Миранда Джеймс - Digging Up The Dirt

“I wonder who it was,” Dickce said.

“Can you remember anything about the car?” An’gel asked.

“Let me think about it a moment,” Coriander said. After a brief silence, she spoke again. “I think it was black, or some other dark color. Probably a four-door. That’s all I can recall. It’s been so long I’d almost forgotten about it.”

An’gel looked at Hadley. “Do you have any idea whose car it was?”

He shrugged. “Who remembers what kind of car another person had forty years ago? I barely remember my own. I sold it in Memphis before I left for New York, but that’s neither here nor there.” He paused. “It sounds like a sedan, of course, and everybody was driving one back then. Reba was, and I’m pretty sure both Barbie and Lottie were, too. The color I have no idea about.”

“That’s not so sinister in itself,” An’gel said after a moment’s reflection. “Visitors came to Ashton Hall regularly, didn’t they?”

“Not all that often, no,” Coriander said. “Hamish didn’t like company all that much. In fact, he used to complain to Hadley about the women who would show up here unannounced. Didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Hadley said. “I didn’t encourage them to come here, they simply showed up. I tried to explain that to Hamish, but he didn’t believe me.”

“It’s a fatal attraction you seem to have,” An’gel murmured, “at least for some women.” She shook her head before she focused on Coriander. “What about the few days after Hadley left and before you went to join him? Were there any unexpected visitors?”

“I’ll have to think about that for a minute,” Coriander said. “The more I’m trying to recall things from then, though, the easier it seems to be getting. Yes, I’m pretty sure that both Reba Dalrymple and Lottie MacLeod turned up, looking for Hadley. They both insisted he’d failed to keep a date with them, but I thought they were both lying. They had made it up as an excuse to see him.”

“Did you talk to them yourself?” An’gel asked.

Coriander shook her head. “No, Callie did, although she told me about it.”

“Did she know that you and Hadley planned to run away together?” Dickce asked.

“Yes, we told her,” Hadley said.

“How did she take the news?” An’gel said.

Coriander looked troubled. “She was heartbroken, even though she knew it was for the best. I knew she was in love with Hadley, but she knew he didn’t return her feelings. She was talking about going away herself, at least for a little while, to sort things out.”

“Did she tell anyone else that?” An’gel asked.

“She might have,” Coriander said. “She was pretty low right after Hadley left. She might have told someone she was going away for a while.”

“If she did, that person might have assumed she was going to join Hadley,” Dickce said. “What story did Hamish and Callie give about Hadley leaving?”

“Not anything, really, other than that he was on an extended trip,” Coriander said. “Neither one of them wanted to say that he wasn’t planning to come back. Hamish thought he left because of Callie, and in a way he did, I suppose. I wasn’t going to tell him, and Hadley certainly didn’t, that it was because of me.”

“And almost everyone in town thought Hadley did leave because of Callie,” An’gel said. “I’m sure that Callie’s murderer thought that, too, and blamed her for Hadley’s going away.”

“You mean to tell me someone murdered Callie because I left town and they thought she was the reason?” Hadley asked.

“I do,” An’gel said. “Now we simply have to figure out who it was.” Before she could elaborate further, she heard her cell phone ringing. “Excuse me, I need to check this.” She pulled it out of her purse and glanced at the screen. Kanesha Berry’s name came up.

“Hello, Kanesha,” An’gel said. “Any news?”

“Yes,” Kanesha replied. “We found Mrs. Turnipseed and her car. She was dead inside, and the car’s front end was damaged. I think she was the one who tried to run you off the road.”

CHAPTER 33

“Oh, my heavens,” An’gel said. “That’s terrible. I was hoping she was still alive. Are you sure she’s the one who tried to run me off the road?”

“Reasonably sure,” Kanesha replied. “We can’t say for certain until we can test and match the paint samples we found on your car and hers. I’m pretty confident, though, that we’ve found the right car.”

“Where did you find her?” An’gel asked. She could see that the others were curious but she wanted to get all the details she could from Kanesha before she shared them.

“In her own garage,” Kanesha said. “We’re not exactly sure when she returned, or how she got by us, but a neighbor on the street behind her reported seeing lights around one o’clock this morning. We didn’t hear about this until a couple of hours ago, however.”

“How strange,” An’gel said. “Do you know yet how she died?”

“We’re pretty sure she was knocked unconscious and then strangled,” Kanesha replied. “I’m hoping the witness who saw the lights can tell us something more that will give us a lead on who’s responsible.”

“I hope they can, too,” An’gel said. “In the meantime, though, I think you really need to come out to Ashton Hall. There’s new information that could help.”

“Such as?” Kanesha said, her tone sharp.

“We found Coriander Simpson, for one,” An’gel said. “Now, I know you’re probably going to be aggravated we didn’t tell you sooner, but the story is a bit complicated. If you can come out here now, we can tell you everything. Coriander is here with us now. She’s actually Hadley Partridge’s wife.”

For once in her life, Kanesha must have been struck speechless, An’gel decided, as she waited for the chief deputy to respond. Finally Kanesha said, “I’ll be on my way in a few.” She ended the call.

“Tell us what all that was about,” Dickce said.

An’gel shared what Kanesha told her about the death of Mrs. Turnipseed. When she finished, there was stunned silence for a moment.

Coriander looked up at Hadley. “I think maybe we should tell Ryan that he and Belinda and the boys should stay in Memphis until the murderer is caught.”

“Good idea,” Hadley said. “As soon as I know their plane has landed, I’ll text him and tell him to call me before they leave the airport.”

“Who are Ryan and Belinda and the boys?” An’gel asked, although she suspected she already knew.

“Our son and his wife, and our grandsons, Simon and Derek,” Coriander replied. “They live in London, and they’re on their way here for a visit.”

“This will all be theirs someday,” Hadley said. “If they decide they want to keep it and move here, of course.” He looked down at his wife. “We’re planning to stay here. That’s why I’m investing time and energy and money in this house and grounds.”

“I’m delighted to hear it,” An’gel said. “You belong here.”

“Me, too,” Dickce added. “It will be wonderful to see children here at Ashton Hall.”

Coriander laughed. “They’re not precisely children. Simon will soon be seventeen, and Derek is fifteen.”

“Young people then.” Dickce smiled.

“I take it that Deputy Berry is on her way here?” Hadley asked.

“Yes,” An’gel said. “She needs to know everything you’ve told us, and I’m hoping she will have other information she hasn’t shared. Maybe that way she can figure out who’s behind everything. Maybe even who really killed Callie.”

“While we wait for her,” Coriander said, “why don’t I make some tea? I think we could all use it right about now.” She rose from the chair.