“I don’t know anything about that,” she said, shaking her head.
“Does it sound like something Bart would have someone do?”
“Rumor has it that Bart asks for all manner of favors, and most of what I’ve heard is speculation and gossip. Might he have been behind it? It’s not outside the realm of possibility. I just can’t confirm it.”
I’d hoped for more information, but I suspected the relatives of the people on the list I’d made at the library would be able to fill in some blanks for me. Presuming they didn’t call Bart as soon as they heard from me. Time to move on to the primary reason for my visit.
“What do you remember about Wyatt Drummond’s DUI and robbery arrest?”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re here because they found that poor girl’s body.”
“Heather Stone.”
She nodded. “Yep. Everyone was sure she’d left town. It’s so, so sad, but it’s not all that surprising when you think about it.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s hard to believe Bart Drummond would let someone get the best of him like that. Rumor has it he paid her off, but I can’t imagine him doing that. It would make him look weak.”
“But I heard she was showing off a check at her going-away party.”
She seemed to give that some thought. “I could be wrong, of course, but it sure doesn’t seem like his style.”
“So why didn’t he squash the rumors?”
“Good question. Makes you think maybe he did have her killed.”
“Maybe, but if he did, he certainly didn’t have her buried there. Do you know anything about her?”
She frowned. “It seems wrong to speak ill of the dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
Waving a hand, she let out a sigh. “I’ll tell you what I know.” She rested an arm on her chair, leaning closer to me. “She was a wild one, that Heather. Her aunt was likely sorry she’d agreed to keep her after the girl’s parents moved. Caused her nothin’ but trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“This and that, mostly juvenile stuff. Underage drinkin’ at the state park. I’m pretty sure there was a vandalism arrest in there. She slashed some poor girl’s tires, but the charges were dropped. Never home by curfew. Hilde tried groundin’ her, but Heather never paid her any mind. I told Hilde to send her back to her parents, but Heather would always manipulate Hilde into believin’ she was gonna follow the straight and narrow. And she would for a bit, then go back to her old ways.”
“And those incidents happened when she was in high school?” Which would be the reason I hadn’t found any arrest records for her when I’d searched for her name last December. Juvenile records were sealed.
“Oh, yes. She caused trouble when she came back the other times, but nothin’ illegal… not that I knew about anyways.”
“You said she manipulated her aunt. Multiple people have told me she was manipulative.”
“Yep.” She shook her head with a sigh. “And boy, was she a master at it. I’ve never seen so many people bamboozled by one girl. That Drummond boy to boot. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one who broke into that garage and stole the baseball.”
“Do you remember any of the rumors going around when Wyatt was arrested?”
“Only that he turned his back on his family after his arrest. Wouldn’t even accept an attorney from them. Rumor had it the judge gave him a stiffer sentence than normal, but folks figured he was one of the few people not bought and paid for with Drummond money.”
“Do you have any idea where Heather’s aunt lives?”
She frowned. “You plan on talkin’ to her?”
“Is that a problem?” I asked, caught off guard by her question.
“No, I guess I’m just surprised. But that would be awfully sweet of you, dear. I’m sure she’d appreciate the condolences.”
Well, crap. I hadn’t even thought about that, and now I felt guilty for letting Thelma believe my reasons were so selfless.
“Hilde Browning. I don’t have her address, but she lives in the pale yellow house off Freeman Road. About a mile off the county road. Do you know where that is?”
“No, ma’am, but it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll bring her some flowers when I go.”
“She loves Gerbera daisies,” Thelma said, her voice trailing. “Be sure to give her my condolences as well.”
“I’ll tell her they’re from the both of us.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You’re such a sweet girl.”
Guilt tightened its grip on me, forcing me to admit, “That’s not the only reason I’m going, Miss Thelma.”
Her eyes brightened. “Well, of course not, dear. You’re goin’ to ask her questions about Heather’s murder, but there’s no reason you can’t offer your condolences to start.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“Please, give me more credit than that.” Then she said, “How’s Greta? She says she’s not seeing the other Drummond boy anymore.”
“I don’t know anything about her love life, but I just saw her a few hours ago when I had lunch and she looked great.”
Thelma nodded. “She seems happy, but I can’t help thinkin’ she’s lonely. She says she doesn’t see much of Lula now that she’s had the baby.”
“Bingham keeps a pretty close eye on both Lula and the baby, from what I can tell,” I said. “But I haven’t talked to Greta about that either.” It occurred to me that perhaps I should. What if she was lonely?
A quick glance to the clock on the wall told me that I needed to leave soon if I was going to get to the Drummonds’ on time. I also remembered that I hadn’t told Max I was going to be late. I turned off the recorder, shut my notebook, and put both into my purse.
Standing, I gave Thelma a warm smile. “Thank you so much for letting me dig into the past.”
“I’m not sure how helpful I’ve actually been, but if I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to call you at Hank’s.”
Her offer caught me by surprise, mostly because she apparently
