A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery 2)

“Yes,” Sara said. “That seems to be the case.”

Kate leaned back in her chair. “And what do we think happened?”

Sara took a deep breath and let it out. “That Chet was killed because he was too close to finding out the truth.”

“Which is?” Kate asked.

They looked at one another.

“I think someone wanted to protect Charlene,” Jack said.

“You don’t think her husband...?” Kate trailed off.

“Fixed Chet’s van?” Jack asked. “No. But maybe somebody did.”

They knew he was thinking of his half brother, killed less than a year ago when the brake cables in Jack’s truck were cut.

“It was us,” Sara said. “We did it. Our snooping cost Chet his life.”

“I guess this means we’re going to, as Kyle said, Let Tayla swing.”

“Nothing else we can do,” Sara said. “The best thing—the only thing—we can do now is go back to our lives.” She looked at Kate. “You need to go sell some houses.”

“That will be fun. They think it’s my fault that Tayla isn’t being set free. And I’m not getting her out of jail because I want to open a Medlar Realty.”

“If you do want your own business, I’ll back you,” Sara said, but the look Kate gave her made her mumble, “Sorry.”

“So we leave it alone,” Jack said. “That right?”

“Yes, exactly right,” Kate and Sara agreed.

But they didn’t leave the table, didn’t start clearing away. No one mentioned actually going back to their jobs.

“Wonder what he meant about those girls?” Jack asked.

“He said they probably didn’t even know the truth,” Sara said.

“I am curious to know what he was talking about,” Kate said. “Of course it’s all ridiculous. His own sister told us Kyle was a problem.”

“And everyone knows about the deep love between siblings,” Sara said.

Kate pursed her lips. “Are you talking about your brother? My father? With Charlene? Is this all his fault?”

Neither Jack nor Sara replied to Kate’s rising temper.

“Too bad we can’t invite the girls over,” Sara said. “We’d just ask them...”

“Ask them what?” Jack said. “They told us everything. Nasty, spiteful, selfish. I still feel sorry for Janet.”

“Britney tried to kill herself and Janet saved her,” Kate said. “Where is the bad in that?”

“It sounds to me like Kyle Nesbitt is a sore loser,” Sara said. “Blames others for his problems. One time a man told me that my novels caused his divorce. I told him my books were a symptom, not the disease.”

“Bet that went over well,” Jack said.

“Let’s just say that I got away from him very fast.”

For a few moments they were quiet.