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He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind to consider later as he pulled into Teddy Winfred’s driveway

The white single-widesurrounded by oak, pine, and dogwood trees The yard was neatly cut, and old Teddy’s late- model Ford pickup was parked next to the nition, then raveled driveway to the front door

The door opened as he stepped onto the faded porch, and a grizzled Teddy Winfred met him with a wide smile on his wrinkled face Teddy still possessedon them with his wide smiles

"Teddy" Zeke shook his hand "Kendal said you called and asked ain as his faded hazel eyes sparkled with humor as he led the way into the scrupulously neat little ho roo a wide-screen television

Zeke knew Teddy’s sons, one a minister in the county, the other a store owner, made certain their father ell taken care of It was one of their biggest gripes that their father refused to give up his independence and , Teddy?" Zeke removed his hat as he took the seat Teddy waved to

"I’ood" Teddy nodded his bald head before wiping a hand over it "I heard about Callie, how she died and all I got to thinking about those grandsons of hers and the around, you know, that they were murdered That concerned me some"

Zeke sat forward in the chair and watched the old man

"Why did that concern you, Teddy?"

"Well, Zeke" He rubbed his gnarled hands together before clasping the she drowned" His hazel eyes darkened with sadness "She said she thought her grandsons had beenShe asked me if I kneho it was"

"Why would you knoho it was, Teddy?" Zeke asked

Teddy sighed "I always knohen folks coo up this road And Joe and Jai here behind the house in the creek So and their voices carried real good here"

Zeke nodded encouragingly "Did you hear so before they died?"

"Well, see, that’s the problehtfully "I heard theht before they were killed They were drunk as skunks out back, laughing and cutting up I opened the back door so I could hear better" He grinned unapologetically

"Old folks like to live vicariously through young, duine, Teddy" Zeke chuckled "What did you hear Joe and Jaiirl Joe said he was getting serious about her, and Jaiet serious, too" Teddy shook his head "Those two got into soirls, you know?"

"I know" Zeke nodded again

Teddy shook his head and breathed out roughly "I told Callie what I’d heard and she said she was going to call you But when I got hold of her granddaughter the other day, she said she thought maybe Callie hadn’t had a chance to talk to you"

"Callie didn’t have time to talk toto contact littered with moisture then "She was killed, wasn’t she, Sheriff? Because she was trying to figure out who killed those grandsons of hers"

"I don’t know, Teddy Until I find out who the boys were seeing and if she had anything to do with it, then I can’t say," Zeke stated

Teddy breathed out slowly before rubbing the side of his wrinkled face

"What else did you hear the boys say that night, Teddy?" Zeke asked

"Just betweento talk to you and she ended up drowning in her bathtub I don’t want to drown in my bathtub"

"I can understand that, Teddy" He nodded "This stays just between the two of us"

Teddy nodded again "I didn’t hearabout being serious about this girl, and Joe said they’d have to be real careful for a while, because her daddy would kill theht be a little worried about that Then Jaime said he had a way to take care of it

That he kne to keep her daddy quiet He told Joe he had information, that he knew that her daddy was a part of thosefor last summer and that her daddy wouldn’t want anyone to know just how deep he was in that group

Now, I took it at first as just talk; you kno young boys get, and Joe and Jaime could be a little paranoid sometimes about stuff But when I told Callie as said, she went real quiet for a long time And she says, ‘That hat I was afraid of, Teddy

That hat I was afraid of’ And she hung the phone up then Next I heard, she was dead"

The girl’s father was a part of what happened last suiven the Mackay cousins and DHS infor the identities of several citizens involved in the Freedoive you a name, Teddy?"

Teddy shook his head "She didn’t say a na up and that was the last tihtfully

"And you think Callie figured out who it was frohed "I just knohat she said and how she said it And I knew Callie She knew soot her killed"