Town Haunts by Cathy Spencer

to think about Evelyn’s death. Maybe he can shine some light
on the events leading up to it. I think it’s worth a try, don’t
you?” Erna looked at May with a pleading expression on her
face.
    “Is he
upstairs?” Anna asked.
    “Maybe,” May
replied, relenting a little. “It’s supper time. Let’s go find
out.”
    May avoided
Tiernay as she marched over to the door to flip the store’s sign to
“Closed.” The four women flocked upstairs to find Sherman watching
the news and drinking a can of beer in May’s recliner. He sat up
with a thump, his eyes darting from one face to another.
    “What is it?”
he asked.
    “Nothing,
Sherman,” May said in a soothing voice. “We just want to talk to
you about Evelyn.”
    “Oh,” he said,
slumping back into the chair and looking wary. “Why?”
    Erna sat down
on the couch next to his chair. “We’re looking for a little more
information about how Evelyn was feeling before the accident.”
    “Accident?” he
said with a bitter smile. “Are we back to calling her death an
accident again?” No one said anything, and Sherman sighed. “She
wasn’t very happy, if you want to know the truth.” He clicked the
remote to turn off the television.
    “Why wasn’t she
happy?” Erna asked.
    “She was angry
with me. She wanted to move away from Crane and start fresh
somewhere else, but I was against it.”
    “How come?
Wouldn’t that have made life easier for you?” May asked, pulling
over one of the dinette chairs to sit down beside him. Anna and
Tiernay took their places on the couch beside Erna, listening
eagerly.
    “No. We both
had jobs in Crane, and Father Winfield was renting the house to us
cheap. Evie wanted to go back to Calgary, but who would have hired
me there?” He averted his eyes, the colour in his face
deepening.
    “Was she on any
kind of medication before her death?” Anna asked.
    “Medication?”
Sherman looked up in surprise. “Well, she had to take a
tranquillizer to help her sleep. They made her feel groggy in the
morning at first, until the doctor cut back on the dosage. But that
was all worked out weeks before she died.”
    “Why couldn’t
she sleep?” Anna asked. “Was she stressed about work?”
    “Sometimes, but
there were things she liked about it, too. She was proud of how
quickly she picked up the computer system, for instance, and she
was praised for re-organizing the filing system. But she didn’t
like having to talk to people about their taxes or the town
by-laws. They would get upset with her, and she found that hard.
She used to talk to me about it at night. She said that it wasn’t
her fault – that she didn’t make up the rules.”
    “Was anyone in
particular upset with her?” Erna asked.
    “The contractor
putting up the new houses in the subdivision last winter was a
problem. He’d be in two or three times a week about something or
other, and he always wanted answers right away. And there was Henry
Fellows. He had that idea about a drive-through, but there was some
problem with the zoning laws not allowing it. He got angry with
Evie one day. Said that since he was a member of the town council,
he deserved special consideration, and he wasn’t going to stop
until he got it. Evie came home really upset that night. She said
that Henry had shouted at her and treated her like dirt, like she
was a nobody. She was crying.”
    Sherman
stopped, his emotions overcoming him. May leaned over to pat his
arm, and Erna said, “Poor Evelyn. We’re sorry to drag up such
unhappy memories.”
    He nodded. “I
wish I could have saved her from that kind of unpleasantness. Evie
wasn’t used to dealing with unhappy people. But we couldn’t get by
without her pay cheque.” He stared at the floor again. “It wasn’t
the life I promised her when we got married. I’m sure that she was
disappointed with me.” He clambered to his feet. “Excuse me ladies.
I need some fresh air.” Sidestepping the couch, he rushed from