Three hours later, Paul called from Brumbaugh’s office in downtown Ft. Myers. Since all the snowbirds were gone by the end of May, traffic was normal instead of insane, and Edna arrived there in about 25 minutes.
“What did they say? What do they want from you? Do we need a lawyer?”
“Calm down. I’ll tell you everything when we get home.”
Just as Edna had predicted, the detectives asked Paul about the weed killer argument caused by a mix-up on the labels. Missy said that she’d seen Paul leave the murder scene moments before she found Russ’s body, more fuel for the fire.
“The shed was a bloody mess from the wound in Russ’s neck. You’d think the police would have looked for someone with blood on them.”
“I’m sure they’ll get on the right track,” Paul said.
Paul’s face was pale. Edna knew to stop talking for the rest of the trip.
“Right track, phooey!” Edna thought. She believed that Brumbaugh and Miori couldn’t even see the train station. First, they wasted time on a robbery that never happened. Now, they think Paul might have done it. Other people were at the park. Maybe Missy had a fit of jealousy.
~
Thursday morning Edna tried scrubbing the grout on the kitchen floor to erase her sad thoughts. She kept thinking how absurd it was for someone to suspect Paul of anything. He was a big guy, true, but he was gentle with her. Paul, a killer, ridiculous. However, he had killed a deer or two in Ohio on their land. He butchered one himself once in the garage. Edna wasn’t home that day on purpose. Then once, by mistake, he said, he shot a mama kitty that he had mistaken for a wild male cat. He claimed that it was a threat to their barn cats. Edna found out about it when she heard the cries of three orphaned Manx kittens, which she took in and fed with a dropper. One week after Edna found the kittens, she had to lie to the neighbor who came looking for her mama barn cat. Edna had given her two of the kittens and had played dumb about what happened to the mother.
The UPS driver rang the doorbell, and Edna’s dark thoughts dissolved. Roy Brown made good on his promise of yearbooks from Ohio.
With a fresh cup of espresso, Edna sat on the lanai to start the review of Russ’s life. The puffy “teased” hairstyles and thick eyeliner would have been good for a big laugh had she not worn both back in the day. The boys either had crew cuts or greased hair slicked back. Their fresh faces stuck out of button-down collars. Several girls wore clunky class rings on chains dangling from their necks, tokens of a boyfriend’s steadiness.
All the pictures were in black and white, so eye and hair color were guesswork. Edna thought about the advances of photography. Even her cell phone could take a color picture.
Russ was a handsome kid, tall and blond. He appeared in the Latin Club photo and with the varsity track team, where he was the tallest boy.
Edna looked through the 1965 Elletian concentrating on finding Russ. She turned to the junior class to find his wife B.J. Reed. Edna had to agree with Brown when he said that B.J. was cute. She had a lovely smile, bright eyes, and dark hair. Edna thought that the Ellet boys must have noticed that B.J. was very busty, too.
In the 1964 book, Russ would have been in the junior class, and B.J. would have been a sophomore. B.J. was in the choir that year and in a candid shot at the junior-senior prom. The caption below the dance photo read “John Brockner, junior, and B.J. Reed, sophomore, dance the night away.” The clean cut, chubby boy must have been her boyfriend before she and Russ started dating. Edna thought Brockner reminded her of someone she knew.
Edna opened the 1965 yearbook again and found Brockner in the Chess Club. She got her best look at him from his senior picture.
“Hello, Roy. This is Edna Cameron from Ft. Myers. I have the yearbooks, thanks, but now I have a couple questions. Do you have a current class list with addresses? Good, OK. Do you have an address for John Brockner?
“We lost track of him a few years after high school.”
Edna slumped in her chair.
“Does anyone know where he could be?”
“Wait, if his mother is still alive and living in the area, I can call her.” Brown said. “I’ll call you back.”
About thirty minutes later, Brown called.
“She is ticked off. He moved out a few months ago and stuck her with his bills and two cats. He moved to Ft. Myers where you are. Isn’t that a coincidence?”
“I don’t think it is a coincidence at all.”
“What did they say? What do they want from you? Do we need a lawyer?”
“Calm down. I’ll tell you everything when we get home.”
Just as Edna had predicted, the detectives asked Paul about the weed killer argument caused by a mix-up on the labels. Missy said that she’d seen Paul leave the murder scene moments before she found Russ’s body, more fuel for the fire.
“The shed was a bloody mess from the wound in Russ’s neck. You’d think the police would have looked for someone with blood on them.”
“I’m sure they’ll get on the right track,” Paul said.
Paul’s face was pale. Edna knew to stop talking for the rest of the trip.
“Right track, phooey!” Edna thought. She believed that Brumbaugh and Miori couldn’t even see the train station. First, they wasted time on a robbery that never happened. Now, they think Paul might have done it. Other people were at the park. Maybe Missy had a fit of jealousy.
~
Thursday morning Edna tried scrubbing the grout on the kitchen floor to erase her sad thoughts. She kept thinking how absurd it was for someone to suspect Paul of anything. He was a big guy, true, but he was gentle with her. Paul, a killer, ridiculous. However, he had killed a deer or two in Ohio on their land. He butchered one himself once in the garage. Edna wasn’t home that day on purpose. Then once, by mistake, he said, he shot a mama kitty that he had mistaken for a wild male cat. He claimed that it was a threat to their barn cats. Edna found out about it when she heard the cries of three orphaned Manx kittens, which she took in and fed with a dropper. One week after Edna found the kittens, she had to lie to the neighbor who came looking for her mama barn cat. Edna had given her two of the kittens and had played dumb about what happened to the mother.
The UPS driver rang the doorbell, and Edna’s dark thoughts dissolved. Roy Brown made good on his promise of yearbooks from Ohio.
With a fresh cup of espresso, Edna sat on the lanai to start the review of Russ’s life. The puffy “teased” hairstyles and thick eyeliner would have been good for a big laugh had she not worn both back in the day. The boys either had crew cuts or greased hair slicked back. Their fresh faces stuck out of button-down collars. Several girls wore clunky class rings on chains dangling from their necks, tokens of a boyfriend’s steadiness.
All the pictures were in black and white, so eye and hair color were guesswork. Edna thought about the advances of photography. Even her cell phone could take a color picture.
Russ was a handsome kid, tall and blond. He appeared in the Latin Club photo and with the varsity track team, where he was the tallest boy.
Edna looked through the 1965 Elletian concentrating on finding Russ. She turned to the junior class to find his wife B.J. Reed. Edna had to agree with Brown when he said that B.J. was cute. She had a lovely smile, bright eyes, and dark hair. Edna thought that the Ellet boys must have noticed that B.J. was very busty, too.
In the 1964 book, Russ would have been in the junior class, and B.J. would have been a sophomore. B.J. was in the choir that year and in a candid shot at the junior-senior prom. The caption below the dance photo read “John Brockner, junior, and B.J. Reed, sophomore, dance the night away.” The clean cut, chubby boy must have been her boyfriend before she and Russ started dating. Edna thought Brockner reminded her of someone she knew.
Edna opened the 1965 yearbook again and found Brockner in the Chess Club. She got her best look at him from his senior picture.
“Hello, Roy. This is Edna Cameron from Ft. Myers. I have the yearbooks, thanks, but now I have a couple questions. Do you have a current class list with addresses? Good, OK. Do you have an address for John Brockner?
“We lost track of him a few years after high school.”
Edna slumped in her chair.
“Does anyone know where he could be?”
“Wait, if his mother is still alive and living in the area, I can call her.” Brown said. “I’ll call you back.”
About thirty minutes later, Brown called.
“She is ticked off. He moved out a few months ago and stuck her with his bills and two cats. He moved to Ft. Myers where you are. Isn’t that a coincidence?”
“I don’t think it is a coincidence at all.”
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