“Like what? Was that why Danny left? And now someone’s upset he’s back?”

“I don’t know why he left. He wouldn’t tell me.”

“Abby, I saw Danny crying his heart out over the top of Debby Randolph’s grave.”

She looked at him strangely. “Debby Randolph?”

“Yes. Did he know her? Did he love her?”

“They dated a couple times in high school. But she was Willie’s girl now.”

“How did she die?”

“Committed suicide. With a shotgun in a little shed behind her parents’ house.”

“Why would she have killed herself?”

“I don’t know. I guess she was depressed. Tyree’s looking into it.”

“But right after she died, Danny left Divine?” Abby balled a tissue between her fingers and nodded slowly. “Did he ever mention Debby to you recently?”

“No.” She dabbed at her eyes again.

“So what strange things are you talking about?”

“Just things.”

“Abby, can’t you be more specific?”

“There was a murder right before Danny left.”

“Murder? Who?”

“Fellow named Rory Peterson.”

“I saw his grave too. Who murdered him?”

“Don’t know. Tyree’s still looking at that one too.”

“Who was Peterson?”

“An accountant. He also helped run the town fund.”

“Town fund?”

“Divine has been through enough booms and busts so we decided to try a different approach. Everybody kicked in some money, businesses, regular folks. I put in more than most because I had more money. We put it all in an investment account and it’s done real well. Rory did the books. The fund pays out quarterly dividends. It’s been a godsend to folks around town. Kept businesses going that otherwise wouldn’t be able to make a go of it. Allowed folks to keep their houses, pay off their debt, survive the lean times.”

“You said Peterson did the books. Was he maybe skimming and somebody didn’t like that?”

“I don’t know. I know Rory had some contacts in New York. That was where he was from originally. That was another reason the fund was doing so well. He got us piggybacked on some of those private equity people’s investments up there. At least that’s what he said. Hitting stuff out of the park, at least according to the dividends I get.”

“Would Danny be mixed up in that somehow? Or Debby?”

“Don’t see how. Danny’s never been what you’d call financially savvy. His interests are a lot more basic. Debby was an artist. She had nothing to do with the fund.”

“Well, those guys tonight didn’t seem like the Wall Street types either.”

Abby’s phone buzzed. She answered it and then passed it across to Stone. “It’s Tyree,” she said.

The sheriff said, “Ben, I went to the place you said. Nobody was there. Didn’t find nothing. No bats, no blood, no belt.”

“They must’ve come back and cleaned it all up.”

“How’s Danny?”