Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 12
“Was that a dead body?” he asked.
I looked down the street at Heidi Joy. I knew her husband was at work. “Where are your brothers?”
His face scrunched with irritation. “Was it a dead body or not?”
“That was Miss Dorothy. And yes, she died. Now where are your brothers?”
“Andy Jr.’s at school, and Benny and Tommy are sleeping.”
“Why aren’t you napping?” Heidi Joy had to be really shaken up to have left them alone. That was so unlike her. She wouldn’t even let them leave their yard.
His eyes narrowed. “I ain’t no baby.” He craned his neck to get a better view. “How come she’s dead?”
“She was old, and old people die.” I suddenly wondered if I should have said anything. When I was four, I had no concept of death. This was a subject better left for Heidi Joy and Andy.
“Did she have a heart attack?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do people yell when they die?”
I shrugged. “I suppose some people do.” I’d never thought about whether my mother yelled when Daniel Crocker hit her in the head with her rolling pin. If she did, no one heard her. That thought sent a shiver down my spine. “Why would you ask that?”
“I heard yelling.”
I swung my gaze down to him. “What?”
He looked at me like I was stupid. “There was yelling coming from her house this morning.”
“How do you know it was coming from her house?”
His face lowered, and he refused to look me in the eye. “I was across the street.”
I turned my attention to the crowd and realized Thomas’s car was gone. Maybe he’d made it to school after all. “Across the street from her house?”
“That’s what I said, ain’t it?” Keith meant to sound defensive, but he sounded nervous instead.
“Were you supposed to be down that far?” I knew for a fact he wasn’t. I’d heard Heidi Joy yell at the boys several times a day not to leave their yard. But now I’d scared him, and he’d never tell me anything. “I won’t tell your mom.”
He looked up through squinted eyes. “Why not?”
“I thought you and I were friends. I let you play with Muffy don’t I?”
“Yeah, but you always let Andy Jr. be in charge.”
“Well, how about when Andy Jr. is at school, you can be in charge?”
His eyes widened. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. See, we’re friends.”
Keith grinned with a smug look.
“So tell me about the yelling.”
He squatted and petted Muffy. “I heard two people shouting.”
“What did they say?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I couldn’t understand them.”
“Were they happy yelling or angry yelling?”
“There’s happy yelling?”
“Well, yeah. You know when you’re really excited about something. Like you and your brothers when you’re running around with Muffy.”
“Oh.” His mouth pursed. “Mad yelling.”
“Did you see anyone? Do you know who it was?”
He shook his head, frustration wrinkling his brow. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know if it was a man or a woman?”
He shook his head again. “No, when I heard yelling, I ran home.”
Keith was pretty fearless, so if the yelling scared him that much, it must have been loud. I rubbed his head. “That’s okay, Keith. You were a huge help.” What was I going to do with this information? The police would never listen to me, and I could only think of one person who might. “Hey, I need to go inside and make a phone call. Would you mind watching Muffy for me for a minute?”
“Would I?” He squatted next to Muffy, rubbing her head a little too hard, but I bit my tongue. She jumped up and licked his face, so she obviously didn’t mind.
When I went inside, I left the kitchen door open to keep an eye on them. Heidi Joy was still down the street, and I wasn’t about to leave Keith and Muffy totally unsupervised.
Grabbing my phone out of my purse, I called the number I’d stored in my phone for Mason, thankful he’d given it to me after saving me from Skeeter Malcolm at the pool hall. His number went straight to voicemail, and I tried to figure out what message to leave him as I listened to his voicemail recording.
“Hey, Mason. This is Rose.” I paused. “I might have some information about Miss Dorothy. You can call me back on this number.”
I wasn’t sure what Keith had heard or if it even had anything to do with Miss Dorothy’s death. When I was investigating Frank Mitchell’s murder in my attempt to help prove Bruce Wayne innocent, Joe had taught me that sometimes things aren’t what they seem to be. I couldn’t presume this meant Miss Dorothy had met with a foul end. For all I knew, Keith had heard her television.
After I sent Keith back in his house, I found my tape measure in my junk drawer. I grabbed a pad of graph paper, and then tucked Muffy into the bathroom. Thankfully, Heidi Joy was on her way back when I was ready to leave. I never would have left Keith and his napping brothers alone.
I met her in the driveway. “Keith came outside and asked about Miss Dorothy.”
Her eyes flew open in horror. “Oh my word! I just ran off and left them! You must think I’m the worst mother in the world.”
I looked down the street at Heidi Joy. I knew her husband was at work. “Where are your brothers?”
His face scrunched with irritation. “Was it a dead body or not?”
“That was Miss Dorothy. And yes, she died. Now where are your brothers?”
“Andy Jr.’s at school, and Benny and Tommy are sleeping.”
“Why aren’t you napping?” Heidi Joy had to be really shaken up to have left them alone. That was so unlike her. She wouldn’t even let them leave their yard.
His eyes narrowed. “I ain’t no baby.” He craned his neck to get a better view. “How come she’s dead?”
“She was old, and old people die.” I suddenly wondered if I should have said anything. When I was four, I had no concept of death. This was a subject better left for Heidi Joy and Andy.
“Did she have a heart attack?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do people yell when they die?”
I shrugged. “I suppose some people do.” I’d never thought about whether my mother yelled when Daniel Crocker hit her in the head with her rolling pin. If she did, no one heard her. That thought sent a shiver down my spine. “Why would you ask that?”
“I heard yelling.”
I swung my gaze down to him. “What?”
He looked at me like I was stupid. “There was yelling coming from her house this morning.”
“How do you know it was coming from her house?”
His face lowered, and he refused to look me in the eye. “I was across the street.”
I turned my attention to the crowd and realized Thomas’s car was gone. Maybe he’d made it to school after all. “Across the street from her house?”
“That’s what I said, ain’t it?” Keith meant to sound defensive, but he sounded nervous instead.
“Were you supposed to be down that far?” I knew for a fact he wasn’t. I’d heard Heidi Joy yell at the boys several times a day not to leave their yard. But now I’d scared him, and he’d never tell me anything. “I won’t tell your mom.”
He looked up through squinted eyes. “Why not?”
“I thought you and I were friends. I let you play with Muffy don’t I?”
“Yeah, but you always let Andy Jr. be in charge.”
“Well, how about when Andy Jr. is at school, you can be in charge?”
His eyes widened. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. See, we’re friends.”
Keith grinned with a smug look.
“So tell me about the yelling.”
He squatted and petted Muffy. “I heard two people shouting.”
“What did they say?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I couldn’t understand them.”
“Were they happy yelling or angry yelling?”
“There’s happy yelling?”
“Well, yeah. You know when you’re really excited about something. Like you and your brothers when you’re running around with Muffy.”
“Oh.” His mouth pursed. “Mad yelling.”
“Did you see anyone? Do you know who it was?”
He shook his head, frustration wrinkling his brow. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know if it was a man or a woman?”
He shook his head again. “No, when I heard yelling, I ran home.”
Keith was pretty fearless, so if the yelling scared him that much, it must have been loud. I rubbed his head. “That’s okay, Keith. You were a huge help.” What was I going to do with this information? The police would never listen to me, and I could only think of one person who might. “Hey, I need to go inside and make a phone call. Would you mind watching Muffy for me for a minute?”
“Would I?” He squatted next to Muffy, rubbing her head a little too hard, but I bit my tongue. She jumped up and licked his face, so she obviously didn’t mind.
When I went inside, I left the kitchen door open to keep an eye on them. Heidi Joy was still down the street, and I wasn’t about to leave Keith and Muffy totally unsupervised.
Grabbing my phone out of my purse, I called the number I’d stored in my phone for Mason, thankful he’d given it to me after saving me from Skeeter Malcolm at the pool hall. His number went straight to voicemail, and I tried to figure out what message to leave him as I listened to his voicemail recording.
“Hey, Mason. This is Rose.” I paused. “I might have some information about Miss Dorothy. You can call me back on this number.”
I wasn’t sure what Keith had heard or if it even had anything to do with Miss Dorothy’s death. When I was investigating Frank Mitchell’s murder in my attempt to help prove Bruce Wayne innocent, Joe had taught me that sometimes things aren’t what they seem to be. I couldn’t presume this meant Miss Dorothy had met with a foul end. For all I knew, Keith had heard her television.
After I sent Keith back in his house, I found my tape measure in my junk drawer. I grabbed a pad of graph paper, and then tucked Muffy into the bathroom. Thankfully, Heidi Joy was on her way back when I was ready to leave. I never would have left Keith and his napping brothers alone.
I met her in the driveway. “Keith came outside and asked about Miss Dorothy.”
Her eyes flew open in horror. “Oh my word! I just ran off and left them! You must think I’m the worst mother in the world.”
