Page 48 of Deeper Than the Dead

“You remember they worked it all out,” she said, putting the flyers away in the drawer designated for AA’s stuff.

“You’re right, but I also remember there was an issue at one time between your mom and dad about the hospice nurse who saw her in those final weeks.”

Okay so he just wanted to talk about the past. She could handle that with no sweat. “Taylor Williams. He was a good nurse. Vee and I took care of her bathing needs. There was no reason for Daddy to be upset about a male nurse. Mama liked him.”

“But your daddy thought he was coming around a little too much that last week or two.”

“Daddy was just mad because he couldn’t take off work enough to see after Mama himself.” This was true. He’d blamed himself for not being there the way he thought he should have been. Eve remembered the way he cried when he thought no one was looking. She also knew for a fact that his boss would have allowed him to take an extended leave. She heard the man say as much to her daddy on one of his visits. The truth was, Eve suspected, her daddy wanted to stay, to do all possible for his wife, but he couldn’t bear it, so he didn’t. As strong as he had been, he just hadn’t been strong enough.

“Taylor had a bad accident one night after leaving your farm.”

There was that. She opted not to comment since it wasn’t a question.

“I seem to recall,” Bent said as they walked toward the stairs, “there was an issue with the brake line or something like that.”

Eve paused at the bottom step. “Sheriff Fraley said the brake line broke. It was just one of those bizarre things that happen sometimes with older cars.” She frowned. “Are you accusing Daddy of something, Bent?”

He settled his hat into place. “Just confirming a few things I read in the case file.”

Eve pushed through the lower-level street entrance. Bent followed. The morning sun was already oppressive. “Daddy wouldn’t have hurt anyone,” Eve pointed out. “You’re wasting your time digging up those old rumors.”

He glanced at the line of cars parked along the street before settling his attention back on her. “This is just between you and me, Eve. I won’t be stirring this pot publicly. But you need to be prepared, because others likely will.”

She’d figured it was just a matter of time before the gossipmongers got started. “If what you want to know is if I recall anything unusual related to Daddy’s activities after Sheree’s disappearance, there’s just one thing.”

Vee had told her how Bent was pressing the idea. Eve was prepared.

“What’s that?”

“He was devastated. The same way he was when Mama died. Personally, I thought it was damned shitty of him for being so torn up over that woman after the way she treated us and disappeared on him and Luna.”

“Could’ve been guilt,” Bent suggested.

Eve shrugged. “Maybe. He was pretty upset with her for cheating on him, but he would have done anything to keep her, so I’m fairly certain killing her wouldn’t have been on his mind. I mean, I suppose it could have been some sort of freak accident. But if he had been involved with whatever happened, he would have called an ambulance or taken her to the hospital himself. He wouldn’t have left her to just die.”

Bent considered what she said for a moment. “Whoever did this to Sheree, I have my doubts as to whether it was an accident. There were multiple fractures to her skull. Her head was hit with something hard or banged against something hard more than once.”

Eve stilled. Inside, the beating of her heart, the rush of her blood all seemed to quiet. “Unless she was arguing with someone and accidentally fell down the stairs.” Her voice sounded strained, distant even to her own ears. “Our stairs are steep—not like the stairs in new houses.”

“Do you think she was arguing with someone?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you have heard their voices? You were home that day, right?”

One, two, three ... Eve held her tongue. Ordered her heart to slow its racing. Calmed her thinking. Sounding calm was far more important than not hesitating. “I don’t know.” She swallowed to wet her throat. “But, yeah, I was home. I didn’t hear any arguing ... just the baby crying. Like I said back then.”

Bent inclined his head as if weighing the possibility. “A fall down the stairs could cause multiple head injuries. The lab in Nashville will tell us more. All we have right now is the preliminary report.”

Had he told Vee about this? Eve’s heart abruptly started to pound and all that sound—the thundering beneath her sternum and the roar in her veins—nearly deafened her.

She forced her lips apart and her tongue to work. “What did Vee say about the skull fractures?”

“I haven’t talked to her yet about those specifics. I’m meeting with her later today. The TBI folks are on the way, so I have to rendezvous at the scene with them in half an hour.”

Eve forced her head up and down. “But you believe,” she dared to venture, “it was not an accident.”

An icy chill flowed through her during the long seconds that elapsed before he responded.

This was the worst possible news. How would they ever get Bent or anyone else to believe the truth ... if doing so became necessary?

He bracketed his hands on his hips. “I really can’t say. On first look, the accident scenario seems unlikely, but as you suggested, she could potentially have hit her head multiple times falling down the staircase. Whoever was with her may have gotten scared and buried her. Tried to make it look as if she’d run off. The state lab has people who specialize in determining how these things happen. They measure all the different aspects of injuries. Determine the types of fractures, depressed or ring or whatever. Hopefully they’ll give us something soon, and then we’ll know with some measure of certainty.”

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