Page 106 of Death on Riddle Road

Clara looked over at me.

I called out the safe word we’d set up to let the deputies and Teague know it was time to come in.

“Gracie.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“It was alot more relaxing to confront the killer with Teague and the deputies next door.”

I stretched contentedly on the big upholstered chair in Clara and Ned’s living room.Teague was at the sheriff’s department starting the paperwork Clara and I never had to bother with.Another plus to being amateurs.

He did hope to be done in time for our New Year’s Eve celebration tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, we were bringing Ned up to speed.

“We had deputies all over the place,” Clara said.

Ned half rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue.

“And it all started with Sheila asking herself theWhat Ifquestion,” Clara told her husband.

“What if what?”he obligingly asked.

“What if we looked at everything from the premise that Dova wasn’t the selfless second spouse standing by her man and raising his child?What if what happened was what she’d wanted to happen.Had worked to make happen.Had killed to make happen.”

“Wait,” Clara ordered.“Before you explain details to Ned, tell us both how you got there.Like wheretrust mecomes in.”

After giving Ned the background on that, I added, “It occurred to me that Dova telling Robbie over and over that it was the two of them against the world was a form oftrust me.Another variant was when she told him she’d take care of everything.She indoctrinated him in the belief that she was the only person he could trust.

“She cut him off from his father, his paternal grandparents, his maternal family.It’s a miracle he stepped out of that cocoon and opened up to Mamie.”

“A boy’s teenage hormones are a powerful force,” Ned muttered.

Clara grinned and bumped her shoulder against his.

“Ruby primed me for thatWhat Ifabout Dova.Not knowing what kind Dova was threw Ruby, because she recognized it at some level.”

“Recognized what?”

“That she didn’t know what kind Dova is because Dova doesn’t let anybody know.She also talked about Dova moving mountains with smiles.And that made me think of a quote.One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”

“Shakespeare?”Clara asked.

I nodded as I sipped my wine.

“You think Ruby knew it was Shakespeare?”Ned asked.

I lifted a shoulder.“Didn’t need to know the name to recognize an acute observation.”

Clara sighed deeply.Ned put his hand on her leg, reassuring even before she said, “I should have paid attention to my instinct.That thing with her mouth.”

After she explained that to Ned, Clara added, “The landline was another way to pull away from Derrick.To isolate him.From his son, from his parents, and from her.Visiting herself enough to keep him placated, stringing him along with the false promise of a new appeal.She controlled all the information to him and all the information about him.

“Until that accident last year.That’s when things started to get out of her control.Emil going to see him, without her being around to spin whatever Emil said.The preacher who started the ball rolling on the compassionate release.It gave Derrick a new perspective, got him thinking about what had happened—”

“And what hadn’t.Like the appeal,” Ned said.

“Exactly.Without Dova, Derrick saw things.Beverly said she confronted him at the hospice center about keeping his parents and son away while he was in prison—”