Buried (Twisted Cedars Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

later, and then it was just Elva Mae and me, until I married Harry and we bought our own house.” She glanced anxiously at the home in question, then back at him. “Even after I was married, my sister and I visited or spoke on the phone every day.”
    “And did your sister and your husband get along?”
    Edwina gave him another of her anxious looks. “Mostly.”
    Dougal guessed that meant they hadn’t. Which might have made Harry a potential suspect, except that earlier the detective had told him that both Edwina and Harry had been at work when the murder occurred. A fact corroborated by several witnesses.
    After almost an hour of questions about her sister’s life, a life which seemed to contain not a hint of conflict or scandal, Edwina seemed tired. “I need to lie down,” she said.
    “Of course.” Dougal stood as she got up.
    She headed for the back door, but on her way, she stopped, turned and said, “I hope you find out what happened to Elva Mae. I’d like to know the truth before I die.”
    Her words gave him another stab of guilt as he made his way back to his car, careful not to trip on the tree roots that blighted the sparse lawn. The odds of him discovering anything that would bring Edwina the peace of mind she craved were very slight. He was about to slide into the driver’s seat, when he noticed a neighbor gentleman watching from the porch next door.
    He made eye contact with the man, whom he guessed to be in his late sixties, dressed in gray pants and a wrinkled blue shirt, open at the neck.
    The old guy got up. Left his porch and came down to the sidewalk. “You visiting with Edwina?”
    “I was.”
    “That’s a first. Edwina doesn’t get many visitors.”
    “Why is that?”
    He hesitated. “She hasn’t been right in the head for a long time. It’s sad that she’s ended up alone like this. My wife and I take her food now and then.”
    “What about her husband?”
    The man hesitated again. Maybe he was wondering if he should say more to a stranger. Dougal gave him his name and a brief explanation for his interest. The man raised his eyebrows, as if impressed to find himself speaking to a “real” author.
    “They’ve been divorced a long time. Happened a few years after her sister was murdered.”
    Fall-out, Dougal thought. Every tragedy left misery in its wake.
    * * *
    Between his second and third beer that night, Dougal managed to arrange a breakfast meeting with Edwina’s ex-husband, Harry, for Thursday.
    Harry didn’t sound pleased about talking with him. But once more Dougal found his familiar name and New York Times Bestseller reputation, got him the interview. Now that they were face-to-face, Harry spoke fast, as if to get the meeting over as quickly as possible.
    “I don’t have any idea who killed Elva Mae, but he might as well have strangled Edwina, too. She went off her rocker after her sister was murdered. Stopped eating for a while, refused to talk, wouldn’t leave the house. I tried to be supportive. But a year went by with little improvement. There’s only so much a guy can take. Finally I told her she had to start seeing a shrink or I was going to leave. I guess you can figure out what she decided.”
    “That must have been hard for both of you.”
    “Actually, I don’t think she even noticed when I moved out. I go by her place once a month, drop off groceries, take care of the yard and the exterior of the house. My second wife is a decent sort. She understands my obligation. But I haven’t had a real conversation with Edwina since the day her sister died.”
    First Edwina. Then Harry. Both of them victims, too, in a way. Dougal understood all too well, how far the stain from a murder could spread.
    Back at his car, he assessed the slim folder of notes he’d taken so far. Pathetic. He’d figured out nothing.
    He couldn’t put this off anymore.
    Time to put Roseburg behind him. Time to go home.
    * * *
    The route to Twisted Cedars followed brutal, hairpin