Part 22 (1/2)
”I a.s.sure you I am not looking, Susan,” I said. ”I haven't looked at anyone but Julianne since the day I laid eyes on her. But I don't think it's too much to ask you to walk and talk at the same time. Is it?”
She didn't answer.
The entire parade line was still crawling. I knew it would take awhile for us to get moving at a true walking speed. I glanced over the float. Julianne was walking with Carly, holding her hand, but she had a weird expression on her face. Almost a grimace. I really wished she wouldn't push herself just to make a point to everyone else in the world.
”About six months,” Susan said. ”We dated for about six months.”
”Was it serious?”
”Why are you being so nosy?”
”Because it's sort of my job,” I replied. ”I'm trying to find out what happened to him, so I need to find out more about him. Who his friends were. What was going on in his life. I didn't realize you had a relations.h.i.+p with him or I would've asked you about him sooner.”
She nodded, accepting that that made sense. ”I guess it was serious. I mean, we weren't going to get married or anything, but we were . . . together.”
”How'd you meet?”
”Actually, here at the fairgrounds,” she said, still refusing to make eye contact with me. ”I don't remember exactly how, but I think I was here for a 4-H activity and he was here because he was always here. I probably needed something fixed in the food stand.”
The pace of the parade started to increase just a bit and we were actually walking at nearly a full, comfortable stride now.
”He asked me out,” she said, glancing at me. ”He was very flattering. I couldn't say no.”
”And you said yes? Right away?”
”Yes. I did. I thought he was nice. Somewhat handsome. I wasn't involved with anyone. And he had a good sense of humor. I like that in a man.”
”So why'd you break up?”
Her face bunched up. ”I'm not sure how that's any of your business, Deuce. I'm really not.”
”Just trying to get a clearer picture of what went on in George's life.”
She frowned, irritated or angry or something. ”But it was ages ago.”
”Well, not really.” I paused. ”And I saw the look you gave Matilda last night, so it seems . . .”
”You can just leave that heifer out of this,” she said sharply. ”I have nothing to say about that cow.”
”Not a friend?”
She looked like she wanted to vomit. ”Hardly.”
”How come?”
Her eyes narrowed to tiny, angry slits. ”Because she took George from me.”
43.
We were walking at an easy pace and I asked, ”She took him from you?”
She nodded curtly. ”d.a.m.n right she did.”
”How?”
”Oh, you'd have to ask her,” she said. ”I'm not sure exactly what she offered him, but it had to be something.”
”Why did it have to be something?”
She looked at me like I was crazy. ”Look at me and look at her. Please.”
Right then, I wasn't seeing anything that was attractive about Susan. The looks that had taken place between the two women the previous evening, however, now made perfect sense.
”So he broke up with you?” I said.
”Well, I don't know that I'd say that,” she said quickly. ”It ended up being mutual. I knew he was no longer interested in our relations.h.i.+p. Honestly, I was getting tired of him, too. I realized he was a bit too simple for me.”
She wasn't making sense. She was contradicting herself. Not something that was working in her favor.
”So what happened when you broke up?” I asked.
”What do you mean?”
”Was it friendly? Ugly? How did it happen?” She took a moment to look around and survey her troops. ”I really don't see how any of this is helpful and I really don't appreciate you being so intrusive.”
I nodded. ”Okay. I'm sorry. You're right. None of my business. You won't mind if I go ahead and let the police know that I've talked to you, though, right?”
She flinched and her entire facade crumbled for a moment. Her pace slowed and she went from looking like someone who was supervising a parade to someone who was about to panic. She was not a good poker player.
”Well, I don't see why you'd need to do that,” she said.
”Just to share information,” I said. ”Be cooperative with them. Maybe they won't even be interested. I don't know. But I do have a question for you.”
She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.
”I saw you the morning he was found. You were there,” I said.
She nodded slowly.
”You weren't upset,” I said.
”I was, too,” she said, lifting her chin.
”Yeah, about the effect on the food stand,” I said. ”How 4-H would take a hit financially. Not about George. And I find that very odd, considering that you had been in a six-month relations.h.i.+p with him.”