“What…you think your brother might have hurt her?”
“I can’t imagine it. He loves her so much. But years ago, when Dustin was drinking all the time, he was a mess. Sometimes he’d get kind of crazy. Never hurt anyone else, just himself, but…”
“Riley, if you think—”
“No,” Riley interrupted. “What I really think is that Lori took off with one of her boyfriends. Maybe Dustin found out she was cheating on him and they fought and that was the last straw for her. She got the hell out and didn’t look back.”
“Poor Olive,” Helen said. “It’s awful that she’s going through this.”
Riley passed her the joint, and they were silent for a minute, smoking, looking out at the bog.
“I still can’t believe she gave me that ax,” Helen mused.
“I love the ax,” Riley said at last. “But I’m not sure keeping it is such a good idea.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s just starting to worry me. You collecting all these things with such morbid histories.”
“You sound just like Nate,” Helen snorted.
“It’s like…you’re opening a door,” Riley said.
“Yes!” Helen said. “That’s exactly the point.”
“But when you open a door, who knows who or what you might be letting in,” Riley said. “Not to mention the fact that you’re really pissing your husband off. And worrying him.”
“Huh?”
“He called me at the shop this morning.”
“Really? What did he say?”
“He thinks your interest in Hattie and her family and all these objects is a bit…unhealthy. He asked me to please stop helping you with it—and he definitely doesn’t want me to take you back to Dicky’s any time soon. I heard all about how Dicky came by with your phone and told Nate about our visit there.”
“Yeah. Nate was pretty pissed,” Helen said.
Riley nodded. “But it’s not just that he’s mad, Helen. He’s worried you’re losing your grasp on reality.”
“And do you agree with him? Do you think I’ve gone round the bend?”
“I think…” Riley paused. “…that it’s a dangerous game you’re playing. Blurring the lines between the past and present, the dead and the living.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but all I can say is that I’ve never felt so strongly compelled to do something. And I can’t do it without you. Will you help me?”
There was a long pause.
“Of course,” Riley said at last. “What is it you need?”
“There’s only so much I can find myself online, especially with Nate looking over my shoulder all the time. Maybe if we both go back to the historical society and search through all the databases you guys have access to there, use the microfiche reader to go through old newspapers, search through all the birth, death, and marriage records, you can help me put together a solid family tree for Hattie. Try to track down who Gloria and Jason went to live with and what happened to them.”
“Okay,” Riley said. “I know Mary Ann’s been reorganizing things in there since she got back from North Carolina. I think she’s pretty much got the place put back together—and there’s even a new computer. I’m working tomorrow, but I’m free the day after. Monday. We’ll get in there and see what we can find.”
CHAPTER 36
Olive
SEPTEMBER 12, 2015
