closed her eyes. When she finally reopened them, Kate had not moved a
muscle.
“You’re Luther’s daughter and I believe you should know the truth.” She
paused, took a sip of her tea, pressed her lips dry with a napkin and
then settled back into her chair. A black Persian drifted across and
promptly went to sleep in her lap. “I knew about your father. His past,
so to speak. He and Wanda got to know each other. She got into trouble
years back and Luther helped her, helped her get back on her feet and
get settled into a respectable life. I will always be grateful to him
for that. He was always there when Wanda or I needed anything. The fact
is, Kate, your father would never have been in the house that night if
it weren’t for Wanda.”
Edwina spoke for some minutes. When she had finished Kate sat back in
her chair and realized she was holding her breath. She let out a loud
gasp that seemed to echo around the room.
Edwina didn’t say anything but continued to watch the young woman with
her large sad eyes. Finally she stirred. A thickly wrinkled hand patted
Kate’s knee.
“Luther loved you, child. More than anything.”
“I realize that.. .”
Edwina slowly shook her head. “He never blamed you for the way you felt.
In fact he said you were entirely right to feel that way.”
“He said that?”
“He was so proud of you, your being a lawyer and all. He used to say to
me, ‘My daughter is a lawyer and a damned fine one. Justice is what
matters for her and she’s right, dead right.”
Kate’s head began to swirl. She was feeling emotions she was
ill-equipped right now to deal with. She rubbed the back of her neck and
took a moment to look outside. A black sedan pulled down the street and
then disappeared. She quickly looked back at Edwina.
“Mrs. Broome, I appreciate your telling me these things.
But I really came here for a specific reason. I need your help.”
“I’ll do whatever I can.”
“My father sent you a package.”
“Yes. And I sent it on to Mr. Graham, like Luther said to.”
“Yes I know. Jack got the package. But someone …
someone took it away from him. Now we’re wondering if my father sent you
something else, something else that might help us?”
Edwina’s eyes no longer looked sad. They had collected into twin masses
of stark intensity. She looked over Kate’s shoulder.
“Behind you, Kate, in the piano seat. The hymnal on the left.”
Kate opened the piano seat and lifted out the hymnal. Inside the pages
was a small packet. She looked down at it.
“Luther was the most prepared man I have ever met in my life. Said if
anything went wrong with my sending the package that I was to send this
to Mr. Graham. I was getting ready to do that when I heard about him on
the TV. Am I right in thinking Mr. Graham didn’t do any of the things
they say he did?”
Kate nodded. “I wish everybody thought like you did.”
Kate started to open the package.
Edwina’s voice Was sharp. “Don’t do that, Kate. Your father said that
only Mr. Jack Graham was to see what was inside of there. Only him. I
think it best if we took him at his word.”
Kate hesitated, fighting her natural curiosity, and then closed the
package.
“Did he tell you anything else? Whether he knew who had killed
Christine Sullivan?”
“He did know.”
Kate looked at her sharply. “But he didn’t say who?”
Edwina shook her head vigorously. “He did say one thing though.”
“What was that?”
“He said if he told me who had done it, I wouldn’t have believed him.”
Kate sat back, thought for several anxious moments.
“What could he have meant by that?”
“Well, it surprised me, I can tell you that.”
“Why? Why did that surprise you?”
“Because Luther was the most honest man I’d ever met. I would have
believed anything he would have told me. Accepted it as the gospel.”
“So whatever he saw, whoever he saw, must have been someone so unlikely