Read Online Murder at Catfish Corner: A Maggie Morgan Mystery by Michelle Goff - Free Book Online
Authors: Michelle Goff
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getting
part of his pension and clear deeds for their house and her mommy’s house. Now,
I don’t know if this is true, but they told me he tried to take the house he
and Hazel lived in. They said that young girl he left her for was already making
her plans to redecorate. They said she had ordered new kitchen cabinets and picked
out a room for her little girl. If that’s the truth, then she underestimated
Hazel. She wasn’t one to roll over for nobody.”
Although Maggie
did not condone Earnest’s decision to leave his wife of thirty-five years for a
woman half his age, she had to wonder if Hazel had demonstrated an aggressive
attitude during their marriage and if that had played a role in the dissolution
of their relationship. “Did you ever see Hazel around Earnest?”
Sylvie nodded.
“Hazel dragged him here once and insisted I pull out dozens of my quilts to
show him. You could tell he had about as much interest in my handiwork as I
have in one of those races they show on the TV. It never made no sense to me
why grown men would chase each other around a circle or why anybody would waste
their time watching them. Don’t people have nothing better to do?”
“To each his
own,” Maggie said. “So, how did Hazel treat Earnest?”
“I don’t know
what went on behind closed doors, but she treated him real good in front of me.
Hazel was what they call plainspoken, but she was real nice to him and Stellie.
And, Lord, she loved Stellie’s girl. That was her baby.”
“What about
Dennis? How did he and Hazel interact?”
Sylvie adjusted
her glasses and said, “You could tell he got all over her nerves. And I can
understand why, but she was downright mean to him. They brought him over here
when Stellie’s girl had a fitting for her dress. I had made a pot of spaghetti
and meatballs and offered some to them. Dennis said, ‘Yes, I’ll take a bowl,’
but Hazel told him he couldn’t have none. So he didn’t. And then there was Stellie.
If I had give him a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, she would have probably
fed him. That’s his problem right there. He ain’t never had to be a man. That
girl of Stellie’s was the only one of them who didn’t treat him like a baby.”
Sylvie looked up from her work. “And you know, he acted almost normal around
her. He actually laughed and smiled when she was around. He didn’t sit there
moving back and forth with his arms across his chest. Stellie told me Hazel had
him tested once. She had in mind to get him signed up on his disability, but
they said they was nothing wrong with him. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to
say that, but some people are just weird. That don’t mean they got a condition.”
Maggie
considered Sylvie’s declaration. If people could get their disability based on
weird behavior, she thought to herself, then I might qualify to draw a check
due to my morbid curiosity for murder mysteries. “Did the sisters get along
well?” she asked Sylvie.
“They did. When
Hazel was carrying on about something, Stellie would listen until her patience
wore out. Then, she’d come around with a smart remark that would shut Hazel up.
Like the time Hazel was complaining about how that old doctor’s daughter made
changes around the office. Stellie smiled and suggested that maybe they could
bring back the old doctor as one of those sombies.”
“Sombies?”
“Like on the TV.
They’re dead but they walk around like us and eat people. I think it’s
disgusting and don’t know why they allow such as that on the TV.” Sylvie shook
her head. “There ain’t been nothing good on since they took Magnum off.”
Maggie giggled. “What
do you think of Stella?”
“I like her all
right. Why?”
“She’s just … I
don’t know. She’s nice to me, but it’s like she went out of her way to put me down
in front of Boone Osborne. What’s strange is that she also talks me up and acts
like I’m an investigator on the level of, well, Magnum. And she talked
part of his pension and clear deeds for their house and her mommy’s house. Now,
I don’t know if this is true, but they told me he tried to take the house he
and Hazel lived in. They said that young girl he left her for was already making
her plans to redecorate. They said she had ordered new kitchen cabinets and picked
out a room for her little girl. If that’s the truth, then she underestimated
Hazel. She wasn’t one to roll over for nobody.”
Although Maggie
did not condone Earnest’s decision to leave his wife of thirty-five years for a
woman half his age, she had to wonder if Hazel had demonstrated an aggressive
attitude during their marriage and if that had played a role in the dissolution
of their relationship. “Did you ever see Hazel around Earnest?”
Sylvie nodded.
“Hazel dragged him here once and insisted I pull out dozens of my quilts to
show him. You could tell he had about as much interest in my handiwork as I
have in one of those races they show on the TV. It never made no sense to me
why grown men would chase each other around a circle or why anybody would waste
their time watching them. Don’t people have nothing better to do?”
“To each his
own,” Maggie said. “So, how did Hazel treat Earnest?”
“I don’t know
what went on behind closed doors, but she treated him real good in front of me.
Hazel was what they call plainspoken, but she was real nice to him and Stellie.
And, Lord, she loved Stellie’s girl. That was her baby.”
“What about
Dennis? How did he and Hazel interact?”
Sylvie adjusted
her glasses and said, “You could tell he got all over her nerves. And I can
understand why, but she was downright mean to him. They brought him over here
when Stellie’s girl had a fitting for her dress. I had made a pot of spaghetti
and meatballs and offered some to them. Dennis said, ‘Yes, I’ll take a bowl,’
but Hazel told him he couldn’t have none. So he didn’t. And then there was Stellie.
If I had give him a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, she would have probably
fed him. That’s his problem right there. He ain’t never had to be a man. That
girl of Stellie’s was the only one of them who didn’t treat him like a baby.”
Sylvie looked up from her work. “And you know, he acted almost normal around
her. He actually laughed and smiled when she was around. He didn’t sit there
moving back and forth with his arms across his chest. Stellie told me Hazel had
him tested once. She had in mind to get him signed up on his disability, but
they said they was nothing wrong with him. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to
say that, but some people are just weird. That don’t mean they got a condition.”
Maggie
considered Sylvie’s declaration. If people could get their disability based on
weird behavior, she thought to herself, then I might qualify to draw a check
due to my morbid curiosity for murder mysteries. “Did the sisters get along
well?” she asked Sylvie.
“They did. When
Hazel was carrying on about something, Stellie would listen until her patience
wore out. Then, she’d come around with a smart remark that would shut Hazel up.
Like the time Hazel was complaining about how that old doctor’s daughter made
changes around the office. Stellie smiled and suggested that maybe they could
bring back the old doctor as one of those sombies.”
“Sombies?”
“Like on the TV.
They’re dead but they walk around like us and eat people. I think it’s
disgusting and don’t know why they allow such as that on the TV.” Sylvie shook
her head. “There ain’t been nothing good on since they took Magnum off.”
Maggie giggled. “What
do you think of Stella?”
“I like her all
right. Why?”
“She’s just … I
don’t know. She’s nice to me, but it’s like she went out of her way to put me down
in front of Boone Osborne. What’s strange is that she also talks me up and acts
like I’m an investigator on the level of, well, Magnum. And she talked
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