Buried Bones Read online

  The kiss lingered well into the new year, and I gave myself to it with complete abandon. As a slave of tradition, I realized I’d set a precedent. According to Delaney superstition, the acts committed on the first day of the year will be repeated throughout the year. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was a dynamite start to a new year.

  Of course, where Hamilton Garrett was concerned, there were no guarantees or traditions. There was only the moment.

  It was enough.

  Another conversation with Carolyn Haines, author of Buried Bones, Them Bones, Splintered Bones, and Crossed Bones, and her character Cece Dee Falcon

  Columnist for The Zinnia Dispatch Cece Dee Falcon has insisted on interviewing author Carolyn Haines. Cece was dissatisfied with the prior interview conducted by Jitty. The questions weren’t tough enough, according to the journalist.

  Since Mississippi in the spring is a preview of heaven. Cece and Carolyn met for an afternoon mint julep on the porch of Dahlia House.

  CAROLYN: How’s your drink, Cece? I grew the mint myself.

  CECE: The drink is fine, dahling, but you’ve got the protocol all backwards. I ask; you answer. You made me a tough journalist and you have to live with it. My, this is going to be fun.

  CAROLYN: Give it your best shot.

  CECE: Well, dahling, how does one go about becoming a mystery writer? And remember, no fibbing. I have access to your innermost thoughts.

  CAROLYN: I think it has a lot to do with upbringing. I grew up in a family of journalists. Some of my earliest memories are of both my parents at the kitchen table, one at either end—dueling typewriters. I was raised with the idea of hunting for the story beneath the story.

  CECE: Yes, as a journalist myself, I know what it’s like to have “ink in the blood.” So tell the readers of The Zinnia Dispatch, why did you select our little hamlet of Zinnia as the setting for your books?

  CAROLYN: I grew up in a small town, and I think the interrelationships of the people in a town are often more intense. I live in a city now, and though I recognize city officials on television, I don’t know them. In a small town, people know the public persona, but they also know the personal details. It makes for a more complex and subtle stew. As to the location of the town in the Mississippi Delta, I can only say that geography dictates character. Where else could I have found you and Tinkie and Jitty? Not to mention Lawrence and Harold. You just sprang out of that rich Delta soil like a high-dollar crop of cotton.

  CECE: Tell us, how does it feel to murder a character? I mean there are people I’ve fantasized about strangling, but one doesn’t actually follow through. But you do. How does that feel?

  CAROLYN: Now that’s a great question, Cece. I’m proud of you. Killing off a character is a very emotional decision. There are some folks who just need killing, as you’ll discover in the next book. And there are others, like Lawrence, who live on in my mind, even though he may be dead in the pages of the book. But look at it this way. If Lawrence wasn’t murdered, there wouldn’t be a book. Still, there are regrets when someone I’ve come to like has to die.

  CECE: When you begin to write the book, do you know who the killer is?

  CAROLYN: Another excellent question. The correct answer would be, “Yes, I always know.” But I feel that I must be truthful with you and your readers. Sometimes I think I know. What I mean is that I start out knowing—and then things change. You people aren’t the easiest to manage, you know. While I’m sleeping or swimming or riding my horses, y’all do things I don’t expect. Then I sit down to write and acts have been committed that change the whole complexion of the story. I probably shouldn’t confess this because it indicates I’m not in control of my work. But then I’ve spent too many years trying to control things. I guess I just have to trust y’all not to lead me too far down the primrose path.

  CECE: You really should give us some credit. We are quite capable of taking care of most things. I’m sure I could improve on Sarah Booth’s wardrobe if you’d just let me have sway.

  CAROLYN: Don’t get huffy—or personal. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re inept. Ask me something else.

  CECE: Okay, how much like you is Sarah Booth?

  CAROLYN: Oh, my, now that’s a very probing question. Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?

  CECE: Don’t get clever on me. You know I got a better education at Ole Miss than you did. Just answer my questions.

  CAROLYN: Can an author ever be separated from her creation? No. Sarah Booth and I both share a love of mischief and adventure. We both love animals. We’re both nosy. How’s that?

  CECE: You’re dodging the question!

  CAROLYN: Not deliberately. The thing is, all of the populace of Zinnia have things in common with me. Even the wicked characters. A writer and her creations are inseparable.

  CECE: Now that’s a fine bit of smoke and mirrors. I can see you’re not going to give me a real answer, so let’s move on. Are Sarah Booth and Tinkie going to work well together? I mean I love Tinkie to death, but sometimes she is so blond!

  CAROLYN: Tinkie adds some balance to the partnership, don’t you think? And someone has to keep an eye on Sarah Booth. She’s prone to jump in over her head.

  CECE: What’s going to happen next? Are you ever going to give Sarah Booth a sense of style?

  CAROLYN: What, you don’t think Sarah Booth cuts a fine figure?

  CECE: Maybe she could discover a relative who works in the fashion business. She could go to New York for a makeover. And she could take me! Now that would be a good story.

  CAROLYN: I see where you’re headed and don’t go there.

  CECE: Okay, so what’s the next mystery? Inquiring minds want to know.

  CAROLYN: I’d drop that slogan if I were you. It doesn’t become you. I’ve crafted you to be classier than tabloid fare. I can’t give away the next book, but I can give you a few hints. That way you can see what it’s like to be a private investigator. If I give you the proper clues, maybe you can figure it out. There will be wealth, glamour, and horses—and a man who just needs killing.

  CECE: Are the Dixie Chicks going to put in a surprise appearance?

  CAROLYN: Now that’s an idea. They understand why Earl had to die. I wonder if I could put them on the jury?

  CECE: You’d better check their concert schedule. Now let’s see … horses, glamour, wealth, and murder. Sounds like it could be a very social event.

  CAROLYN: Absolutely.

  CECE: Then of course I play a starring role!

  CAROLYN: Absolutely.

  CECE: Then I suppose it doesn’t matter what the mystery is about. My audience will be perfectly happy just reading about me. I suppose I’ve devoted enough column inches to you. Writers are never as interesting as their characters are. Now get back to work. Things in Zinnia are dull when you aren’t working.

  This book is dedicated

  to the memory of Eugene Walter—

  a tremendous influence even now.

  Acknowledgments

  With each published book I learn the value of good friends and good critics. No writer could have better friends (and critics!) than the Deep South Writers Salon: Reneé Paul, Stephanie Chisholm, Susan Tanner, Jan Zimlich, and Rebecca Barrett. They make me a better writer.

  My agent Marian Young has hung tough through the lean times—and maintained a sense of humor that is very forgiving of mine. When she believes in a book, she is there one hundred percent.

  Working with Kara Cesare and Kate Miciak at Bantam has been one of my best publishing experiences. And I can only praise the Bantam art department. Great covers!

  I’d also like to thank the booksellers, particularly those specializing in mysteries, who work so hard to promote the genre. They are indefatigable.

  Books by Carolyn Haines

  Them Bones

  Buried Bones

  Splintered Bones

  Crossed Bones

  Hallowed Bones

  About the Author

  A native of Missi
ssippi, Carolyn Haines lives in southern Alabama on a farm with her horses, dogs, and cats. She was recently honored with an Alabama State Council on the Arts literary fellowship for her writing. A former photojournalist, she is active in organizations that rescue animals and promote animal rights.