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“What?” Kelly asked as he tossed his spent smoke on the gravel.
“If Susan Ames knew, who else did here?”
“You really think one of the Brothers butchered Cramer like that?”
“Locals can come here. Cramerworkedhere and she was an outsider. Any other non-Brothers around?”
Kelly looked shrewdly at him. “Yeah, they hire contractors to help with the manufacturing stuff and some of the farming operations.”
“Okay.” Decker glanced toward the dining hall. “If they keep us out here much longer I’m just going to kick the door down before heatstroke fully sets in.”
“They might not like that,” warned Kelly.
“They’re pacifists. So what are they gonna do about it?”
Kelly grinned and then pointed. “Well, you just got your wish.”
Decker looked over to see Peter Gunther standing at the open door and waving for them to rejoin him.
Inside, Susan and Milton Ames were sitting side by side at the center table. He appeared upset and she looked somewhat contrite.
Milton said, “Um, Susan wants to explain her earlierremark.”
“Okay,” said Kelly, sitting down opposite them while Decker and Jamison hovered behind. Kelly said to Susan, “So you knew about Irene?”
Susan wouldn’t look up. “Yes. And . . . it was very cruel what I said before. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess . . . I suppose I was upset.” Now she did look up and her eyes were watery. “But I did fear for her. And it seems that those fears were unfortunately justified.”
“How did you know about her other life?” asked Decker.
“This past spring our oldest son had gone to visit my sister and her family in Pennsylvania. They’re not part of us. But we do visit and keep in touch. He traveled by bus. I went into town to pick him up at the depot. He was late coming in, it must’ve been after midnight. I was waiting in my truck when I saw her walking down the street with some man.”
“Irene, you mean?” said Kelly.
“I had to look three times before I recognized her. It was more the way she walked, really, and how she would tilt her head. I would see her do that at the school all the time.”
“Then you’re a careful observer,” noted Decker.
Susan glanced nervously at her husband, who still stared down at the table. “I . . . I am someone who notices things. My duties here require that attention to detail.”
“Go on,” prompted Kelly.
“Well, the man was obviously drunk and had his hands all over her. I thought she might be in trouble. So I got out of the truck and called out to her. She was horrified to see me, I could tell. She started trying to get rid of the man who was with her. But he said the name Mindy, which is how I knew about that. Anyway, the man yelled that he’d pay her an extra hundred dollars if she, well, if she performed a certainacton him.” Susan blushed deeply as she said this, and Milton and Gunther looked like they might be ill. She noticed this and hurried on. “That’s when I realized it was more than some date that got out of hand. The man finally left and we sat in my truck and talked. She could tell I was very shocked and she explained at length about what was going on.”
“Take your time and tell us everything you can remember,” said Jamison.
“She said her mother had cancer, had no insurance, and she was sending all the money she made by, well, by being with men—”
Here Gunther made a clucking sound.
“—so as to help her mother,” finished Susan hurriedly.
“So just to be clear, she told you she was selling sex for money?” said Kelly.
“I know nothing about it, of course, but isn’t that the point? To do it for money?”
Kelly glanced at Decker and didn’t answer.
“Did you believe her about her mother?” asked Decker.
