Page 69 of Luck of the Devil

“You knew I went to college in Little Rock?” I asked in surprise.

She grimaced. “Hannah found that out too. At the end of your first semester, she saw your name on the Dean’s List.”

Did Hannah have an alert set up to notify her every time my or my mother’s name appeared on the internet? Or had she just searched online in an attempt to find me?

I realized I needed to speak to my aunt before I left town … provided she was still living in the area.

“That was very resourceful of her,” I said. “But there’s another reason I’m here.”

My grandfather looked surprised. “Oh?”

How did I admit my mother had been missing for days and we hadn’t noticed? “My mother’s death wasn’t?—”

“It took everyone by surprise,” Malcolm said. “Especially when we learned she’d packed a suitcase and was going on a trip without telling anyone.”

Had he thought I was going to tell them she was murdered? Or was he trying to play the part of the supportive friend? Why wasn’t I more annoyed that he’d interrupted me?

And why was I letting him keep his hand on my knee?

But I left his hand in place as I said, “We’re confused about why she was leaving and where she was going. After Andi died, she pretty much refused to spend the night away from home. In fact, I can’t think of the last time she went on an overnight trip, let alone packed a bag for multiple days. We have no idea where she might have been going and why she left.”

My grandfather frowned. “She didn’t tell your father she was leaving?”

“They were separated,” I said. “My father left her about a month ago, so they weren’t speaking to each other much.”

Grandma slowly shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe he left.”

“What happened?” Grandpa asked.

I saw no reason to lie. “Because my mother was mad that he’d asked me to come home. He hated how she treated me.”

“Oh,” she said, her face turning pale, then she seemed to come to her senses enough to reach over the arm of her chair and take my hand. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of this, Harper. I’m so, so sorry she turned her back on you.”

“It’s funny,” I said with a short laugh. “After he left, she was more interested in spending time with me than she ever had been, even before Andi’s death.”

Based on the horror in her eyes, my statement didn’t seem to make her feel better. My grandfather turned away, looking like he was about to cry.

“You have us,” Grandma said, squeezing my arm. “Isn’t that right, Gary?”

My grandfather nodded, then turned to face me, his eyes glassy. “That’s right.” His words were rough with emotion. “You have us.”

While I appreciated their love and support, I couldn’t let myself bask in it. Especially not right then. I had a job to do. They didn’t seem to have any information that would help me find out who killed my mother, but I wondered if my Aunt Hannah might.

“Does Hannah still live in Jonesboro?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Grandpa said. “She’s a second-grade teacher at the elementary school down the street. It’s where she and your mother went to school.”

“That’s sweet,” I said, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was close to four, which meant she might have already gotten out of school. “Do you think she’d be open to seeing me while I’m here?”

Grandma clasped her hands together as her eyes turned glassy. “She’d be thrilled. How about I ask her over for dinner? You and your friend James can stay, and I’ll roast a chicken.”

“No need to make dinner,” I said. “We don’t want to be any trouble.”

“Nonsense!” she protested. “We would love to have you eat with us. It’ll give us a chance to catch up more.”

“We really need to—” I started to say before Malcolm interrupted.

“We’d love to stay.” He squeezed my knee slightly. “Thank you for your generous offer, Shirley.”