Magpie Speaks by Chappell R. Allen

Author:Chappell, R. Allen [Chappell, R. Allen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Contemporary
Amazon: B01BPSR1SE
Goodreads: 29083354
Published: 2016-02-12T08:00:00+00:00

8

The Mistake

Charlie watched Harley Ponyboy from the corner of his eye and couldn’t imagine what was going on in the man’s head. He wasn’t the old carefree Harley now; his wife’s death… combined with the ensuing bout with alcohol, had wrought a change in his friend that Charlie wouldn’t have thought possible. He had seen the little man go on benders before but never saw him so subdued in mind or spirit. Attempts at conversation were useless, and as he watched him peering out the truck’s side window, could see he was lost in some other time and place. He hoped Harley would find his way back before being permanently branded by these dark days.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Harley finally spoke, not turning, his voice barely audible, “Anita wouldn’ had no reason ta be out there at Johnny Deboe’s unless she was looking for me. It feels now like I’m the one what killed her.”

Charlie was so surprised at this he wasn’t sure what to say. “Harley, you’re not thinking straight. We have no idea what Anita was doing there that night… maybe someone lured her out there. You can’t blame yourself for something you had no part in.” Charlie knew he sounded like one of the social workers in his office, but had no better advice and only later thought it probably would have been better just to say nothing.

They were almost to Waterflow, and home, before he finally thought to ask if Harley had run across anything interesting back at Gobernador. The portly little man had spent a good bit of time searching the vicinity of the stock truck, including that brushy area back of the corrals. He had only abandoned his inspection when Thomas called to him that Charlie was in his truck and ready to leave.

Harley turned now and spoke softly, “I didn’ find too much, I guess. I didn’ really get ta go as far off as I should have.” Here he gave Charlie a reproachful look, as though saying he might have done better had he been allowed more time. He turned back to the window before murmuring, “I don’ know why someone would spend so much time walking around in that old broken-down corral––it won’t even hold sheep anymore.”

“Maybe it was one of the investigators.”

“No, this person’s shoes were all wore-out. I wouldn’ think an FBI man would have worn-out shoes.” Harley turned to his friend and lifted an eyebrow. “Whoever it was had been out there several times in the last week or so. He has a left foot that turns out a little. Most were old tracks… couple of days maybe, but still it was a little funny ta see them there… just wandering around in that same little space, as though looking for something. There were some rocks laid out on the ground like markers but they didn’t make any sense either.

Charlie concentrated on the road and didn’t find anything extraordinary in any of this. “Hmm,” he nodded, not really paying attention.

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