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Fear flashed through her rheumy eyes. “Shar’s my granddaughter. Is she okay?”
A pang of sadness hit Josie like a slap. She did not want to tell this woman that her granddaughter was dead. While they weren’t always responsible for death notifications, the task did fall on the detectives’ shoulders now and then. It was one of the worst parts of the job. Softly, Josie said, “Mrs. Eddy? May we come in?”
Her lips smacked together. She removed her glasses, tucking them back inside her housecoat and coming up with a crumpled tissue which she used to dab at both eyes. “Rosalie,” she told them. Hitching a shoulder, she turned and limped away from them, knuckles white over the handle of the cane. “Come in, then. Tell me what kind of trouble Shar got into.”
Josie and Mettner followed her inside. The living room was narrow but long with threadbare gray carpeting. On a muted television mounted to a wall a prime-time drama played. Across from it, a long brown couch took up the entire length of the room. Diagonally across from that was a matching recliner sporting a cushion for lumbar support. Rosalie dropped into it and fussed with her cane, trying to fit it into the space between her chair and the end table. “Hope she didn’t get into the drugs,” she muttered. “Her momma was into the drugs something awful. Been in prison for a spell. On and off, that one. Never stays out long. I was hoping Shar would go the opposite way.”
Josie waited until Rosalie was settled in her chair, birdlike hands folded neatly in her lap. Her slippered feet hung off the floor an inch, making her look smaller than she already did. Josie shored herself up for what was to come.
Mettner knelt next to the chair and rested a hand on its arm.
“Oh boy,” said Rosalie. “Been a long time since a man got down on one knee.” A smile wavered on her lips. She covered Mettner’s hand with one of her own. Her voice dropped so low, it was difficult to make out the words. “It must be bad, then. Real bad.”
Josie was not a big believer in delaying bad news. Working your way up to it didn’t make it any easier to hear. “Mrs. Eddy, your granddaughter, Sharon, was found dead this evening. A mother and her son found her on the creek bank a few blocks from here.”
Rosalie kept patting Mettner’s hand until the movement became rhythmic. Her head bobbed up and down, as if she were still listening to words only she could hear. They gave her some time to absorb the news. When her body stilled, she found the crumpled tissue again and pressed it to one cheek, then the other, trying to staunch the tears flowing down her face. “What happened to my Shar?”
“We’re not sure,” Mettner said. “There were no visible signs of injury. We’ll know more when we finish our investigation.”
Josie said, “We’re very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Eddy. Is there anyone we can call for you?”
Rosalie lifted her hand from Mettner’s and pointed to a small table next to the front door. “Over there. My cell phone. Shar insisted I have one even though I can hardly use it. If you look on there, you’ll find my brother’s name and number. Albert. He lives a couple of hours away, but he’ll come and help me take care of my Shar.”
Mettner stood up and walked over, searching for the phone. Once he had the number, he stepped onto the porch to make the call.
Josie took his place, squatting down next to Rosalie’s chair. “Mrs. Eddy, I know this is a terrible time, but I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me about Sharon. If you’re not up to it, we’ll come back later.”
“Ask me now. I know how this goes. Lost my parents, my in-laws, two of my siblings and my husband. Once the shock wears off, I won’t be much use to anyone.”
Having lost her first husband and her own beloved grandmother suddenly, Josie could relate. She took in a deep breath, trying to focus on the investigation. “Sharon lived here with you?”
“Yes,” said Rosalie. “Just the two of us. It’s been just the two of us for ages. Since she was about ten. Her momma just couldn’t take care of her anymore, not like she should have. That one found trouble wherever she went. Like I said, she was in and out of prison for drugs. When Shar was ready to go to high school, I decided the two of us should make a clean break, so we moved here. She just graduated from Denton East a year ago.”
“Where did you move from?” Josie asked.
“Bellewood.”
Forty miles away, Bellewood was the Alcott County seat.
“How did Sharon do at Denton East?” Josie asked. “Did she make friends?”
“Sure, some friends. She’s a good girl.” The tissue clutched in her hands was now sopping with moisture. Josie found a box of tissues on one of the end tables and handed several more to Rosalie.
“Was Sharon in college?” asked Josie.
Rosalie shook her head. “Couldn’t afford that. We thought maybe one day. She works at the animal hospital about fifteen minutes from here. She doesn’t do anything fancy. She just answers phones and cleans exam rooms, that sort of thing. Whatever needs doing. She sure did love it.”
Josie said, “Is that where she was headed this afternoon?”
“She left for her shift there this morning. Around six thirty. I wasn’t expecting to see her till later tonight. Sometimes they do surgeries at the animal hospital. My Shar always stays late if there’s a big surgery, to sit with the cat or dog. She says she feels bad for ’em that they’re in pain and disoriented and can’t be with their owners. They don’t pay her to do that. She does it because in her own heart she can’t stand the thought of those babies being alone. ‘Fur babies,’ that’s what she calls them.”
Josie felt the yoke of sadness tug at her body more forcefully. “Do you know if she made it to work today?”
“I assume she did, but if she didn’t, they would have called her, not me. She’s grown now. Handles her own responsibilities.”
“Okay,” said Josie. “We can find out when we leave here. Do you know how Sharon got to work today?”
“She walked, same as always. It’s close enough to walk as long as it’s not raining or snowing. She only takes the car to work when she absolutely has to—trying to save money.”
