Page 6 of Death in the New Year

“We’ll send someone to speak with her,” said Miller.

“Be nice,” smirked Barry.

“What does that mean?” growled Miller.

“Well, sir, I’ve seen you ‘speak’ to people before, and sometimes, I mean, once in a while, you can be a little, well, grumpy.” Miller just stared at the young man as he laughed. “Seriously, sir. She’s a nice lady. She lives with her elderly mother and has been taking care of her for several years now. Even ended her engagement so that she could stay living with her mother.”

“I hear ‘ya, kid,” said Miller. “Gabe? Get your ass up. You’re going with me.”

“Me? What did I do wrong?”

“Just get up,” growled Miller.

Barry laughed at the brotherly affection, shaking his head. He was the son of Ruby’s youngest daughter. The youngest of all the grandchildren at thirty-one, he was her baby. But he missed out on having siblings, and most of his cousins were much older than him. He loved coming out to Belle Fleur so that he could get a sense of that sibling love.

“Barry, anything you can add to all of this?” asked Ghost.

“No, sir,” he said, shaking his head. “We told you everything about her.”

“Was she having any trouble with her husband or daughter?” asked Ian.

“Not that I’m aware of. They were both always at services and volunteered in the soup kitchen. He still works full-time as a maintenance man for one of the buildings downtown.”

“And the daughter?” asked Ian.

“She’s been working on finishing her college degree while working. She’s twenty-four or twenty-five, something like that. She’s just had to go slow because she’s paying for everything herself.”

“Did Imelda have a life insurance policy?” asked Ghost.

“Oh, I’m not sure,” he said, looking at the men. “I don’t think they have any benefits at the church. It’s pretty small and doesn’t have the money for that stuff.”

“Barry Henri Joseph Melancon! Where are you?” yelled the familiar voice echoing down the halls.

“Oh, oh, now I’m in trouble,” he laughed. “Back here, Grandma.”

Ruby rounded the corner, grabbing her youngest grandchild, hugging and kissing him. He laughed, hugging her back. The familiar scent of her perfume, the softness of her round, plump body making him feel nostalgic.

“Hi, Grandma,” he laughed.

“Let me look at you,” she said, pulling back. “Yep. You’re still as handsome as ever.”

“I was just coming to find you but needed to finish up here first,” he said. The others smiled at them, nodding at Ruby.

“Can I have my grandbaby?” she asked with her hand on her hip. The men laughed, lifting their hands in defense.

“He’s all yours, Miss Ruby,” smirked Ghost. “We know where to find you if we have more questions, Barry.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, Barry, one more thing. The girl that quit suddenly, what was her name?” asked Code.

“Matilda Smith. She was quiet, really quiet. I tried speaking to her several times, but she always looked away from me. The Reverend just said that everyone has a past, and hers wasn’t very nice. Funny thing is, I think she loved working at the church, and she loved being around everyone, just in her own way.”

“Yet she left without notice, not calling anyone or writing to them. Why do you think that might be?” asked Code.

Nine stared at Code. It wasn’t like him to pry and push like this. He was their genius tech kid, albeit not a kid any longer. He usually stuck to that. If he were asking questions, there was a reason.

“I’m not sure, sir. Like I said, she didn’t speak to me very often. She didn’t really speak to anyone very often.” Code nodded at him.

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