rules.” She paused. “Poor thing looks like he’s been through the wringer.”
“You could say that.”
“He has my sympathies.”
Angus, bless him, was on his best behavior. He didn’t growl or bark or try to encroach. He hung back, sensing Mama’s reticence. Even when she put out a reluctant hand, he didn’t come forward to nuzzle. Instead, he retreated to a spot beneath the angel oak and watched us warily.
“Lyn said you’d been out of town. You had a restoration somewhere?” Mama asked as I settled down in a nearby lawn chair.
“Yes, ma’am. She didn’t tell you where I was?”
A frown flitted across her brow. “She may have. I don’t remember if she did.”
I was just about to tell her myself when Lynrose came out the back door with the iced tea. “You should probably get that dog some water, Amelia. It’s a hot day even with the breeze. I can feel a storm brewing. You feel that air? Thick as molasses… .”
I left her going on about the weather as I filled a bowl from the water hose and took it to Angus. By the time I rejoined my mother and aunt, they’d moved on to a new topic.
My aunt handed me a glass of tea. “I was just telling Etta about an acquaintance of yours I ran into the other day. I was standing in line at the grocery store when I heard someone behind me mention that she grew up in Trinity. Well, naturally, I had to strike up a conversation. Turns out she was a grade or so behind you in school, but she said the two of you had crossed paths just a few months ago.”
“What’s her name?”
“Ree Hutchins. Do you remember her?”
I took a sip of tea. “Ree? Yes, I remember her. She came to see me about Oak Grove Cemetery.”
My aunt looked stricken. “Oh, Lord. She wasn’t involved in any of that terrible business, was she?”
“No. She was interested in the history of the cemetery.”
“Oh. Well…she was with a very good-looking young man. Hayden something-or-other. She said he was a lawyer.”
“He’s also a ghost hunter,” I said.
A brow arched. “You don’t say. He seemed so normal.”
“I’m sure he did,” I murmured.
“Anyway, Ree told me about some of the awful things that went on at that mental hospital where she worked. Abuse, illegal testing, patients admitted under false names by wealthy families who just wanted to forget about them. It was all over the news last spring. I’m sure you saw it. I don’t remember all the particulars but someone was murdered by a doctor—Farrante, I think his name was. He was quite famous, and apparently his grandfather before him had conducted all sorts of gruesome experiments at that place.” She shook her head. “Blood will tell, as they say.”
As my aunt prattled on, I kept glancing at my mother. Her head had fallen back against the cushion, and her eyes were closed.
“Mama, are you okay?”
She smiled faintly. “I’m a little tired. Would you think badly of me if I went in to rest for a little while?”
I set my glass down. “Of course not. Can I help you?”
“No, dear, I’m fine. It’s just…I don’t have much energy these days.”
“It’s that blasted chemo,” my aunt grumbled as she helped Mama to her feet. “Well, never you mind. We’ll get you all settled in for a nice nap.”
“I’m perfectly capable of turning down the covers myself, Lyn. Stay out here and visit with Amelia. I feel terrible deserting her when she only just arrived.”
“Don’t worry about that. We can visit later,” I said.
“Will you stay and eat with us? We’ll go out somewhere. I wouldn’t subject that poor dog to Lynrose’s cooking.”
I smiled. “That would be nice.”
“Now, you hush up,” my aunt scolded good-naturedly. “I haven’t heard you complaining lately about my cooking.”
“Because I have no appetite,” Mama countered.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” I asked.
“No, you two have a nice visit. I’ll join you later.”
After she disappeared inside, I turned to my aunt. “Oh, Aunt Lyn, she looks so frail. Even more so since I last saw her, and that was only a week or so ago.”
“She’s had a bad few days, but the doctor is still optimistic with her progress. Setbacks are to be expected.”
“I guess. But she just seems so…I don’t know.
My aunt’s eyes flashed. “Don’t you dare say that to her!”
“Of course, I won’t! And, anyway, she’s still beautiful.”
My aunt’s eyes grew misty. “The prettiest girl at the dance. Always was.”
I reached over and patted her arm. “You’ve taken such good care of her. She’s so lucky to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have her, too. If anything happens, I don’t know what I’ll do without her—”
“Don’t say it.”
“I know. I know. She’s going to pull through this.” My aunt lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
“Aunt Lyn, has Papa been here this morning? I drove by the house on my way in and the front door was locked.”
“He may have gone into town for something. You probably just missed him.”
“Does he ever come by to see Mama?”
“You know Caleb. He lives in his own little world. Just like you. Two peas in a pod, Etta used to say.” I saw a shadow in her eyes before she glanced away, and for a moment, the air quivered with something unspoken. I didn’t know why, but I felt a momentary panic. I took a sip of tea to calm myself.
“Does Mama know where I’ve been working?”
My aunt traced a bead of condensation down her glass. “Didn’t you tell her?”
“No, I called here before I left, remember? I told you that a job had come through and I would be working out of town for a few weeks. Mama was resting and you said you’d let her know. But you didn’t say anything to her, did you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I have a lot on my mind these days. We all do.”
“Every time I called this past week, she was always resting or napping. You never let me talk to her.”
“Never let you? What a thing to say. As if I would deliberately try to keep you from talking to your mama.”
“Maybe you didn’t want her to know that I was working in Asher Falls.”
“Why on earth would I be concerned about that?” But her fingers had tangled in the string of pearls at her throat.
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
She said, almost angrily, “You make it sound so manipulative and sinister. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t want her upset, is all.
“But why would it upset her to know that I was in Asher Falls? What happened up there, Aunt Lyn?”
She was on the verge of another denial. I could see it in her eyes. Then she seemed to deflate, and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Amelia, why can’t you just leave it be?”
“Leave what be?”
“I knew nothing good would come of you going up there to that place. If I could have found a way to stop you, I would have.”
“Aunt Lyn—”
“It was all such a long time ago. Best forgotten, I say.”
I reached over and took her hand. “Don’t I deserve to know the truth?”
