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Adam was still close by, and she’d yet to discover who he was.
She met John in the foyer. He was leaning against the wall waiting on her, sipping a cup of cider. In the other hand, a fresh foam cup for her.
“Where’d you get that?”
John pointed to the dining room. Violet followed his finger in time to see the back of a figure slip around the corner.
“Aunt Hossie?” Violet whispered. “Did I just see Aunt Hossie? Finally? Now?”
Nodding, John handed her the cup of cider. “She legit had gout. Ty said her niece on her late husband’s side helped out with all the food. Regis wasn’t lying.”
“I’d resigned to the fact she didn’t exist.” She snickered. “Or was dead.”
“Unseen doesn’t equal nonexistent or dead. I guess you know that by now.” He winked and opened the front door.
Violet paused on the threshold and turned back. “Thanks, Aunt Hossie. We appreciate all you did to provide for us during our stay.”
She didn’t hear a reply. But she didn’t need one. She followed John to the car and buckled up. He pulled onto the dirt road that would lead to the holler church.
“Hey,” Violet said. “How did you know where to find us?”
John sighed. “We found out Jimmy Russell had been kicked out of seminary, so we visited the Swallow—found Wendell. He told us that they used to play in that chapel as kids. It’s where Jimmy felt his calling.”
“Not the Lord’s calling,” Violet said. “Did they find the victims’ eyes?”
John’s lip curled. “Yeah. In a small cooler behind the old pulpit.” He switched on his turn signal. “We got the shirt and beer bottle from Regis’s house. Since we know Jimmy killed Atta, all we can come up with is that Cecil was at the bar and saw her and Wendell get into it. The necklace must have fallen off in the altercation, and he took it. Like a trophy. Some of the blood must have transferred to his shirt. Maybe he picked up the swatch of material Wendell accidentally ripped away and got blood on him that way, or he may have even encountered her, touched her, talked to her. Then she went to Jimmy’s. We don’t know for sure, but that’s our best guess.”
They wound up the long road leading to the church, and Violet’s gut knotted. John parked behind Sheriff Modine’s cruiser. “You want me to go with you?” John asked.
“No. Just...be here for me?”
He held her hand. “I’m here for you, Violet. As long as you’ll let me be.”
“I feel like there’s subtext there. But that can wait a minute.”
His smirk undid her. “I’m patient.”
She got out of the car into the cold. But she was wearing her heavy leather coat, jeans, and boots and wool socks. Sheriff Modine opened the back door of his cruiser. Inside sat Loretta Boyd. Violet didn’t hide the shock and looked up at Sheriff Modine.
“Loretta’s no real threat. Known her all my life.” He leaned in and helped her out. She wore cuffs though. The pain in his eyes and gentleness in aiding her told Violet all she needed to know about these two. Modine loved her. But he couldn’t get her out of this one. Why hadn’t he gotten her out before now?
Loretta let a shaky breath release. “Hello, Violet. Let’s take a walk.”
Violet looked at Modine for permission.
“I’ll be here. Y’all go on.”
Loretta led Violet to the private cemetery, opened the wrought-iron gate and they entered.
“Thank you for rescuing Ruby. Funny... I was trapped in what we called the baby basement—at least at first, and Ruby was trapped in a basement too.” She looked at Violet, touched her chin dimple. “You were his first daughter, you know.”
“All I know is I was a monster until he held me,” she whispered. But she was done with letting Reeva’s words hold power over her, killing her. She craved more powerful words. Stronger words. Life-giving words to put to death the lies.
“He called me Eve,” she said. “I was one of the first girls he took to help him fulfill the command God had given Adam. Be fruitful and multiply. He believed he was the reincarnated Adam. Dozens more came and went. Most conceived quickly, and then once the babies were healthy at three months, he let them go. I’d come from a pretty bad situation, as you know. When he told me he loved me, I believed him. When he told me that I was his true Eve, I believed him. He gave me privileges he didn’t give the other girls. I was their midwife, if you will. I’d seen babies be birthed before, here in the holler. I’d make him dinner, and we’d eat in the kitchen. I shared stories of the holler. What I had been made to do. Only havin’ to do it with one man was way better than many.”
How utterly tragic.
This explained why Reeva didn’t know a Loretta Boyd. She would have known her as Eve.
