Hour Game Part 26

THERE WERE SEVERAL ODD PAIRINGSawaiting them downstairs. They could see Savannah out on the gla.s.s-enclosed rear porch with the two youngest Oxley children. She appeared to be playing a game with them that involved tugging on one's ear and pantomiming. The older Oxley girl stood in the corner, watching without smiling.

"Charades," concluded Mich.e.l.le. "I didn't think Savannah had it in her to entertain young children."

"I think she's a lot younger in some ways than people think," said King.

Chip Bailey and Dorothea were conversing in low tones in a far corner of the living room. Eddie stood nearby apparently in deep conversation with Todd Williams, who hadn't been at the funeral but wasn't going to miss the post-burial vittles.

As they watched, Remmy and Lulu came down the staircase arm in arm. All heads turned to watch.

"Why am I reminded of Lee and Grant at Appomattox?" whispered Harry.

Chip Bailey immediately abandoned Dorothea and headed to the stairs to meet Remmy. Mason, who had been serving food, wasn't far behind.

"The hounds are circling, and the former man of the house is barely in the ground," commented Harry.

"Chip Bailey too?" said Mich.e.l.le. "I wouldn't have figured that. Eddie said his mother didn't like the man."

"Being the kept husband of an enormously wealthy woman is enough of a prize to at least make an effort at changing her opinion," commented King dryly.

However, Remmy apparently had other ideas. She swept past both men and headed toward King and his group.

Remmy nodded at Harry as she walked up. "I know that you and Lulu have met, Harry, so I won't bother with introductions."

King thought he detected a twinkle in Remmy's eye as she said this.

"I'm gladyou've made her acquaintance, Remmy," rejoined Harry. "And in what seems to be a very positive way." made her acquaintance, Remmy," rejoined Harry. "And in what seems to be a very positive way."

"Let's just say we've come to a meeting of the minds." Remmy looked at Lulu and squeezed the other woman's hand. "I was stupid and blind and unfair, and I have communicated that to Lulu." She looked directly at the woman. "Neither of us can bring our husbands back, but I promise that you and your beautiful children will not want so long as I'm around."

"I appreciate that, Mrs. Battle, I really do." Lulu both looked and sounded lucid now.

"I know you do and please call me Remmy." She now turned to King and Mich.e.l.le. "I hope you're making progress on the case," she said.

"Every day," King replied.

She looked at him curiously but said nothing.

"We wanted to come by and talk to you at some point," said King.

"Yes, Eddie mentioned that. Well, I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't let the newspapers get you down, Remmy," said King.

"Papers? If I want to know what's happening with me, I don't consult strangers, I just ask myself."

Priscilla Oxley suddenly swooped in, juggling a large plate crammed with food and a gla.s.s of wine. "Honey," she said to Remmy, "thank you so much for everything. Why, I've always told Lulu you're a saint. Right, baby, just the other day I was saying if the world had more Remmy Battles, what a world it would be."

"Mother, please," began Lulu, but Priscilla rushed on.

"And here you and Lulu have become friends, and you brought us to your beautiful home and said you'd take care of the children. Why, when we lostour poor Junior, I didn't know what my daughter was going to do." Her big chest heaved, and her gravelly voice broke in her throat. It was a magnificent job, King thought. poor Junior, I didn't know what my daughter was going to do." Her big chest heaved, and her gravelly voice broke in her throat. It was a magnificent job, King thought.

"Mother, I have a job, a good one. It's not like the children were going to starve."

However, Priscilla was too worked up to be denied. "And now that I'll be staying on to help Lulu and everything, having that new house finished and your continued support, why, I know everything's going to be just fine." Twin tears dribbled down her flabby cheeks. "As one mother to another I can't tell you what a relief that is." She finished this off by swallowing the entire contents of her winegla.s.s.

To King the connoisseur it was an appalling moment. Yet after her emotional performance, he thought, the woman deserved her own TV show.

"I'm just glad I could help, Priscilla," said Remmy politely.

Priscilla looked shyly at her. "You probably don't remember, but I waited on you when you used to visit the Greenbrier in West Virginia."

"Oh, I remember youvery well, Priscilla." well, Priscilla."

Priscilla froze. "Oh, you do? Well, thanks again." And then Priscilla was gone as fast as she'd arrived.

Eddie and Bailey next joined them.

"It was a beautiful service, Remmy," said Bailey.

"Reverend Kelly does a good job," she replied. "And he had a lot of good material. Bobby led quite an extraordinary life."

"I'm going to see one of Eddie's reenactments Sat.u.r.day," said Bailey.

"Which one are you doing?" asked Mich.e.l.le.

"The Battle of Cedar Creek near Middleton," answered Eddie. "Phil Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah against Jubal Early's Army of the Valley. It's usually held in October, but they moved it up this year." He looked down and then glanced at Mich.e.l.le. He seemed to be about to say something but remained silent.

Harry said, "Wasn't old Jubal the only Confederate general who never formally surrendered?"

"That's right," said Eddie. "He ended up practicing law over in Rocky Mount, Virginia."

"Well, at least he took up an honorable profession after the war," said Harry.

"I think Eddie and I are going to be spending a lot more time together," said Bailey. King thought the man could not have been more obvious.

"I'm looking forward to that," said Eddie with what seemed genuine enthusiasm.

You're a good liar, Eddie,King thought.

Remmy reached out and took her son's hand. "How you doing?"

"Just hoping for happier days, Mom."

"Maybe you and Dorothea should go away somewhere, just get away."

"Yeah, maybe we'll do that," answered Eddie with not a trace of interest.

King noted that the Oxley children had come inside when they saw their mother. As Lulu joined them, King excused himself, went to the bar, got two gla.s.ses of wine and headed to the rear porch to see Savannah while she was still alone.

The young woman was sitting on the couch staring into the fire that blazed in the fireplace at one end of the room.

"Long day for you, Savannah," he said quietly.

She started and looked up, smiling when she saw who it was. He handed her one of the gla.s.ses and sat next to her. "A gla.s.s of Chateau Palmer can work miracles for the spirits. It's a fine French wine."

"'Palmer' doesn't sound French," she said, staring at her gla.s.s as though she could see images in it.

"He was an English general under Wellington who came to Bordeaux with his army around 1814 and stayed. He purchased a property that eventually became known as Chateau Palmer, and started producing wine, which goes to show that the grape, like the pen, is mightier than the sword."

"I don't know much about wine," she said. "I'm more a Jack and c.o.ke girl."

"One can never go wrong with Jack and c.o.ke, but if you're interested in wine, I'd be glad to help you, although you could start learning right in this house. Your parents have a ten-thousand-bottle cellar. I nearly fainted with envy when I first saw it." He took a sip of wine and watched her watching the fire. "I saw you with the Oxley children."

"They're nice kids," she said quietly as she played with her string of pearls. "The little one, Mary Margaret, was bawling when she got here, poor thing. She really misses her daddy. I brought them out here. Mom and Ms. Oxley wanted to talk."

"They seemed to have worked everything out."

"I really thought Junior had done it." Her eyes suddenly glimmered with a layer of tears.

"So did I, at first."

"I know I wasn't much help the other day."

"You were still in shock. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here."

She nodded absently, and her nervous fingers played over her pearls. He waited for her to speak, but she didn't. She simply stared into the fire.

He finally rose. "If you need anything, anything at all, just give me a call."

She glanced up and clutched at his hand. "How come you're not married?"

At first he thought she was flirting with him but then realized she was serious.

He said, "I was, a long time ago, and it just didn't work out."

"I think some people are supposed to be alone."

"You don't think you're one of those people, do you?"

She shook her head. "No. But I think my father was."

Puzzled, King sat back down. "What makes you say that?"

Before she could answer, they heard Remmy say, "I'm sure there are people who'd like to see you, Savannah."

They both looked over to see her standing in the doorway scrutinizing them.

Savannah rose obediently. "I'll see you, Sean."

He watched mother and daughter walk off before rejoining Mich.e.l.le in the family room. Harry had caught Remmy and Savannah as they were coming back in and was speaking with them in a far corner.

Get as much as you can, Harry,thought King,because I pretty much struck out.

"Anything interesting?" asked Mich.e.l.le.

"Savannah is one troubled woman. She knows something but can't get it out."

"Use your charm, Sean. She has the hots for you."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Please.Men are so blind when it comes to that."

"So anything happen on your end?"

"I've been invited to Eddie's next reenactment. I'm going with Chip."

King crossed his arms and stared at her. "Really?"

She stared back at him defensively. "Yeah, really. Why?"

"Womenare so blind when it comes to that."

"Come on, he's married, Sean!"

"Yes, he is."

CHAPTER 52.

MICh.e.l.lE DROVE WITH CHIPBailey to the outskirts of Middleton, Virginia. It was a crisp morning with nothing but blue skies overhead and a nice breeze to relieve the growing heat.

"Good day to fight," said Bailey.

Is there really ever a good day to slaughter each other?thought Mich.e.l.le.

The big man sipped on his coffee and munched on an egg sandwich from McDonald's. Mich.e.l.le chewed on an energy bar and cradled her bottle of orange juice. She wore jeans, hiking boots and her Secret Service windbreaker. Bailey had donned khakis, a sweater and wraparound shades.

"You ever been to one of these?" asked Bailey.

"No."