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When Dickce returned with the brandy she said, “Another change of subject. Do you remember what Coriander Simpson looked like?”

An’gel thought for a moment, tried to dredge up a clear memory of the young woman. All she got was a hazy picture of an attractive woman with short hair and café au lait skin. She shared the meager description with Dickce.

“That’s about the best I can do,” Dickce said. “I do remember, though, that she was slender, like Callie, and about the same height.” She paused for a sip of brandy. “Maybe I should have asked Mrs. Simpson for a picture of her I could borrow. I didn’t think about it at the time, though.”

“She might have thought that it was a strange request,” An’gel said.

“You’re probably right.”

“I wonder if there are any pictures of her at Ashton Hall,” An’gel said. “We might ask Hadley.”

“What reason could we give for asking for a picture of a former housemaid?” Dickce asked.

“Good point.” An’gel thought for a moment longer, then felt foolish as a memory surfaced. “We have a picture of her. I just remembered.”

“We do?” Dickce said. “Why do we have a picture of her?”

“From that big party we had here that last Christmas before Hadley left and Callie disappeared. Don’t you remember?”

Dickce nodded. “Now that you mention it, I do. Didn’t Coriander Simpson come over to help Clementine supervise the caterer’s staff that evening?”

“She did,” An’gel said. “The question is, where are the picture albums from back then? You packed a bunch of them away, didn’t you, about fifteen years ago?”

“I did,” Dickce said. “I know exactly where they are, too. Unfortunately, we can’t get at them tonight.”

“Why?” An’gel asked. “Where are they?”

“In the Athena College archives,” Dickce replied. “That particular Christmas party was a fund-raiser for the library. They needed money for something—can’t remember now what it was—and we hosted the event. Eulalie Estes asked me for them, and I didn’t see any need for us to keep them.”

“I’d forgotten it was a fund-raiser,” An’gel said. “I guess we’ll have to go by the archives tomorrow and visit with Charlie and Diesel and get a copy of any picture we can find with Coriander in it.”

“After we get the car to the body shop,” Dickce said. “It’s always fun to visit Charlie and Diesel.”

“That takes care of our morning,” An’gel said. “I think we need to talk to Hadley in the afternoon. I know Kanesha has probably already questioned him more than once, but she probably didn’t ask him everything I plan to.”

“Do you think we ought to tell her what we’re doing?” Dickce said. “She might prefer that we keep our noses out of this.”

“We’re simply going to be talking to an old and dear friend about memories from the past,” An’gel said. “I can’t see the harm in that. Besides, I think we’re more likely to get Hadley to open up to us than Kanesha is. He’s hiding something, I’m almost sure of it, and I intend to find out what it is. If it helps put an end to this situation, then Kanesha will be happy to have the information.”

“Hadley’s more likely to open up to you, you mean,” Dickce said.

An’gel didn’t care for the mischievous glint in her sister’s eye. She wished Dickce would give up trying to needle her about Hadley. She was tired of it, and she was having a hard enough time suppressing certain memories without Dickce’s teasing to keep them resurfacing.

“I’m feeling tired. I’m going up to bed.” An’gel rose. “Would you mind taking my snifter to the kitchen?”

“Not at all,” Dickce said. “You have had an unusual day, and I’m sure you’re ready to put it behind you. Go on up, and I’ll make sure everything is locked up for the night.”

“Thank you, Sister.” An’gel appreciated how sweet Dickce could be when she wasn’t feeling her best.

She climbed the stairs slowly. She could feel the stiffness in her back and knew it might be worse in the morning. Her neck was a bit sore as well. She decided a nice hot soak in a tub with Epsom salts might be exactly what she needed to help with her back. Their mother had always sworn by Epsom salts for a variety of issues, and over the years An’gel and Dickce had realized the benefits of their mother’s advice. With her plan in mind, An’gel headed straight for her bathroom to begin filling the tub.

The next morning An’gel felt only a slight stiffness when she awoke, and she hoped a hot shower would soon put that right. The soreness in her neck had diminished a bit, but if it persisted she would probably have to have it x-rayed, she realized.

She called their insurance agent at eight o’clock, and he promised to have everything taken care of. He would contact the sheriff’s department in case they wanted someone at the body shop to examine the car further before repairs began.