end.”
“Thanks, Hadley,but I can’t help myself. I always have to dive in face first. This stuff really hits the spot.”
“Well, when you’ve finished with that, there’s chocolate cake in that sack, too,” Hadley said. “And don’t tell Maury, but I’ve got some homemade donuts in there for all of you boys.”
“Did I ever tell you that you were my favorite sister-in-law?”
“At least a million times. And the fact that I’m your only sister-in-law has nothing to do with it, huh.”
“Nothing a’tall.”
Bill looked at Hadley sitting there looking like an innocent dropped down from the clouds. He wasn’t fooled at all.
My guess is,” said Bill, “that you didn’t just make this chicken salad to drop by and see my gorgeous face.”
“What do you mean?” Hadley asked.
“The chicken salad’s not leftover,” Bill said. “It’s still warm.”
Hadley cheeks flushed.
“The cake’s leftover, though,” she said. “I forgot you’re a trained lawman. Should have known you’d catch me in that little white lie. Maury told me that the blood on the knife wasn’t human,” Hadley said.
“It’s not, I’m happy to say,” Bill said. “Did my lovely wife tell you anything else?”
“No,” said Hadley.
“There’s not much else, I’m afraid,” Bill said. “I know that must have been a shock to you both, having a man fall dead at your feet like that. And the fact that he had a blood-stained knife in his hands must have sent you right over the edge.”
“Well, Bill to be honest, it all happened so fast. I really didn’t have much time to think about anything,” Hadley said. “I’m glad no one else was hurt. But I gotta admit it. It was scary. A hooded goblin chased by armed lawmen down Main Street in broad daylight is not something we see every day in our sleepy little hamlet.”
“It is a mystery why the old man was running from us,” Bill said. “Button Dudley is the last person I’d ever think would dress up for a Halloween festival, let alone attend one. That old coot was running like the devil was chasing after his soul.”
“I know,” Hadley said. “He only hit town about once or twice a year. He was always been happy to stay up in the hills.”
“His costume, if you could call it that,” Bill said, “was just rags.”
“Umm,” said Hadley.
“He did have something interesting draped around his neck,” Bill said.
“What was that?” Hadley said.
“A string of spices,” Bill said.
“What kind of spices?” Hadley asked.
“Star anise,” Bill said.
“That’s something the old ones use in conjure bags,” Hadley said. “They’ll put a pod in the bag and wear it to ward off the evil eye.”
“I know, but Button had a whole mess of them,” said Bill.
“That must have been where I got mine,” Hadley said. “He bumped into me. Later, I found one on my jacket.”
“You’re lucky that’s all Button gave you,” Bill said. “He just came out of nowhere. We couldn’t catch him. There were too many people standing around to do anything but give chase. If he hadn’t dropped dead, I think he would have run clear out of town and escaped.”
“But he did drop dead,” said Hadley.
“And, thankfully, no one else was injured.”
Bill peered into the bag. He pulled out a big hunk of cake and began devouring it.
“Lou Edna came to see me this morning, Bill. She was all upset. I’m really worried about her.”
“Lou Edna’s brain is fried from sniffing all that hair spray down at the beauty salon, Hadley,” said Bill. “But what is it?”
“She came busting down my door at the crack of dawn. I was up, thanks to Onus. She saw the light on. She had this wild story about going out for a night on the town, ladies’ night, with Ora Lavelle at Sadie’s.”
“Now, that’s one joint I’d just as soon as not go in,” said Bill. “We get a call every once in a while when Sadie’s senior citizens get too rowdy. Throwin’ their false teeth
“Thanks, Hadley,but I can’t help myself. I always have to dive in face first. This stuff really hits the spot.”
“Well, when you’ve finished with that, there’s chocolate cake in that sack, too,” Hadley said. “And don’t tell Maury, but I’ve got some homemade donuts in there for all of you boys.”
“Did I ever tell you that you were my favorite sister-in-law?”
“At least a million times. And the fact that I’m your only sister-in-law has nothing to do with it, huh.”
“Nothing a’tall.”
Bill looked at Hadley sitting there looking like an innocent dropped down from the clouds. He wasn’t fooled at all.
My guess is,” said Bill, “that you didn’t just make this chicken salad to drop by and see my gorgeous face.”
“What do you mean?” Hadley asked.
“The chicken salad’s not leftover,” Bill said. “It’s still warm.”
Hadley cheeks flushed.
“The cake’s leftover, though,” she said. “I forgot you’re a trained lawman. Should have known you’d catch me in that little white lie. Maury told me that the blood on the knife wasn’t human,” Hadley said.
“It’s not, I’m happy to say,” Bill said. “Did my lovely wife tell you anything else?”
“No,” said Hadley.
“There’s not much else, I’m afraid,” Bill said. “I know that must have been a shock to you both, having a man fall dead at your feet like that. And the fact that he had a blood-stained knife in his hands must have sent you right over the edge.”
“Well, Bill to be honest, it all happened so fast. I really didn’t have much time to think about anything,” Hadley said. “I’m glad no one else was hurt. But I gotta admit it. It was scary. A hooded goblin chased by armed lawmen down Main Street in broad daylight is not something we see every day in our sleepy little hamlet.”
“It is a mystery why the old man was running from us,” Bill said. “Button Dudley is the last person I’d ever think would dress up for a Halloween festival, let alone attend one. That old coot was running like the devil was chasing after his soul.”
“I know,” Hadley said. “He only hit town about once or twice a year. He was always been happy to stay up in the hills.”
“His costume, if you could call it that,” Bill said, “was just rags.”
“Umm,” said Hadley.
“He did have something interesting draped around his neck,” Bill said.
“What was that?” Hadley said.
“A string of spices,” Bill said.
“What kind of spices?” Hadley asked.
“Star anise,” Bill said.
“That’s something the old ones use in conjure bags,” Hadley said. “They’ll put a pod in the bag and wear it to ward off the evil eye.”
“I know, but Button had a whole mess of them,” said Bill.
“That must have been where I got mine,” Hadley said. “He bumped into me. Later, I found one on my jacket.”
“You’re lucky that’s all Button gave you,” Bill said. “He just came out of nowhere. We couldn’t catch him. There were too many people standing around to do anything but give chase. If he hadn’t dropped dead, I think he would have run clear out of town and escaped.”
“But he did drop dead,” said Hadley.
“And, thankfully, no one else was injured.”
Bill peered into the bag. He pulled out a big hunk of cake and began devouring it.
“Lou Edna came to see me this morning, Bill. She was all upset. I’m really worried about her.”
“Lou Edna’s brain is fried from sniffing all that hair spray down at the beauty salon, Hadley,” said Bill. “But what is it?”
“She came busting down my door at the crack of dawn. I was up, thanks to Onus. She saw the light on. She had this wild story about going out for a night on the town, ladies’ night, with Ora Lavelle at Sadie’s.”
“Now, that’s one joint I’d just as soon as not go in,” said Bill. “We get a call every once in a while when Sadie’s senior citizens get too rowdy. Throwin’ their false teeth
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