Free Anacacho, An Allie Armington Mystery by Louise Gaylord

easy chairs and their ottomans.
    I notice a bassinet placed near one worn arm of the
sofa and tiptoe over to see my namesake. There before me is a
perfect round head shrouded in dark curls, one thumb jamming a
rosebud mouth and a diapered rear poking toward the ceiling. Little
Allie is a vision to behold. I touch one tiny toe, then watch as
she draws her knees more tightly beneath her and sucks hard on her
thumb, until she drops into deep sleep.
    Susie’s at my side. “Allie’s been a love from the
beginning. It’s Donny that’s driving me bonkers. Fourteen months
and he’s not sleeping through. Misses my breast, I guess. Thank the
Lord he’s still crawling. If he could walk I’d be a goner.” She
shoves a glass of lemonade in my hand. “I just got him down when I
heard the car. That gives us a good two hours.”
    We settle on the couch, Susie closest to the
bassinet, and sip our drinks in silence. The breeze floating gently
though the open doors and windows seems almost chilly and she leans
to pull a coverlet over the baby. “Del tells me you went up to the
murder site. How bad was it?”
    “ Grim. They outlined her body in
Day-glo pink. You remember how Reena hated the sun? She was up
there days before they found her.”
    Susie shudders and hugs herself. “I hear they beat
the buzzards away. Who do you think killed her?”
    “ Could have been anyone.” “Well,
it wasn’t Del.”
    “ Of course it wasn’t. Del wouldn’t
hurt a fly.” I decide to press. “You said you wanted to tell me
something?”
    She shoots me a veiled look. “Did I?”
    “ Well, I might have misunderstood.
The boys were making such a racket...” I think back over our brief
telephone conversation. I need to talk to you. Alone. I have to
tell you about something I saw... I’m sure that’s what she
said.
    “ I was probably speaking to the
boys. They can make such a ruckus.”
    No use in pursuing. Susie won’t give it up, at least
not now. “So, how is Del?”
    She turns away to fuss with the baby’s coverlet. “On
overload. I’m afraid little Allie is the last straw.”
    Their first son, Darrell Royal Darden, was named for
the well-known Longhorn coach Del worshipped. He was followed by
Dawson. It seemed for a while that the two boys were enough, then
after a brief production hiatus, David and Donald arrived in quick
succession and, now, little Allie.
    Five children in seven years. Reena’s sarcastic,
“You’d think she’d figure out what causes them,” echoes.
    Susie turns toward the bassinet, spends more than
enough time straightening the coverlet over Allie’s bottom, then
her body lurches.
    “ Del never really loved me.” She
chokes on her words. “It was always Reena.”
    I scoot to circle her with my arms. “Oh, Susie, I’m
so sorry.” “He never looked my way until Reena dumped him.”
    “ And you were wonderful to him,
Suze. I think he might have ended his life if you hadn’t taken him
under your wing.”
    “ We were happy in the beginning.
Darrell Royal was the light of Del’s life. Luckily, Paul and Reena
were gone most of the time.
    “ After our second son was born,
Del said he didn’t want any more children. Said he would never be
able to make ends meet. He made me promise.
    “ Everything was fine until Del
started skipping dinner whenever Paul was away. I don’t know why he
thought I wouldn’t figure it out. You can’t miss the sound of that
jet.”
    She sees the shock on my face and says, “I know
adding three more mouths to our pitiful existence was stupid, but
it was the only way I knew to keep him.”
    The baby’s cry pulls Susie to her feet and over the
bassinet. “You awake, Little Allie? Come meet your godmother.” She
lifts the baby and places her in my arms.
    The warmth of my namesake’s tiny body against mine
makes me ache with longing for my lost baby, but I manage to say,
“She’s beautiful.”
    I rock her until her tiny mouth begins to nudge my
breast while her free hand