Charlotte Moore

“Novena’s point in this case. “Well, Tamlyn Borders was from Merchantsville,” she’s said. “So how’s that going to be about Cathay?” Tyler and Novena looked at each other and then laughed. “No, no, no,” Tyler said. “Tamlyn Sykes Borders is from Cathay. She just happened to be living in Merchantsville.” Novena, Hunter had already learned, was a fourth cousin of Marlene Sykes, Tamlyn’s mother. Novena had already been at the Sykes home in Cathay for the crisis there. She had taken potato salad, she said. And no, she hadn’t seen Skeet, but they said he had gotten to the Atlanta airport and called from there. His brother and sister-in-law picked him up “Jewell, that’s Marlene’s sister,” Novena recounted, “Jewel said that Marlene went all hysterical when he said he was going to come by and pick up the baby, but she must have gotten over it pretty fast, because when I was there, all she could talk about was how the house was all locked up and had the crime tape and how they were going to have to get in before the funeral or else go shopping for Tamlyn.” Hunter winced. Novena nodded. “I told her that Sam would probably let her in to pick something, but it turns out that Marlene doesn’t speak to Sam since he arrested her baby boy once, so they hadn’t even asked. I think she just wanted to buy something new for Tamlyn. That girl did love clothes. “Anyway, they’re going to try to have the visitation at the funeral home tomorrow night, and the funeral on Saturday, and they’re going to bury her over there in Cathay. Jewel, that’s Marlene’s sister, just took over and started planning everything.” “Looks like Skeet would be the one to do all the planning,” Tyler said. “Oh, I don’t think he’d know what to do,” Novena said, “You know,”
― Charlotte Moore, Deep South Dead