Page 67 of Death on Riddle Road

“I’m as sure as I can be that she didn’t.”

“But...but...”Yes, I sounded like a child’s imitation of a motorboat.“The authorities...?”

“I doubt they had any idea.”Donna’s voice excluded any doubt.“It certainly wasn’t talked about during the investigation, nor did it come out in the trial.”

Derrick fooling around with his sister-in-law while his wife was pregnant added a depth to his scumbag qualifications that prosecutors would salivate to get in front of a jury.

As for the defense, it would have made good use of the sister-in-law as another suspect.Though an argument could be made that she’d have been a better suspect if Derrick had been killed back then, since she’d apparently been traded in for Dova.

The niggle at the back of my head came forward.

Olive saying of Payloma and Dova,Oh, they were fast friends.For a while.

“Dova replaced Payloma?”I barely waited for Donna’s blink to acknowledge that.“When?”

“Right after Robbie was born.”

“Wow,” Clara breathed out.“No wonder Payloma doesn’t like Dova.Though, really, does she have any room to criticize anybody else?”

No.

“Your pack has done its job.”Donna looked across the field where Bernie the Bernedoodle puppy flopped on the ground, panting.“I’ll gather my pups and be on my way.Unless, of course, you have more questions.”

Except she didn’t wait for an answer, climbing down from the table.

I couldn’t speak for Clara, but I was wracking my brain for more questions.

“Oh.”Donna interrupted my wracking.“Rose Gleiner will talk to you at four o’clock at Kennedy Manor.She’s working extra hours today and that’s when her break is.”

“Great.”Clara rewarded her with a grin.

I nodded my agreement.“We’ll be there.”

Donna dismissed that with a wave.She hooked a leash to Bernie’s collar and he followed Hattie happily.

As the trio walked past us, a question came to me.

“Donna?What’s the deal with all Beverly’s cabbage roses?”

She gurgled deep in her throat, like a chuckle that couldn’t get past a snort.

“Nothercabbage roses.They were her mother-in-law’s idea.When she and Yale inherited the house, he wouldn’t let Beverly change a thing.”

No wonder the woman was grumpy.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

I’d told myselfyesterday that I’d be satisfied with cleaning up loose ends by talking with Donna.

Twenty-four hours later and another Donna chat and we’d gone the opposite direction.

To make it worse, it was still early morning as we gathered our pack for departure.

Although I did look forward to telling Kit about Donna’s theory of downwardly mobile families.They’d hit it off during Kit’s visit and she’d appreciate this.

As Gracie jumped gracefully into the back of Clara’s van, I heard a telltale crackle.

“Turn around, Gracie.”