of police, got there first and put his arm around her shoulder. He was a handsome man in his late thirties whose warm brown eyes held a look of concern. Running his other hand through his thick black curls, he hugged her wordlessly. His hair was just beginning to show threads of gray, but both his tan and muscular build declared him to be a man of action.
While the two paramedics plunged indoors, Simon stopped at Skye’s other side and took her free hand, narrowing his eyes at the chief. In appearance, Simon was the antithesis of Chief Boyd, tall and lean, with elegant auburn hair and golden-hazel eyes.
The chief spoke first. “Your mom wasn’t on duty, so I sent Officer Quirk to find her.”
Skye nodded. “Thanks, Wally.”
It had taken her a year to feel comfortable calling him by his first name. When Wally had first come to Scumble River as a twenty-three-year-old patrolman, Skye, then a teen, had been convinced she was in love with him. She’d followed him around, turning up wherever he took a break or stopped for a meal. He was always a perfect gentleman, never mocking her or taking advantage of the situation. Nevertheless, when she first returned to town she was embarrassed to remember how lovesick she had acted, and she had found it difficult to look him in the eye, let alone call him anything but Chief Boyd.
“I called Vince when no one answered at your folks’,” Simon added, squeezing her hand.
Vince, her brother, owned and operated a hair styling salon called Great Expectations. He was usually the easiest one in the family to locate because he worked there fourteen hours a day.
“Thanks. I’m a wreck. I keep thinking about the stu pidest things.”
Before Skye could elaborate, one of the paramedics poked his head out the door and called for Simon. He kissed her cheek and hurried inside.
Wally held her while she cried on his shoulder. When Skye felt herself melting in his embrace, she made herself stop sobbing and pulled away, reminding herself for perhaps the hundredth time that he was a married man and she was dating Simon.
Using the handkerchief Wally provided, she wiped her face and blew her nose.
“So what ‘stupid things’ are you thinking about?” Wally asked after she had collected herself.
“Where’s the housekeeper?” Skye blurted. “Why were the covers pulled up over Grandma’s face? What was Bingo doing outside? The doctor just said she was fine. Why is she dead?”
Wally patted her shoulder. “Now, Skye honey, there could be lots of reasons for those things. The housekeeper’s a foreigner, right?” Skye nodded. “Well, she could’ve gotten scared when your grandmother died and called for someone to pick her up. The cat probably got out when she left. And she, no doubt out of respect, covered your grandma’s face.”
Wally’s answers made sense, but Skye still felt troubled. Something just didn’t add up.
After a few minutes, Skye sighed and made a move to stand up. “I’ve got to call my aunts and uncle. She’s their mother too.”
“Sure, but why don’t you give Quirk a little while longer to find May so you can tell her first? Isn’t she the oldest?” Wally kept hold of her hand.
“The oldest of the three girls, but my Uncle Dante is the oldest. He’s sixty.”
Before she could break away from Wally, the paramedics poured from the house, yelling, “Gotta go. Another call,” as they rushed by. They piled into the ambulance and squealed out of the driveway, sounding the siren.
They almost crashed into an old Cadillac that came barreling into the drive, throwing up gravel and blowing its horn. It shuddered to a stop and the door was flung open. The six-foot-tall, three-hundred-pound man who emerged from the front seat charged over to Skye.
He grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. “Baby, are you okay? I heard the call about your grandma on my scanner. Sorry it took me so long. I had someone checking in at the motel and I had to get them settled.”
“I’m fine, Uncle Charlie. Everything is under control.” Skye managed a tremulous smile.
Charlie Patukas was actually her godfather, not her uncle, but he was closer to her family than most of their blood relations. Charlie owned the Up a Lazy River Motor Court, and had a hand in most of the town’s business. He had always been protective of Skye and Vince, but since she’d moved back to town last fall and gotten involved in solving a murder, his concern had often led him into the realm of paranoia.
The chief watched them for a moment, then shrugged. “I’ll go take a look at the housekeeper’s room.”
Skye related to Charlie the events leading up to her call to Simon, then spent the rest of the time in silence.
Quite a while later Simon joined them on the front steps. He spoke softly. “I’ve done what had to be done before we could move her.”
Simon stepped back inside to talk to Wally, but Skye could hear their conversation. Simon’s voice was low, but clear. “Since she died unattended, we’ll have to keep her until we can determine the cause of death.”
Wally’s deeper tone was a little harder to discern. “Fine, I’ll call Doc Zello and have him meet you at the funeral home. He recognizes death by old age when he sees it.”
Skye frowned. Wally was still treating her like she was fifteen and dismissing her concerns.
Simon had already left with her grandmother’s body when May’s white Oldsmobile careened into the driveway. The chief was looking around inside the house and Charlie was with him, supervising.
May flung the door open and ran to Skye. “Are you okay, honey?”
Skye saw the tears running down her mother’s cheeks. “I’m fine. How about you?”
“It’s such a shock. Doc Zello saw her just a few days ago, and said she was in excellent health.” May sat down on the front porch beside Skye.
May was only five feet two, with short salt-and-pepper hair and eyes the same green as her daughter’s. Skye got her height from the Denison side of the family.
“I was out back planting flowers when Quirk came over. Thought for a minute they needed me at work.” May dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Vince will be here in a little bit. He’s looking for Dad in the field.”
“How about Aunt Mona, Aunt Minnie, and Uncle Dante?” Skye asked.
“I tried all their houses before I left. No answer anywhere.” May shook her head. “Hope we can find them before the grapevine does.”
That was odd. None of the women worked outside their homes. It was a Monday and almost five, supper time for most farm families. They all should be in their kitchens cooking. Where could they be?
Skye was sitting on the sofa talking softly to May and Charlie when her brother, Vince, arrived. He was an extremely handsome man of thirty-five. Although Vince had the Leofanti green eyes, his hair was a rich butterscotch blond. They never could figure out to what ancestor he owed its color.
After greeting everyone, Vince took a seat next to his mother and patted her hand. “Dad’s on his way.”
“Thanks, hon.”
A few minutes later, Skye’s father entered the room. He snatched a John Deere cap off his head, revealing a steel-gray crew cut and faded brown eyes. His tanned face crinkled like a leather handbag when he frowned.
Jed nodded to everybody and lowered himself into a side chair. “I’m sorry, May. Antonia was a good woman.”
They all agreed, and then sat silently, Skye getting up to let Bingo back in when he meowed at the door.
Chief Boyd coughed politely, standing at the archway between the dining and living rooms. When they became aware of his presence, he entered.
As soon as he was settled on the edge of an overstuffed chair the chief spoke. “Looks like that housekeeper of yours hightailed it out of here. The closet and drawers in her room are empty, and there’s no sign of any personal possessions. Do you have a way to reach her?”
“The only thing we have is the number of the agency we hired her through. We send our check to them, and they pay her from that,” May said.
“Well, I’ll need that address and number as soon as possible.” Wally shifted in his chair.
“I’ll get it to you first thing tomorrow.” May turned to Jed. “Don’t let me forget.”
