Nobody's Fool Y'all

47

"Oh, honey," Nylette said. "I don't like the sound of that. They say that girl's spirit is still here! What if we do make Molly disappear, and she can't find rest. What if she haunts us?"

"Jiminy," Bo Dean said. "What a mess."

"Yes, it is. And don't just stand there," Percy said. "Gimme a hand, Bo Dean. Molly's as big as a house. She must weigh a ton. Move that chair. Nylette, wipe off the corner off that end table. There's blood everywhere. Be sure not to touch anything. Don't worry if they find our prints in here, later. Why wouldn't they? I'm her relative. You two are my associates. But the best of all worlds will be if we can make them believe Molly took off somewhere. I can't think straight, right now. But give me some time, and I'll think of some cover story."

"It better be a good one, Percy. I'm allergic to prison."

"Percy," Nylette whimpered.

"Leave it to me, Baby. Just leave it all to old Percy."

Hadley heard noises. Were they rolling Molly up in a rug? 

Groaning, straining and grunting sounds were heard.

"She really is as heavy as a house," Bo Dean said.

"Take the feet, Nylette," said Percy. "Help us get her out to the car."

After several minutes of cursing and grunting, Hadley heard the cottage door, and then the car doors, slam. The engine cranked. The car drove off into the darkness.

"I think the coast is clear," Hadley said.

"Are you sure?" said Maury.

"What just happened?" asked Lou Edna.

"What do you mean?" asked Hadley. "Didn't you two hear all that?"

"No," said Lou Edna. "All I heard was a bunch of muffled noises and garbled talking."

"How could we hear anything, Hadley?" Maury said. "You had us crammed so far back in that closet, I'll be picking coat lint out of my teeth for a week!"

"Come on," Hadley said.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to our cottage," she said.

"Do you think it's safe?" Maury asked.

"What if we get shot by some sloshed party pooper and his pistol-happy partner?" asked Lou Edna.

"We're going to call Bill," Hadley said.

"And tell him what?" Maury asked. "That we broke into a cottage and spent the night in a closet?"

"Bill can't help us," Lou Edna said.

"Why not?" asked Hadley.

"Ain't it as plain as the nose on your face?"

"Oh," said Hadley. "I forgot about that."