Page 38 of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Magnolia sat upright. “What source?”

I exchanged a glance with Dixie. “Our grandmother.”

Turning back to Magnolia, I said, “People like to tell Meemaw things, but she rarely spreads gossip herself. In any case, she wasn’t very helpful. She remembers your grandparents, and she remembers your mother leaving after high school graduation, but not much else.”

I paused, then added, “She says your grandparents were Jim Bob and Celia Brewer, and that your grandmother was a saint for putting up with your grandfather.” I took in her furrowed brow. “I gather that you didn’t know much about them.”

“Not a thing,” she said.

“Did your grandmother happen to mention Lila’s sister’s name?” Belinda asked.

“No,” I said with an apologetic look. “She mentioned that Lila’s sister died, and that Jim Bob became a drunk after that, or so she thought. This is all hearsay, of course, but at the moment, that’s all we have to go on. We can check the courthouse records for births and deaths, of course, and we plan to, but you’re wanting more than the facts. You’re wanting reasons.”

Magnolia nodded.

“Meemaw had no idea why I was asking, and since you hadn’t hired me yet, I didn’t press. But there are other people Dixie and I can talk to. People who know things about the town.” Maybelline immediately came to mind, but she wasn’t known for being discreet. Everything she discovered usually popped up on her Facebook page. I could ask some general questions, but nothing specific or she’d get curious. It was safer to find other sources first. I just needed to figure out who to talk to. It needed to be someone who would have gone to school around the same time as Lila Steele or perhaps her sister.

“We went out to the farmhouse,” Belinda said. “In fact, Chief Montgomery was kind enough to come out and make sure the house was safe before we entered.” She cast a quick glance to Magnolia, then back to me. “He was very kind and stayed with us while we toured the place.”

“That’s Luke,” Dixie said, speaking up for the first time since she’d been introduced. “He’ll give you the shirt off his back.”

“There was mention of avoiding a woodworkers’ meeting,” Magnolia said in a dry tone.

I laughed. “I forgot that was today. I can see how he might have tried to get out of it, but I’m sure he stayed to be helpful. Dixie’s right. It’s typical Luke.”

“Well, you’re very fortunate to have him as your boyfriend,” Belinda said.

“I tell her that all the time,” Dixie said.

Pushing out an exasperated sigh, I pinned Dixie with a mock glare. “They don’t need to know that.” Then I turned back to our clients. “If you’re worried about Luke telling people you were out at the farm?—”

Belinda held up her hand. “He assured us that people wouldn’t be hearing that we were in town from him. We’re not concerned.” The look she darted to Magnolia suggested she dared her to contradict her.

“I take it your search of the house didn’t turn up much?” I asked.

“No,” Belinda said. “Their furnishings were still there, but there was little personal information. We found a photo of Lila’s family when she was a little girl, but nothing to tell us anything about Lila’s sister. There wasn’t any mention of her name anywhere.”

“Not even on the back of the family photo?” I asked.

“We didn’t look.”

I pressed my lips together. “I know you said you didn’t find anything out at the house, but would you mind if Dixie and I took a look? You’re welcome to come too.”

“We already looked around and didn’t see anything,” Magnolia said. “I have to pay you to go out there.”

“Magnolia!” Belinda whisper-shouted.

“It’s okay,” I said in a soothing tone, then turned to Magnolia. “Look, I know you still have some reservations about involving me, and I understand. Truly. But I’ll be looking with a less emotional eye. There might be some clue to help me narrow down who to talk to.”

When she continued to look less than convinced, I added, “I could walk into Maybelline’s Diner and ask her to tell me everything she knows about your mother and her family, and I suspect she knows a fair deal. But I also know she’ll have questions of her own. Why do I want to know? Are you involved? And then it will end up on her Facebook gossip page, and before you know it, paparazzi will be swarming the place, looking for you. At least this way, I can try to figure out who else I might be able to talk to. It’s worth a shot, and if it makes you feel any better, I won’t charge you for going out there.”

“Of course you’ll charge us,” Belinda said. “And for your earlier research too.”

“Definitely not for earlier,” I said. “I did that on my own. But I do believe it might help point out what direction to go, so it’s worth a peek.”

Magnolia pushed out a breath and got to her feet. “Fine. But let’s go before it gets dark.”

Then she headed out the door.

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