Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“What is she doing?” Ida Belle asked. “We’re going to miss our window of opportunity.”
Gertie had walked out her front door, casserole in hand, only to set it on a bench and head back inside.
The window Ida Belle spoke of was because Celia’s band of non-merry women had a church event this morning so we could get in to see Mildred without them present.
That didn’t mean it would be all clear, as I’m sure other people besides us and Celia’s crew would be dropping in to pay their respects and offer up any assistance Mildred might need, but it was better odds.
The sooner I could get to Mildred and get a read on her, the better.
Because if Eleanor had anything going on that was causing her that much pain, Mildred was likely the only one who knew about it.
They’d lived and worked together, and even if Eleanor hadn’t been forthcoming with details, Mildred should have at least noticed something was off.
Finally, Gertie came back out and headed to the car with a cardboard box that I assumed held the casserole.
“What took you so long?” Ida Belle asked. “You know we need to get over there before Celia’s cult descends on her.”
“I was buying us some more time,” Gertie said.
“How were you doing that?” I asked.
“You know Celia and her crew are putting together gift baskets for a raffle this evening,” Gertie said. “I just made sure the fire sprinklers went off. It will take them hours to recover but they won’t have a choice but to address it right away.”
“And just how do you know the sprinklers will go off?” Ida Belle asked.
“Because Nora’s headed over there to smoke in the bathroom.”
“Nora’s Catholic?” I asked.
“She is today,” Gertie said.
“What’s she smoking?” Ida Belle inquired.
“I didn’t ask.”
Good. God.
I said a quick prayer that Nora smoked something legal and didn’t start an actual fire, but I didn’t have time to intervene. I needed to see Mildred before the shock wore off and the wisdom of keeping her mouth shut set in.
Eleanor’s house was just off Main Street in downtown Mudbug. It was a pretty one-story cottage with white siding and navy-blue trim. Severely blocked hedges lined the front of the house and the sidewalk. There were no flowers at all.
“This,” Gertie said, waving her hand toward the yard, “is a great reflection of Eleanor. All service, no flair. No color. Nothing pretty.”
Since her house looked a sight more lived-in than my condo in DC I started to argue, but then I recalled how I was in DC and realized that my condo had indeed been a reflection of my life at that time.
Now I had lovely landscaping, mostly courtesy of the previous owner, and I couldn’t take credit for anything but maintaining it.
Still, I hadn’t replaced all the pretty things with easy and serviceable, so I was probably moving in the right direction.
“Choosing efficiency over flash isn’t exactly evidence that she didn’t have strong feelings about things,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie stared at her for a moment. “Oh, I’m well aware.”
I couldn’t help smiling at the implication.
Ida Belle gave her a dirty look and climbed out. “Well, let’s go find out what excited Eleanor.”
“I’m pretty sure I know one thing,” Gertie said as we headed up the sidewalk.
“No asking Mildred if her sister was getting frisky with the yoga guy,” Ida Belle said. “We don’t want to put her on the defensive straight away.”
Gertie looked indignant. “Of course I’m not going to ask her. What do you take me for, a gossip amateur?”
Ida Belle knocked on the door, and we waited a good while before she knocked again.
“Maybe she’s not here,” I said. “There might have been arrangements or for all we know, she could be talking to Carter, or at the cabins shutting things down.”
We waited a while longer and I was just about to suggest we head into Mudbug and grab an early lunch, then check back, when the door inched open and a woman peered out.
Midforties. Five foot five. A hundred forty pounds. Hip higher on the right side and leaning slightly forward. Overall soft body tone indicative of most full-time desk sitters. Zero threat. And it looked as if she’d been crying.
“Gertie,” she said, her eyes misting up. “And Ida Belle.”
“And this is our friend Fortune,” Gertie said.
She gave me a nod. “I’ve heard about you. Nice to finally meet you. Come on in.”
“Are you sure?” Gertie asked. “We don’t want to interrupt if you’re busy with things.”
Mildred shook her head and motioned for us to follow her.
“I’d welcome the company,” she said as we followed her down a hall to the back of the house. I noticed she had a pronounced limp and that her right foot didn’t lift all the way off the ground when she walked.
“I’m not used to all this quiet. And Eleanor usually took care of everything…
I mean, it’s her house and all, so I don’t have things to do really.
The cleaning lady was just here two days ago, and we haven’t been here to make a mess.
I did a load of laundry this morning, but that’s not exactly an all-day event. ”
We stepped into a pleasant kitchen with navy cabinets and white countertops. A sturdy oak table with four chairs stood on the other side of the room. No curtains, no pictures on the wall, no whimsical cookie canisters or dish towels.
Gertie lifted the tray she was carrying. “I made these for you last night.”
Mildred’s eyes widened. “Enchiladas?”
Gertie nodded. “You said they were your favorite. I’ll put this in the fridge.”
I held out a gift bag. “And this is from Ronald, who sends his condolences and regrets. He feels really bad, but he wasn’t up to coming with us.”
She nodded as she plucked the tissue paper out of the bag, then pulled out a bottle of liquor. “This is a four-hundred-dollar bottle of scotch.”
“Like I said, he feels really bad.”
She nodded and sniffed again.
“Do you want some tea?” Gertie said as she peered into the refrigerator. “Or maybe coffee? I could make up a pot if you’d like.”
Mildred sat the scotch on the counter, then shuffled over to the table and leaned over to clutch the edges as she eased into a chair with a big foam cushion in it. Then she motioned for us to sit.
“Coffee would be wonderful,” she said. “I kept meaning to put a pot on, then I’d think there was something else I should do.
Then I’d forget the coffee and what I needed to do and ended up sitting here doing nothing.
That load of laundry was all I managed the whole morning, and I still haven’t folded it, even though I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m.”
Gertie gave Mildred’s shoulder a squeeze before she sat next to her. “I’ll finish up that laundry while we’re here. And if you want those enchiladas heated before we go, I’ll take care of that as well. Do you have any doctor’s appointments or anything you need help with getting to?”
“Nothing for a few weeks, and I can drive all right as long as it’s not long distances. Got my disability tag so I never have to walk too far. And my walker folds up nicely and is light. I can manage it in and out of the car.”
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Ida Belle said. “If you need a ride anywhere or any errands run, you call. I mean it.”
Mildred gave her a grateful look. “I appreciate it because I know you mean it. You and Gertie were always the nicest people in Sinful. Mother always said so.”
She looked over at Gertie. “And how are you doing? Being the one who…who…”
Gertie nodded. “I’m okay. Just sorry I didn’t shoot that door open sooner.”
Mildred shook her head. “Carter said there was nothing you could have done, even if you’d gotten there right after. Don’t you go blaming yourself for anything. You did what you could, and I know it had to be a shock seeing her like that.”
I’d give Gertie an A for the effort of looking suitably distraught, but I knew better. Still, Mildred must have believed it because she leaned over to pat Gertie’s hand.
“I sent poor Kim home a couple hours ago,” she said.
“I know she wanted to help, but the girl was beside herself and making me crazy. I heard her crying all night. And there you were up baking me my favorite food. It means a lot to me, but I need you to take care of yourself as well. It’s been a big shock to everyone, but you, me, and Kim are going to have a worse time than others. ”
“Dorothy saw her too,” Gertie said.
Mildred huffed. “That woman is made of ornery and disgruntled. I have no idea why she even wanted to go to a place like the retreat.”
We all smiled and nodded at the accuracy.
Mildred noticed our smiles and her lips quivered. She looked at Gertie. “I wouldn’t have picked you for it either.”
Gertie shrugged. “Ronald invited me and I got to buy new clothes.”
“Those are not clothes,” Ida Belle said, “and you are forbidden to wear them anywhere with me.”
Now Mildred’s smile broke through. “One of the silver linings of all my back issues—no one asked me to put on tights and bend around on the ground.”
Her smile turned bittersweet and she sighed. “Eleanor surprised the heck out of me when she told me she was turning the cabins into a yoga retreat. I thought she was joking at first. You knew my sister well enough to know she wasn’t a New Age sort. Or particularly tranquil, to be honest.”
Ida Belle nodded. “I admit to raising an eyebrow when Gertie told me about it. But then, she’s had some big losses recently and everyone grieves differently.”
“That’s true enough,” Eleanor said, then frowned. “But I doubt she’d have ever found her way that direction if it hadn’t been for that fraud Zion Gates. I lay blame for all of this directly at his feet.”
“You think he killed your sister?” I asked.