Nobody Knows Your Secret

5

When Hadley arrived home, she called her good friend, Delta Arden. Delta was a waitress at the Greasy Spoon.

"Hey, girlfriend," Delta said. "What's up?"

"Maury and I were just riding around. Brinkley's truck came up. I've been meaning to ask you how those flowers are doing since you dosed them with the manure we loaded in Brink's truck bed."

"Girl, those things are growin' like weeds. I never seen a patch of flowers take off so. I'm really glad you helped me, Hadley," Delta said. "I think the dirt I had them in was lacking something. That was the sorriest flower bed I ever had in my life until I got that compost mixed in."

"You should have seen Brinkley eye the bed of that truck when I returned it to his garage that day," Hadley said. "Wouldn't have surprised me one bit if he'd pulled a microscope out of his back pocket, the way he was looking it over. Making sure I'd cleaned all that fertilizer out."

"Ha, ha. I can just imagine. He treats that rust bucket like it's the family jewels."

"The engine does hum."

"Yeah. He keeps that part running smoothly, "but a little soap and water and some elbow grease would do that bucket of bolts a world of good."

"What it lacks in looks," Hadley said, "it makes up for in dependability."

"I guess," Delta said. "What else did you do?"

"Nothing much. Maury and I got off on Reeves Brody."

"Why did he come up?" Delta asked. 

"I don't know. We were just gabbing. It was a jolt though," Hadley said. "His confession that he killed Eustian Singlepenny. And all because he needed money!"

"To use Avielle's rat bait to do it," Delta said. "That just creeps the living daylights out of me."

"I know. I just can't believe it," said Hadley. "Who knew Reeves Brody was so cunning and cold!"

"Yeah."

"I still feel sorry for his wife," Hadley said. "Avielle had a thriving business until Reeves ruined it."

"Have you heard anything from Rayna?"

"No. Don't ever expect to," Hadley said.

"Richie got married last week," said Delta. "He'll have Florene pregnant before you can say 'boo.'"

"I know. Hormones race hot at that age. Richie needs somebody like Florene. She's got a good head on her shoulders. Together, she and Richie will do just fine helping Rayna run the orchard. I'm really happy that he found such a nice girl. He's lucky."

"Yeah," said Delta.

"After losing Junior and Teddy running off like he did, Rayna deserves scads of grandkids and a dump truck load of happiness."

"You said it, girlfriend," Delta said.