'The jury's still out as far as I'm concerned. He's passed the forest rescue test, but he's still not proven his worth as a boyfriend for Carla. I'll need to see more to make that call.'
'Carla's lucky to have such a caring friend, as long as you don't run him off in the protection process. I don't think she'd appreciate that.'
'Are you still downstairs?” Aunt Beth said a few minutes later when she came into the living room with her overnight bag over her shoulder and carrying a small white bag. “I picked up your prescriptions,” she said as she rattled the bag. “Let me put my stuff down, and we can get you started on the anti-inflammatory medication. It wouldn't hurt if you took a pain pill either.'
'I'll help you upstairs,” Mavis said. “You should lie down and try to rest.'
Harriet thought briefly of protesting, but her shoulder did hurt and a few hours of sleep would be a blissful relief.
Mavis and Connie sat on stools at one side of the kitchen island as Aunt Beth spooned scrambled eggs onto their plates from the opposite side; she was also making toast and frying potatoes when Harriet came downstairs several hours later.
'Oh, honey, are you sure you should be up?” Mavis asked.
'Dios mio,” Connie said and rose. She hurried to Harriet's side. “You must be in terrible pain. Here sit down, and we'll fix you a plate.'
'Connie, you're smothering the girl,” Mavis scolded. “Give her some room. Here, honey.” She pulled out a stool and patted the seat. “Sit down.'
'I'm fine,” Harriet said.
'Honey, you have a broken collar bone-that's not ‘fine,'” Aunt Beth said.
'It's not that bad.” She looked at each of the worried faces in turn. “Really, it isn't. As long as I don't move it, it doesn't even hurt.” She sat down between Connie and Mavis. “So, what are you guys up to? And don't try to tell me you're all here because of my shoulder.'
'Of course we're here because of your injury,” Mavis said. “Not the injury itself, mind you. Ben and Harry each broke his collar bone, and they heal quite nicely. No, we're talking about why someone would attack you just for looking at the place where Gerald was found.'
'We all agree Gerald wasn't accidentally bumped into a stump or log or whatever nonsense the police are saying,” Aunt Beth said, and set a plate of eggs, potatoes and toast in front of Harriet. “Do you want the catsup?'
Harriet nodded, and Connie passed it to her.
'So, we agree it wasn't an accident, but we don't know where that leaves us,” Mavis said.
'It leaves us with murder, that's where it leaves us,” Connie said.
'Why would someone kill a man everyone already believed to be dead?” Aunt Beth asked.
'Because they benefited from his absence?” Harriet suggested, and then realized what she'd said.
'I guess that puts me at the top of the list,” Mavis said before Harriet could take it back.
'Not necessarily,” Harriet said. “Weren't you better off financially when Gerald was alive?'
No one spoke for a moment.
'What?'
'Gerald had a large life insurance policy through his work. The company paid for part of it, but then he added the maximum amount they allowed the employee to contribute. The result, along with our own personal savings, provided me and the boys with more income than Gerald made when he was alive. Remember, the company hadn't invented the firemen's turnouts back then, so Gerald got paid with a lot of promises of future riches. Deferred compensation, I think they call it.'
'That alone doesn't make you a suspect,” Harriet protested, but they all knew, as she said it, that it was exactly what it made their friend.
'Robin called while you were napping,” Aunt Beth said, ending the discussion of Gerald. Mavis visibly relaxed. “She totaled up the quilt sales, and we did very well. Even after you pay the expenses, she thinks we'll clear at least five thousand dollars.'
'We'll only have to donate four quilts that didn't sell,” Connie said. “And before you ask, no, they weren't all Sarah's.'
'Aiden came by, and we told him you were resting, and he said to tell you he'd call you later,” Aunt Beth reported.
Harriet yawned. “I don't see how I can be tired after that long nap.'
'Your body has had a shock,” Connie said.
'And you're taking pain medication.” Mavis added.
'I think I'll go lie down again,” Harriet said, and headed for the stairs.
Chapter 12
Fred was sitting on Harriet's pillow, inches from her face, when she awoke the next morning. She started to reach for him with her right hand and moaned with pain. In her early morning stupor, she'd forgotten her arm was strapped to her side.
He pawed her nose, making her sneeze.
'Fred, you're killing me here,” she said and sat up, dislodging him in the process.
She looked toward the alarm clock on the nightstand beside her bed. It began buzzing, and she twisted to reach it with her left hand. Aunt Beth came in and hit the switch for her.
'I can't seem to make Fred understand how annoying it is when he wakes me up moments before my alarm goes off.'
'Don't blame him,” Beth said. “I changed your alarm after you fell asleep last night. He actually let you sleep in.'
Harriet moaned and leaned back on her pillow.
'How are you feeling?'
'Actually, I'm feeling better. All this sleeping has done me good.'
'I think it has as much to do with the re-enactment being over as it does with your shoulder healing.'
'You're probably right.'
'Do you feel up to going out?'
'Sure,” Harriet said. “Where are we going?” She pushed her tangled covers aside and got out of bed.
'I told Mavis I would go by the Methodist church and see the pastor about funeral arrangements for Gerald. Connie is going to talk to the women's auxiliary and see if they can put together some food, and Robin is tracking down Sarah to sing. DeAnn says she and Jenny can get enough flowers from their yards and that Jenny knows how to arrange them.'
'Does Mavis-or better yet, her sons-have anything to say about the funeral?” Harriet asked.
'Let's just say Mavis isn't in the mood to give Gerald anything, much less a funeral. None of the boys stepped up and volunteered, so she didn't want to push it. We all thought it would look better for her if he had a nice funeral, though.'
'So, has anyone questioned Mavis yet?” Harriet asked.
'You mean besides the Threads?'
'Yeah, besides them. Have the police questioned her, or her sons?'
