Stranger Danger (Lucy McGuffin, Psychic Amateur Detective 4)

“Not exactly.” She wiggles around in her seat. “Look, Lucy, you seem like a nice person, but I’m not sure how much I should tell you. My attorney said I needed to be discreet.”

“Oh, I can be discreet. I’m just trying to wrap my head around what happened. The whole town is. If we could only understand how this all went down.” I sigh dramatically. “That Jefferson Pike, he was a real charmer, wasn’t he? I bet he wasn’t even Scottish.”

“No, he wasn’t.”

I knew it!

“How did you get involved with him?”

“Archie. He and I became … friends. Jefferson and Archie have been partners for, like, ten years. They’d been running real estate scams all along the east coast and were making their way down to Key West, but Jefferson was always on the lookout for a quick buck. When he ran into Betty Jean Collins on an online reader board asking if anyone could get in touch with J.W. Quicksilver, it was too good for him to pass up. Jefferson is, I mean … was a huge fan of his books and he thought it would be cool to impersonate his idol. They needed a third person, so they reached out to me to help with the con.”

“And you’ve never done anything like this before?”

Her eyes get teary. “Never. I know I shouldn’t have gotten involved, but once I met Jefferson, it was hard to say no to him. I lost my job a few months ago, and he made it sound so easy. The plan was to stay in town a couple of days, then split the money. Archie and Jefferson would go on to Key West, and I’d go back to Jersey. That’s where I’m from.”

The hair on my neck tingles. I’ve just caught Anita in a lie. Only I’m not sure which part of what she’s just said to me isn’t true. Or maybe the whole thing isn’t true. Ack. This is where things can get muddy. I need to keep my questions simple.

“So did you actually see the real J.W. Quicksilver?”

“No. Archie and I were out collecting money. When we got back to the beach house, Jefferson told us that the real J.W. Quicksilver was in town and that he was going to expose us to the police.”

“You must have been terrified.”

“Oh! I was. So was Archie. We’d … I’m ashamed to admit this, but we’d gotten almost thirty thousand in cash on the swindle already. It was more than enough for me and Archie. We wanted to cut our losses and leave town before the real J.W. Quicksilver could get to the cops.”

“But it wasn’t enough money for Jefferson, was it?”

“The money was never an issue. It was the game. Jefferson really got his kicks playing the famous author. It was his ego that got him killed.”

There’s anger in her voice. I think back to the night of the reading and I get it. The smug confidence, the Scottish accent, not to mention that ridiculous kilt of his. Jefferson Pike’s ego must have been bigger than the Grand Canyon.

“I’m still confused. If the real J.W. Quicksilver was in town and he was going to the cops, what made Jefferson think he could still attend the book club meeting without getting caught?”

Anita glances around the table, then lowers her voice. “Jefferson told Archie that he hit J.W. Quicksilver over the head with a marble bookend. Then he tied him up and left him in a closet. I guess he thought he wouldn’t be able to escape. But I swear, I didn’t know about that until my lawyer told me last night. Archie was trying to protect me, so he kept that from me.”

“So, did Archie see the real J.W. Quicksilver? Does he know who he is?” I hold my breath, waiting for her to answer.

“I don’t know. Like I said, he didn’t tell me any of that. Archie and Jefferson were the real team. I was just brought in to play a part for show. Archie tried to keep the details from me. In case we got caught. And now my attorney says I can’t see Archie.” She looks down at her plate. “I wish I knew how he was holding up. He’s not a bad man. Not like Jefferson.”

Everything Anita has just said is true. But I’m picking up on a lot of emotion here. Could Archie and Anita be involved? He’s old enough to be her father, but it wouldn’t be the world’s first May-December romance.

I glance over to the counter, where a small line is forming. Betty Jean seems to have gotten the swing of things, but I should probably help her. I turn back to face Anita. She’s gazing at Betty Jean with fury.

“What’s that woman doing here?” she demands.

“Who? Betty Jean? She stayed here last night. Why, what’s wrong?”

Anita shakes herself back in control. “I know it’s irrational to blame her. But if she hadn’t reached out on that message board trying to find J.W. Quicksilver, Jefferson would have never had the idea to come here and play this con.”

Talk about blaming the victim.

“Sorry. She must be your friend, huh? I didn’t mean to overreact. It’s been a rough twenty-four hours.”

“What happens now?” I ask.

“They kicked me out of the beach house, so I’m in a cheap hotel until they figure out what to do with me. My lawyer says I can’t leave town until the police and FBI say I can.”

“Well, good luck. I better get back to work.”