Page 100 of Road Queens
“Ray Smith’s another,” Amanda said. “Ed Gein was from Wisconsin too.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Gross. Anyway, getting back to it, let’s say we were talking about Wanda Garner and Debbie Frank,notJonny Frank,” Cass said, soaking up meat loaf gravy with her last biscuit.
“Oh, yeah, Garner.” Dave was carefully bundling the new books into his messenger bag. “He’s gonna be happy Frank’s dead.”
Cass froze in mid-sop. “You’re talking about her brother? Marcus Garner?”
“Yeah. He’s pretty intense. Not that I blame him, but he’s like a hermit in training. One of those guys who, y’know, doesn’t really like people. Any people. Even before his sister died.”
“She didn’t ‘die,’” Sidney snapped. “She was murdered by her fuckstick husband. Don’t downplay. Wait. What are you saying, Dave?”
Cass was still stuck in mid-sop. “You know Marcus Garner?”
“Sure. I’m building his mausoleum.”
Amanda almost choked on a fry. “I’m sorry, Dave, could you repeat that?”
Dave blinked. “Mausoleum. Y’know, a tomb? One of those big marble boxes you see in fancy cemeteries? People have them built to hold their families’ remains?”
“I know what a mausoleum is, Dave!”
“Do you? Because you seem super confused right now.”
“Where?” Amanda cried.
“Where what? Oh.” Dave’s blinking intensified. “Forest Lawn. In Maplewood.”
“Mr.Conner, just so I understand your meaning, Marcus Garner isn’t in England?”
“Cripes!” Sean had come up on him so quickly and quietly that Dave flinched back.
“Serve you right, you’re always creeping up on us,” Sidney said.
“I’m not, though. You’re all just really self-absorbed and keep forgetting I’m here.” To Sean: “No, he’s not in England; we’ve been working on his tomb for the last coupla months. He wants it done by September, y’know.”
“Did he say why?”
“Naw. Didn’t ask. Not really my business so long as the check clears.”
“The contractor’s code.” Amanda already had her phone out. “Here it is. Wanda Garner was murdered on September first.”
“A deadline,” Cass breathed. Before she could elaborate, her cell phone pinged. She fished it out and went pale, then showed them the caller ID: MCF-Stillwater. “Momnevercalls me. Almost never. I can count on one hand how often she ... Mom? Hello?”
“Speaker!”Sidney commanded, and Cass obliged. Five years away wasn’t long enough to gain the ability to ignore Sidney when she used That Tone.
“Mom? What’s wrong?”
Iris Rivers cleared her throat. “I may have miscalculated.”
“What?”
“I believe I was in error.”
Amanda could see the tension go out of Cassandra’s shoulders so quickly she sagged on her stool. “Jeez, Mom, you scared me. Listen, I’m glad you’re finally ready to apologize for murdering my father, basically orphaning me—”
“You can’t use ‘orphan’ as a verb,” Amanda hissed.
“I can, actually; look it up and shut up!” She continued in a softer tone, “Orphaning me and gagging me to prevent my testimony, but now isn’t the—”
