The Shady RIver Murders by Cohen Kathy

Author:Cohen, Kathy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

​Gladys Winter's small, frame house was two blocks east of Shady River victim Wanda Darby's home. Shirley and Norma had no difficulty finding it, which was nice because actually getting in touch with the woman had been frustrating. They had called and left multiple voice messages on her phone, had almost given up and simply driven over to her house uninvited as the day went on, when she had suddenly picked up, sounding breathless.

​“You're who? Friends of poor Wanda's? By all means, come. I can't believe she's been killed. I'm in shock. I can't believe it.”

​Reasoning that a little white lie—okay, they weren't friends of the victim, wouldn't know her from Adam saw a fox—was justifiable under the circumstances, their consciences were clear as they pulled into the driveway and parked in front of a detached one-car garage. As long as they kept their lies to a minimum, Shirley reasoned, they would continue to use them. They weren't hurting anybody. At least not yet.

​Gladys promptly opened the front door and gestured them inside. She was still out of breath just as she had been on the phone. Before Shirley could ask her if something was wrong, she pulled an inhaler out of her pocket and exhaled, put it to her lips, and inhaled while pressing down on the top of the device. Then, with a raised index finger to wait, she held her breath for a while. Finally she exhaled.

​“Asthma,” she explained. “I think the news of poor Wanda's death might be triggering this.” Suddenly she got a pained expression and clapped a hand to her ear. “Darn hearing aid. Buzzing again,” and with that she pulled it out, shaking her head. “Don't let anybody sell you this brand. It's worthless.” She put it into her pocket without showing them who had made it.

​Shirley and Norma exchanged looks.

​“Will you still be able to hear us?” Shirley asked as the small woman led them into an equally small living room with lots of side tables and framed pictures and only one chair. Shirley grabbed it, forcing Norma to sit on the couch with the woman.

​“I'll give it the old college try,” Gladys said. “Just notch it up a little, and look at me when you're talking. I'm pretty good at reading lips.”

​Shirley did as she was told. “We heard you had lunch with Wanda the other day. We know she was a busy woman, and she knew just about everything going on in Shady River. We're wondering if she mentioned anything she was up to in the last few days. Or any rumors she had heard.”

​“What?”

​Norma took over, chopping out all the extraneous words. “What did you and Wanda talk about the other day at the diner?” she bellowed.

​“No need to talk so loud, dear. I can hear you,” she replied. “What did we talk about? Let me think. Hmmm. We talked about dumping the local garbage collection service—too spotty and too expensive. Why, some weeks they don't show up

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