Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert

Author:Susan Wittig Albert
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.
Published: 2019-01-06T18:20:04.780000+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Thus have I lined out a Garden to our Countrey

House wives, and given them Rules for common

hearbes.—The skill and paines of weeding the

Garden with weeding knives or fingers, I refer to

themselves and their maides.... I advise the Mistresse

either to be present herselfe, or to teach her

maids to know hearbs from weeds.

William Lawson

Countrey Housewife’s Garden, 1617

The shop is closed on Mondays, which gives me a little extra breathing space. I saw Brian off to school at seven-thirty, then sat down at the kitchen table to bring the Thyme and Seasons’ cash journal up to date and get the bank deposit together. This little chore took almost an hour because I was off by $122.17, an odd amount that didn’t tally with anything and proved very difficult to track down. I had just discovered with relief and a great deal of annoyance that I had double-counted a check, when the phone rang. It was Elaine Emery.

“Sorry I couldn’t get back to you yesterday,” she said. “What’s up?”

“I’ve located the green folder,” I said. “Are you still interested?”

“Am I interested?” she said exultantly. “Are you kidding? How quick can I get it?”

“I have to talk to Dolores Adcock,” I said. “I’ll try to catch her this morning.” I now had several reasons for wanting to talk to Dolores. Since there wasn’t anything incriminating in the folder, I didn’t see why she couldn’t trade it for Elaine’s promise to lay off her late husband. But I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about it.

“That’ll work,” Elaine said. “Adcock’s memorial service is in Austin this afternoon, and I’m planning to go. Pecan Springs is on the way. How about if I stop and pick up the folder around one o’clock?”

I found it interesting that Elaine planned to attend Adcock’s memorial service. Was she motivated by curiosity, or sympathy for the widow, or was there something else on her mind? But I only said, “Why don’t we aim for lunch? If Mrs. Adcock gives her okay, I can let you have copies of the material then.”

“Well—”

I could guess the cause of her hesitation. She knew I was going to pump her for information, and she didn’t want to give me the chance. But it was tit for tat. She got copies of what was in the folder, and I got a shot at what she was carrying around in her head.

I primed the pump a little. “It’s to your advantage to see me,” I said. “For all you know, I may have other information that might be helpful to you.”

That did it. “Lunch it is, then,” Elaine said. “You can’t begin to guess how important this is,” she added fervently.

“To tell the truth,” I said, “I’m beginning to be curious about your interest in the Frank Harris murder. I assume that’s your target,” I added, “since the material in the folder concerns the Harris case exclusively.”

There was a small silence. In it, I could hear her guard coming up. “I told you,” she said. “I’m writing a book.

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