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Authors: Ann B. Ross
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busy?”
“Yes’m, she’s feeding my sisters. Come on in, they’re in the kitchen.”
Chapter 10
Hazel Marie looked up with a surprised smile on her face as we trooped into the kitchen. She was still in her bathrobe, spooning baby cereal into two eager little mouths. The babies were each strapped into a carryall, and cereal was smeared in their hair and all over their faces.
“Why, Miss Julia,” Hazel Marie said, a full spoon suspended on its way to an open mouth. “What are you doing out so early? And Lillian? My goodness…” Her face fell as she realized that our unusually timed visit did not bode well.
James turned from the stove, where he was frying bacon, a dripping fork held in his hand. A distressed look spread across his face. “Miss Lillian, what y’all doin’ here? Something happen to Mr. Sam?”
“No, no,” I said, “not that. Hazel Marie, we need to talk to you, honey. Are you about finished feeding the babies?”
“Oh,” she moaned, her hand beginning to tremble as she realized that we had not come on a casual visit.
“Here,” Lillian said, taking the spoon from her, “let me finish that. Miss Julia, you take her an’ Lloyd on to the livin’ room. I get these baby girls all done.”
“I can help, Great-Granny,” Latisha said, “soon as you clean that stuff off of ’em. They too messy now.”
“Come on, Hazel Marie,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders and leading her to the sofa in the living room. “Lloyd, sit there by your mother.”
“What is it?” Hazel Marie asked, her face becoming ashen as she realized that bad news was coming.
“Now listen, Hazel Marie,” I said, as soothingly as I could. “We don’t know a whole lot, but it seems that Mr. Pickens has been injured in some way—a small way, I’m sure—and it seems that he’s in a hospital somewhere in West Virginia. Now before you think the worst, it’s not confirmed that the injured man
is
Mr. Pickens. They’re calling whoever it is John Doe, so it might not be him. Coleman is trying to learn more, as we speak. But we thought you needed to know that it might be.”
Hazel Marie wrapped her arms around herself and swallowed hard. “How … how do you know all this?”
I told her of Mr. Pickens’s phone call, looking for Sam or Coleman, and our further efforts to discover his location. “Those people, whoever they are, certainly play things close to their chests. We’ve not been able to speak to anyone with the authority to disclose any information. But, Hazel Marie, we are going to get to the bottom of this. We just didn’t want to leave you in the dark while we do it.”
To tell the truth, I had not known how Hazel Marie would take the news. I’d thought she might lose all self-control—cry, scream, throw herself around, go half crazy—who knew? But I saw none of that. Instead, she seemed to sink in on herself, growing smaller as her face became drawn and her eyes larger. It was as if she’d been struck a mortal blow.
“It’ll be all right, Mama,” Lloyd said, hugging her. “J.D. knows how to take care of himself. He’s not going to let anything bad happen.”
Hazel Marie’s body began to tremble as she sat on the sofa. “I should’ve known,” she mumbled, as she gazed down at her clasped hands. “It was all too good to last.”
“Oh, honey, don’t say that.” I sat down beside her and held her hands. “Don’t even think it. Look,” I urged, “we don’t know if it is him. And if it is, why, he was able to call for Sam, so he can’t be too bad off. I think it’s that sheriff up there who’s holding thingsup, and as soon as Coleman reaches him, why, then, we’ll know more of what’s going on. So you just hold on and be strong.”
Tears were flowing down her face by this time, but there was no sobbing or gasping. Tears simply ran down her face as if her eyes could no longer hold them.
The doorbell rang then, and I jumped up. “That’s Coleman. Maybe
“Yes’m, she’s feeding my sisters. Come on in, they’re in the kitchen.”
Chapter 10
Hazel Marie looked up with a surprised smile on her face as we trooped into the kitchen. She was still in her bathrobe, spooning baby cereal into two eager little mouths. The babies were each strapped into a carryall, and cereal was smeared in their hair and all over their faces.
“Why, Miss Julia,” Hazel Marie said, a full spoon suspended on its way to an open mouth. “What are you doing out so early? And Lillian? My goodness…” Her face fell as she realized that our unusually timed visit did not bode well.
James turned from the stove, where he was frying bacon, a dripping fork held in his hand. A distressed look spread across his face. “Miss Lillian, what y’all doin’ here? Something happen to Mr. Sam?”
“No, no,” I said, “not that. Hazel Marie, we need to talk to you, honey. Are you about finished feeding the babies?”
“Oh,” she moaned, her hand beginning to tremble as she realized that we had not come on a casual visit.
“Here,” Lillian said, taking the spoon from her, “let me finish that. Miss Julia, you take her an’ Lloyd on to the livin’ room. I get these baby girls all done.”
“I can help, Great-Granny,” Latisha said, “soon as you clean that stuff off of ’em. They too messy now.”
“Come on, Hazel Marie,” I said, putting my arm around her shoulders and leading her to the sofa in the living room. “Lloyd, sit there by your mother.”
“What is it?” Hazel Marie asked, her face becoming ashen as she realized that bad news was coming.
“Now listen, Hazel Marie,” I said, as soothingly as I could. “We don’t know a whole lot, but it seems that Mr. Pickens has been injured in some way—a small way, I’m sure—and it seems that he’s in a hospital somewhere in West Virginia. Now before you think the worst, it’s not confirmed that the injured man
is
Mr. Pickens. They’re calling whoever it is John Doe, so it might not be him. Coleman is trying to learn more, as we speak. But we thought you needed to know that it might be.”
Hazel Marie wrapped her arms around herself and swallowed hard. “How … how do you know all this?”
I told her of Mr. Pickens’s phone call, looking for Sam or Coleman, and our further efforts to discover his location. “Those people, whoever they are, certainly play things close to their chests. We’ve not been able to speak to anyone with the authority to disclose any information. But, Hazel Marie, we are going to get to the bottom of this. We just didn’t want to leave you in the dark while we do it.”
To tell the truth, I had not known how Hazel Marie would take the news. I’d thought she might lose all self-control—cry, scream, throw herself around, go half crazy—who knew? But I saw none of that. Instead, she seemed to sink in on herself, growing smaller as her face became drawn and her eyes larger. It was as if she’d been struck a mortal blow.
“It’ll be all right, Mama,” Lloyd said, hugging her. “J.D. knows how to take care of himself. He’s not going to let anything bad happen.”
Hazel Marie’s body began to tremble as she sat on the sofa. “I should’ve known,” she mumbled, as she gazed down at her clasped hands. “It was all too good to last.”
“Oh, honey, don’t say that.” I sat down beside her and held her hands. “Don’t even think it. Look,” I urged, “we don’t know if it is him. And if it is, why, he was able to call for Sam, so he can’t be too bad off. I think it’s that sheriff up there who’s holding thingsup, and as soon as Coleman reaches him, why, then, we’ll know more of what’s going on. So you just hold on and be strong.”
Tears were flowing down her face by this time, but there was no sobbing or gasping. Tears simply ran down her face as if her eyes could no longer hold them.
The doorbell rang then, and I jumped up. “That’s Coleman. Maybe
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