Page 13 of Death on Riddle Road
“Not much.It was hard to make out anything around the sobs.”Clara tipped her head, remembering.“The hospice called the house — where Robbie and his mother live — first thing this morning.He and Mamie were there alone.They planned to hang out together, what with no school today.She did say she’d just arrived.I got the feeling she wanted it clear she hadn’t been there overnight.Maybe for Alan’s sake.”
Understandable that Alan — Mamie’s grandfather and owner of the flower shop — didn’t want her reputation to include overnight stays with Robbie, even if he was okay with them dating.
“Robbie answered the phone and the hospice told him to get there right away.Apparently, the hospice called Dova next — that’s his mother.His step-mother officially, but Mamie calls her Robbie’s mother, probably because he does.She called Robbie and Mamie on their way to Kentucky Manor.Mamie said Dova told them to go home, that she’d take care of everything, but they were nearly there, so they went anyway.Mamie said Dova was really upset when she got to the hospice.Really going after people.”
“Because Derrick had been murdered,” I assumed.
She frowned.“Before they knew that, I think.From what Mamie said, Dova was upset the hospice people talked to Robbie directly.Kept saying they shouldn’t have said anything to him, should have only talked to her.I suppose she’s particularly protective of him, considering the history.”
I accepted that invitation to detour to the past.
“Right, the history.What happened with the death of the first wife, the one Derrick was convicted of killing?”
“It was tragic.Poor Robbie.He was only a baby and—”
“A baby?”My memory by this time had dredged up an image of Mamie’s boyfriend from our earlier encounter — a tall teenager with shiny hair flopping over his forehead.
Oh, right.Teague said the first wife’s murder was seventeen years ago.
“All over the news, of course, after she was found in her car, with Robbie in the baby seat in back.”
I might have sucked in a breath, because she nodded.“I know.Can you imagine?Sitting right there, seeing his momma shot.Thank heavens, too young to remember.”
“And he wasn’t harmed?”
“Not a scratch.Though they didn’t know that at first, because her blood...Well, you can imagine.”
“Who found her?Wait — we can’t keep calling herher.Maybe you mentioned it, but what was her name?”
“Jaylynn.Jaylynn Carnell Dorrio.A patrol officer found her.But not right away.I didn’t remember about that, but Ruby reminded me — I was young enough when it happened that I didn’t pay real close attention then.”
In other words, before her pastimes involved digging into murders with me.
Oblivious to the twinge of guilt that crackled through me, she continued, “Ruby remembered that there was a lot of discussion about a delay in finding Jaylynn.Not that she could have survived, but the baby wouldn’t have been sitting there in that horror.Someone in the area called in about hearing a sound.
“They told 911 they couldn’t swear it was a shot.That meant it wasn’t prioritized.Plus, it happened in a rural area, so the sheriff’s department could’ve thought it was a stray shot.”
“Could it have been an accident—?”
She shook her head.“I don’t remember those details either, but Ruby was adamant it was deliberate — Jaylynn was targeted.I couldn’t follow up with her, because other people came into the post office then.”
Her tone could be interpreted asThe nerve of those peopleinterrupting her discussion with Ruby to transact post office business.
“You said a rural area.Near where she lived?”
“Not right around the corner, exactly, but Ruby said it was the most direct route to the school where Jaylynn taught — she’d gone back after maternity leave — from where she and Derrick lived, not far from her mother and sister.”
“She was on the way to work?”
“Oh, no.She was shot at night.Around eleven o’clock, I think.I can check that.”
I put the pieces together as I spoke them aloud.“So, she took Robbie — surely asleep at that time of night — from home, put him in the back of her vehicle...But why?No matter what pushed her to drive that route at night, why take her baby?Why not leave him with her mother or sister since they lived nearby?Or, better yet, have one of them come over so he could stay in bed.”
She was nodding before I finished.“They weren’t available to take care of him, they both worked night shifts at the hospital.They made a point of it that Derrick knew they were working nights, knew Jaylynn wouldn’t have had the opportunity to drop Robbie off to a family member and say,Oh, I’m going to help Derrick out— something the family could have testified to after the murder.”
“I suppose.”
“But you’re thinking of something else.”She sounded hopeful that my something else would point away from Derrick.
