Truth and Justice - Fern Michaels Page 0,41

just kept the conversation neutral. She did say that he only had kind, loving words for his parents. When the conversation turned to his sister, he got agitated. No details. And then the confession about his wife.”

“Confession? That’s a strange way to put it, isn’t it?” Nikki said.

“That’s what we thought. And I mentioned just that to Lieutenant Gibson, and she said it was because she asked him who had his power of attorney and he said his sister, but then he said his wife, that he changed it at the last minute and his friend took care of things for him because he was being deployed, and it cut the time too close. That was the first Lieutenant Gibson knew about his being married. The nurse who took care of him when he had first arrived at Walter Reed transferred out three days after Major Nolan’s arrival, and Lieutenant Gibson took over. The original nurse might have known, but Lieutenant Gibson wasn’t sure. If that was the case, then Major Nolan wouldn’t want to repeat it all over again. At least that was what Lieutenant Gibson thought. In the military, I’m told,” Annie said, “if you deploy, you need to designate someone to handle your affairs, hence the POA.”

The girls looked at one another, understanding perfectly. Murphy’s Law. What could go wrong did go wrong. Period. End of story.

Eight cell phones dinged at the same time. A text was coming in to all eight phones. The only person who could make that happen would be Avery Snowden.

Annie read the text out loud as the Sisters followed her every word.

“ ‘Hit a stone wall. Major Nolan’s parents resided in a retirement community, and these people will not look at me or my people, much less talk to us. Annie and Myra, you’re up. You’ll fit right in here, and these people will talk to you. I’m sure of it. Gas up that plane and get here as soon as you can. In the meantime, I am scouring the town for people who still live here who might have known the major or his sister. We are staying at the Commodore Hotel on Evergreen Avenue. Directions to follow. ’ ”

Annie was on her phone. “Like right now, Peter,” she said to the pilot. “Wheels up in sixty minutes. Tulsa, Oklahoma,” she responded, when he asked for a destination so he could file a flight plan.

“Shake it, Myra!”

“Annie! Wait! I have to change my clothes, pack a bag. Hold on here.”

Annie stopped in her tracks and whirled around. “Do you have your pearls on?”

“Of course. What a silly question.”

“Then move your ass, Myra. That’s all you need. We’re burning fuel just standing here.”

Myra spun around to look at the Sisters. Her expression said it all when the girls gave her a thumbs-up and made shooing motions with their hands. Myra galloped after Annie, yelling for her to slow down. Annie ignored her. Myra ran as fast as her arthritic knees would permit.

* * *

“Well, we’re here,” Annie said.

It was late afternoon when the Uber driver came to a stop at the gate leading into Lake-more Estates, the senior living enclave where Major Nolan’s parents had once lived. Avery Snowden said they were to say they were going to the real-estate office on the property. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be permitted to enter. Once inside, he said they were to drive to 74 Winchester Terrace, where Maddie and Henry Olsen lived. The Olsens had been good friends with the Nolans before they died. They did as Avery had instructed, and the guard at the gate waved them through.

“Avery is worth every penny we pay him, doncha agree, Myra? That was a piece of cake.”

Myra simply nodded. Annie was on a roll, she could feel it.

A half mile down the winding brick road, the Uber vehicle slowed and pulled onto a brick-paved driveway that matched the road. A bright red Honda Civic sat in the driveway. The Uber driver handed Myra his business card and told her to call him when they were ready to leave and said if he wasn’t on another ride, he would come and pick them up. Myra nodded and pocketed the business card.

Both women looked around. “Everything is so . . . so neat. Trimmed, brushed, washed, whatever. The flowers in the mini flower beds look like they’d been placed in the ground with precision. Possibly a ruler to measure the distance between each bloom, and each house appears to