Hannah’s mind took a huge leap, and suddenly she thought she knew exactly what Bonnie meant. “Phyllis,” she said, recalling Danielle’s comment that Bonnie had regarded Phyllis as her daughter.

“Yes. She went bad, Hannah . . . horribly bad. She forgot my lessons, and she wouldn’t listen when I tried to correct her. She said she wasn’t in school, and she didn’t have to listen to me. And then she pushed me away!”

Hannah felt a cold chill run through her as Bonnie’s eyes began to glitter. Her mind was teeming with questions, but she didn’t want to ask them for fear it would cut off the flow of Bonnie’s words.

“I taught her what to do, how to act like a lady, but she reverted to type. She tempted men and used them for her own gain. Mayor Bascomb was weak. He couldn’t help himself when she threw herself at him. And she was going to do it again. I saw that lunch bag, and I knew.”

Bonnie rocked a little faster and the speed of her speech increased along with the creaking. “Herb would have fallen under her spell. I knew that and I had to stop her. Men are weak. Except for Gil. Gil tried to save me. And he did . . . for years and years. Gil is my savior. Gil is my rock. I put my trust in him and he will not fail me.”

Hannah was silent. She wasn’t sure what to say, but she knew she had to say something. She reached into her pocket, clicked the voice record button on her smartphone and said, “I found your boots, Bonnie. And now I know that you killed Phyllis.”

Bonnie looked up at her again with those big, unfocused eyes. “But you see, I had to. She wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to correct her, to set her on the right path again. She laughed at me. I kept trying. I reminded her of what it meant to be a lady and she told me to shut up, but I persevered. She could not get away from me, from the truth. She tried, but I followed her.”

“Down into the ditch,” Hannah said, knowing she was right.

“Yes. Yes, down in the ditch. And she slipped and fell.”

The rocker slowed. And then it stopped. Bonnie’s eyes attempted to focus on Hannah. “You won’t tell Gil, will you? He sees the good in everyone. Do you have any idea how hard it is to live with someone who sees the good in everyone?”

Again, Hannah wasn’t sure how to answer so she changed the subject, bringing it back to the murder. “I know why you killed Phyllis. But tell me how you did it. I want to understand.”