“I used to help your mother with cleaning and doing some shopping. I didn’t see you and your sister all that much. It was sporadic, certainly not every week. But I was glad for the work.”
“I just saw Agnes Ridley at dinner.”
“Yes, that’s right. She babysat for you and Mercy.”
It was strange for Pine to hear people talk about her sister as though she was somewhere living her life just like everyone else.
“I was surprised to see you back here. When your family left, I never thought you’d come back. Not after that awful night.”
“I understand we sort of moved away in the dead of night?” Pine said expectantly.
Graham stared at her for a moment before answering. “I remember it was the talk of the town for a few days. No sign you even lived there. And nobody ever heard from your parents again.”
“Agnes Ridley told us the same thing. That must have been a shock,” said Pine.
“Look, I don’t blame your mom and dad. The things people were saying. It was disgusting. I would have moved, too. Who needs that crap, especially after suffering such a loss.”
“They were saying those things because they thought my father was involved somehow?”
“Either that, or they thought he cared more for his beer and pot than he did his kids. But that’s not the way I saw it.”
“Why’s that?”
“They made one mistake, and someone took advantage of it. You can’t watch your kids twenty-four/seven. They loved you and your sister very much. Your mom would have died rather than let something happen to her girls.”
Pine seemed taken aback by this statement. “I…uh, never really talked about it with her. She didn’t want to…go there, I suppose.”
“I guess I can understand that. But I can also understand that you probably had a million questions you wanted answers to.”
Pine now looked at Graham in a different and perhaps more favorable light. “I did. Only I never got those answers.”
Graham looked down at the FBI shield on Pine’s hip. “FBI agent now. Very impressive.”
“You could tell from just glancing at the shield?”
“I Googled you after you made the reservation. Recognized the last name.”
“It’s a job I enjoy doing.”
“Where are you living now?”
“Arizona.”
Graham looked wistful. “Never been there. Hear it’s beautiful.”
“It is,” interjected Blum when it appeared Pine was not going to respond. “Quite different from here. But this part of the country has its own charm.”
Pine looked at her and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, where are my manners? This is Carol Blum, she’s my assistant.”
“Hello, Carol.” Graham smiled. “I’ve never really been anywhere. I went to college at Georgia Southwestern State University. Worked in Atlanta for a while in the hospitality sector, and then came back here.”
“Are you married?”
“I was. But no longer.” She looked around at the space. “I bought this place and started my little business. It’s mostly tourists coming to see the prison, but it pays the bills and lets me get by. I used to have more ambition, but this seems to fit me okay now. Though I would like to travel a bit. And who knows, I might get married again.”
“This is a charming house,” said Blum, looking around.
“Thank you. I grew up in it.”
“What? This was your family’s home?” said Blum.
“Me and my four siblings. My parents died years ago. My brothers and sister didn’t want it. Sort of all clicked. I had saved my money, bought them out and took the plunge.” Graham turned to Pine. “They never found out what happened to your sister, did they?”
“No.”
“So, are you here trying to change that?”
“What do you remember about what happened?”
Graham glanced at Blum. “Would you both like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot. There’s a bit of a chill out there. We can talk out on the side porch, where we serve our complimentary breakfast.”
Pine and Blum moved to this room and took a minute to look around.
They finally arrived at a glass display cabinet set against one wall. The cabinet was so large that it rose all the way to the ceiling. Inside was a collection of dolls, some quite large, almost lifelike, and some small, all dressed in old-fashioned clothing.
Blum drew closer to look at them. “These are really nice. Vintage. The largest one isn’t really a doll. It’s like a mannequin. Cost a pretty penny to put this together, I bet.”
“I see you’ve noticed my little collection.”
They turned to see Graham standing in the doorway with