She stopped the mule and looked back at him. That was probably the closest thing to an invitation he was going to get. He climbed into his rental car and followed her home.
That morning he had wondered if he was moving a little fast. Now he was glad he had decided to come out when he did. Would the boy have harmed her or was he merely trying to frighten her? What was her father thinking, leaving two women alone in a place like this? That was when an idea occurred to him. Mr. Spencer wanted to know if his son was murdered so he would know if the rest of his family was safe while he was gone.
When he parked the car in their yard, Mary Jo took the mule to the barn. Mrs. Spencer came out on the porch, a hand shielding her eyes as she tried to identify the person in the car. When he climbed out, her face broke into a big smile. She came down off the porch to greet him.
"Mister Monroe! What a surprise! Light out and set a spell."
He took her arm and assisted her up the porch steps. "Barrett to my friends."
She looked up at him and sobered. "How is your head?"
"Much better today. Like I said; it's pretty hard."
She smiled. "I was hopin' to talk to you, but I didn't know how to reach you."
He lifted a brow. "So that's why Mary Jo went back for the sign."
She looked confused. "The sign?"
Apparently she hadn't sent Mary Jo. Maybe she simply saw the sign beside the road and picked it up.
Mrs. Spencer frowned. "What sign?"
He shrugged. "It was a magnetic sign that fell off the Car. I guess it must have been near the road."
Mrs. Spencer eyed him suspiciously. Had Mary Jo actually been looking for the sign - to contact him?