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It had been Isabel's plan all along for us to work at the Farm for a few more days, so, on the following Tuesday, we drove with her to the Towns County courthouse to meet with Seymour Fitz, the Clerk of Court. As if expecting her visit, a file clerk immediately brought out the Stoddard folder, led Isabel to a small conference room just off the lobby, and quietly left. Isabel was amazed to see how small the file was. With all of the fuss, attention, and County personnel rushing around at the crime scene, she had expected much more; but, as Isabel later put it, "that's our tax dollars in action."
Isabel was also surprised when she viewed the suicide note. It was neat, brief, penned in cursive, and not at all flowery; certainly not how she would imagine a devoted husband's "goodbye" after fifty-four long years of marriage.
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"My dear Effie: sorry to end it all on this sour note, but I have been thinking about this for some time. Leaving you with Oliver doesn't seem like a fair thing to do, but I know that you will be free to give him one-hundred percent, and that is what he is needing these days. With our Phyllis showing signs of another mental breakdown, I would say that the young Whitlow family will soon have good reason to fret. It's been almost five years since young Raymond told us that he wouldn't plan on having children because of Ollie and his own mother. Until I saw her last month, I didn't realize that Phyllis was that bad off. I guess young Raymond seen the writing on the wall long before we did.
"I know this will be hard for you, but it is best. I have left my boat trailer hooked up to the Ford, and you can just park it and leave it locked at Lake Nottely if you want to avoid the embarrassment of a family suicide. Back | Next
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