“Actually, she did. She knows the family of the man who Thad hit in the accident. His name is Karl Lister, and both of his legs were badly broken. He couldn’t walk after his surgeries and had to go to rehab. She thinks they settled a lawsuit.”
“I’ve pulled a report of the accident, but I haven’t had time to look it over yet,” he said.
I nodded. “Good idea. Thelma is worried about me looking into Pam’s case. She thinks it’s too soon. That Bart will figure out what we’re up to and retaliate.”
“I’d be lyin’ if I didn’t admit to worryin’ about the same thing.”
It wasn’t an idle worry, so I didn’t pretend otherwise. I just nodded and said, “I have some people not directly connected to Pam I can talk to. Ashlynn told me about a friend of her mother’s. She and her brothers call her Aunt Selena. She lives in Drum, close to the Methodist church. What’s strange is that she’s supposedly best friends with this woman, but she never goes to the ladies’ luncheons.”
“That’s because Selena is in her sixties,” he said, then took a bite of his sandwich.
“What?”
“Yeah, Selena Martin. Might not be the same person, but I don’t know of any other Selenas in Drum. And I know for a fact she lives about a block from the church.”
“So she’s a good twenty years older than Pam?”
“I guess so,” he said. “I don’t know anything about her connection to Pam, though. I know her from high school. She was my algebra teacher. She still might be teaching, as a matter of fact.”
“Do you think Pam knew her the same way?”
“Maybe,” he said, “but Pam’s probably ten to fifteen years older than me.”
I grabbed a small notebook out of my purse and uncapped a pen. “So I need to drop by and ask her what she knows about Pam. Do you think she’ll be resistant?”
“I doubt it,” he said. “She loves to talk. I’m sure she’ll be worried about Pam. So as long as you let her know you’re trying to help, I’m sure she’ll talk.”
“I could also tell her I’m worried about Ashlynn,” I said. “Not a lie, because I am. Her boyfriend broke up with her a few weeks ago, and she’s pregnant. She lives in a trailer next to her parents’ house, but it looks like the utilities are all in his name. Then there’s the way she took off from the jail.”
“You think something happened to her?”
“I was already worried about her having a baby without her mother, even though she told me Selena would be helping her. Her father sounds like a classic controlling asshole, possible abuser. But yeah, after the way she took off, I’m very worried.”
“Maybe talking to Selena will help put your mind at ease.”
I took another bite of my sandwich, nearly moaning in pleasure, then took in the sandwiches, bags of chips, and bottles of water. “Where are your fried pickles?”
He laughed and patted his belly. “Decided I didn’t need the grease.”
More like he used it as a ploy to get me to try the café, not that he needed one.
“So Karl Lister,” he said. “His address at the time of the accident is on the report. I’ll try to find out if it’s still his current address. I wish I could talk to him with you, but I need to stick to the behind-the-scenes stuff until we’re ready to make some kind of move. You sniffing around will likely come across as nosy. Me sniffing around reeks of an official investigation.”
Sadly, I agreed. He’d already helped me with two investigations, off the books, and with the state police sniffing around, we couldn’t risk that he’d get away with a third. “Do you know anything about Karl Lister?”
“No, which means you should take someone with you. We need to be extra cautious.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to figure out who to bring.”
“Maybe you can take Hank on a drive. And his shotgun.”
I gave him a smile. “That actually sounds like a good idea.” I paused, thinking, then added, “Hank seems to be getting stir crazy. Months ago he and I talked about getting his car set up so he can drive it, but this morning I decided to do something about it.”
“Oh?” he asked. “Did you call his doctor’s office?”
“No,” I said quietly. “I dropped by Wyatt’s garage.”
If I hadn’t known him so well, I wouldn’t have noticed his reaction. But his breath hitched a little and his fingers curled in slightly. It bothered him. “That makes sense,” he said, picking up a chip. “He likes Hank, so he’ll give you a discount.”
I grimaced. “He refuses to take Hank’s money, but he insisted on coming by for breakfast tomorrow morning. Says Hank will only agree to accept his help if he thinks I’m okay with having him around.”
He stared at me for a second. “Is this another desperate attempt on his part to win you back?”
“We both know it is, even if he won’t admit it. Still, Hank spends so much time alone. I hate that he’s stuck out there. And from what I’ve gathered, Wyatt used to spend a lot of time with Hank and Seth. It stands to reason that Hank misses him. I feel like I stole his friend from him.”
A dark look rolled across his face, but I knew it wasn’t for me. Wyatt had earned this one. “You did no such thing. Wyatt was the one who acted like an ass. Hank’s a smart man, and he didn’t approve of the way Wyatt treated you. And yeah, he partially sent Wyatt away for your sake, but consider this: Hank could have him come by when you’re working evenings, and he never does.”
“I suppose.”
“Does Hank know you went to Wyatt?”
“Not yet.”
He grinned. “You might want to let him know before Wyatt shows up for breakfast. That old coot is as stubborn as the day is long. He might not like it.”
I made a face. “At least it’s on home ground. Wyatt wanted me to have breakfast with him somewhere else, but I insisted on doing it at Hank’s since he claims the purpose is for Hank to see us together.”
“Good thinkin’,” Marco said, then his smile faded. “You don’t have to let him come. You can tell him you’ve found someone else to take care of it.”
“But I haven’t.”
“But you can,” he said. “I’ll help you, and if it’s a matter of money—”
“Marco. I’m not taking your money.”
“If it’s a matter of money,” he repeated more firmly, “you have other options.” He started to say something else, stopped, then shook his head. “We both know that Wyatt’s manipulating you, but you’re right. He gave Hank companionship. And if you have to leave Drum unexpectedly at some point, I’m sure you’ll feel better knowing that someone’s there for him.”
He was right. I hated the idea of leaving Hank with no one. I knew Wyatt would step in, regardless of the state of their friendship, but Hank was a stubborn man. It would be better for him to work things out with Wyatt before I left.
“You think I’ll be leaving Drum soon?” I asked quietly.