“She was dedicated to her work,” Nolan said. “Lately, she had to spend so much time on it, sometimes working so late into the night that she didn’t even have the energy to make the drive back to Sinful. She’d get a room in New Orleans.”
“That’s sensible,” Gertie said. “One’s eyes simply aren’t the same when they’re overly tired, and the highway is not particularly well lit. And with no shoulders to speak of, it only takes a second for things to go wrong.”
“She was sensible,” Nolan said. “Which is what makes it all the more confusing. Sensible women don’t go around getting themselves killed.” His eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe this happened. I can’t believe she’s gone. Every time I doze off, I wake up thinking I’ve had a nightmare, and then I remember the nightmare is real.”
He collapsed into tears and I looked over at Ida Belle and Gertie, completely at a loss. This was well outside of my skill set. Gertie reached over and put her hand on Nolan’s arm. “Everything will be all right,” she said. “Carter is a very smart young man. He’ll figure out what happened and the person who did this will pay. It won’t change the way things are, but it should bring you a small amount of peace.”
He looked over at her and nodded. “I hope you’re right. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll lie down for a bit. Marie rearranged the downstairs guest room to accommodate my chair. If one of you wouldn’t mind pushing me in there. I’m still a bit weak.”
“Of course,” Gertie said and jumped up from her chair. “Do you need to use the uh…facilities, first?”
“Not right now,” he said. “But you needn’t worry about that. All the bathrooms in the house are equipped for such a thing. Again, I appreciate the meal and the company. I don’t think I’d like being alone right now.”
Gertie pushed him out of the kitchen. Ida Belle waited until they were out of hearing, then looked over at me.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think he’s distraught,” I said, “and I think he lied.”
She gave me an approving nod. “You caught that too, huh?”
“It was subtle, but it was there. I don’t think he knows anything or he would have told Carter. When Carter walked out of the kitchen earlier, he looked perplexed, and not at all like a man who had an angle to pursue.”
“So it’s merely suspicion,” Ida Belle said. “I’d agree with that, but still, why not offer it up anyway? It’s not like Carter would go arrest someone over a hunch.”
“Maybe because his suspicion is wrapped up in something he didn’t want others to know.”
“The affair angle. Yes, I could see that. No use sullying the woman’s reputation right at the start.”
I nodded. “He’ll wait a bit and see if any other explanation is forthcoming. If not, then he’ll volunteer his idea.”
We both sat staring at each other, focused on our thoughts, so when the telephone rang, we both jumped. Ida Belle rose from her chair and answered.
“Bishop residence,” she said. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Bishop is resting at the moment. This is Ida Belle, a friend of his. Can I take a message and have Mr. Bishop return your call when he awakens?”
Ida Belle picked up a pen from the message rack next to the phone and wrote a name and telephone number on the pad of paper hanging there. When she finished taking down the phone number, her eyes widened. “I understand. I’ll have Mr. Bishop contact you as soon as he’s available.”
She hung up the phone and looked over at me. “That was a man with an insurance company in New Orleans. He needs to talk to Nolan about the life insurance policy Gail had. Apparently, he feels that Nolan could benefit from talking to an investment adviser rather than putting the entire amount in a regular bank account.”
“I wonder how much?” I asked.
Ida Belle shook her head. “He didn’t say, but it has to be a good amount. I mean, if it were only a hundred thousand or so, one wouldn’t need an investment counselor.”
“I wouldn’t think so. Well, that’s good news, right? Maybe Nolan will have enough to pay for the in-home care he needs. That way he won’t have to move into one of those homes.”
“That would be ideal,” Ida Belle said. “I can’t imagine living in one of those places. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the care is often top-notch and so many of the facilities are quite new and comfortable, but all the same…people.”
I nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying. I wouldn’t do well with people around me all the time. It would feel claustrophobic. Perhaps Nolan didn’t feel like Ida Belle and me and would be quite content in such a situation, but if he had some money coming, then hopefully, he’d have a choice.
As much as choice could sometimes be a burden, not having one was far worse.
“We need a look at that bedroom,” Ida Belle said, “and the trellis.”
“I don’t see how we’re going to get it. We can’t go upstairs without Nolan hearing us. If we go outside, the neighbors behind can see into the yard, and I’ll bet money half of them have binoculars trained over here right now.”