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Jack helped me get her up and we all moved into the sunroom. It had obviously been a later addition to the house with its bricked floors and white wicker furniture, but I could tell it was well used and probably a place of comfort for her.
“Lydia,” I said, once I got her positioned on the couch. “Mrs. Hargrove, can you tell me your address?”
“It’s always strange when students call me by my first name,” she said, her smile soft and sad. “No matter how long ago they were your students.”
“I’m sure it is,” I told her, pulling up the ottoman next to her and taking a seat. I kept my fingers on the pulse in her wrist, thankful it was starting to slow and strengthen. She was snuggled into the blanket, drawing in the warmth, and she looked almost childlike beneath it.
“Can you tell me your address?”
“Of course,” she said slowly. “1822 Monastery Court. This is my family home. Built in 1901 by my great-grandfather. It’ll go to our daughter one day. I haven’t called her. I don’t think I can.”
“Don’t worry about that, Mrs. Hargrove,” Jack said, taking the wicker chair across from her so she didn’t have to turn her head to look at him. “You have people to help you. Lean on us now.”
We waited in silence for several minutes as her vitals came back to normal. I still wanted the EMTs to check her out, but she wasn’t worrying me as much as she had been when I first saw her.
“We’re very proud of you both, you know,” she said, breaking the silence. “Steve used to carry around a picture of Jack in his wallet dressed out in his football uniform so he could tell people he used to coach the sheriff. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen either of you. This isn’t how I expected our reunion to be.”
I saw a flash of color out of the corner of my eye, and watched a couple race across the backyard, carrying a large yellow umbrella. They seemed comfortable coming up the back steps and to the side door of the sunroom, as if they’d done it dozens of times before. The neighbors, I thought.
Jack stood as the door came open and they rushed in. They were a handsome couple. She was as dark as he was pale. Both of them at least six feet tall and athletic looking. I would have put both of them somewhere in their late forties to early fifties.
The woman had a cute pixie cut that was razored at the edges and wore a pair of purple scrubs with yellow daisies on them and white sneakers. The man’s hair was an attractive silver, and he wore round glasses, jeans, and an old Yale sweatshirt.
The woman’s gaze went between Jack, me, and Lydia, but she ultimately decided now wasn’t the time for introductions.
“Oh, Lydia,” the woman said, moving toward the couch and leaning over to place her hand on Mrs. Hargrove’s cheek affectionately. “We just heard the news. I’m so terribly sorry.” Then the woman looked at me out of tawny eyes and said, “Her skin is cold. Does she need to go to the hospital?”
“I’ve got EMTs on the way to check her out, but her vitals are looking much better and she’s able to focus,” I said. “You have medical training?”
She smiled, but it was filled with grief. “I’m a nurse at the elementary school. That’s how I met Lydia years ago, before she retired. We’ve been neighbors for a decade and good friends for about the same amount of time.”
“Joe Able,” Joe said, reaching out to shake Jack’s hand. “You’re Sheriff Lawson. I’ve seen you around. That’s my wife, Ada. I called Ada at work as soon as your officers left so she could get back home. I knew she’d want to be with Lydia.”
Jack nodded. “I’m sure she appreciates that. We need to talk to her and ask some questions. It’ll be good you’re here.”
“You have to ask them now?” Ada asked, her eyes going dark with irritation.
“It’s okay,” Lydia said, patting Ada’s hand. “Sit here next to me. I taught both Jaye and Jack. Smart as whips, both of them. I always knew the two of you would end up together.”
I arched a brow at that bit of information and couldn’t help a slight smile. “Then you definitely knew more than I did.”
Ada took a seat next to Lydia and held one of her hands in both of hers. Joe stayed out of the way, but Jack pushed the chair he’d been in earlier next to me and took a seat.
“You know it’s our job to piece together what happened,” Jack said. “I know how hard this is and the upcoming days are going to be. But it’ll give you peace to know the why of things. As much as we can give you.”
Lydia nodded solemnly and she looked down at her entwined hands. “I don’t understand it. I don’t understand any of this. I can’t even believe it’s real.”
“Was there anything off with his behavior this morning?”
“He was fine,” she said. “I know what you’re thinking. That he did this to himself. I saw the gun. I s…saw.”
“We don’t know anything yet,” Jack assured her. “That’s why I’m here asking questions. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Coach was the best man I know.”
She seemed to collect herself a bit and said, “You knew him. He was big and bold and knew how to get things done. He was a force to be reckoned with. You can’t win unless you can see where you’re going. And he always knew where he was going. This isn’t him. He’d want to win in the end just like he always did. And this isn’t winning. It doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Jack agreed with her, and I saw her shoulders relax a little. “The questions I’m going to ask might seem personal. But we’re just eliminating possibilities, and the sooner we can eliminate them the sooner we can get to the truth.”
She nodded, and I knew Jack was doing everything he could to put her at ease. No matter how hard we tried to distance ourselves and compartmentalize so the truth could show itself, this was still a woman who helped mold our formative years. She’d always have a special place in our lives.
