“I didn’t know about the dog.” Craig guided Chief Broden and Doc Granger to his office. “What happened to it?”

Chief took a deep breath, then let it go. “It was gutted and hung in a tree. Kelly was the one to find it.”

“I see,” Craig whispered. “Did you know she blames the neighbor lady?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“She’s going to want to get even. I could see that in her eyes.”

“Sounds like my daughter. What do you suggest I do?”

“Let her.”

Chief smiled, glancing at Doc Granger. “I’m just this far away from getting even with that old bat myself. But I can’t very well encourage my daughter to practice revenge, doctor.”

“She won’t be able to put the incident to rest until she does, Chief. I’m not suggesting you encourage her in her efforts. Just don’t get too upset when she does. Quite honestly I wish I could be there, your daughter has a vivid imagination. I bet her revenge will be quite interesting.”

Chief grinned.

“There is something else you’re going to have to watch for, Bob,” Doc Granger interjected. “She had a bad reaction towards one of the nurses a while ago. She said the nurse killed her dog. I assume she’s lumped the women into one category. If she continues she may start developing false assumptions of the people around her. That could be a problem for later.”

“I see.”

“I think it’s a result of that insecurity I mentioned earlier,” Craig said. “But I think I have a remedy for that.”

“And what’s that?” asked Chief.

“An icon.”

“A what?”

“All through the ages people have developed ways to curb their fears. Mostly by putting faith in objects. Though I don’t think your daughter will easily develop a trust in an object, I think I know something that would work.”

“And what’s that?” asked Chief. Granger was also looking intently at the younger doctor.

“Music.”

“Music?”

“There is a power in music, Chief Broden. The power that comes from those who believe in it, and play it. It will come from herself. When she trusts that power, then she’ll feel safe. It may or may not work. I can only try it.But I don’t see any harm coming from it.”

Chief shook his head. Then he smiled “Her mother believed in music, doctor. She played the piano well. She could have become a concert pianist.”

“What happened to that?”

“She had my eldest daughter.”

“I see. I’m sure there were no regrets.”

“None,” Chief answered glancing at Granger. He returned to the young doctor. “Try your approach, Dr. Miller. I hope you are right.”

*  *  *  *  * 

It was already getting dark outside by the time Chief made it back to my room. He didn’t look too upset at whatever it was Craig wanted him out the door for.

“Well, we’re back, pumpkin,” he said at me. “None too soon,” he added stealing a look at his watch. “It’s already six-forty.”

“It’s okay, Chief. The Preacher Man is late, too.”

“I better go down and get your aunt. She wanted to be here.”

“All right, Chief.” 

But then the door swung open and Mr. Mort pushed Aunty into the room in front of him. It was the first I saw of her since the tiger belted her. She had a big white bandage taped over her nose and her eyes were all black and blue, just the way mine got when Huey decked me last fall. But she was smiling like it didn’t even hurt at all.

“Hi, Aunty.”

“Hello yourself, dear.”

Chief shook hands with Mr. Mort, then asked. “So how did everything go?”

“Pretty good considering. Perkins was in the ledger. Pretty deep. I had Meyers proceed with the paperwork on him while I went to Berritts. When we got the evidence, I called him and he went to Seivers with the charges. Seivers took Perkins into custody on the spot. I’m meeting with Hoover–”

“J. Edgar?” I shouted from the bed.

He looked at me and spread his lips into a smile. His white teeth poked out at all sides. “Yes, kiddo. The man himself.”

“Wow,” I let him know.

He smiled at me some more and went back to centering his attention on Chief. “Anyway, I’m taking the log and the reports on what happened at your house to him on Tuesday. That reminds me,” he said looking over at Maggy. “I’m going to need a detailed account of what happened upstairs.”

“What?” she said. My sister’s face was red. “Why?”

“There’s a body, Maggy. You’re the only one who can explain it. You can give the account to your father.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. I noticed Chief was now looking at the floor. His ears darned near matched Maggy’s cheeks in color.

“Would it be easier for you to talk to the deputy there?” Mr. Mort asked her.

She shot a scared look at Mike. Her eyes shooting open real wide. “No!”Mike, too, looked sad.“I thought nothing happened–”

“I never said that,” she told him.

“You mean he–”

“No,.” She looked at Mr. Mort. Her chest rising and falling with each breath. “Can’t I tell you?”

Mr. Mort nodded at her. His head barely moved. “They’ll get a copy of the report anyway, Maggy.”

“I know that. I just can’t look at them ... and tell it. Please?”

Mr. Mort looked over at Chief, but Chief's eyes hadn't left Maggy.

“I understand,” Mr. Mort told her. “I’m leaving for Washington tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be by to get it in the morning.”

“We can do it after the ceremony here.” Maggy stared at him for a long spell. “After I tell you, I want to forget it ever happened. I guess the quicker we do it, the sooner I can forget.”

Mr. Mort nodded, then took Chief by the arm. He started off in a low voice, I guess he didn’t want us to hear because he turned his back on us. But I heard him anyway. “Bob, the men will be working on the house until tomorrow morning around ten. They’ve removed the bodies and are cleaning up the bloodstains.” He shot a quick glance over his shoulder, bedore telling Chief,  “They searched the office, Bob. I was going to have them retrieve the cult’s log as well as Blackney’s journal.”

“And?” Chief whispered back.

“They were both gone.”

“Gone?” Chief said forgetting to whisper. He shot a look at me then went back to Mr. Mort. “What do you mean, ‘gone?’ ” 

“They weren’t there, Bob. Someone removed them between the time I left and Graham’s team arrived.”

“Shit,” Chief said quietly. I could see his face grow red. “What are you going to do about evidence, now?”

“You mean to reopen the case?”

“Yeah.”

“With Perkins discredited, I’m going open it based on the evidence we’d gathered back in ‘23, and our notes on the Blackney case. It should be sufficient.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that somebody broke into my home. That they were watching, waiting. That they know we were on to them, Mort.” 

“I understand, my friend,” Mr. Mort told him just as the door opened and the preacher walked in. Both Mr. Mort and Chief turned to look.

“I hear there’s to be a wedding in here,” said the preacher.

“That would be us.” Chief pointed to himself and Miss Elly.

“Very good. My name is Father Burks.”

“Bob Broden and Elly Saunders,” Chief told him.

“Well let’s get started. Do you have the license?”

Chief patted his chest.

“Rings?”

Chief looked over at Mike. Mike pulled one out of his own pocket. “Right here, boss.”

“Oh no,” Maggy said by the window. “I left the other one on the dresser after we changed.”

“We’ll have to use a substitute.” Chief crossed the floor to Miss Elly. He pulled the ring he always wore off his finger. “I don’t know how you feel about using this one. But it would work for the ceremony, then after we get home I’ll exchange them.”

Miss Elly smiled him one. “It’s like having Kate’s blessing.”

Chief looked at Maggy, raising his eyebrows. She nodded and took the ring from him.

The wedding didn’t take long. They stood at the end of my bed, Maggy next to Miss Elly, and Mike standing off to the side of Chief. The preacher went about tying their knot and it ended with Chief kissing Miss Elly on the lips with some force. I looked over at Joe and we laughed together with just our eyes. Outside the sun was sinking, turning the sky the same dark purple as the bruises under Aunty’s eyes. It wouldn’t be long until the stars were out, flickering across the night's inky blackness.

Once the preacher signed the papers Chief had, he left, after winking a sign to me for setting it up. I gave him a smile and watched as he shut the door. 

Mr. Mort and Aunty stayed on for a while. Aunty talked quietly in the corner to Miss Elly. But then Mr. Mort noticed she was getting tired and excused himself from Chief. “I think it’s time I get Martha back. Just one thing, I think you should stay in a local motel here, tonight. The house won’t be ready until tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Chief looked at me. “That way we’ll be by early tomorrow, pumpkin.”

Craig had to chase them all out eventually, it was getting late and he could tell I was getting tired. But he stayed on until I was full-out sleeping. I was glad he did. I was still scared. From what, I couldn’t be sure about, the pieces kept changing up on me, spinning and fading. Craig read me a story until the pieces drifted away and I with them.

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