Free Goodbye Dolly by Deb Baker Page B

altercation with Ronny, which had taken place in front of as many, if not more, witnesses. She couldn't say the same for him.
     
    Daisy showered and changed her clothes while Nina occupied her time with a training session for Sophie. This was Gretchen's chance to get some much-needed advice, and her aunt Gertie in Michigan was the perfect person to ask for it.
    Gretchen could use a break from personal conflict, and the last thing she wanted was for Nina to know about this phone call. She closed the workshop door to ensure privacy. Aunt Nina and Aunt Gertie didn't get along, mainly because they were both strong, opinionated alpha females. Gertie Johnson came from Gretchen's father's side of the family and was only related to Nina through marriage. Nina mentioned that fact every time Gertie's name came up in conversation.
    When the familiar voice answered, Gretchen said, "How are things in the Upper Peninsula?"
    "Still holding together," Aunt Gertie said. "The fall colors are at their peak. You should come for a visit."
    "I'd like that. Still running your private investigation service?"
    "Of course. Someone has to catch criminals. You don't expect my sheriff son to be doing much."
    Blaze, Gretchen's cousin, ran the local law enforcement service like The Andy Griffith Show . Stonely, Michigan, had a lot in common with Mayberry. So did Blaze and Barney Fife. No wonder her aunt took the law into her own hands.
    "And how are Star and Heather?" Her aunt had named all her kids for the horses she never had.
    "They're fine. But you didn't call to chitchat," Aunt Gertie said. "I can hear it in your voice. Something's happened."
    Gretchen related recent events, including her suspicions about Steve. "Maybe I should have told Matt the truth," she finished.
    "You did the right thing. You don't even know what the truth is yet. If you had told him, Steve would be in jail right this minute, and the police would have considered the case closed."
    "I'm aiding and abetting."
    "Nothing of the sort. What if they had arrested you? If it was your knife, maybe you're being set up."
    "I hadn't thought of that." In all the excitement, the ramification of the weapon in Ronny's back belonging to her hadn't sunk in. How could she explain how the knife got there?
    "You don't really think Steve killed the reporter, do you?" Gertie asked.
    "No." Gretchen wished her voice was firmer.
    "Do you want to find the real killer?"
    "Of course."
    "Then figure it out."
    That was Gertie. Making the impossible sound simple. In an emergency, Gertie Johnson was the person to be with. Totally self-sufficient. Maybe it came from living in the isolation of northern Michigan. Maybe it was just Gertie's resilient nature.
    "Exactly what did Ronny say to you at the doll show?"
    "He said that some story he was working on was about to blow sky high. He said something like this is better news than dolls murdering people."
    "That's odd," Gertie said.
    "The guy is... was odd. I'm sure the comment didn't mean anything."
    Gertie's sigh was unmistakable. "This is what I keep trying to tell Blaze. When murder's involved, everything is important. You need to find out what he meant by that."
    "And how do I find out?"
    "The guy was a reporter. He wrote stuff down, right?"
    "Right." Gretchen remembered Ronny's recording unit.
    "Start with a thorough search of his house. And Gretchen, watch your back."
    The line went dead.
    Gretchen's back was feeling extremely exposed and vulnerable.
    "Ronny lived in the Palm Tree Trailer Park," Nina said.
    "Off of Twenty-fourth Street."
    "Did Daisy tell you that?"
    Nina nodded. "Daisy never stops talking."
    "She knows everything. It's amazing."
    "She just wants to stretch out on the couch and watch television all day. She's clutching the remote like it's a newborn baby."
    Gretchen sat at the worktable. Pieces from a balljointed doll body lay before her. "Nineteen pieces," she said, holding up a lower leg. "And it's been taken completely apart. How am I going