“Tracy here’s putting down a tile floor,” Wanda told Janya when she was standing beside them.
“The book you borrowed at the library helped?” Janya asked.
“And the Internet.” Tracy wasn’t usually given to impulse, but she nodded at her house. “Want to see what I’m doing?”
“Got a pie crust in the oven,” Wanda said. “I can’t be away long.”
Tracy led them up her walkway and threw open the door. She hadn’t really done much yet, but after removing all the old flooring, things looked pretty fabulous to her. Plus there was a straight line of tile extending across the living room, and with that little visual cue, she could picture how great the floor would look once it was finished.
Tracy was surprised the older woman hadn’t taken this chance to razz her. “Glad you approve.”
“It will improve things,” Janya said. “You will be happy with it. And very tired when it’s finished.”
“I’m already very tired.” Tracy waved a piece of mail at them. “But that’s not what I wanted to show you. I got this just now. Clyde’s death certificate.”
“Sure seems like a dead end to me.” Wanda smiled. “Dead end, get it?”
Tracy ignored her. “I tried to get his military records, and Herb’s, too. But I’m not next of kin, and on top of that, there was a fire in St. Louis where the records were kept back in the sixties or seventies.”
“Seems like a conspiracy to keep Herb’s life a secret,” Wanda said.
“So you ordered Clyde’s death certificate?” Janya asked.
“Fifty years passed, so I could.”
“What’s it say?” Wanda asked.
Tracy was enjoying herself, and she wasn’t even sure why. “Well, it’s kind of spectacular, really, although I’m not sure what it means.”
“As my mama used to say, you’re keeping us in suspenders,” Wanda said.
Tracy took the death certificate out of the envelope. “Here’s the interesting part. Look where the cause is listed. Presumptive death.”
Janya looked confused. “What does ‘presumptive’ mean?”
“It means Clyde Franklin was presumed dead because there was no proof, that somebody asked that he be declared dead after he’d been missing for some period of time. I’m not sure what that period is in Florida, but I can find out on the Internet. Most likely Louise petitioned the court, so she could get survivor’s benefits.”
“So Clyde just up and vanished, and never came back,” Wanda said. “And what does that explain?”
“It explains that we have some more looking to do,” Tracy said. “And another mystery on our hands. I’m going over to Herb’s after dinner and spend the evening going through the rest of the boxes. Do you want to come? Say about seven?”
“Maybe for an hour or so,” Wanda said. “My evenings are pretty busy.”
“Indeed they are,” Tracy said. “Janya? Is that a bad time for you?”
“Rishi is out of town until tomorrow night. I can be there.”
“If either of you sees Alice, you might tell her, too. Just don’t do it in front of Lee, okay? He’s worried she’ll get upset or confused working with us on this. I’d like to show him he’s wrong.”
“Alice likes company,” Wanda said. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Now I understand,” Janya said.
“What?” Wanda asked.
“Why Mr. Symington is not friendly when I stop to visit Alice.”
“He’s not really unfriendly, is he?” Tracy asked. “Just concerned?”
“Perhaps I misinterpret what I see.”
“Seems like that would be easy, you being a foreigner and all,” Wanda said.
“Yes, a foreigner. A fact I’m not allowed to forget.”
Tracy arrived at Herb’s before the others were due, and opened the windows and door. A gentle afternoon shower had cooled the air, which smelled like freshly washed laundry. Since they wouldn’t be there long, she decided to leave the windows open and the air conditioner off.
She had hauled the boxes out into the living room and was sorting through the first one when Wanda walked in, a pie plate balanced on one upturned hand and a plastic grocery bag slung over her arm.
“I figure, I don’t start sharing these pies with somebody, I’m going to have to roll around in the shower to get wet all over.”
Despite herself, Tracy’s mouth was watering. “What kind is it?”
“Grapefruit pie. Tail end of the grapefruit season, so they weren’t as juicy as I like. But it’s still tasty.”
“How many pie recipes do you have?”
“Ones I’ve tried? Maybe a hundred. Half were worth trying again with a variation or two.”
Janya tapped on the screen door, then let herself in.