damage.”

“How bizarre.” An’gel was stunned. She had been so sure one of their cars would have been the one trying to force her off the road.

“We also checked Mr. Partridge’s car,” Kanesha said. “It is also intact.”

“Then who on earth was it, do you think?” An’gel said.

“It’s entirely possible it was a hit-and-run by a stranger,” Kanesha said. “We’ll have to keep that in mind. It’s a huge coincidence, though, after what happened to Mrs. McGonigal.”

“It certainly is,” An’gel said. She was thankful to know that Hadley hadn’t been the one who hit her. Perhaps it was just a coincidence after all. The road was slick, and visibility was reduced.

“We’ll be on the lookout for a vehicle with a damaged front end,” Kanesha said. “We still haven’t identified the vehicle that forced Mrs. McGonigal off the road.”

“I hope you can identify it soon,” An’gel said. “Have you made any progress in the search for Mrs. Turnipseed?”

“Nothing new to report,” Kanesha replied. “Sorry, Miss An’gel, but I’ve got to go. Y’all stay safe now, all right?”

“We’ll do our best,” An’gel said, her tone wry.

“Well, what else did she tell you?” Dickce said when An’gel put down her phone.

“She said they checked Hadley’s car, and his isn’t damaged either. Kanesha said to keep in mind the possibility that it was merely a coincidence and not connected to the other incidents at all.” An’gel frowned. “The conditions weren’t great, so someone who wasn’t paying attention could have come up behind me and not realized I was there.”

“Did you remember to turn the headlights on?” Dickce asked. “That car is gray, and in the rain it’s hard to see if the lights aren’t on.”

“I don’t remember,” An’gel said. “I was preoccupied when I got in the car, and I may have forgotten the lights.”

“If you did, it’s no wonder somebody ran into you.” Dickce frowned. “You’ve got to be more careful, Sister.”

An’gel could have sworn she heard a snicker, but she wasn’t sure of its source. Both Benjy and Clementine were looking down at their hands when she checked.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” An’gel said, her temper flaring. “Considering you drive like you’re trying to get away from a stampeding herd of elephants all the time.”

Peanut whined, and An’gel realized she and her sister were on the verge of one of their rare arguments. She knew her sister was worried about her, because the outcome of the accident could have been so much worse.

“Sorry, Dickce.” An’gel reached over and patted her sister’s arm. “I guess I’m still a little off balance from the accident.” Endora swatted at her hand, and An’gel drew it back quickly.