Colleen put what was left of a tissue to her nose and blew. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept that.”
Liam sat on the love seat facing her, his heart stirred by his sister’s angst. He felt his own pain and nagging guilt tighten his gut. An autopsy wasn’t going to answer her questions. He had to find a way to talk her out of it.
“Do you know what’s really involved in an autopsy?” Liam said.
Colleen raised her hand. “Don’t. I know enough.”
“Do you?”
“Liam, stop it. I wouldn’t even consider it if I didn’t think there was a real possibility that Mom was murdered.”
“Even though there’s no sign of struggle?”
Colleen pursed her lips. “You think I’m wrong to pursue this.”
Liam got up and walked over to the couch and sat next to her. “I think you’re a loving daughter who’s grasping at straws to avoid the painful truth that Mom just got away from us.”
The expression left Colleen’s face. “Not us—me. It was my fault. I was home with her. How could I not know she had slipped out?”
“I don’t hold you responsible for this,” Liam said. “Mom was prone to wander. It was getting impossible to keep track of her every second. She could’ve gotten away from me just as easily.”
“But she didn’t.”
“Don’t go there,” Liam said.
“I’m already there. She got lost on my watch.”
“For crying out loud, Colleen, she was taking a nap, and you used that opportunity to get some stuff done. Even mothers leave sleeping kids and do chores around the house.”
“I should’ve heard her leave.”
“We never heard her leave any of the other times.”
“Will you stop making excuses for me!” she said.
“No. This is ridiculous. You are not responsible.” Why was Colleen doing this to herself? He never meant for her to bear the guilt.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Liam. But you don’t have to sugarcoat it.”
“Sugarcoat what, for Pete’s sake—that Mom got up from her nap and slipped out of the house while you were hard at work in the utility room, doing everyone’s laundry and ironing? It’s not like you plopped down in front of the TV with a box of chocolates or a bottle of whiskey.”
“I heard you go out the front door,” Colleen said. “Why didn’t I hear her?”
Liam’s pulse quickened. Don’t react. There’s no way she suspects I took Mom with me. “Because she’s quiet as a mouse and I tend to slam the door.”
Colleen let out the same sigh she had been replicating all day. “I feel just awful that I was right there and she slipped out without me hearing her.”
Liam put his hand on hers. “I wish it had been me instead. You’re going to be a lot harder on yourself than I would be.”
Liam mentally retraced the steps he’d taken the day before.
“Colleen, I’m leaving to go run errands,” Liam had said as he approached the door to the utility room. His sister had placed several piles of dirty laundry on the floor, and set up her ironing board, blocking the door to the garage.
She set the iron down and lifted her gaze. “I suppose you need me to clear a path through this mess.”
“Stay put,” Liam said. “I’m way ahead of you. I moved my car out front when you were taking your shower.”
“Thanks. I wish I had more room to work with so I wouldn’t have to spread out like this.”
Liam smiled. “I’m just grateful you’re doing my laundry. Mom’s sleeping like a baby. Maybe you’ll have a chance to get some stuff done. I’ll get everything on the grocery list on my way home.”
“Thanks. That’d be a big help,” she said. “See you later, alligator.”
“In a while, crocodile—”
“Not too soon, baboon.”
Liam turned to go, Colleen chuckling at the silly good-bye they had used since they were kids. He hurried to the living room, where his mother sat. He put his index finger to his lips, then took her by the hand, gently pulled her to her feet, and slipped out the front door …
Liam had known that Colleen would be in the utility room ironing, and that the sound of the washer and dryer would make it easy for him to sneak their mother out of the house without his sister knowing it. The driveway was hidden from neighbors, on one side by high shrubs and the other by a privacy fence. The other side of the street had not been developed and was mostly woods. Liam was sure no one had seen him leave with her.
But if Colleen were able to convince the sheriff to investigate for foul play, the sheriff’s deputies would likely interview neighbors and press Liam and Colleen in an effort to expose any guilt. He knew from watching TV that they always put the family under a microscope. He’d covered his tracks. There was no reason for anyone to suspect him.
t
Jesse set the baggies of fresh crappie fillets in the refrigerator and high-fived his brother. “We did it! We got our limit—fifteen keepers each.”
“You’re the man,” Hawk said. “You found the spot.”
Their mother smiled. “Tonight’s out, but what night this week should we have a fish fry?”
“Let’s do it Tuesday night,” Hawk said. “I’ll bring Laura Lynn, and Abby can bring Jay. It’s a good excuse to get everyone together.”
“Coleslaw and fries?” Kate said.
“Mmm … and baked beans.” Jesse rubbed his stomach in a circular motion. “You make the best. Don’t forget to invite Elliot.” He winked at his mother, then went over to the stove, took the lid off a big pot, and inhaled the delicious aroma. “Beef stew. Yum.”
His mother was suddenly distracted by something on the TV. She turned it up.
“The elderly woman’s body was discovered by two fishermen in the shallow end of Rocky Creek just after ten o’clock this morning. According to the coroner, the cause of death was drowning. He estimated Berne had been dead between twenty and twenty-four hours. The victim’s two adult children filed a missing person’s report last night after Ms. Berne had wandered away from the residence earlier in the day and didn’t return.
“Authorities believe Ms. Berne, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, may have fallen into the Sure Foot River and drowned, the river’s current moving her body downstream to where the river branches off into Rocky Creek. Foul play has not been ruled out. Anyone who may have seen this woman is asked to call the sheriff’s department.
“Dixie Berne, eighty-five, is the third person to drown in the Sure Foot this year. In other news tonight—”
“Hey, I think that was her,” Jesse said. “The lady I saw when I was fishing yesterday.”
“Are you positive?” Kate said.
Jesse shrugged. “Sure looks like the lady I saw. Her white hair stood out in the sunlight. She was with a man. They were wading in the river.”
Jesse put the lid back on the pot of stew and walked over to the table and sat. “Should I tell Sheriff Granger? Just in case it’s her?”
“If you think that was the woman you saw,” his mother said, “we definitely need to call Virgil.”
Chapter 6
Sunday night, just after seven, the chiming of the doorbell filled the Cummingses’ log house.
“I’ll get it!” Jesse slammed his math book shut, ran out of his room, slid down the banister, and landed on his bare feet. He hurried to the front door and opened it.
“Hey, Jesse,” Sheriff Granger said.
“Evening, Sheriff. You’re dressed like a regular person. I’m not used to seeing you without your uniform.”
The sheriff smiled. He had kind eyes. “I’m not officially working tonight. But while your memory is still fresh, I wanted to hear about the man and woman you saw wading in the river.”
Jesse opened the door wider. “Come in. Mama made peanut-
butter chocolate-chip cookies.”
His mother came out of the kitchen and hugged the sheriff. “So good to see you, Virgil. How’s Jill Beth?”
“She’s great. Still doing volunteer work and treating me like a king.”
“How are the triplets—I guess I should say, your three young men?”
“They’re great too,” the sheriff said. “Still running their software company together. Still inseparable. I wonder sometimes if we’ll have a triple wedding one of these days. Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Kate laughed. “Wouldn’t that be something? You want to sit here in the living room or out in the kitchen?”
“Whatever suits you is fine with me.”
“I’d rather sit in the kitchen,” Jesse said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Closer to the cookies?” His mother sounded amused.
“Well, yeah. They’re best when they’re still warm.”
“All right, come on.”
His mother led the way to the kitchen, and Sheriff Granger followed her, Jesse on his heels.
Jesse took a seat across from the sheriff, a plate of cookies already set in the middle of the table between them.
Kate laughed. “Don’t look so surprised, Son. I know how your mind works. Everyone want milk?”
“Me!” Jesse’s hand shot up.
Virgil chuckled. “I’m sure not going to pass. I haven’t had peanut-butter chocolate-chip cookies since I had the measles.”
Jesse studied the sheriff for a moment. “That’s just an expression, right?”
“Yep.”
Jesse heard a knock and then saw Grandpa Buck standing in the doorway. “I wouldn’t mind nibblin’ on a cookie and listenin’ to what Jesse has to say.”
“Same here.” Hawk’s head appeared over Grandpa’s shoulder.
“No problem,” the sheriff said. “Come in and get situated. Let me set this up.”
Hawk and Grandpa sat on either side of Jesse. His mother set four glasses and a half gallon of milk on the table, then sat next to the sheriff.
Sheriff Granger took something out of his pocket and laid it on the table. It resembled a small cell phone. “I’d like to record this for accuracy. Is that okay?”
“It’s all right with me,” Kate said, filling the glasses with milk. “Jesse, you okay with that?”
Jesse nodded, grinning without meaning to.
“Okay, here we go.” Sheriff Granger reached down and pressed a button. “This is Raleigh County Sheriff Virgil Granger. It’s seven fifteen on Sunday night, September fifteenth. I’m at the home of Jesse Cummings, 100 Angel View Road. Present are: his mother, Kate Cummings; his brother, Hawk Cummings; and his grandfather, Buck Winters. I’m here to follow up on the drowning death of Dixie Berne, case number 20170914. Jesse, would you state your full name and age?”
“Jesse Buckley Cummings.” He smiled at Grandpa Buck. “I’m twelve years old.”
“Jesse, state your whereabouts on Saturday, September fourteenth.”
“Fishing on the Sure Foot River, just south of the bridge toward Rocky Creek.”
“Can you estimate how far south of the bridge?”
“I’d say a couple hundred yards.”
“Were you fishing from the bank?” the sheriff said.
“No, sir. I found a round, flat rock that sticks out over the water. I was fishing there.”
“What time did you arrive, Jesse?”
“Around nine o’clock in the morning. I stayed in the same spot until I left about four. I paid attention to the time because my mother makes spaghetti on Saturday night, and I didn’t want to miss dinner.”
“Okay, great,” Sheriff Granger said. “Which side of the river were you fishing on?”
“The east side.”
“Do you recall what was on the other bank?”
“Mostly trees. But over yonder, and down a ways, there was a clearing on the bank.”
“Where was that from where you fished?”
“Straight across and to the left a few yards. You can’t miss it,” Jesse said. “It’s the only clearing in that area.”
“Did you see anyone else out there?”
Jesse nodded. “I saw a man and woman, wading in the river—right off that clearing on the bank.”
“Can you guess how far away that was from where you were fishing?”
Jesse mused and looked at his brother. “I’d say fifty yards, give or take.”
Hawk nodded in agreement.
“What time did the man and woman arrive?” the sheriff said.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t see them get in the water. I just looked up and noticed them there.”
“What time was that?”
“Almost exactly eleven. Sometimes I look at my watch and don’t really pay attention to it. Kind of a habit. But that time I did.”
“What can you tell me about them?”
Jesse took a bite of cookie and washed it down with a gulp of milk. “They were both white. They’d waded maybe ten yards from the bank, but I could still see their arms above water. I noticed the woman had white hair. I was catching fish like crazy and didn’t pay that much attention to them.”
“When you did pay attention,” the sheriff said, “what did you notice? No detail is too small.”
Jesse bit into a cookie and thought as he chewed. “The man put his arms around the lady and went down into the water up to his neck. And she went under the water—like he was teaching her to hold her breath. Kind of like parents do with a little kid.”
“Did you notice if there was any splashing?”
“I didn’t see any.” Jesse stuffed the last bite of cookie into his mouth and washed it down with milk.
“Did you see the woman’s head come back up?”
“I wasn’t really watching. The crappie were biting as fast as I could get my bait back in the water. I remember glancing over yonder and seeing the lady floating on top of the water. It looked like the man was holding her up, like he was teaching her to float.”
“Was her face up or down?”
“Up. I was concentrating on the fish and only glanced over there a few times. I did think it was weird for them to be wading that far from the bank. The undercurrent is dangerous. Didn’t seem like a safe place to teach someone to swim.”
“Okay, good. Now, this is important, Jesse. Do you remember what the woman was wearing?”
“I’m sure it wasn’t a bathing suit. And I’m pretty sure it was pink.”
“You’re doing great. Tell me about the man.”
“He turned toward me when I sneezed, but I couldn’t see him very well because the sun was so glary. I did see him from behind when he walked out of the river and up on the bank, then disappeared in the trees. His shirt was short sleeved—maroon or brown, I think. Hard to be sure because it was wet. He might’ve had on jeans. He didn’t look real tall or real short—just in between.”
“So he was fully clothed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Could you tell how old he was?”
Jesse shook his head. “Not really.”
“Was he heavy or slender?”
“Just average.”
“Was there anything about his face that stood out—despite the glare?”
“Not that I could see.”
“What color was his hair?”
“Dark brown, I think. It wasn’t wet. I know that.”
“Anything that stood out about how he walked?”
“I didn’t really notice that.” Jesse pushed his glass out of the way and folded his hands on the table. “I was looking for the lady but didn’t see her anywhere. I thought maybe she got out first, and I just didn’t see her.”
“When the man walked out of the water,” the sheriff said, “did
he turn around? Or turn and look downstream?”
“He didn’t turn at all. He just kept walking. Then the trees hid him. Do you think he drowned that woman?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” the sheriff said. “It’s certainly suspicious, since we found a white-haired woman’s body downstream about a hundred and thirty yards, where the Sure Foot branches off into Rocky Creek. So the location fits. We’ll have to get out there and search the area for clues. This is very helpful information, Jesse. Thanks.”
Jesse smiled when Grandpa winked at him. “You’re welcome.”
“Is there anything else you can remember that stood out?” the sheriff said. “I don’t care how unimportant it might seem.”
“I heard a phone ringing while the man was walking away,” Jesse said. “I couldn’t see where it was. But the ringing was coming from that direction.”
“Any idea what time that was?”
“Twelve minutes after eleven,” he said proudly. “I remember that because I’m twelve.”
“Excellent, Jesse. This is all such good information. Depending on what our investigation uncovers, later on we might need you to work with a sketch artist and see if we can get a better idea of the man’s face. You might have seen more than you realize.”
Jesse smiled. “Sure.”
“But now I have to ask you—and everyone in your family—not to tell anyone outside the family that you saw anything. It may turn out that you witnessed a murder without realizing it. If so, you do not want that kind of information getting back to the person who did it.”
“Goodness,” Kate said. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
The sheriff shook his head. “Don’t worry. We protect the identity of witnesses by not releasing their names to anyone. But we have to rely on witnesses and their families to help keep it anonymous by not telling anyone they know. Can you do that, Jesse? Can you keep this important secret?”
Jesse nodded. “Yes, sir. I won’t tell anyone.”
Only by Death Page 5
