Tequila Mockingbird (Book 7) Read online

  Her phone buzzed and she saw Hank’s message that he and Coil had a pit stop to follow up on something before they came over. She really wanted them to hurry.

  “Ms. Edna,” Agatha spoke very calmly. “Can you help me to understand what it is that you’re talking about?”

  “You don’t know?” she asked. Edna reached up for Agatha’s face. Agatha grabbed her hand and held it instead.

  “No, I guess I don’t.”

  “You’re my honey,” she whispered. “My daughter. My only daughter.”

  “Ms. Edna, I think you have me confused with someone else. My parents were Emory and Elaine Harley.”

  “Oh, honey, you really are confused. I knew messing around with those birds was a bad thing. The county said I had to let you go, and that it would be best for you. I was so young, and I was unmarried. I didn’t have a choice. There were no choices for young, unwed mothers back then. I didn’t get to keep you. They wouldn’t let me. And they hurt you.”

  “Ms. Edna,” Agatha said. “I’m okay. Your husband, Thomas Merth helped me when I fell out of that tree. We saved the birds from the crow. Look, you have the picture. I’m okay. Nobody hurt me.”

  “Honey, I am so sorry I failed you as a mother.”

  “Ms. Edna, my name is not Honey,” Agatha said. “My name is Agatha Harley, and I’m your next-door neighbor.”

  Edna started moving around the kitchen, clearly agitated by Agatha’s words. Agatha had no clue what to do. She didn’t even have Darleen’s number to get in touch with her. Was there something that could be done to calm her down? Medication?

  “I swore after all of these years to keep my mouth shut,” Edna said. “But I cannot keep that promise any longer. Your name was Honey. I named you right there at the hospital. When the county took you away from me, your new family changed your name.”

  “I’m sorry. Ms. Edna, but my name is Agatha Harley.”

  “No Honey, your name is Robin Byrd. They gave you their own name. But you’ll always be Honey to me.”

  Agatha looked through the open front door. Hank and Coil both stood silent and out of Edna’s sight. Hank signaled for her to continue talking with Edna.

  “Ms. Edna…”

  “Can you call me mom? I never got to hear you call me mom.”

  “I know Robin Byrd,” Agatha told her. “And I’m not her. Robin lives in Rusty Gun just like you do. Does she know about you?”

  “They told me you’d deny it,” Edna said. “That’s why I wanted you to stop Jim Brown. He killed Carol and he’ll kill you. I can’t call you Robin. I’m sorry, but I can’t. I hate it. The Byrds named you Robin, and they thought it was cute when they adopted the others and named them after those nasty creatures.”

  “All of the Byrd kids are adopted?” Agatha asked.

  “The Byrds were evil, horrible people. God wouldn’t bless them with their own children, so they preyed on young, poor mothers like me. They had the law on their side, so I wasn’t allowed to make contact. They just took you, and I was left with nothing.”

  “That’s why that lawman married you,” Edna said. “He was on the Byrd’s payroll. As long as you were married to him, no one would believe the terrible things the Byrds did to you. But I knew.”

  “Do you mean Tom Earls?” Agatha asked.

  “That’s him,” Edna said. “I thought you’d escaped when you married Jim Brown. Only he turned out to be a killer. You have terrible taste in men. I was so worried about you.”

  “Did you make Carol go away so Jim would save me from the lawman?” Agatha asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  The question was met with silence.

  “What?” Edna asked.

  “Did you, mom?” Agatha asked again. “Did you make Carol go away? I just need to know the truth.”

  Edna sighed and she looked off into space. “Your parents loved you very much. You’re a lucky girl.”

  “What?” Agatha asked, confused.

  “Did you know today was Elaine and Emory’s wedding anniversary?” Edna said in a completely different tone of voice. “I’ll never forget their wedding, or what Pastor Schrute said to them.”

  “Never be afraid to be the one who loves the most,” Agatha whispered.

  “You were there too?” she asked, her eyes shining with excitement. “Wasn’t it wonderful?”

  “Yes, Ms. Edna,” Agatha said, disappointed that she hadn’t been able to get the answer she was looking for. “It was a wonderful wedding.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hank waited while Agatha walked Edna back home and put her back into the care of Darleen. But when she came back through the door, he grabbed her in a hug and didn’t let go. He knew she needed to be held, and he could see she was hurting.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into his shirt. “I didn’t know what to do, or what to say. I feel so guilty.”

  “Aggie, you did fine. There’s no rule book on this.”

  “I appreciate the shoulder, Hank,” she said. “Really. You’ve become such a solid part of my life, and I can’t imagine not having you in it.”

  It would’ve been the perfect time to tell her what he’d been thinking and feeling about their relationship, about taking things to the next level, but his tongue was tied.

  “How about we head into the war room?” Agatha said. “I’m ready to wrap this case up and put it behind us.”

  Once they all had the chance to organize their thoughts and emotions, Hank decided to get the briefing started with what they’d learned from Jim Brown.

  “We talked to Jim today,” Hank said. “And I have to say he was very convincing. His story feels sincere.” Hank raised his hands at Agatha’s protest. “That doesn’t mean it’s the truth. There are people who are just that good at lying. But there are definitely holes in what he first said and in what Lieutenant Earls documented in his report after time had passed.”

  Agatha looked confused. “Wait, I thought y’all were just going to talk to him about his property and the sewage system. I didn’t know this was an interview about the murder.”

  Hank waved his hands.

  Hank shrugged sheepishly. “We started off by going there to talk with him about the sale of the house. I’d never met him, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. Jim said the main reason he argued with Larry Banks, the sewer contractor, was that he knew he was jacking up the cost for busting up the slab. He said those kids, the Stewarts didn’t have the money. It showed all over their faces, but Larry knew they were already committed to the bank for the buy. Jim said he could care less about that slab, but it was the only way to keep Larry from taking advantage of the Stewarts.”

  “That’s exactly what Jason Stewart told me,” Agatha added. “They didn’t have the cash, but they also didn’t have a choice. I was going to ask you, Coil, if you wouldn’t mind having a little chat with Larry Banks.”

  “Jason Stewart?” Coil asked. “Isn’t that the new basketball coach?”

  “Yep,” she said.

  “No worries, I’ll make sure they get a great deal.”

  “How about we watch Larry do the job to make sure he does it right?” Hank suggested.

  “You mean just in case a body appears below the slab?” Agatha asked.

  “Well, that too,” Hank said. “Why are we fixating on that slab?”

  “We’ve really got nothing else to go on,” Coil said. “But like you were saying, Jim really doesn’t fit the profile if he buried her in the yard. Why would he have sold the house, and not object to Larry busting up the concrete?”

  “Something else,” Agatha said. “I saw where the carpet in the living room had been replaced. If Jim did kill her, he’s either very sloppy or just doesn’t care about getting caught.”

  “That’s an odd observation,” Hank said. “Jim Brown struck me as a meticulous man. He was very methodical and the entire hardware store was in order. That’s not someone who would flub on clearing up a murder.”

  “I’ll
admit, I’m stumped,” Agatha confessed. “I would’ve bet it all that he killed her, but now I’m not so sure. Ms. Edna really blew my mind, and if I thought she could’ve mustered more than swinging a fly swatter, I’d say we should look at her as a suspect.”

  Coil sat silent. Hank knew his mind was spinning.

  “Here’s a crazy thought,” Coil said. “What if Robin killed her?”

  “Hmm,” Hank said. “She definitely had the motivation to get rid of Carol. She and Jim were having an affair months before. She’d already left her husband, and even she said that she was desperate to move on with her life with Jim. Maybe she hurried the process along by getting rid of Carol.”

  Agatha blew out a breath. “I had tunnel vision on Jim Brown, but I guess if we take a step back, maybe Robin does make sense.”

  “Maybe you hit it on the head about Robin keeping one of Jim’s dogs and the possibility of her still being in love with him.”

  “A dog?” Coil asked.

  “When we visited with Robin Earls, she said the German Shepherd was from a litter of pups that had belonged to Jim. Aggie thought it was odd she’d kept a gift from her ex even after she’d gone back to her husband.”

  “Maybe so,” Coil grunted. “Hard to say what’s really going on. I do suggest that before we rope another suspect into this case, we get writing samples from Carol Brown. The forensic lab is waiting on us before they do anything else with the letter.”

  “Aggie and I will head over to her mom’s house on Monday,” Hank said.

  Coil nodded. “I’m heading out to salvage some of my weekend with the family. But first, I’m going to call Larry Banks and get the deal of a lifetime for Coach Stewart and his wife.”

  “Tell Shelly hello,” Agatha said. Coil waved and closed her front door behind him.

  “I was leaning toward Robin, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I thought she was guilty or I just didn’t like her. I should’ve listened to my gut.”

  Hank’s brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you like her?”

  “Because she just seemed off. She left her husband, ignored all the warning signs that something was off with Jim, then went back to her husband and kept a reminder, the dog, of the man she left her husband for. Women don’t hold onto reminders unless they still have feelings somewhere inside.”

  “Why would she give Earls enough information for him to start digging back into the investigation?”

  “Covering her tracks maybe?” Agatha said, shrugging.

  “What tracks? She was never a suspect, so why would she have to make up a story to her dying husband?” Hank asked.

  “You know how people are when they go back to someone they dumped for another. They have to run that other person down to make the one they originally dumped feel like they were the best choice all along,” Agatha said.

  “Now I’m really confused,” Hank said.

  “That’s because you’d never do that. Decent people wouldn’t, and you and I are decent.”

  Hank had that look in his eye, and Agatha said, “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking Edna may be the key to this after all.”

  “I’m going to avoid her until we get this done,” Agatha said. “I can’t handle it anymore. Makes me too sad for her, and who knows what memories are real. Do you think Earls would’ve had anything to do with covering up a crime if Robin had been the one to commit it?”

  Hank had to think about that one. Sometimes being the hero meant doing things in a time of crisis that you wouldn’t normally do, or that others wouldn’t understand.

  “I just don’t know,” Hank said. “Jim was arrested for a domestic disturbance with his wife not long before she disappeared, but there was no prior history of domestic violence. And she ended up not pressing charges. Said it was a misunderstanding. Other than opening and closing his hardware store, we really don’t know much about Jim.”

  “You know what would make this a whole lot easier?” Agatha asked.

  “What’s that, Aggie?”

  “If we knew there was an actual victim.”

  “Hey, with any luck, maybe a body will show up.”

  “Hank Davidson,” Agatha said, punching him in the arm. “You know better than to say things like that.”

  “You’re right,” Hank said, winking. “Kiss me and teach me how to behave.”

  Agatha laughed and maneuvered out of his hold when her phone rang.

  “Who is it?” Hank asked.

  “Robin Earls.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was almost dusk, but Agatha maneuvered her Jeep along the rutted roads that led to the gravel driveway just off Bull Run Road. Robin had wanted to meet with them again, which completely blew her theory of Robin being the one who got rid of Carol out of the water. Or maybe they were all in on it together and they just enjoyed running people in circles.

  Robin was standing outside waiting for them when they pulled up, a cigarette between her lips and the dog laying at her feet.

  “I’m not going back in that house,” Hank said, before they got out of the car. “My lungs can’t take it.”

  Agatha patted him on the shoulder. “Maybe we can convince her to start vaping.”

  “If she killed Carol Brown then being deprived of nicotine is going to be the least of her worries.”

  They got out of the car, and Agatha saw the little grouping of lawn chairs under the portico. She immediately headed in that direction and Robin and Hank followed. Hank had coughed for two days after the last time they’d come to visit, and she couldn’t bear to see him suffer again.

  “I’m sorry I sounded so panicked when I called you,” Robin said, taking one of the seats. The dog came up and curled under her feet. “It shouldn’t have bothered me so much, but I just can’t shake this feeling.”

  If possible, Robin looked worse than the last time she’d seen her. Her face was drawn and the wrinkles around her mouth and eyes more pronounced. There were dark smudges under her eyes, and she’d tried to color her roots, but there was a red stain around her hairline where she hadn’t quite gotten it all out.

  “What can’t you shake?” Agatha asked.

  “I just don’t know how I feel about all this speculation about Jim killing Carol.”

  “You had a pretty good feeling about it when we talked to you before,” Agatha said. “Do you think he killed her?”

  Robin puffed on her cigarette. “No, now that I’ve had time to think about it, I really don’t think he killed her. Things were hectic back then, and Jim has never been one to handle stress well. I think he was just freaking out over the fact that his wife really left him for another man, and he didn’t know how to handle it. I think he hooked up with me to make Carol jealous, and it didn’t work. And then when she left, he was stuck with me. Jim’s a good guy, and I think he wanted to do right by me, especially since I practically gave up everything to be with him, so he married me. But he was still in love with Carol, otherwise he wouldn’t have kept all her stuff like he did.”

  “But I thought you said Jim made George up?” Agatha asked.

  Agatha had taken the lead because Robin reached out to her. She knew Hank didn’t mind being the back up, but she also knew that he was there to analyze every word Robin had to offer.

  “I miss Jim,” Robin said, ignoring the question. “We both loved the outdoors. Especially gardening. Jim had a big, open yard with lots of space, so we decided to build a greenhouse. He wanted it next to the house for some crazy reason. I tried to talk him out of it because it was a terrible location, but that’s where he wanted it, so that’s where it went. I felt like no matter what we did or where we went, he was always thinking of Carol. Do you know what that feels like, to be with a man while he’s thinking of another woman?”

  Agatha just shook her head, but in her mind she was thinking that was pretty much exactly what Robin had done to Tom Earls when she’d started up a relationship with Jim.

  Agatha felt a knot in the pit
of her gut. This was a complete turnaround from the Robin they’d talked to the other day, and she had a feeling they were feeling the noose getting a little tighter and were trying to cloud things. Robin had just moved back to the top of the suspect list, along with Jim.

  The best thing to do was just let her talk. People never knew when to stop talking, and they’d eventually work themselves into a hole.

  “You helped Jim build the greenhouse?” Agatha asked.

  “I tried,” Robin said. “But he insisted on building it for me. Jim knows his way around tools, obviously, but it was still a big job for one man. He poured the slab and did the framing and everything. Only took him a couple of days. I’d barely blinked and the whole thing was done.”

  “So why’d you call me, Robin? Why the need to talk about all this now?”

  She shrugged. “Things have been quiet for a long time, and I guess I figured people had forgotten. But when I heard the rumors going again, I felt I needed to address it once and for all. I don’t want to get caught up in Jim’s mess, and at the end of the day, that’s exactly what this is. I didn’t have anything to do with Carol’s disappearance. If anything, I’m the victim. I lost my husband, and Jim tossed me aside too.”

  Hank’s hand gently squeezed Agatha’s thigh in warning. He could always tell when she was about to get worked up. Heaven forbid Robin take any personal responsibility. But apparently, it played better in her mind to play the victim.

  “Why’d you take one of Jim’s German Shepherd pups?” Agatha asked.

  “It was a gift.”

  “What did Tom think of you keeping Jim’s gift at his home?”

  “Tom didn’t really care,” Robin said, dismissing the thought with a flip of her hand. “Tom was married to his job. That’s why I left him in the first place. Look, Tom was a good man and a great cop, but he wasn’t a great husband. And I think the only reason he took me back was so someone was here to help him after chemo treatments started.”

  “I thought you said you loved Tom, and that he loved you,” Agatha said.