Page 24 of The Side Road
Later that day,in the parsonage kitchen, Oliver explained the details of Elsie’s will to Tash. He told her about her grandmother’s request to be buried at the old cemetery and not in the pre-booked plot beside her husband of fifty-five years.
‘Way to hold a grudge,’ Tash said when she heard the news.
Oliver showed her Elsie’s passbook, pointing out the deposits and withdrawals. A sharp student, Tash quickly saw the connection. Then Oliver opened his phone and presented the photos of the forged documents.
Gazing at the phone, Tash froze. Then she walkedstraight to the bureau in the living room, pulled out the middle drawer, and retrieved a bottle of liquid paper. ‘Last week, it was all over her hands. She used methylated spirits to get the stains off the kitchen table.’
‘Good god,’ Oliver mumbled. Caught white handed, the woman was shameless. No more proof was necessary. He turned to Tash. ‘Are you up for a treasure hunt?’
An hour later, a search of the house revealed no bundles of cash stashed under any of the beds. The cupboards and the wardrobes were also empty. This was disappointing, but Oliver knew their hunt was superficial.
Standing in the doorway to Elsie’s bedroom, he said, ‘After the funeral, we’ll do a more thorough search of the house. Are you ready for me to pack up Elsie’s things? We can donate what we don’t need. But I don’t want to rush you.’
After looking around the room, Tash nodded.
They headed back to the kitchen, and Oliver asked, ‘Do you think she had an accomplice?’
‘Who?’
‘Good point. Where’s her handbag?’
‘In her bedroom. I’ll get it.’ Turning on her heels, Tash sprinted down the hallway.
When she returned with the handbag, she placed it on the kitchen table. A brown leather crossover style.
‘Nan never left the house without her handbag.’
They stared at the bag. Rummaging through a woman’s handbag felt disrespectful. Oliver had to remind himself that Elsie was dead and she had tried to donate his house to the church. He grabbed the bag and pulled the zipper. A faint, sweet and sour smell escaped – the scent of make-up and old lollies.
Inside the first compartment, they found a used tissue, cough drops, a tube of hand cream, and a lipstick. Thecentre partition held her reading glasses. At the bottom, a thin scarf, a nail file and a pen. In the last section, they found a small puzzle book, a comb and a few loose bobby pins. In the side pocket were a single cigarette and a disposable lighter.
Oliver looked at Tash. ‘She smoked? Cigarettes?’
‘I don’t think so.’ Tash scratched her chin.
He tipped the bag upside down and shook it. A loose cough drop and a five-cent coin fell onto the table. He picked up the cigarette. It was in good condition. It hadn’t been rolling around at the bottom of the handbag for the last twenty years.
‘What do we do now?’ Tash asked.
If he were a smoker, Oliver would have lit the cigarette and savoured the taste.
Tash chewed her lip. ‘We haven’t checked the car.’
A search of the car revealed a packet of mints and a wad of tissues in the driver’s side door. The console was empty. So was the boot. But in the glove compartment, they found a hip flask.
‘I’ve never seen that before in my life,’ Tash said. She opened the packet of mints and handed one to her father. Oliver popped it into his mouth. He shook the hip flask – it was full. After unscrewing the top, he sniffed the contents. Whisky.
This was out of character. Perhaps all these years, he had misjudged her? The thought sent a chill down his spine. Her condescending smile, always so carefully maintained, concealed a deviously cunning nature that he had never suspected. The woman was duplicitous.
‘What’s for dinner?’ Tash asked.
‘I haven’t learned how to cook in the last month. What about you?’
‘A few weeks ago, I helped Nan make orange pork surprise for a church meeting.
‘Anyone die?’
‘Nora Williams died in her sleep.’
