David Baldacci - Hour Game

"When I followed Remmy and Lulu to Junior's grave site, I saw another mourner there," said King. "A very unexpected one."

"Who?" they both exclaimed together.

"Sally Wainwright."

"The stable hand?" Harry looked puzzled.

Michelle snapped her fingers. "Sean, that day we first spoke to Sally. You asked her if she knew Junior. She said she'd seen him around, but you noted how nervous and evasive she seemed."

"That's right," said King.

"Paying last respects to a man you'd merely seen around? " mused Harry.

"I'm going to have another talk with Miss Sally," said King.

Harry motioned them to sit down on the couch across from the fire while he stood in front of them. "Now, it seems very clear that Junior's setup was done by someone with knowledge of criminal investigations."

"So our next course of action?" asked Michelle.

Deferring answering her question, Harry consulted an old-fashioned pocket watch hanging on a gold chain strung across his vest.

"That's a beautiful piece, Harry," said Michelle.

"It belonged to my great-grandfather. Having no son of my own, I'm keeping it safe for my eldest nephew." He fingered the heavy piece lovingly. "In this hurly-burly world it's comforting to know one can still ascertain the time of day in the same manner as over a hundred years ago." He snapped shut the watch's cover and looked sharply at them. "All right," he said, returning to Michelle's query. "By this time everyone downstairs will have imbibed at least one and possibly two drinks. Thus, I suggest we join the tipsy masses below and observe and listen. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that our killer is in this house right now. At the very least we might gain some information that could stop any future murders."

They adjourned their meeting and moved to the main level.

THERE WERE SEVERAL ODD PAIRINGS awaiting them downstairs. They could see Savannah out on the glass-enclosed rear porch with the two youngest Oxley children. She appeared to be playing a game with them that involved tugging on one's ear and pantomiming. The older Oxley girl stood in the corner, watching without smiling.

"Charades," concluded Michelle. "I didn't think Savannah had it in her to entertain young children."

"I think she's a lot younger in some ways than people think," said King.

Chip Bailey and Dorothea were conversing in low tones in a far corner of the living room. Eddie stood nearby apparently in deep conversation with Todd Williams, who hadn't been at the funeral but wasn't going to miss the post-burial vittles.

As they watched, Remmy and Lulu came down the staircase arm in arm. All heads turned to watch.

"Why am I reminded of Lee and Grant at Appomattox?" whispered Harry.

Chip Bailey immediately abandoned Dorothea and headed to the stairs to meet Remmy. Mason, who had been serving food, wasn't far behind.

"The hounds are circling, and the former man of the house is barely in the ground," commented Harry.

"Chip Bailey too?" said Michelle. "I wouldn't have figured that. Eddie said his mother didn't like the man."

"Being the kept husband of an enormously wealthy woman is enough of a prize to at least make an effort at changing her opinion," commented King dryly.

However, Remmy apparently had other ideas. She swept past both men and headed toward King and his group.

Remmy nodded at Harry as she walked up. "I know that you and Lulu have met, Harry, so I won't bother with introductions."

King thought he detected a twinkle in Remmy's eye as she said this.

"I'm glad you've made her acquaintance, Remmy," rejoined Harry. "And in what seems to be a very positive way."

"Let's just say we've come to a meeting of the minds." Remmy looked at Lulu and squeezed the other woman's hand. "I was stupid and blind and unfair, and I have communicated that to Lulu." She looked directly at the woman. "Neither of us can bring our husbands back, but I promise that you and your beautiful children will not want so long as I'm around."

"I appreciate that, Mrs. Battle, I really do." Lulu both looked and sounded lucid now.

"I know you do and please call me Remmy." She now turned to King and Michelle. "I hope you're making progress on the case," she said.

"Every day," King replied.

She looked at him curiously but said nothing.

"We wanted to come by and talk to you at some point," said King.

"Yes, Eddie mentioned that. Well, I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't let the newspapers get you down, Remmy," said King.

"Papers? If I want to know what's happening with me, I don't consult strangers, I just ask myself."

Priscilla Oxley suddenly swooped in, juggling a large plate crammed with food and a glass of wine. "Honey," she said to Remmy, "thank you so much for everything. Why, I've always told Lulu you're a saint. Right, baby, just the other day I was saying if the world had more Remmy Battles, what a world it would be."

"Mother, please," began Lulu, but Priscilla rushed on.

"And here you and Lulu have become friends, and you brought us to your beautiful home and said you'd take care of the children. Why, when we lost our poor Junior, I didn't know what my daughter was going to do." Her big chest heaved, and her gravelly voice broke in her throat. It was a magnificent job, King thought.

"Mother, I have a job, a good one. It's not like the children were going to starve."

However, Priscilla was too worked up to be denied. "And now that I'll be staying on to help Lulu and everything, having that new house finished and your continued support, why, I know everything's going to be just fine." Twin tears dribbled down her flabby cheeks. "As one mother to another I can't tell you what a relief that is." She finished this off by swallowing the entire contents of her wineglass.

To King the connoisseur it was an appalling moment. Yet after her emotional performance, he thought, the woman deserved her own TV show.

"I'm just glad I could help, Priscilla," said Remmy politely.

Priscilla looked shyly at her. "You probably don't remember, but I waited on you when you used to visit the Greenbrier in West Virginia."

"Oh, I remember you very well, Priscilla."

Priscilla froze. "Oh, you do? Well, thanks again." And then Priscilla was gone as fast as she'd arrived.

Eddie and Bailey next joined them.

"It was a beautiful service, Remmy," said Bailey.

"Reverend Kelly does a good job," she replied. "And he had a lot of good material. Bobby led quite an extraordinary life."

"I'm going to see one of Eddie's reenactments Saturday," said Bailey.

"Which one are you doing?" asked Michelle.

"The Battle of Cedar Creek near Middleton," answered Eddie. "Phil Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah against Jubal Early's Army of the Valley. It's usually held in October, but they moved it up this year." He looked down and then glanced at Michelle. He seemed to be about to say something but remained silent.

Harry said, "Wasn't old Jubal the only Confederate general who never formally surrendered?"

"That's right," said Eddie. "He ended up practicing law over in Rocky Mount, Virginia."

"Well, at least he took up an honorable profession after the war," said Harry.

"I think Eddie and I are going to be spending a lot more time together," said Bailey. King thought the man could not have been more obvious.

"I'm looking forward to that," said Eddie with what seemed genuine enthusiasm.

You're a good liar, Eddie, King thought.

Remmy reached out and took her son's hand. "How you doing?"

"Just hoping for happier days, Mom."

"Maybe you and Dorothea should go away somewhere, just get away."

"Yeah, maybe we'll do that," answered Eddie with not a trace of interest.