Murder Gets a Life by Anne George Page A

highway.
    Kerrigan listened quietly, sipping her Hawaiian Punch, not interrupting a single time.
    “And that’s it,” I finished.
    She nodded. “That’s pretty much Mama’s story. It’s just crazy, though.”
    What could I say? The circumstances had made no sense; the violence had been obscene.
    “Mrs. Hollowell, I know he’s your nephew, but I have to ask you if there’s any chance Ray could be involved in any way. I mean, I know he’s not here, but could something be going on that he’s part of? Something that Sunshine’s gotten caught in?”
    I put my hand on her shoulder. “Ray’s not involved in this. He’s the sweetest, nicest one of all our children.” He was also the only one who had ever been arrested, but I didn’t think that his and some of his fraternity buddies’ plot of marijuana in the Bankhead National Forest was part of the problem here. He had gotten off with a fine and 100 hours of community service. His main punishment had come from his mother who had urged the whole family to hold up our heads in spite of what Ray had done. “No,” I said again. “This has nothing to do with Ray. Sunshine can count her blessings with him.”
    “That’s good to hear.” Kerrigan smiled up at me.Perfect teeth, skin that glowed, those violet eyes. I thought of Meemaw and Pawpaw. Lord, there’s no accounting for genes.
    Sheriff Reuse came up, red in the face. “Kerrigan, I need to talk to you.” He motioned toward her trailer and walked toward it.
    “Shit.” Kerrigan got up in one graceful movement. “That man drives me nuts. Thinks he’s Sunshine’s daddy.”
    “Is he?” It just popped out.
    “I hope not.”
    Fred and Tiffany came up with the Hawaiian Punch. Kerrigan gave them a little wave and left.
    “Why is your mouth open, honey?” Fred asked.
    The crowd, having received their cups of Hawaiian Punch, began to disperse quickly. There was still no sign of Mary Alice, and Henry, also, had disappeared.
    “I’ll just go on with you,” Tiffany said. “They’ll show up.”
    “She always does,” Fred agreed.
    I was ready to go, too, but first I wanted to go tell Meemaw that if there was anything else we could do to help her, we were available. After all, it was only polite.
    Meemaw had gone back inside her trailer to mix some more punch, and though I could see her through the door, I knocked.
    “Come in,” she said when she looked up. “Just don’t step on the man. I swear, he’s right in the middle of everything.”
    I already had the door open when she said that about the man, or I wouldn’t have set foot in there. What she was talking about, I saw immediately, was a chalk outline of Chief Joseph, the kind you see inthe movies. He had been stepped on several times. Stepped on and tracked into the kitchen.
    “What the hell is this?” I asked. “Why didn’t they put up some of those yellow ribbons and not let anybody in here?”
    “Junior Reuse wanted to, but I told him I couldn’t sleep anywhere but in my own bed and Kerrigan told him that was true. So he just drew that picture. Did a whole bunch of scraping on the floor after they got the body out. Sprayed stuff around. It was okay after I got everything aired out, though.” Meemaw pointed to the floor. “You can come in long as you don’t step on the chalk lines.”
    “That’s okay. I just wanted to tell you we were leaving, but you have our phone number. If you need us for anything, call.”
    “Is your sister leaving, too?”
    “Probably in a little while. I don’t know where she is.”
    “She’s over in Howard’s trailer. I saw her and that son-in-law of hers sneaking in while ago.”
    “Sneaking in?”
    “Well, I guess not. Howard was holding the door open.”
    “I’ll get her,” I said. “Where’s Pawpaw?”
    “Taking a nap back yonder.” She pointed toward the bedroom end of the trailer. “Hold the door open for me, will you?”
    I don’t know much about anatomy, but I figure Meemaw stepped