Page 95 of A Rose of Steel
“I already told you, I’ll make the report later.”
“I don’t understand why he isn’t here,” I said, turning to look out of the front doors. “What is taking him so long?” I pulled out my phone to call him again.
“I think everything will be okay,” Rhett said. “Shane’s gone, I don’t think he’ll be back after what you said Babet did.”
“Why are you looking so worried?” Auntie said.
I was fumbling with the phone and mumbling. “He came to the funeral,” I muttered. “He should’ve been here, too.”
“He came to the funeral to find the killer, which he evidently didn’t do because he just left here with a truck full of evidence. And neither did we...” Auntie was still rambling when Pogue picked up the line.
“Pogue,” I said whispering into the phone. I wasn’t sure if the butterflies were from me solving it, or fear of how my poor cousin was going to react when I told him I had.
“Romie, why are you whispering into the phone? Are you alright? I thought everything was under control.”
“I thought you were on your way here. How far away are you from Angel’s Grace?”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I think I may have solved the case, and the killer is here now.”
“What case, Romie? You better not be talking about the Hackett case. I thought this was just missing sports drinks.”
I grunted. “Okaaay...”
“What case, Romie?”
“Uhm...”
“Romie.”
“The Hackett case.” I spit it out. “I’ve solved the Hackett case.”
Auntie Zanne looked at me, surprise in her eyes. Rhett shook his head and started grinning.
“I knew it!” Auntie Zanne said. “I was right all along.”
“It’s not who you think,” I told her.
“You did what?” Pogue said. He was yelling into my ear.
“I’m not right?” Auntie Zanne said, yelling into the other one. “Who is it then? How do you know who did it?”
“Shhh!” I said to Auntie Zanne, “I can’t hear Pogue.”
“I told you not to go messing in my case,” Pogue said.
“Well if you don’t get over here soon, that statement is going to come back and bite you in the butt because I have solved it and you’re going to let the killer get away.”
Chapter Forty-Two
It seemed like it took forever for Pogue to get to the community center and I was a little nervous about people getting restless or anxious. But deep down I knew that people around these parts did whatever Auntie Zanne wanted, so her saying we had to delay didn’t cause any commotion. Most people thought that if Babet Derbinay said it was necessary, it must be. And she posted her Roble Belles to the outside door, and told the twins, Mark and Leonard Wilson to guard the door where I told her the killer was. She was going to make sure no one got away.
I had filled Auntie in on who I thought the killer was right after I spoke with Pogue. She didn’t want to wait for Pogue to get there so I wouldn’t have to tell the story twice, she had to know right then.
“I’m not holding up this event unless you tell me,” she had said. “I have to know what you’ve come up with is legit.”
Certainly because her suspect was “legit.”
