About eight-thirty Jed returned and sat down at the table. May immediately filled a plate for him and he started to eat without a word. Lines of exhaustion creased his forehead and radiated from his eyes. During spring planting, farmers often worked from dawn until they could no longer see by using their tractor’s lights.

She spoke while he chewed. “Minnie’s down at Carle Clinic. God knows why. I sure hope she doesn’t have one of her spells when we tell her about Mom.” She paused to put more food on Jed’s dish. “Emmett and the twins should be here soon. Hugo says his parents left for an auction about five, and were going to stop for dinner afterward. Still nothing on Mona and Neal.”

Jed nodded.

May sat back down and buried her head in her arms. “I can’t stand it. Mom’s dead, Minnie’s sick with who-knows-what, and Mona’s missing. What’s going on?”

Skye patted her mom’s hand. “Maybe Minnie is finally getting some help for those spells she gets.” For a long time Skye had thought Minnie’s spells were probably a form of a depressive disorder such as dysthymia. Not that the family had listened to her gentle hints that Minnie should see a psychiatrist for an evaluation.

“How about Mona and Dante?”

Skye rubbed May’s back. “I’m sure they’re all fine.”

Hearing her own words, she frowned. Where have I heard that before?

A Diller, a Dollar, See How They Holler

Skye was in the bathroom talking to Simon on the phone. She had stretched the cord as far as it would go in order to talk in private. “Simon, you can’t call it natural causes. Grandma may have been old but she wasn’t sick. What did Doc Zello say?”

“Doc Zello isn’t happy with that cause of death either, but he can’t give me an alternative, and considering her age and your family’s reputation in the community, he’ll sign off.”

Sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, Skye gripped the receiver. “No, it isn’t right. If Doc has doubts and I have doubts, then we should have an autopsy done.”

“But why? Surely you don’t suspect that someone murdered your grandma.”

“I don’t want to think so, but I do want to know for sure what happened.” Skye paused and petted Bingo, who had insisted on following her into the bathroom. “Simon, there’s a lot that doesn’t feel right. I told Wally earlier all the things that were weird about the situation.”

“What do you mean? Wally didn’t mention anything.”

Skye took a deep breath. She knew Wally had ignored what she said. “First, the cat was outside. He is never, ever allowed outdoors because he is declawed and has no way to defend himself. Second, the housekeeper is missing. No note, nothing. Third, when I found Grandma she was all tucked into bed. The covers were pulled over her face. She wouldn’t have done that herself. She was claustrophobic. And, I know this last one is lame, but between the time I pulled in and the time I called you, someone was in the garage and left the door ajar.”

When she finished, the only sound from Simon’s side of the line was static. Finally he said, “Okay, I’ll talk to Chief Boyd and Doc Zello, but don’t let your imagination run wild. I’ll come out to your grandmother’s after I finish up tonight.”

Minnie’s husband, Emmett Overby, and their identical twin daughters arrived around nine. Ginger Allen and Gillian Tubb were twenty-nine, with big blue eyes and baby-fine blond hair. Emmett, at fifty-two, looked like the farmer from Grant Wood’s famous painting, American Gothic.

Sinking into the remaining kitchen chair, Emmett took off his cap and ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I couldn’t get ahold of Minnie. The motel she’s at says she’s not in her room.”

May glanced sideways at Ginger and Gillian. “Why is she down there, Emmett? What’s wrong with her?”

He looked at his hands dangling between his legs. “Woman trouble.”

“Oh? Why’d she go all by herself?” May swept cracker crumbs into a pile.

Tugging at the neck of his T-shirt, Emmett refused to look up. “Says it’s private.”

“What do you girls know about this?” May turned to the twins.

Both answered, “Nothing, Aunt May.”

May narrowed her eyes until Ginger continued, “Mom’s been having some problems with the change.” She turned red as she caught Vince’s eye.

Gillian claimed a stool next to the wall near the telephone. This left Ginger to drag a chair in from the dining room.

Gillian eyed the food spread across the tabletop. “I see you all have been making yourselves at home.” She turned to Skye. “Next thing we know you’ll be clearing out the closets. I hope you realize this is not a case of first come, first served. My mom has just as much claim on Grandma’s property as yours does.”

Skye had been silent, mulling over the inconsistencies leading to her grandmother’s death, but Ginger’s comment penetrated her fog. “Ginger, let me ask you a question. When the Lion King was killed trying to save his son, did you find that a sad moment… at all?”

Vince let out a bark of laughter, but bit it off before it could grow. Jed’s lip curled slightly. May shot Skye a mother-look that silenced her, at least temporarily.

Expressions of confusion were replaced with those of rage as Ginger and Gillian began to understand what Skye had said.

Gillian spoke up. “That was entirely uncalled for. How could you be so cruel? After all, we’re still reeling from Grandma’s passing.” A sob broke her voice. “Unlike your family, we just found out about it a little while ago.” She paused for breath. “Speaking of that, why did it take you so long to let us know?”

May got up and started to put the food away. “We were trying to reach the aunts and uncles, so they could tell their own children.”

“But, of course, Vince and Skye were an exception,” Gillian said flatly, her tears miraculously disappearing.

“Look, it’s hardly a privilege to be the one who finds poor Grandma dead. And if you can’t see why I would contact my family before yours, then I don’t have any way of explaining it.” Skye got up to help her mother clear the table.

“You always have an answer, don’t you? But the true story is you’ve always been jealous of Ginger and me. We’re prettier, we were co-prom queens, and we’re married. You just can’t stand that.” Gillian crossed her arms and sneered at Skye.

“Why, you little-”

“Skye!” May said sharply.

Sitting back, Gillian smiled nastily. “I know when I’ve said enough.”

“Obviously not,” Skye muttered. She shouldn’t have said that. Why did she let the twins push her buttons? Maybe she was a little jealous, which was silly. They weren’t six years old anymore and they hadn’t just been given a better doll than she had for Christmas.

Gillian opened her mouth, but Vince was quicker. “Uncle Emmett, when do you expect Aunt Minnie home?”

Emmett scratched his head. “She was supposed to have some more tests in the morning, then drive home. Planned on being back by supper time.”

“Did you leave her a message at the motel?” May asked from the sink.

“Told her to call here, no matter what time she got back.”

May shut off the faucet and stuck the first glass in the soapy water. “I had Vince put a note on Mona and Neal’s door, saying pretty much the same thing. Hugo’s going to bring his folks over here soon as they get home. Guess we’re stuck here for a while. Let’s try not to fight anymore.”

No one had said anything for the last fifteen minutes. Both Jed and Emmett were dozing in their chairs, but the noise of the back door slamming woke them.

Dante Leofanti rushed up the steps, trailed by his wife, Olive, and son, Hugo. Skye watched her uncle push his way into the center of attention. He was less than five-six with all his weight in his chest and stomach. When she was a little girl, she’d loved to listen to his stories. But as she grew older, she and her uncle had grown apart. It was sad that now they seemed to have nothing in common, couldn’t sustain a conversation past the topics of health and weather.