A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery 2)

“Why are you two staring at me?”

“Because you’re the writer,” Jack said. “You wrote seventy-some books so you should be able to come up with an idea of who, what, and why.”

“Seventy books?” Kate said. “I had no idea it was that many.”

“In the romance world, I’m a wimp. A slug. A lazy writer. Some of them write a book a month.”

“We just need one more,” Jack said. “What’s your instinct about this?”

“My first thought is guilt. I think these people did or said more than they’re telling. Valerie said she ‘gloated’ over her win. What exactly does that mean? Sent Janet black roses and a nasty note? Lyn said she’d had a ‘bad day.’ Maybe she did something else to Janet besides color. I think there’s more to these stories.”

“But how could they think that any of these petty arguments could cause them to be accused of murder?” Kate asked. “It makes no sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Sara said.

“What’s your second thought?” Jack asked.

“That this has something to do with Sylvia Alden. I can’t get her out of my mind. I get the impression of mega money with her. And Janet bought her house. There’s too much coincidence there.” She thought for a moment. “And there are conflicting stories. Heather said Sylvia was a recluse who rarely left the house. That conjures a vision of a fearful woman peeping through the curtains. At best she comes across as shy and awkward. But from what Megan Nesbitt said, that description is far from what Sylvia Alden actually was.”

“She made costumes for the boys and they all loved her,” Kate said.

Jack nodded. “She wasn’t agoraphobic. She did go places.”

“Right,” Sara said. “I can’t quite put a character to her. Something doesn’t add up. And why did Janet buy Sylvia’s house?”

“Sentiment?” Kate finished her cereal. “Janet told the Nesbitt family that she’d even kept the gardens the same as a memorial to her friend. But what if there was something more?”

“I remember a story where the heroine’s house was used to store drugs,” Sara said. “She ended up being mixed up with some drug lord.”

“Did she marry him?” Kate asked as she reached for Jack’s computer.

Sara laughed. “Amazing Grace. You like that movie too?”

“Love it!”

“I have it on DV

D. Maybe tonight we can watch it.”

“Could you two come back to the present?” Jack said.

“You mean to trying to figure out a murder case we’ve said we want no part of? That present?”

Jack wasn’t bothered by Kate’s sarcasm. “We need to make people understand that we aren’t involved.”

“And that we need sleep,” Sara said.

They turned to Kate, but she was looking at the past real estate contracts she’d brought up online. “Tayla was the broker on the house sale to Janet Beeson.”

At the mention of the name, Sara went back to the stove.

Jack gave a look at Kate to say, Now you’ve done it. She had mentioned Tayla. The forbidden name.

Kate was unperturbed. “I’ll get the facts on this, and we’ll add it to the report to Sheriff Flynn. Any word on when he wants the photos?”

“None.” Sara looked up. “Wonder if anyone went to him last night.”

“I doubt it,” Jack said. “They just want to tell us their guilty secrets so we can tell them to go home and feel better.”