Dream With Little Angels (An Alvin, Alabama Novel) by Michael Hiebert

Author:Michael Hiebert [Hiebert, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Kensington House Pub Ltd
Published: 2013-06-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

By the time we pulled into Holly Berry Ranch, my mother had fully regained her composure. She got out of the car and put on her hat. My hand was going for my door handle when she said, “You stay here, you understand? If I need you, I’ll come get you.”

I began to object, but she cut me off. “You told me you’d listen and obey me, Abe. Don’t disappoint me now.”

I stopped objecting and resigned myself to being stuck in the car.

My mother went around to the trunk and pulled out her hip waders and rain gear. I had no idea why she needed them waders unless she planned on walking through Skeeter Swamp and, in my opinion, nobody in their right mind would ever walk through Skeeter Swamp. Of course, lately my mother hadn’t been in her right mind so much, so I wouldn’t put anything past her.

She carried the hip waders over to where Mr. Robert Lee Garner waited, leaning against a pine tree, smoking one of his cigars. He was still wearing the Panther cap and the rain jacket, which was now coming in handy, as the small drizzle that had started when we left my house had now turned into real rain.

I waited until my mother was a good fifty yards away before rolling down my window and reaching across the center console to roll down hers. She said I had to stay in the car. She didn’t say I couldn’t listen.

It wasn’t easy to hear them though, not with them being a good hundred yards away and the rain coming down on the swamp and leaves and all. I strained and did the best I could. According to what little I did make out, Mr. Garner found Mary Ann’s body in nearly the exact same spot and position he had found Ruby Mae’s in twelve years ago.

My mother looked over her shoulder toward the willow across the river and swamp. By the look on her face, I could tell she could see enough even from that far away to disturb her. I leaned as far forward as I could and tried to see the base of that willow tree, but the best I got was the edge of the leaves overhanging the stone bridge.

“Her body’s in nearly the same shape Ruby Mae’s was,” Mr. Garner said. I had no idea what that meant, or what he was referring to when he clarified by saying she was “well used” before she was killed.

Off in the distance, I heard a siren coming closer. No doubt, it was Officer Jackson. I saw relief flood over my mother when she heard the same sound. It was obvious to me that she didn’t want to be the one to have to go look at Mary Ann Dailey. Instead, she stalled for time by asking Mr. Garner some standard questions.

He told her he had just finished working on his tool shed for the night and gone in for a beer when Dixie started barking like some kind of crazy wolfhound.

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