Near Miss

Chapter Fourteen: Prattle

As Sylvie stood alone in the doorway to Vera Hawk's room, scanning across its drab coloration and austere emptiness, she felt as if she was looking at what her own room could have been. There were at least six different models of houses in the subdivision- that much ensured that the houses looked at least reasonably different- but it was still not uncommon to encounter two houses of the same type. Sylvie's house was the same model as the Hawks'. And Vera Hawk was sleeping in her very own analog to Sylvie's bedroom.

The carpeting was the same light tan as Sylvie's, but the room had been painted beige and the curtains were a worn light brown that did absolutely nothing to keep out the light of the setting sun. Vera's bedsheets were plain white, with a thin gray blanket draped across the base. Although the bed was neatly made and the room was carefully cared for, Sylvie got the distinct impression that Vera's family members weren't interested in her personal preferences. They wanted to take care of her as practically as possible.

"I thought she was going to wake up."

Grayson frowned. He was using the only seat in the room: an industrial-brand gray folding chair that had been set up in the corner of the room, with a good view of Vera's bed. "She is going to wake up," he explained. "I just don't know when."

"Is it all right if I talk to you first, then?"

"Why do you need to talk to me, exactly?" Grayson sounded profoundly confused. "You said it was about Maggie."

"It is about your sister," Sylvie confirmed. "I'm trying to keep her safe. I'm not sure how much she would want to tell you, so I'm going to let her speak for herself. If you want to know, you can ask her."

"So... you're going to ask me questions, without explaining anything," Grayson summarized doubtfully.

Sylvie smiled. "Exactly. Now, where were you on Tuesday afternoon?"

"Here," Grayson said promptly. "Tuesdays are my day off. I was taking care of Vera."

"Can she confirm that?"

"She was asleep some of the time..." Grayson trailed off.

"Was anyone else here?"

"Aunt Abby was here all afternoon." Grayson cleared his throat. "Do you suspect us of something? What happened on Tuesday afternoon?"

"Did either of you leave at any point, for any errands?" Sylvie didn't bother to answer Grayson's question. He already knew he wasn't going to get any information from her.

"I don't think so, no."

"Okay then." Sylvie had already heard the same testimony from Miss Skink, and she was glad to hear that the two stories corroborated. They both had alibis- just like Melanie and Oscar had alibis, which Sylvie would check up on as soon as she got the chance to call the birthday girl.

More questions, Sylvie thought to herself. The more questions, the more likely she'd uncover some truths.

"What do you think of your Aunt Abby's computer skills?"

Grayson snorted. "Awful. Why do you ask?"

Sylvie shifted tactics. "Is Vera from here?"

"She's lived here for several decades now," Grayson explained. "I met Melanie when I came to visit. We sold Grandma's house earlier this summer and moved here."

Sylvie let that information sink into her brain. They had just moved. That, she knew, was very important indeed.

"What do you think is Oscar's opinion of his aunt?"

"Awful," Grayson repeated. "Honestly, I can't blame either of them. She was only trying to help him out, but she knows nothing about music. She's an athlete, for goodness' sake! They're all about 'no pain, no gain'- well, that's wrong. She pushed Oscar because she thought he needed it, and he got hurt. She's really upset about it, but I don't think he's having any of it."