“Steve is coming to get her, Mayfield, and Melvin and take them to the mall. I was thinking about going to take a look at the Bass Pro Shop. He said it’s really something special. I hope it’s worth a trip to the mall.”
“I hope so, too. Would you like to have some stale donuts and blackberry tea with me before I go out?”
“Sounds great!” He switched on the kitchen light. “When are you going to take us to see your shop?”
“When Mom runs out of other things to do.”
“Are you nervous about her seeing it, Margaret? There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve done well.”
“I know.” She put the three-day-old Krispy Kreme donuts down on the table. “I guess I’m a little nervous.”
He shook his full head of silver white hair. “Don’t be silly. Let’s go today or tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. “We’ll do it!”
Peggy went back upstairs after breakfast, knowing what she had to do. She couldn’t do anything without proof. The bad thing about not being a police detective when you had a theory about something was that they didn’t want you to investigate. She wanted to tell them that it encouraged snooping.
She reached into the closet for her ugly black hat and jammed it down on her head. She was never sure why she kept the thing until an emergency like this one came up. Then she was glad she had it. But she was definitely buying a new one for Darmus’s funeral. If there
Another memoriam was in the paper that morning, this time from his fellow professors at UNCC. The service was being held at Mangum’s on the east side in two days. She didn’t plan to wait until there was a room full of mourners to find out the truth. Her plan was to go to the mortuary, take a long, last look at her friend, and make sure it was really Darmus lying there. Then she could put her mind at ease.
Darmus was scheduled to be cremated in two days after the memorial service. She might not have another chance to make this right. Or feel like a damn fool trying!
She went downstairs in a two-piece Anne Klein suit that had seen better days. The lightweight weave was a little nubby in places, but it suited her purpose. She didn’t want to wear her best. Lord knew what she was going to have to do once she got to the mortuary. But she was determined to do whatever was necessary to find out what happened to Darmus.
“Good morning again, Margaret.” Her father kissed her forehead. “You’re lookin’ a trifle dark now. I thought your friend’s funeral wasn’t until the day after tomorrow?”
Paul was there, eating the last of the stale donuts. His green eyes, so much like hers and her father’s, narrowed. “Where are you going, Mom? Don’t you have to open the Potting Shed?”
“I have to go to Mangum’s Mortuary to meet the funeral director and go over Darmus’s service.” The lie slipped easily from her tongue. She picked up a cup and poured herself some coffee. She needed something stronger than another cup of herb tea.
Paul nodded. “Oh yeah. Wish I could go with you, but I’m on duty again in twenty minutes.”
She smiled at him, proud, despite herself, of how he looked in his dark blue patrolman’s uniform. It brought memories of her husband back to her. John walked a beat for ten years before making detective. His patrolman’s uniform was still in her closet. She couldn’t bear to part with it after he died. “That’s too bad. It would be nice not to have to go alone.”
“I’ll go with you,” her father volunteered.
Peggy tried to back herself out of the lie. “No, that’s all right. Where’s Mom? I thought you were going to the mall?”
“She’s a little under the weather. Said she isn’t getting up until noon. You’d never guess she’s been a farmer’s wife for fifty-two years.” He shrugged. “I can go with you. No one should have to do these things alone.”
She hadn’t anticipated her father volunteering to go with her. Now she had to find some way to talk him out of it. “Steve is meeting me there. It’s fine.”
As if the world was determined to thwart her, Steve knocked on the side door that led into the kitchen. He saw the group standing near the coffeepot on the counter and let himself into the house. “Good morning.” He kissed the side of Peggy’s head. “You look a little funereal this morning.”
Paul frowned. “What are you up to, Mom?”
She finished her coffee and took Steve’s arm. “I’m not ‘up to’ anything. Steve stopped by to pick me up after all.”
Steve smiled and punted. “That’s right. I’m here to pick you up and go out. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“Is everyone going . . . where we’re going?”
“No. Just the two of us.”
“Ah!” He smiled, a few lines fanning out from his eyes. “A romantic tryst.”
“Not exactly,” she denied. “But let’s go. We’ll be late.”
“Let me ride along with you,” her father said. “I’ll be the only one up for hours once Paul leaves.”
“There’s not a problem with that, is there?” Paul watched her face.
“Not at all. I’ll talk to you later.” She kissed her son’s cheek. “Don’t look like that! You’d think I tried to steal the Statue of Liberty
“You
