Read Online Disturbing the Dead by Sandra Parshall - Free Book Online

the big new refrigerator and range that looked so out of place in her tiny kitchen. “Why would your grandmother tell me she never sees you or hears from you?”
    Mary Lee showed no surprise at the question. “It’s true she doesn’t see me. I haven’t been back to Mason County since my mother disappeared.”
    “She told me she didn’t even know where you were living.”
    A faint humorless smile touched her lips, disappeared. “My grandmother believes the less she shares with outsiders, the better. She takes being Melungeon very seriously, and she thinks it makes us vulnerable. But of course it means nothing in today’s world.”
    “Maybe not in the world outside the mountains. Believe me, it still means something in Mason County.”
    This brought a sharp look from her, full of defiant anger and outraged superiority. “Thank you for correcting me,” she said, her voice as cold as the winter day.
    Tom didn’t believe for a minute that Mary Lee was blissfully ignorant of the bias against Melungeons that still existed in Mason County. But, being rich and half McClure and well out of it, she could afford to look down on her poor relations. He couldn’t stop himself from goading her. “Aren’t you interested in your heritage?”
    Her expression was a cross between amusement and a sneer. “What heritage? Melungeons don’t have a language or folklore. Nobody even knows where the original Melungeons came from. All those people who make a big production of being Melungeon, starting web sites and holding meetings—they’re very sad, in my opinion. They should be happy to blend in, instead of trying to set themselves apart.”
    “Is it a bad thing for people—especially young people, like your cousin Holly—to be proud of their history instead of ashamed of it?”
    Her blue eyes sparked with fury. “I know you have Melungeon blood. I shouldn’t have to remind you that Melungeons used to be classified as colored. They couldn’t vote, they couldn’t testify in court, they couldn’t go to school with white children, they couldn’t marry whites and pollute the Caucasian bloodlines. What part of that do you take pride in?”
    Now she was making Tom mad, but he tried to keep his tone mild. “For somebody who’s not interested, you know a lot about Melungeon history.”
    “I’ve made my opinion clear. I don’t want to discuss it anymore.” To Tom’s surprise, her expression shifted, became uncertain, almost wary. “You mentioned Holly. Have you been talking to her?”
    “I met her last night, but I didn’t have much chance to talk to her. I’ll get to that sometime soon.”
    “Why? She was only a child when my mother disappeared. I wish you wouldn’t bother her.”
    Mary Lee sounded a little too insistent, and Tom’s antennae popped up. This was the second member of the family who didn’t want him asking Holly questions. “I’ll do whatever I have to,” he said. “This is a murder investigation.”
    Mary Lee drew a deep breath. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
    “Yeah, I’ve been wondering why you keep your mother’s house in Mason County, if you never visit.”
    “I’ll sell it someday, I suppose, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it yet. My mother loved it so much, because she grew up with so little.”
    He could accept that. Tom kept his parents’ property even though he’d be better off if he sold it and bought a smaller house closer to town. Owning land had been his father’s proudest achievement.
    “I’d like to go inside the house,” Tom said. “Does your lawyer in Mountainview have the keys?”
    Mary Lee frowned, but said, “I suppose that’ll be all right. I’ll make sure you get the keys.”
    “Thanks.” He wrote keys in his notebook. “That’s all for now. I’m sure I’ll have more questions later on.”
    “Will you keep me up to date on what’s happening?”
    “I’ll let you know about any important developments.”
    “Thank