Haskell drained his coffee and pushed back his chair from the table. “Thanks for breakfast, Azalea,” he said. “I’m ready to face the day at work now.” Azalea acknowledged his thanks with a brief smile, and Haskell headed upstairs to dress.
“What’s on your agenda today, Charlie?” Stewart asked.
“I have a few errands to run, last-minute stuff for Christmas,” I said. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“No, I’m good,” Stewart said. “I’m not planning to get out of the house today, except maybe a quick run to campus to pick up something in my office. I’ll be happy to keep an eye on Diesel, if you’re not planning to take him. The kittens, too, of course.”
“Diesel will be staying here. Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said. “I’m sure Azalea will be pleased, too. One less thing I have to burden her with.”
“The Lord knows I surely don’t mind checking on those babies from time to time,” Azalea said on her way out of the kitchen to head upstairs.
Stewart grinned at me. “Lo, how the mighty have fallen. I’d be willing to bet she’ll adopt one of those kittens.”
“That’s a sucker bet.” I smiled back at him. “I won’t be gone more than about an hour and a half, I think, so you won’t be on duty all that long.”
“No problem,” Stewart said. “Take as long as you want. When are you going?”
“Not for a while,” I said. “The stores won’t be open until nine. I want to get in and out as quickly as I can. I’m sure things will be chaotic because of other last-minute shoppers like me.”
“Tomorrow will be much worse,” Stewart said. “Be thankful you don’t have to enter a mall to do your shopping. It will be hard enough to find parking spaces on and around the square today and tomorrow.”
“Yes, it will.” I grimaced. “I don’t know why I put myself through this every year. You’d think I’d have learned by now to get things done sooner so that I didn’t have to deal with the crowds and parking issues.”
“There’s always next year.” Stewart laughed and pushed back his chair. “Shoot me a text when you get ready to leave. I’ll be upstairs until then.”
“Will do,” I said. By force of habit I got up and started to clear the table. Then I realized I should stop. When Azalea was in the house, the kitchen especially was her domain. Any cleaning to be done, she insisted on doing. Though it pained me not to pick up after myself, I knew better than to cross Azalea. I couldn’t bear that one expression she had that made me feel like a no-good ten-year-old who’s just been caught stealing from the cookie jar.
By five after nine I was ready to sally forth. I texted Stewart to let him know I was leaving, told Azalea I should be back in plenty of time for lunch, gave Diesel a few scratches on the chin, and then made for the car.
My first stop took me to the square and the independent bookstore, the Athenaeum. The owner, Jordan Thompson, had notified me by e-mail that the books I had ordered had come in. Since they were intended as Christmas presents, I had to pick them up today if I wanted to get them all wrapped and ready to go under the tree tomorrow. Luckily I found an empty parking spot near the bookstore.
I spent an enjoyable half hour in the Athenaeum. I chatted with Jordan when she wasn’t helping other customers, and as usual, I left with more in my bags than I had intended to buy. Jordan always had such excellent suggestions, and I almost always succumbed. She hadn’t steered me wrong yet.
Among the purchases in the two large bags I took out of the store were board books for my grandchildren. Neither was even a year old yet—they were only a few months old, in fact—but I believed it was never too early to start reading to your children. My wife and I had read to Sean and Laura when they were infants and well after the time they were able to read for themselves. Books were important to us, and our children loved books and reading, also. Both were excellent students in school, graduating near the top of their respective classes, and I was convinced that being lifelong readers had played a big part in that success.
Next I went to the pet supply store, where I spent another half hour, if not slightly more, browsing for cat toys for Diesel and the kittens. I knew some would think me foolish for buying Christmas presents for the cats, but I probably wouldn’t like those people anyway.
I had intended my final stop to be a department store, where I could purchase perfume for Helen Louise. I knew her favorites, and I knew the department store would have them. I decided to go to the pharmacy instead because Milton carried similar stock. The perfume purchase would serve as a good reason for my going there.
This stop brought me back to the square. My parking luck had run out. I finally found a spot on one of the side streets, a good five-minute walk from the square. I put my purchases in the trunk, a habit acquired long ago in Houston, where you didn’t dare leave things in plain sight. I hadn’t heard reports of car break-ins during the holidays in Athena, but I didn’t want to have to report one on my own behalf.
The pharmacy wasn’t crowded, but there were a good dozen other shoppers roaming the aisles. I located the two fragrances that I knew Helen Louise preferred, chose the bottles, and took them to the pharmacy counter to pay, instead of the counter near the front door. Jenny Harville waved to me from the dispensing area, and an assistant rang up my purchases. From what I could see, Jenny had a strained look, as if she hadn’t slept well. I didn’t see Milton anywhere.
After I paid the assistant for my purchases, I stepped to one side to let the next customer take my place. I observed Jenny for a moment. I hated to interrupt her, but if Milton was here, I wanted to talk to him. I called to Jenny, and she looked up inquiringly.
“Is Milton here this morning?” I asked.
“No, he’s not.” Jenny came from the dispensing area and moved a few steps toward the counter. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, it’s your father I really need to talk to. Do you know when he’ll be in?”
“I’m not sure.” Jenny regarded me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. She walked all the way to the counter, then toward the end, away from the cash register. I moved down.
Jenny spoke in a low voice. “I think Dad must have told you about my mother.”
I nodded. “He confided in me yesterday.”
“He’s at the sheriff’s department with her. He told her she had to go with him, or he would call the police to come to the house and pick her up.” Jenny looked suddenly miserable. “I can’t let myself believe that Mother would deliberately poison somebody, but she has these rages, and we can’t do anything with her. I’m afraid she’s going to jail.”
“I’m so sorry, Jenny,” I said, my heart aching for her. “I know this is tough, but your father really had no choice. I don’t want to believe that Tammy killed anyone, either. If she didn’t do it, Kanesha will not hold her responsible. This experience might scare your mother enough to do something about her problem.”
“Lord, I hope it will,” she said. “Dad and I are so numb from years of dealing with her that we can’t take much more.”
She looked ready to start crying, and I knew she wouldn’t want to break down in front of the customers.
“Try to focus on your work for now,” I said, “and pray for your mother. It’s out of your hands, so concentrate on being there for your dad and taking care of your customers and making sure they get the medicines they need. That’s important.”
Jenny smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Harris. I will do that.”
On the way to my car, my cell phone sounded. I pulled it out and found a text message from Kanesha. She had new information and wanted to talk to me. She also asked if I could come to her office sometime in the next thirty or forty minutes.