Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [554]
He left the car and backtracked down through the ditch, keeping himself out of sight while he took the long way around. The cemetery backed onto a forest, and Henry could see a pickup parked deep between the trees where he knew there wasn’t a road.
Henry climbed up a steep incline, hoping it would hide him until he got to the trees. The mud and rock kept crumbling beneath his boots and he thought for sure the guy would hear him. Finally a windbreak of spindly evergreens allowed him his first look.
The man had his back to Henry, but he could see the guy had a shovel and was digging. Okay, so he was a grave digger. But then why did he hide when a car came by? And did they use shovels anymore to dig graves? Hadn’t he seen earth-digging equipment out here before? One of those miniature things with the claw? Yeah, he was sure that’s how they did it. In fact, he thought Vargus and Hobbs had a contract with several of the funeral homes.
Henry moved closer to get a better look. That’s when he realized the guy wasn’t digging a new grave, he was digging one up. Just then the man turned enough that Henry recognized him. It was Wally Hobbs, and he was hurrying away to crouch down behind a tall headstone as another car drove by.
CHAPTER 59
Luc hadn’t left the house all morning. Not even to get the newspaper. Ever since Agent O’Dell had left he had been pacing, trying to watch TV while he walked back and forth from one window to another with the baseball bat never leaving his hand. Scrapple had given up on him hours ago, finally settling down on his favorite rug. Except for a few ear perks now and then, the terrier was fast asleep.
Luc kept hearing vehicles up on Whippoorwill Drive. Maybe there was more commotion happening down at the rock quarry. He thought he had heard sirens earlier. On the midday local news there was mention of a car being found in Hubbard Park, but that was in Meriden, not down the lane. He wasn’t about to leave the house to go see. Ordinarily they wouldn’t be able to keep him away. But today…today he couldn’t seem to set foot on his porch without getting the shakes. Is this what he was turning into? An old man who couldn’t leave his house and then couldn’t even remember whether or not he had?
Agent O’Dell had asked him this morning if he would please consider calling Julia to let her know that he was okay. But if his daughter didn’t know about this mess, she wouldn’t need to know that he was okay. Or so went his reasoning. He knew he needed to call her. He wanted to call her. Ever since he had talked to her…jeez, what day was that? Was it a few days ago or had it been weeks?
He heard another car, only this one sounded like it was in his driveway. By the time he got to the door, Agent O’Dell was coming up the front porch. He opened the door for her and felt a flush of embarrassment when she saw the bat still in his hands.
“What’s the excitement down the lane?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, sounding a little out of breath. “I couldn’t get hold of Sheriff Watermeier. You think you might be able to help with something, Luc?”
“Sure. I mean, I can try.”
She had a map in her hands and started spreading it out on his crowded coffee table. “You’ve lived around here for a long time, right?”
“Almost all my life. My wife, Elizabeth, was from Philadelphia, but she loved it here, too, so we stayed. Wish Julia would have loved it enough to stay, but…well, what can a father do, huh?”
“I wonder if you can tell me where Ralph Shelby’s property is.”
“Ralph the butcher? Ralph’s been gone a long time. What’s it been, maybe ten years. Jeez, I can’t remember. Didn’t I tell you this morning that Steve Earlman bought the butcher shop from Ralph? But now Steve’s gone, too. I told you that, didn’t I? Didn’t we talk about that this morning?”
“Yes, you did tell