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CHAPTER SIX

Clara’s idea for what to do next was to go to the post office to be sure those interfering customers hadn’t kept her from picking up everything Ruby knew.

I countered with talking to Mamie first, but didn’t feel strongly and Clara knew it.

Post office, it was.

After letting Gracie out for a backyard pit stop as the snow lightly accumulated, then toweling her off, we invited her into the back of Clara’s van.

Bringing her would mean dropping her off after our post office visit, but would earn all sorts of brownie points.

Ruby liked Gracie well enough — in fact, well enough to let her in the compact post office lobby when it wasn’t strictly within the rules. But what swayed Ruby the most was that her husband, Ike, loved Gracie and the other dogs.

A car accident had left Ike with a traumatic brain injury. Most days he sat on a chair in the lobby corner, reading the newspaper.

And that’s what he was doing when we walked in.

He didn’t lift his gray head at the sound of the door opening, but he might have caught a whiff of eau de wet dog from the snow on Gracie’s fur, because he looked around and lit up when Gracie went directly to him.

In turn, Ruby lit up at his pleasure. “Well, look who’s come to see you, Ike. Look at her tail go. You’d think there was no one else in the world for her, the way she zeroes in on you.”

Fortunately, there was no one else in the lobby. Both because that meant we could talk freely and had room to breathe.

Watching dog and man, Ruby rubbed at her often pinkened eyes, but no tears showed. “And the girls are here, too,” she added belatedly, nodding hello to us.

Clara didn’t waste any time. “Have you heard more about Derrick’s murder?”

“Just that Mamie’s asked you two to help out and put Robbie’s mind at rest. Not sure knowing who killed his father will do that, but maybe it can’t hurt.”

No surprise she knew about Mamie’s request. Mamie had cried all over Clara at Shep’s Market, which provided one-stop shopping — food for the body and grist for the rumor mill.

“Back up. Even if it’s not more that you’ve heard, I’d like to hear it,” I said.

“Need to narrow it down, Sheila. Got a post office to run here.” Ruby waved one hand, then pushed back a chunk of her bright white hair. “Most people think our busy season ends with Christmas, but it keeps going this week and beyond with late senders, returns, and such.”

If late senders and returners piled in on us, we might not have much time. I better focus.

“Who knew about Derrick Dorrio being at Kentucky Manor, Ruby?”

“Not many. Only heard about it myself the day before yesterday.”

“When did he get there?”

“Day before yesterday.”

I stifled a chuckle inappropriate to the topic of murder, but completely fitting for Ruby considering herself a latecomer to the news when she knew the same day it happened.

“What else have you heard about his going to the hospice center?”

She lifted one shoulder. “They wanted to keep it quiet. Thought they’d have him a short time because he wasn’t expected to live much longer — though not from being murdered. Of course, there’d be family in and out to see him, but they wouldn’t call attention to him being there, wanting privacy.”

“Family beyond Robbie and Dova?”

“Oh, yes. His parents and a cousin. Don’t think I heard anything specific about Dova and Robbie going there. Except, of course, this morning.” Her small face scrunched. “That’s something about how Dova got so angry. Just not her way. Usually smiles and smiles and moves mountains that way.”

I felt a twitch across my shoulders, probably a fear of hordes of customers rushing in on us, barely able to see for the pile of return packages they carried.

“You knew Derrick, right? What was he like?”

“Knew of him, more like. His family’s been around here a long time.

Did real well for themselves. She — his mother — would come in now and then, but not him.

See him around town, hear things. He was popular enough in school, but not at the top.

Played sports, but not a star. Got in a little trouble, but nothing big.

” One shoulder rose. “If I saw him now — well, before he died, I mean — not sure I’d place him right off. You know what I mean?”

“Absolutely,” Clara said.

I nodded. “Anything else you can tell us about Derrick being in hospice or his death?”

“Person you need to talk to is Rose Gleiner — she’s a hospice nurse up there at Kentucky Manor.

From what I hear, she’s the one who raised a flag that it wasn’t a natural death.

Trouble is, she’s real discreet, that one.

But as for more about Derrick—” She went grim.

“—ask what you want about him killing Jaylynn—”

Clara stiffened, but didn’t argue.

“—and I’ll tell you anything I know. Won’t soon forget all that. Not losing that sweet young woman. Not the way it happened. And not that baby being in the car when his mother was lured out to be murdered — and then left there.”

Ike raised his head from hugging Gracie, no doubt catching the vehemence in his wife’s voice. Ruby made a patting gesture of reassurance.

I asked, “What makes you think she was lured there?”

“Don’t say it like I’m the only one thinking that.

Me and most everybody else, including the deputies.

I know Dova and the Dorrios and their camp all say they were knuckleheads that investigated, but that’s not so.

Didn’t have all the tools they’ve got these days, but still had brains.

She had pulled off the side of the road. ”

I was working so hard not to look at Clara that Ruby’s last words took a second to sink in.

“Pulled off... Anything wrong with her vehicle?”

Ruby pointed at me. “That’s it exactly. Not a solitary thing.

The way she was shot, she couldn’t have pulled off and parked after, because she was dead, so she must have done it before.

And why would she do that, at night, on that empty stretch of road, with her baby in the back, unless it was for someone she knew? ”

“Someone she knew,” I repeated. “Who’d arranged to meet her there? Or who knew she’d be passing and stepped out like they needed help? But how would they know she’d be coming past there—?”

“Unless they set it up,” Ruby ended for me triumphantly.

“Some tried to make excuses that she knew the road. Not at that time of night. Not taking her baby out of his crib. No, had to be someone she knew who got her to go to that spot. People said if Derrick called and said he needed help that’s exactly what she’d do — bundle up Robbie and go to help him. ”

“Even if she and Derrick were arguing?”

“You mean if she knew about the affair with Dova that came out after? Yeah, even then. No one was surprised she’d do that.” She clicked her tongue. “Trusting. Way too trusting. Never seemed to even suspect he was fooling around on her when she was pregnant. She was that kind.”

“What kind was — is — Dova Dorrio?”

It was natural to transition from the first wife to the second.

Especially when the second started having an affair while the first wife was still around. That didn’t put her at the top of the class for... well, class.

On the other hand, she had raised her husband’s child — essentially an orphan with his mother dead and his father convicted of murder.

“What kind is Dova?” Ruby repeated. For a beat, I thought my question stumped her. Her brows dropped in a flicker of a frown, then returned to their rightful spot.

“Devoted to that boy, that’s for sure. Two of them against the world, she’d say to him. And—”

Ruby broke off at the sound of voices outside. A glance out one of the windows showed three people converging on the short walk to the post office’s door, each with a package in hand.

The customer flood had arrived.

Clara and I kept our side of the unspoken bargain, quickly gathering up Gracie and preparing to leave.

“Ruby, if we have more questions, it’s okay for us to come back another day, right?” Clara asked.

“That’s fine. My, my. All the questions that must go through your heads. No wonder you two are so good at this. Glad you’re on the job.”

I hoped Teague didn’t hear her or others express that sentiment. Sure, I liked it and I could tell Clara did, too. But it wasn’t likely to go over well with the sheriff’s department to hear residents were glad a couple of amateurs were on the job they considered strictly theirs.

Even if Teague did want our cooperation this one time.