“Are any of these people even alive anymore?” Charlotte turned, and Finn had to beat back the urge to embrace her, to kiss her. She seemed to be fighting the same force, but with the wall behind her and Finn in front, Charlotte had nowhere to go. Finn stepped back.
“A few. I checked. The three youngest daughters, Clementine, Willow, and Lark, are all alive, but they moved away. Philomena, the oldest, died four years ago from a stroke, and Maybelle died a few weeks ago.” His voice thickened. “Bone cancer.”
“She’s the one you were close to? The one who was helping you?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes,” Finn said.
“I’m sorry she died,” she said.
“Me too. I needed about ten more years of her advice.”
“Well, she certainly got a lot accomplished in a short amount of time.” She patted his chest.
“She was… something else.” Finn shook his head on a laugh.
“Who else might have visited Annabeth?” Charlotte asked.
Finn rifled through Venable’s notes. “Annabeth had a core group of three friends. They called themselves the Bunko Broads.” He shuffled through the paperwork. “One of them, Mary Wilson, a teacher Annabeth worked with, died the same year, breast cancer. Laura Whitefeather died in 2012, complications from Alzheimer’s. Fern Jacobs is still alive and lives here. She owns the diner and the hardware store. You’ve seen her. She’s the one with those two dogs.”
“Oh, the bulldogs in the outfits.”
“Exactly.”
“And the cops?” Charlotte asked.
“Both deputies who answered Clementine’s call are alive and live in town. One of them, Murray Guthrie, dated Annabeth in high school. Took her to the prom.” Finn held up a black and white photo.
Charlotte examined the picture of two young couples in a high school gym. “What year was this?”
“1952.”
“God, those dresses.” She chuckled. “Annabeth was beautiful. So she’s with Murray, and is this Venable with the other girl?”
“Yep. Even though they’re there with different dates, you can see the attraction.”
It was true. Venable was staring at Annabeth. She was smiling, her head tilted downward.
“Who’s Venable’s date?” Charlotte touched the photo.
“Fern Jacobs.”
“The plot thickens.” Twitch waggled her eyebrows.
“I asked the sheriff about it,” Finn went on. “He knows chapter and verse of the town gossip. He said Fern dumped Venable for the captain of the Devil’s Fork football team, a rich kid whose dad owned half the town. They got married and lived in Purgatory. Husband died a decade ago, and Fern is still here. Murray Guthrie, Annabeth’s date, never married.”
Charlotte yawned, and Finn came around the desk. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed. One thing’s for sure. This investigation is not time-sensitive.”
Charlotte laughed and let Finn lead her out of Venable’s office into the hall. “Bathroom’s to the right. There are fresh towels and a new toothbrush next to the sink.”
She walked into the bathroom then turned back to Finn. “You know what’s weird? Being here, spending time with you? It’s brand new, but it’s familiar. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense, Charlotte.”
“I’ll be right in.” She turned to the bathroom.
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”