A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery 2)

“I think the sheriff will probably talk to him,” Kate said. “But I imagine he’ll talk to a lot of people.”

“Like who?” Megan snapped. “Janet Beeson was a gentle, kind woman whose best friend killed herself. I remember how she looked after Mrs. Alden died. Sylvia was Kyle and Carolyn’s next-door neighbor and they adored her. She used to bake brownies and she made Halloween costumes for the boys. We were all devastated by her death. The boys felt like they’d lost a grandmother.”

Megan’s tears began again. “Then Mrs. Beeson bought the house and I guess we expected her to be like Sylvia.”

“But she wasn’t?” Sara asked.

“Mrs. Beeson was quieter, but then she was grieving over the loss of her friend. When she wasn’t helping around town, she stayed inside her house, not bothering anyone. She gave but didn’t receive.?

??

Megan again buried her face in her hands. “My brother is the only person in town who has ever been nasty to Janet Beeson.”

Jack stood up. “Megan,” he said firmly, “I think you should go to Sheriff Flynn in the morning and tell him everything. Personally, I think he’s going to tell you to go home and quit worrying. No one’s going to think your brother murdered a woman because she never forgave him for something his kids did. Your brother made amends as best he could.”

“Will you tell Sheriff Flynn for me?”

“No!” Jack said. “That’s your job, not ours.” He held out his hand to help her up. “I want you to go home and get some sleep. You’ve worked yourself into a frenzy for no reason.”

She looked up at Jack and batted her tear-dampened lashes. “You think so?”

“Yes, I do.” His voice was firm, allowing no disagreement. With his hand on her lower back, he ushered her to the front door.

“I always liked you, Jack,” Megan said. “Remember that date we went on when you were a senior and I was just a junior? You were such a gentleman. I’ve always wondered why you didn’t ask me out on a second date.”

“Your brother...uh, asked me not to.”

“He did?”

Jack opened the door and half shoved her out. “Go home and sleep and tomorrow go talk to the sheriff. Got it?”

She smiled. “I will.”

He shut the door, leaned on it, and looked at Sara and Kate.

“So why didn’t you ask her out again?” Kate asked.

“She was a fluffy-brained giggler. And besides, her brother said he’d take a sledgehammer to my truck if I so much as touched her.”

“With a temper like that,” Kate said, “maybe he did do something to Janet Beeson.”

Sara gave a snort. “Ha! If I had a younger sister and an eighteen-year-old Jack got near her, I’d have pulled out a shotgun.”

“I can understand that,” Kate said. “So what’s changed about him now?”

Jack groaned. “I’m going back to bed. Alone. In spite of my undeserved reputation.” He rubbed his eyes. “Little kids painting witch on a door as a cause for murder,” he mumbled. “Ridiculous.”

“If Janet had murdered him, I’d understand,” Sara said. “But not the other way around.”

Kate looked thoughtful. “Maybe Janet and Carolyn were having the affair and Kyle—”

“I’m the writer,” Sara said, “so don’t steal my job. But that isn’t a bad idea for a story. If—”

“Bed!” Jack said and headed down the hall.

Smiling, Sara and Kate separated and went to their own rooms.

Four