Alafair Tucker 01 - The Old Buzzard Had It Coming

Alafair observed to herself. Probably because she had been helpless to change anything for so long. Her gaze returned to Zorah and she smiled. Perhaps things would be different, now, she hoped.
    “We’ll be around more, now,” Zorah said, answering Alafair’s unspoken thought.
    “Why, whatever could have happened to cause such a falling out between you and your brother, Miz Millar?” Alafair asked.
    Zorah sighed. “Oh, it’s a long story, Miz Tucker. I don’t want to plague you with it.”
    “No, I’d like to hear it, if you don’t mind,” Alafair assured her, “and if it don’t fret you to hear it, Miz Day. I’d be interested to try and understand something about Mr. Day. I don’t believe I ever knew of anyone with so many enemies. What was it about him that would make somebody want to kill him in such a cold way?”
    There was a moment of silence as the Millars and Mrs. Day stared at their laps and pondered Alafair’s question. Alafair took a bite of her cake and cast a glance at Phoebe, who was watching the adults avidly. Naomi appeared at Alafair’s side and refilled her coffee cup.
    Zorah came to a decision and looked up. “Well,” she said, “I kind of hate to talk ill of the dead, especially with Harley laid out in the next room and all. But the sheriff has already asked us about all this, so I suppose you’ll hear the whole thing by and by.” She looked at J.D. for support, and he nodded at her.
    “Harley was always a rakehell,” she began, “and irresponsible, but he didn’t used to be as bad as he got. Nobody could be, I reckon. But he was a disappointment to our father. For years, Daddy kept trying to help him, don’t you know. Kept giving him money, getting him jobs. Why, Daddy bought this piece of property here and let Harley live on it for just a little rent. Thought that maybe if he couldn’t do nothing else, he could be a farmer. But Harley had big ideas. He didn’t want to work on an oil rig, or at the brick plant, or raise crops. He was always looking for some way to make a lot of money fast.”
    “All he ever found was ways to lose his money fast,” J.D. put in.
    “That’s the truth,” Zorah agreed. “Before John Lee got old enough to take over, Harley pretty much squandered any money he made on a crop. Gambled most of it away, I think. He reached a point where he couldn’t afford to buy seed, and had to go begging to Daddy for another loan. Well, Daddy give it to him. What could he do? Harley had a passel of kids to feed, and a new one every year. But he told Harley that that was the last money he was ever getting from him, and he better get to cracking.”
    “You can guess what happened, Miz Tucker,” J.D. took up the story. “Harley lost every dime of that money on a Choctaw horse race over in Okmulgee. That was the last straw for old Mr. Day. I don’t expect he wanted his grandkids to starve, but he figured that if he cut Harley off, he’d have to straighten up.”
    “Then Harley blamed Daddy for making him poor,” Zorah added.
    “Nothing was ever Harley’s fault, as far as he was concerned,” J.D. said. The silent Mrs. Day was solemnly nodding her agreement.
    “Well, I blame Harley for busting Daddy’s heart,” Zorah said heatedly. Her gaze flicked guiltily toward the parlor, where the said Harley lay in state, unable to defend himself. Zorah sat up straight, stiffening her resolve. “Daddy died just a few weeks after that. His heart give out, Doc Addison said. Harley was his only son, and expected to inherit most of Daddy’s estate. He actually gloated to me at Daddy’s funeral. Can you imagine that, Miz Tucker?” Two spots of color rose in her cheeks. “I wanted to poke him in the face right then and there. But Daddy had the last word in the matter. He left everything to me, except for this pitiful farm. I don’t think he would have left Harley that if it weren’t for the kids.”
    “Well, Harley was fit to bust,” J.D. went on. “He accused Zorah of turning their dad against him. He got him a lawyer and contested the will, but he lost, and then on top of everything, he was in debt to the lawyer. He threatened Zorah, said he’d hurt us somehow if she didn’t give him some of that money, but I absolutely forbade her to do it.”
    “I didn’t have no desire to, anyway,” Zorah said. “But I did want to help my sister-in-law and these kids. I’d come out here for a while after that, bring food and clothes, but finally Harley