Although I guess I’d never seen him at the end of a long night of shots and beers.
And would the fact that Angus saw red at the abuse of women mean that he could have done the same thing to Jimmy Kratz that he’d done to Hank Ramsbottom if he’d found out?
Patsy poured a cup of coffee from the fresh pot and drank it black. “That’s not all. Jimmy was cheating on Reenie, too. With Carla, one of the diner waitresses. It’s a wonder he wasn’t as big as a house. He’d eat lunch at home and then come to the diner to see her and eat another one.”
A picture of Reenie crying and holding a suitcase flashed into my mind. “Oh my God, was that why he packed a suitcase? Because he was planning on leaving his wife?”
“Don’t sound so surprised, Daisy,” Eleanor said. “You and Joe—you’re a living romance novel—but the rest of the world is not that lucky. I read somewhere that fifty percent of spouses cheat on their significant other.”
Martha bit daintily into a piece of lemon cake. “Well, I know my Teddy never did.”
“How can you be so sure?” Eleanor demanded.
“Because I kept him so busy he didn’t have the time. Or the energy.”
“Oh, jeez. Too much information.” Sarah groaned and put her hands to her ears. “La-la-la!”
I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times Joe had ever lost his temper in all our years of marriage. I felt an even deeper sympathy for Reenie.
“And what about those poor Kratz children?” Dottie Brown said. “What kind of horrors must they have seen in their young lives so far?” Dottie had a large family and several grandchildren, and the thought of their lack of welfare made her press her lips together into a narrow line.
Suddenly I saw the solution to two problems in one.
“Hey, I have an idea. How about we organize a country fair or flea market, something like that, with the proceeds going towards a fund for the Kratz family?”
Martha’s eyes gleamed. “Yes! I’ll be in charge. We could have tractor pulls, and a baking contest and—”
“We’ll need a place to hold it.” Eleanor was ever practical.
“Maybe our farm?” Liz Gallagher said. “No, wait a minute, we really don’t have enough open space, and my hubby wouldn’t want people tramping through his crops right now.”
“What about the auction grounds?” I suggested.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit awkward?” Dottie said. “I mean, with Angus in prison for Jimmy’s murder and all . . .”
Her voice trailed off. Dottie Brown was also a friend of Betty’s. She owned a yarn and fabric store in Sheepville, and held knitting classes at night.
“Betty won’t mind. I’ll ask her,” I said firmly. “Besides, it’s for the children.”
As if sensing she’d made a faux pas, Dottie rushed to put matters to right. “Of course. For the children. Let’s see. My knitting-class ladies can make something to sell—socks, scarves, mittens, baby blankets—and I’ll donate the wool for them to use.”
“That would be great,” I told her warmly.
Sarah glanced up momentarily from her phone. “I can organize the parking situation.”
“Thanks, Sarah.” I guessed that meant she was planning on staying for a while longer.
“I’ll spread the word and see who wants to donate goods for the flea market,” Liz said. She had five children, all under high school age. She was the president of the Home & School Association, taught a fitness class three times a week, and where she found the energy, I never knew. “The kids can help, too. They can sell tickets for admission and set up a lemonade stand. Some of our farm animals could be used for a petting zoo.”
Ruth Bornstein nodded. “Good idea. I have a friend who owns some stables. We could bring in a pony and sell rides.”
Tall and elegant Ruth was involved in the Historical Society with Martha and Eleanor. She had some wealthy connections who always seemed to come through with donations or other assistance when needed to save a historic building. I’d bet she’d tap into that network now.
Seeing as this looked like it was turning into a lengthy discussion, I made another pot of coffee.
About twenty minutes later, Martha invited everyone to go to lunch so they could discuss things further. I knew that meant giving everyone a job to do. I smiled as I watched them leave.
I could cross another item off my to-do list. I’d given Martha something to keep her busy and excited—a legitimate reason to boss people around.
And speaking of crossing things off my list, Angus’s preliminary hearing was coming up in a couple of days, and I needed to buckle down and do some serious sleuthing.