"Why are you calling me at this hour?" Edna said to the deputy on the phone. "There's been an accident with your brother, Mrs. Moore. Please come down to the station," he said carefully. "What kind of accident?" she said annoyed. "Please m'am, just come to the office," he said and hung up. Edna hung up the phone and sat down on her bed, feeling put out. What could her brother have done in the past hour that could be considered an accident? He had been the Sheriff of Leesford for the past twenty-two years with nothing more exciting happening than a few drunk driver arrests after the annual German Festival.
Edna got up from her bed and looked in her large closet, eyeing the contents with disdain. What to wear for such an occasion? I suppose fur is out of the question, despite the weather, she said out loud to no one but her Siamese cat. She finally settled on a dark green silk pantsuit and a few pieces of gold jewelry. The goal was to look pulled together and wealthy, just in case anyone had forgotten.
*******
When Edna arrived at her brother's office she was amazed by the number of cars in the parking lot and surprised to see an ambulance. She climbed out of her tan Cadillac and started to carefully walk in her high-heeled boots through the slush. "Hi Edna, can I have a word with you?" the deputy asked as he guided her towards his patrol car. "What ever is the matter? Did my brother shoot himself in the foot?" she said with a small laugh. "No, m'am. I'm afraid it is worse than that. He shot himself in the head." Edna stared at the man in disbelief. She grabbed for the door of the patrol car to steady herself. "He's dead?" she asked the deputy incredulously. "I'm afraid so. You can't go in there though. The medical examiner hasn't come yet."
"God damn it!" she said and started to cry. "Here, have a seat," he said and opened the back door of the car. I'll stay with you until the medical examiner gets here." Edna climbed carefully into the back of the patrol car. She stared at the metal bars between the deputy and herself and started to tremble. Keep it together, she told herself, they don't know anything. The deputy looked at Edna in the rear view mirror and watched her dab at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. Everyone reacted differently to news of death, he thought. However, Edna was acting odd. She wasn't talking and wasn't even crying any more. She simply sat and stared out the window at the slow parade of people walking in and out of the small building.
