J. Margos - Shattered Image

Leo nodded. “Okay, but you said y’all had trouble with the owner of this place.”

“Yeah, his name is Burkhardt-Carl Burkhardt.”

“So, then maybe Burkhardt has something to do with all of this.”

“It doesn’t fit, Leo. He didn’t own the place until five years ago. The bodies were originally buried there sixteen years ago.”

“I’m trying to find some connection between this burial site and the victims-other than our bird-watcher. We already know his connection to the site. What in blazes were Addie and Doug doing there?” Leo got up and paced. “How is the crime lab doing with the evidence they found at this site?”

“We’ll get all the results in the next couple of days.’’

Leo nodded and sat back down at the table, focused on the photos again. About that time, the phone rang, and it was Drew.

“Toni, you are not going to believe what the crime lab came up with.”

“What?”

“An old medallion. It was wrapped around some of the bones of Doug’s hand.”

“What kind of medallion?”

“It’s a heart, and has something engraved on the back.”

“Spill it, Drew.”

“It says, ‘For Lori.’”

“So it belonged to her and it was found with him?”

“Right. Also, Lori is missing, Toni.”

“Get out.”

“I’m serious. We went to pick her up for questioning and the woman is gone.”

“Did anyone check with Jimmy Hughes?”

“Way ahead of you. We went over there, and she was not there. He claims he has no idea where she is, and he’s not talking. I don’t have probable cause to bring him in, and he’s not going to tell us where she is, if he knows.”

“I’m going over to talk to him.”

“Toni…”

“No, Drew. I’m going. Leo’s with me. I’ll take her, and you can’t stop me.”

He sighed. “All right, Toni, but call me and fill me in right away.”

“You got it.”

I explained to Leo what was going on, and we piled into the Mustang and took off for Jimmy Hughes’s house. When we got there, he was in the living room playing his guitar. He was hesitant to let us in, but I begged him to let me in and let me talk to him. He let us both in.

“I don’t know why all you people keep thinking my business is any of your business.”

“Listen to me, Jimmy. Your brother’s remains were found in Hempstead.”

“I know that. That Texas Ranger told me that yesterday.”

“Jimmy, they’ve found a medallion that belonged to Lori. It was in the grave with Doug. It looks bad for Lori. The Texas Rangers are looking for her, and they will find her. It would be better if you just told us where she is.”

Leo spoke up. “You know, Jimmy, she could probably claim some kind of diminished capacity in her defense.”

He squinted and looked at both of us intently. “Defense!”

He stomped around the room and turned to face us again.

“Y’all don’t know anything. You want to get into everybody’s business even though it has nothing to do with Doug’s murder. Lori didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t kill anybody. That medal y’all are talking about is one that Lori got from her grandma, and she gave it to Doug. He wore it all the time-never took it off.”

“Jimmy, I saw Lori down at Mrs. Ferguson’s house in Houston. How do you explain that?”

He sat down in the chair and put his head in his hands. Leo and I sat on the sofa across from him and waited. He began to cry softly. He looked up at us with tears in his eyes.

“I loved my brother, and I already told you there was no way he was having an affair with Addie. Now I’ll tell you how I know. It’s none of your business, but I’ll tell you ’cause I want you to leave her alone.”

I looked over at Leo, and we both waited. Jimmy rubbed his hand over his face and looked down again. I could tell he was trying to keep his composure, and I did not know what to expect.

“Lori left and moved to Georgetown after Doug disappeared, because since Doug disappeared, he could not marry her, and that was a problem, because she was pregnant. Folks in Viola and Rock Hill don’t understand things like that. They would have persecuted her. Lori was distraught-because Doug was gone, and because she was pregnant. And everybody was saying he was having an affair with Addie Waldrep-bunch of gossips and liars.”

He choked and put his head in his hands again. We waited for what seemed like minutes but it wasn’t.

Jimmy looked up, and his chin quivered. “My little brother was a sweet guy. He would never do that to Lori and then mess around with Addie. He loved Lori. He was going to marry her. He was a great guy, not stupid like me.”

He stood up now and walked over and faced the wall.

“When he disappeared, Lori came to me for help because she was afraid to tell anyone else. I’ve been helping her out ever since.”

“Jimmy, where is the child?”

He turned around and looked at us both.

“I helped her. I took care of her. I wanted her to move down here so I could help her out more, but she didn’t want to live in the city, so she stayed up in Georgetown. So I went up to help her as much as I could, and I took her to the hospital when she went into labor.”

He walked over to the chair and sat down again. He was becoming more emotional. He was leaning over, looking at the floor.

“My nephew was born dead.” He was sobbing now and put his head in his hands. “She named him James Douglas Hughes, and I came up with the money, and we buried him in a little cemetery in Georgetown. Lori has never been right since. She’s been in and out of the hospital for her problems. I look after her ’cause she’s family to me.”

“Oh no,” I said.

I felt horrible. This was why he was evasive. This man was trying to protect the honor of a woman his brother had loved.

“Now maybe y’all see why I wouldn’t say. All these bodies start showing up-first Addie, then that Brian guy. Lori started having more problems again. She thought she was going to talk to that Ferguson lady and ask her if she knew where Doug was. Can you believe that?”

He shook his head. Tears filled his eyes and flowed over his scarred face.

“She saw you there at Mrs. Ferguson’s, and she got scared and left. She came to me to tell me about it. I got her calmed down, and I thought I got her kinda back on track. Then that Ranger told me they found Doug-” he wept harder now “-I had to tell her. I can’t lie to her.”

“Of course not, Jimmy.”

He shook his head. “She ain’t missing. I had to put her back in the hospital. The news about Doug broke her. In her mind she’s been thinking all this time he would come back. She won’t even talk now. I don’t think she’ll ever be right again.”

He put his head back down in his hands and just sobbed harder.

Leo and I sat there, not really knowing what to do, and then I gutted up and went to him, and kneeled next to him and put my arms around him.

“You did the right thing, all the way down the line, Jimmy. None of it is your fault. You did all anyone could do, and more. I am so, so sorry for everything.”

He put his head on my shoulder and sobbed for a good five minutes.

Leo and I sat in the Mustang for a couple of minutes without talking. We were stunned, and I for one was ashamed of myself. I knew there was no way I could have known, but I was ashamed anyway-but I was proud of Jimmy Hughes-proud and amazed at his integrity. Jimmy Hughes gave chivalry a whole new definition.

Leo finally spoke. “Well, I guess we both know that he’s no killer.”

“That poor girl.”

“And Jimmy, too. Their lives have been totally wrecked by all this.”

I was supremely frustrated. Frustrated over the predicament of Jimmy and Lori, and frustrated that we had no evidence to tie a killer to this crime.