Tee Tucker
She is a Pembroke corgi, full of enthusiasm and bright spirit. She is devoted to Harry and Fair and adores Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, too, although there can be pronounced differences of opinion. Wonderful as she and all corgis are, its best not to invite her to your cocktail party. Shell try to herd the guests.
Simon
He is an oppossum who lives in the loft of the Haristeens barn. Hes a sweet fellow if a trifle simple.
Doodles
This young Gordon setter belongs to Aunt Tally. He knows his human is old, tough though she is, and he is vigilant.
Erno
He is a gorgeous vizsla owned by Inez Carpenter. Hes also young, versatile in his abilities, and learning about life from the others. He loves Inez.
A
lone figure walked along a shoveled-off bricklaid path. The dormant gardens glimmered with frost. The skies seemed low enough to touch.
Aunt Tally, two weeks away from her one-hundredth birthday, called her Gordon setter, Doodles.
As the young dog joyfully returned to his master, Aunt Tally leaned on her silver-headed cane, the head being in the graceful shape of a hound. Apart from having to use that canethanks to the usual involuntary dismounts all horsewomen takeshe betrayed few signs of her advanced years. Had you seen her peering at the ground as she walked along, you would have pegged her at eighty, perhaps.
More snow coming. She squinted at the sky this March 11, Wednesday.
Doodles, who had sharper senses, replied,
Before sundown.
Aunt Tally stroked the dogs head upon hearing the little yodel.
Tightening her cashmere scarf, she continued on.
A deep rumble alerted Doodles, who recognized the motors signature sound as well as the sound of the tires. Identifying a vehicle by its tire sound and motor is easy for dogs. Humans cant do it.
Doodles wagged her tail as she bounded up to the front of the house, where Marilyn Big Mim Sanburne, Tallys niece, had parked her brand-new Dodge half-ton.
The two walked to the back of the house to join Tally.
Big Mim, teasingly called The Queen of Crozet, was a formidable woman. However, even Big Mim could be backed off by the small, lean Tally.
What are you doing out here? Its 24degF.
Checking for my crocus. A shoot here and a shoot there and I get to thinking about the redbuds.
Big Mim put one gloved hand on her hip. Redbuds arent going to be in full flower until about April fifteenth. You know that.
Of course I do. That doesnt mean I cant check them. She tapped her cane on the old brick. Im longing for spring. By this time of the year Ive had enough.
You really will have enough if you dont come in out of the cold. Youll catch your death.
Its not a baseball, the old woman replied.
You know what I mean, Big Mim said, sounding tolerant. Are you ready to go, or do you need anything from the house?
Just need to put up the dog. Aunt Tally walked to the back door, opened it, and Doodles scooted in, happy for the warmth.
Purse? Big Mim raised an eyebrow.
My wallets in my coat pocket. Purses are a pain. Even if I find one that slings just right over my shoulder, sooner or later it drops down. Hard to carry a purse with a cane.
Guess it is. Big Mim walked to the passenger side of her blue truck and opened the door for Tally, who climbed in unassisted.
Once out on the road, the two chattered as only two people who have known each other all their lives can. Aunt Tally had been pushing thirty when Big Mim was born. It was a day of celebration. Aunt Tally, thanks to a disastrous love affair when young, shied away from marriage but not affairs. She treated Big Mim as her own daughter, which had occasioned some arguments with Tallys late, loved sister. A brother to Big Mim followed later, but he died on the hideous Bataan Death March. Apart from rage and grief, the result was that no Urquhart of any succeeding generation would buy a Japanese car or any product if they could help it. As with all old Virginia families, regardless of generations of marriages on both the male and female
sides, they generally referred to themselves by the surname of the first European to settle on Virginia soil. In this case, the Urquharts.
Speech?
Aunt Tally, staring straight ahead, raised her voice a bit. Oh, Mimsy, I make notes. I read them. I throw them out. I cant bear the thought of standing up there spouting bromides and sentimental mush. I havent found what I want to say.
Thats a first.
Aunt Tally ignored this, instead concentrating on an upcoming T-cross. Her farm, Rose Hill, reposed about four miles west of Harry Haristeens farm. Theyd passed Harrys place on the way to Crozet, reaching the intersection of a dirt road and the two-lane paved highway on which they traveled.
Can never drive over this without thinking about Ralston Peavey. Aunt Tally repositioned her cane to her left side. Never found his murderer.
Someone really wanted him out of this world. Big Mim remembered it, as well. Fall, wasnt it?
Aunt Tally nodded in affirmation. A light frost, patchy fog.
1964. The year sticks in my head because that was the first year Jim was elected mayor.
Jim Sanburne, her husband, remained mayor, and their daughter, Little Mim, was now vice mayor. The joke was, father and daughter came from two different political parties. Being a small town, Crozet never bothered with term limits. Jim, a good mayor, would most likely retain his office until such day as he died.
Jim picked up the call from Dinny Myers; wish we had him back. There was a sheriff with sense, Aunt Tally mumbled.
Oh, the one we have now has sense. You just think everything was better when you were younger.
Twas. Aunt Tally raised her voice. This country is going to hell in a handbasket. Well, Im not going off on that; itll ruin my day. But even you have to admit that Ralston Peavey was the best blacksmith you ever saw.
He was. He was.
Pleased with her little victory, Aunt Tally recalled the details as they
rolled over the spot. Found Ralston right here, spread-eagled in the middle of the road, facedown. Run over one way and then backed over. To make sure he was dead, I reckon.
Jim saw him before Dinny removed the corpse. Said the tire tracks were clear. They hoped to find the killer from the tire treads. Never happened, of course.
Dinny and the department really did check every set of tires in the area. He couldnt do all of Albemarle County, but he did check Crozet. Nothing. Not one thing. Some folks thought whoever did it was not from these parts. Not me. I think it was one of us.
Big Mim slowed for a curve. Well, Ralston could drink. He was pretty loaded.
He didnt lie down in the middle of the road because he was drunk.
His truck was by the side of the road. Big Mim, who enjoyed driving her new truck, picked up speed. I still think hed been fooling around, and the husband found out and killed him.
Maybe, but we all knew who was weak that way. Hed never done it before. Two kidswhat, eight and tenand he seemed to get along with them. I wonder if it wasnt something else. Couldnt be drugs. That hadnt taken off yet.
Cant imagine Ralston a dealer. Although, being a blacksmith, he had the perfect job for distributing.
No. Aunt Tally shook her head. Something else.
Big Mim paused. Lets just say not a stone was left unturned.
One was, or wed have the killer. Tally frowned.