Cat on the Scent

            “Reverend Jones said Elocution is on special foods to control her weight. Harry wrote down the information.” Tucker gleefully directed this at Pewter. “Then BoomBoom and Sarah waltzed in. Major shopping spree but Sarah said that even though she’d spent a lot of H. Vane’s money she was still mad at him for driving himself around. She thinks he should go slow and after all, they can afford a chauffeur. Then Big Mim arrived for her mail, told Sarah to shut up and let her husband do whatever he wants, the worst thing she can do is make him feel like an invalid. So Sarah got mad and huffed out to the car. Said she had to play golf. BoomBoom fussed at Mim, said Sarah’d suffered a hideous shock. Mim told Boom to get a life and stop feeding off other people’s tragedies. Then Boom huffed out and Harry and Big Mim laughed themselves silly. That was my day.”

            “We told you ours.”

            “What’s she so absorbed in?” Tucker rolled over to reveal a sparkling white stomach, a tiny paunch growing ever more noticeable.

            Murphy moved to the back of the wing chair and read over Harry’s shoulder. “”File. Barber Clark Minor, aka Biddy. Born April 2, 1890. Shot dead, May 30, 1927. Born in Albemarle County. Duke University, B.A. 1911. Law school, University of Virginia. Left before receiving degree. Enlisted in the Army. Saw action in France. Achieved rank of captain. Wounded three times. (Awarded Bronze Star.) Returned to Crozet. Finished law school. Entered practice with firm of Roscoe, Commons. Later Roscoe, Commons, and Minor.

            “”Married Elizabeth Carhart, 1919. Three children. Howard, born 1920. Anne, born 1921. Barber Clark Jr., 1923.

            “”No criminal record.

            “”Killed by James Urquhart. Mr. Minor’s widow did not press charges.“”

            Tucker broke into the cat’s oration, saying, “You’d think Mrs. Minor would have brought charges. What else does it say?”

            “”Testimony of witnesses. Sheriff Hogendobber‘—must be George’s father or uncle or something.“ She referred to Mrs. Hogendobber’s deceased husband, George. ”Anyway the sheriff questioned three eyewitnesses, the first being Isabelle Urquhart, Mim’s mother. She saw Biddy drive up to the Urquhart farm the morning of May 30. She was being driven by her father to market. They had passed the Urquhart driveway and Biddy waved.“

            Harry turned the page, absentimindedly reaching up to tickle Mrs. Murphy under her chin.

            “Go on,” Tucker urged as Pewter also moved to the back of the chair to read over Harry’s shoulder.