Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,95
food.”
“Is there a large or small crowd for dinner tonight?”
“Crowded. The weather and good food always has the church’s social hall packed.”
“Where do Art and Stanley go to sit?”
“They leave the line to go sit on the left side of the hall. Art’s friend Bill is there and saved him a spot. They do that. The first one to find a seat saves one for the other. Stanley sits between their feet eating his little plate of food.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Loading the plates as the people come through. Mostly regulars tonight, although a new mother with three kids comes through.” Paula’s face softens. “The kids look so scared. I help the mother carry their food to a table.”
“Do they sit near Art?”
Paula shakes her head. “No, they go to a table further down the aisle on the other side.”
“So, you have to walk past Art and Bill to go back to the serving area?”
“Yes.”
“Is anyone sitting with them?”
“Hondo, Yancy, and Carmen are at the same table. Carmen is petting Stanley. There’s two empty chairs between them and Art. I pet Stanley’s head as I pass by.”
“You’re back at the serving table, what happens next?”
“We serve the food until it’s gone. Somehow Mary always makes enough so everyone who shows up gets some. Then people start to drift out into the night since there are only a few beds and those are for the people with kids first. We start cleaning things up and throwing out the trash.”
“Is Art still there?”
Paula nods. “He’s sitting with Stanley in his lap talking to someone.” She sucks in some air and her eyes pop open. “It’s him, the guy who kills him, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay, Paula. You’re safe. I’m here with you. He can’t hurt you,” Katie reassured her. “Take another deep breath and close your eyes.”
She did as Katie asked. Then nodded. “I’m ready.”
“You can see Art?” She was going to give Paula something happy and non-threatening to focus on first.
“Yes.”
“Is Stanley with him?”
“Sitting in his lap. Art is rubbing his head.”
“Can you see the other man’s face?”
Paula shakes her head, her brows drawn down in frustration. “He’s got his back to me. All I can see is a little bit of dark brown hair sticking out from under his cap.”
“It’s okay. Let’s talk about what you can see. What’s he wearing?”
She sat quiet a minute, her eyes moving behind her closed lids. “A dark sweatshirt, blue, I think. Jeans. And the knit cap was blue, too.”
“Let’s go back a little. You walked the little family to their seats. When you walked past Art’s table, was the man sitting across from him?”
Paula was quiet a moment, then shook her head. “No, Bill is still there eating.”
“Good. So, you walk back to the serving area. What do you do next?”
“I step back into my spot to serve the mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“Look over the line of guests. Is the man with the blue knit hat in the line?” Katie asked.
Again, there was a quiet pause.
“No. I don’t see him at all.”
“When do you see him next?”
“When we’re cleaning up and he’s already seated across from Art. I didn’t see him come into the dining hall.”
Paula clenched her fingers tightly in her lap now, her lips pressed into a thin line even though she kept her eyes closed. Time to calm her down.
“Let’s relax a moment. Take a deep breath in and exhale slowly.” Katie waited for her to do that. “The man is sitting across from Art and Stanley. Is he a big man or a small man?”
“I’m five-feet-two, all men are tall to me.”
Katie smiled. She so knew the feeling being the same height. “Is he sitting straight or hunched over?”
“Hunched over a little. So, I guess he’s a little taller than average.”
“Good. Is he heavy or thin?” Katie asked as the motor for the garage door started. Brianna and Aaron must be back.
“He’s about average. I can’t tell because of his sweatshirt is bulky, but it looks a little big on him.”
“Does he have any facial hair?”
The garage door opened. In walked her husband, Brianna and Aaron. Katie held her finger to her lips to let the others know to be quiet, but Stanley let out a yip of happiness at seeing Paula and broke her concentration.
“Stanley!” she said, opening her arms to catch the terrier mid-jump into her lap.
“How’d it go?” Matt asked, coming over to pull Katie into his arms and give her a quick hello kiss.