Claws For Concern

I shut the door behind her and took the basket from her hand. We exchanged a kiss, all the while Diesel rubbed against her legs and chirped for attention.

“A wonderful surprise,” I said. “I thought you’d be at the bistro until late tonight.”

Her free arm linked through mine, we strolled into the kitchen while she explained.

“Clever Henry found a wonderful young man who needs part-time work, but he can only work on Saturdays. He has excellent experience, and he hit the ground running this morning. So I decided that the boss lady was going to have lunch with her fella and also get to spend some time with the infant version of said fella.” She set the bottle of wine on the table beside the basket.

“Marvelous,” I said. “I have to remember to thank Henry, often and fervently.”

Helen Louise laughed. “He’s quite pleased with himself, let me tell you. He was desperate to get me out of his hair so he could take over.”

“I’m proud of you for letting him.” Frankly I was amazed that she appeared to be happy with the situation and not merely tolerating it.

“The upside to this is I get to spend more time with you and Diesel.” She was busy scratching the cat’s head as she talked. “And also the most perfect baby boy I’ve ever seen.”

“He is amazing, isn’t he?” I knew I was infatuated with the baby, but I didn’t care. Being a grandfather was the best thing there was.

“Little acorns don’t fall far from the old trees,” Helen Louise said. “When are Laura and Frank dropping him by?” She ceased her attentions to Diesel, and he meowed loudly. “You’ve had enough for the moment, you greedy boy.”

Diesel responded with a sad warble, but he didn’t pester her again.

“Around eleven thirty,” I said. “Shall we wait until after they’re gone to open up the basket?”

Helen Louise nodded. “Yes, a couple of things need reheating, but that won’t take long. How about a glass of wine now? I think it should still be chilled enough. I had it in a cooler on the way over.”

“Sounds fine, even though it’s before noon.” I found the corkscrew while Helen Louise retrieved wineglasses from the cabinet. “Only one glass for me, though, since we’ll have the baby here.”

I opened the wine and poured it. Helen Louise took a seat at the table to my right. We toasted each other and sipped at the wine.

“I have a lot to discuss with you,” I said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to until tomorrow. Another reason this is such a lovely surprise.”

“What’s going on?” Helen Louise asked.

I started to launch into an explanation but I caught a glimpse of the kitchen clock. The time was now seventeen minutes to eleven. That didn’t give me much time before I needed to call Ernie Carpenter. I explained to Helen Louise that I would have to interrupt our talk at eleven in order to make an important call. She nodded, and I started to fill her in.

By two minutes to eleven, I think I had managed to give her the salient facts of the situation with Bill Delaney and the Barber murders as well.

“So now you’re going to get Ernie’s take on the situation?” Helen Louise asked.

“If she knows who Delaney is,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll be familiar with the murder case even if she isn’t acquainted with him personally.”

I waited until a couple minutes past the hour before I made the call. Ernie answered almost immediately.

“Good morning,” I said. “How are you?”

“Doing fine,” Ernie replied. “And you?”

“The same,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind my interrupting your visit to ask you a few questions.”

“Not at all,” Ernie said. “Though I have one for you first, if you don’t mind.”

“Ask away.”

Ernie chuckled. “I wondered if you had made a decision yet about Jack’s project. Are you going to take part in it?”

“We’re still discussing it,” I said. “Though I suppose I’m leaning toward doing it.”

“Excellent,” she said. “I think it has every potential to be a big success.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, or whether I even wanted it to be. The bigger the success, the more notoriety that could result.

“That’s possible, certainly,” I said. “Now, the reason I wanted to talk to you is to find out whether you know a man called Bill Delaney. He grew up in Tullahoma, and he’s sixty-six. Do you know anything about him?”

“Yes, I know who he is, and if I were you I wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”

FIFTEEN

The import of Ernie’s words surprised me. “Why do you say that?”

“He’s a drinker, a heavy one, more often drunk than not in my experience,” Ernie replied, her tone harsh. “I have no use for men who waste their lives like that.”

“I see. How well do you know him?”

“We are not friends, though I have known him for over fifty years. He was several years behind me in school,” Ernie said. “How do you know him?”

I explained that he was now living in Athena and that he frequented the public library. “He told me that Uncle Del is his father but that Uncle Del never knew about him.”

“Good heavens,” Ernie said. “Why didn’t he ever try to make contact with Del?”