Norman gave me a withering look. “Hasn’t Dolores been through enough? Can’t you spare her the ordeal of a visit to the coroner?”
“Stop badgering Jessica, Norman. It was my idea. I want to see Willis one last time.” Dolores’s voice wafted into the room. “Jess, I’ll be right in. I want to check my car. I may need gas. And do we have the address so I can put it in the GPS?”
“Don’t worry about the car. Come in and sit down,” I said. “Have something to eat. I’ve arranged for Marla Mae’s brother, Elton, to bring a car, and he will be our driver for today. I thought that would be less stressful for you.”
“That is genius. I never gave a thought to transportation. Who knows how I will feel . . . later? And I always forget that you don’t drive.” Dressed in a stunning navy blue suit and prim white blouse, Dolores looked like a society matron on her way to an upscale luncheon. She stopped at the breakfront to pour herself a cup of coffee. “I don’t feel like eating, but I do need caffeine.”
“Try some grapes. Break off a bunch and I’ll share it with you.”
Before she got to the table, Norman sprang up to pull out a chair nearer to him than to me. “Sit here, Dolores. I’ve been so sorry not to have seen much of you since the unfortunate . . . Anyway, I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am.”
“Thank you, Norman.” Dolores gave him a tight obligatory smile.
“It’s important that you know I will stand by you financially until you are comfortable managing your own affairs. Take all the time you need. It’s the least I can do for my old partner and friend.”
Dolores pressed her lips together, then swiveled in her seat and said, “Have some grapes, Jessica.” She set the plate of fruit between us.
“Norman,” I said while reaching for some grapes, “the Blomquists were here yesterday and mentioned they are expecting some funding so they can update Jessamine House. Since they are part of your social circle I can’t help wondering if that money will come from your firm.”
He grunted and squirmed, discomfort oozing from every pore. “Actually, that was a project Willis and I discussed at length. Willis was extremely supportive but we never finalized dollar amounts or whether we would prefer a percent of ownership or a low-interest-loan repayment. Of course now you will be party to the negotiations, Dolores.”
“Please, Norman, no business talk, especially at the breakfast table. As you very well know, that was one of Willis’s hard and fast rules: no business at mealtime.”
“Of course, of course. So sorry, but”—Norman gave me an acerbic look—“Jessica did ask. I was merely being polite.”
He excused himself and left the room.
Dolores slumped back in her chair. “Jess, I dread having to work with that man. He’s so infuriating. Whenever he is around I fully understand that old saw ‘He sets my teeth on edge.’”
Marla Mae came to the doorway. “Miss Dolores, Elton is in the kitchen having some muffins and coffee. He wanted me to let you know that he will be ready to leave whenever you ladies say.”
“Twenty minutes or so. I have one last chore to do. Oh, and would you please call the Harrold Brothers Funeral Home and let them know I will be stopping by later today . . . to make arrangements?” Dolores said; then, without missing a beat, she looked at me. “Jess, wait here. I will be right back.”
I took a final bite of my muffin and had barely swallowed it when Dolores was back. She was waving her cell phone. “Come with me, please. I need you to witness something.”
I dropped my napkin on my chair and followed her to Willis’s office.
“Jess, I want this room locked up so tight that Houdini himself couldn’t escape. Would you check the French doors, please?”
I made sure the doors were secure, and when I turned back around I saw Dolores opening mahogany cabinets and snapping pictures of the tabs of the file folders inside. She kept moving from cabinet to cabinet, tapping her phone feverishly. “Now the windows. Make sure they are locked. And please close the drapes.”
At last Dolores stood in front of Willis’s desk and surveyed the room. “Okay, we’re good.”
She closed the heavy oak door, took a key from her pocket, and turned the lock. “There. Now we can go.”
* * *
Elton was waiting by the car. Today’s bow tie was a subdued black and white checkerboard pattern. He offered his condolences to Dolores, and then settled us each in a captain’s chair in the second row of the Escalade. He pointed to the area behind our seats to let us know we were well prepared for a long day.
“We have a cooler filled with bottles of water and sweet tea. Miss Lucinda was kind enough to pack some fruit, which I put on ice, and she boxed up some muffins. They are right on top of the cooler. Now, tell me, is the Coroner’s Office still our first stop?”
“It is,” I said, “and it was very thoughtful of you and Lucinda to provide refreshments.”
“Sure ’nuff. I am not one to pass up Lucinda’s baked goods, and that’s a fact.” Elton started the engine, and we were on our way.
“Thanks for coming with me, Jess. Although I know plenty of people in this part of South Carolina—not to mention that once I married Willis, my social circle greatly increased—it occurred to me this morning that I don’t have one true friend I can count on who is living nearby.”
“I’m glad that my being here gives you some comfort.” I tried to lighten the conversation. “I must say I enjoyed our little caper this morning, although I am curious as to why we did it.”
Dolores was mystified. “Caper? You make us sound like Thelma and Louise. What are you talking about?”
“Just before we left the
