A Willing Murder (Medlar Mystery 1)

With the name came memory and Kate started to put down the dish of ice cream, but Jack wouldn’t let her.

“What else?” she asked as she started eating.

“Flynn spilled his guts to Cotilla. Our sheriff knows when to retreat.”

“Mary Ellerbee?”

“Yes.”

“What about Evan?”

“The Broward County Sheriff’s Department now knows it all.” Jack looked down at the paper with a grin.

“What are you smiling about?”

“It was a joy to hear Flynn being told that he was an idiot for ever thinking Roy Wyatt killed the Morris girls.”

“That isn’t what the detective said last time. What makes him so sure now?”

“The confession and suicide of the actual murderer.” Jack hesitated. “We have been ordered off the case, though. Which is now officially closed.”

Kate nearly choked on her ice cream—which she was enjoying immensely. “Again?”

“It was smart of you to tell me to send the photo of the suicide note to people, because Sara and I had our phones confiscated. And one of her camera cards was taken.”

“What was on the card?”

“The pictures she took before you found Dan. The later ones were on a card she put inside her shoe.”

“They don’t know you took a photo of the note?”

“No. I sent it to my mother. And by the way, she came over here and undressed you. But I did offer to help.”

“Kind of you.” She held out her hand and Jack gave her a piece of paper. It was a copy of the suicide note.

I’d always thought Cheryl was beautiful, but she would never pay any attention to me. I knew it was her birthday, so I took flowers to her. She rejected them, then yelled at me to get away from her. I got so angry that I pushed her. She hit her head on the concrete steps and died. Her mother came out of the house and screamed that she was calling the sheriff.

I went berserk and strangled her. I threw both bodies in the pit in the back and kicked dirt over them. Right after that I left for the training camp in Naples. When I got back, I planted a tree over their graves. No one in town looked for them but what I did has haunted me for all my life.

I can no longer live with myself.

She put down the paper and looked at Jack. “He doesn’t mention Evan or Mary. And what about the stabbing?”

“That’s what Sara and I wondered, too. But last night all we did was nod and agree with every law-enforcement person that we’d behave and go back to our respective jobs.”

Kate sucked in her breath. “Jobs! That reminds me, I heard Aunt Sara on the phone to my mother. She threatened her. Said she was... I don’t remember, but it was awful. I have to call my mother now.”

Jack reached across the table to put his hand over her wrist. “I think you should hold off on that.”

“But—”

“I think there’s something big between your aunt and your mother. Right now you need to decide whether you’re going to stay out of it or put yourself between two armed warriors. You could get destroyed by both of them.”

“Mom must have been hurt by Aunt Sara’s words.”

“Probably. So whose side will you choose?”

“My mother’s, of course. She—”