by Jody Holford
He waved as she turned off the vehicle and got out. In jeans and a thick sweater, he wandered over and gave her a hug. “How you doing?”
“I’m good,” she replied, returning the hug. “How are you?”
He pulled back and stared at Jet’s RV. “I’m doing as well as can be expected. Trying to stay positive. Candice is stayin’ in Jet’s RV, so it’s been nice to have the company.”
As if she’d heard her name, Candice opened the door and descended the few steps. She looked at Molly, her brows scrunched as she tried to place her.
Molly stepped forward, hand out, noticing the dark circles around Candy’s eyes. “I’m Molly. I work for the Britton Bay Bulletin.”
Candice snapped her hand back as if Molly’s palm was full of spikes. “I’m not up for any more questions. Why won’t you people leave me alone?”
Brian went to her side and put an arm around her shoulder. Looking down at her, he told her, “Molly is Sam Alderich’s girlfriend. Just because she works for a newspaper doesn’t mean she’s a snake, like that other guy.” Brian looked at Molly. “McLaren’s been harassing her. Between him and the cops and Amber trying to get Candy tossed out of the RV, it’s been a nightmare.”
Molly thought she was up on all of the events, but clearly they’d been having their own little sideshow. She wondered what Ed had asked Candice. He seemed as ready as the police to pin the death on her. They hadn’t yet, though, so something was holding them back.
“I didn’t come to ask questions, really. Well, not about you,” she said to Candice.
The woman looked down her nose at Molly and shrugged out of Brian’s hold. Moving over to the firepit, which wasn’t lit despite the chill, she took a seat on a luxurious folding chair. Molly had never seen such a fancy one. It was basically an outdoor La-Z-Boy.
“I’m tired of this town and the people. I want to go home. I don’t even know why I came.”
Brian sat in the lawn chair beside Candice and gestured for Molly to choose one of the few others. “They’ll have answers soon enough. You’re here because you’re the brains behind the entire thing.”
Molly sat, trying to be unobtrusive, but that struck her curiosity. “I didn’t know that.”
Candice leaned back, measuring Molly. She must have found her worthy, because she gave a nod. “Back when Jet and I were first married, his obsession with cars drove me nuts. Not because I can’t handle a man having a hobby that takes him away from me, but I didn’t intend to be a pauper just because he liked to tinker with toys. I told him if he wanted to spend his days around cars, he needed to make it financially feasible.”
Smiling over at Brian, she reached for his hand. “This guy backed me a hundred percent, and the two of them developed the Classic Car Crawl.”
To Molly, it didn’t seem fair to call her the brains, but perhaps a catalyst.
“How did Amber feel about the Crawl?”
Candy wrinkled her nose. Brian dropped her hand and folded his on his lap, but Molly couldn’t help noticing how he continued to stare at her as she spoke. Like he couldn’t not look at the woman.
“Amber doesn’t like anything that isn’t about her.” Candice rolled her eyes. While this woman still didn’t feel like a murderer to Molly, she could definitely imagine Candice holding a heavy grudge. It was easy to picture her exacting a slow, meaningful revenge. But not murder.
Brian was still looking at Candy when Molly asked, “What do you think, Brian?”
Candice leaned forward. “Is there information we don’t know? Are they going to arrest her? She tried to assault me, you know.”
“Now, Candy, the police dealt with that.”
She scoffed and leaned back. “They gave her a slap on the wrist. Blamed it on her emotional state. She nearly clocked me with one of those stupid high heels.”
Molly couldn’t help but think that if Amber was silly enough to strike this woman, she’d get struck right back. Candice did not seem the type to sit idly by while anyone put their hands somewhere she didn’t want them.
“Brian, are you aware that Ed and Amber had a relationship years ago?”
He looked at Molly, not answering at first, but holding her gaze. “What makes you think it was years ago?”
Tension wound in her belly. “You think it’s more recent?”
He nodded, putting both hands on the armrests of his chair, gripping the edges. “I know it for a fact. She wasn’t shy about letting Jet know he wasn’t enough for her. Especially if he was on the road. We told the police this, but they didn’t make an arrest. Said cheating isn’t a motive.”
“She had plenty of motive,” Candice said.
So do you. Molly bit her tongue. Telling Jet’s ex-wife she’d seen her with him probably wouldn’t win her over. “Such as? My understanding is that all of Jet’s estate goes to you. What possible motive could Amber have?”
Candy leaned forward again. “Jet told her he didn’t love her, but he’d never let her go. He knew even when he married her that she wanted Ed. Physically, at least. But she wanted Jet’s money. Wasn’t enough that she’s still living high off her last husband, but she wanted Jet’s, too. But that meant staying married to him because she wouldn’t see a penny otherwise.”
Molly processed that. Would she kill Jet just to get out of the marriage? She could have moved out. Was Jet abusive? Had he threatened her about leaving? Molly remembered that this was a man who openly cheated, reneged on deals, and made people feel uncomfortable for sport.
“What do you two know about the fifty thousand dollars Jet borrowed from Herman Besbrewer?”
“Excuse me?” Candice sat forward, and Brian’s eyes went impossibly wide. She turned to Brian, fury emanating from her eyes. “Did you know about this?”
Brian washed his hands over his face, then looked at Molly. He pointedly avoided looking at Candice. “Jethro liked to handle things his own way. My understanding is it was a handshake deal and had nothing to do with his estate or our business.”
Molly stared at him, uncertain as to whether he was admitting he knew something. “So, you know what the money was for?”
The skies opened up at that moment, without a second of notice. Surprise had them all frozen for about three seconds, then Brian rushed them into his RV.
Candy whipped her hands around like she could dry off that way. “God. This place is miserable. Unpredictable. Just ridiculous. My heavens, Brian. How are you living in this place?”
It was a good question, Molly thought as she shivered. Rain pounded against the roof and on the glass. She looked around the unit. It was beautiful, but nowhere near as grand as Jethro’s. Laundry was scattered everywhere, from the front seats to the kitchen benches. It was a wide-open setup, the hallway narrowing down to a bedroom. She could see the end of the bed from the entryway. If she had to guess, she’d say there were a bathroom and a closet behind the two doors in the hallway.
Brian hastily picked up some of the items littering the table area. Old chip bags, a half-eaten sandwich, several cans of beer. He tossed things onto the counter, which was piled high with food packages. The sink was full of dishes.
“Sorry. We’ve been hanging out in Jethro’s RV,” he said. Molly wasn’t sure which of them he was speaking to, but his cheeks brightened when Candice sighed and sat down like something might jump out at her.
“It’s understandable that cleaning hasn’t been on your mind,” Molly said. He looked so embarrassed, and she felt bad for him.
“Still. Sort of let things get out of control. Just…haven’t had the energy or the frame of mind to clean up.” He was talking to her, but looking at Candice.
The quick, hard rain softened, falling on the windshield in a smoother rhythm.
“Sit,” Brian said to Molly.
She sat, her eyes still scanning the space. It was so different from Jethro’s.
He was so different from Jethro. Molly looked at Candice.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be here?”
“Until the police let me go. They’re forcing me to stay here. I’ve contacted my attorney, and he’ll be out here Monday if they haven’t released me.”
Brian sat down beside Candy and put his hand over hers. Despite her exaggerated response to the mess, she leaned into him, against him. They’d clearly been friends a long time. When Brian said something quietly, for Candy’s ears only, a lump lodged in Molly’s throat.
She’d been around love. Witnessed it. Felt it. Given it. She was in love. So she recognized the signs. Brian was madly in love with Candice. And if the affection she returned so easily said anything, she felt something for him as well. Molly couldn’t stop herself, and part of her really wanted to.
Sitting forward, feigning a casualness she didn’t feel, she asked, “I wondered about something. It’s a little awkward to ask, but I feel like the more details we can get to piece things together, the faster you’ll both be out of here.”
They turned their attention to Molly. Candice gestured for her to go ahead with a wave of her hand.
“You two left right after I saw you, right, Brian? Right after you told me who Candice was?”
He nodded, glanced at Candy. “Sure. We went to the passenger van taking a group of us back to the park here.”
Candice affirmed this with a nod of her own. Molly’s heart hammered. “But your coat was found in the gallery. The police must have questioned you about that.”
She straightened her shoulders and gave Molly an icy stare. “They did. Hard to argue with an alibi. Brian and I were together the whole time. As I told them, I must have forgotten my jacket there earlier in the day.”
Molly nodded, still trying to remain calm and casual. “So you and Brian were side by side the entire time. You didn’t split up at all?”
“What are you getting at?” Candice put both of her hands on the table.
“You didn’t answer the question,” Molly said.
“You said you weren’t going to ask questions, Molly,” Brian said softly. It made her think of Sam, the way he quietly stuck up for her. What else would he do for her?
“I know. But I also know that one of the high school students walked you to the van, alone.”
Candice looked at Brian, her eyes wide. Scared. Brian smiled at her—an intimate, warm, more-than-friends smile. When he looked back at Molly, he spoke firmly. Confidently. “Candy told me she forgot her jacket. I said I’d run back and get it. One of the students walked her there, but within a minute or two, I realized going back in against the flow of people leaving was impossible. I was back at her side just a couple minutes later. Without her jacket. So it’s my fault it’s there. I should have just gone and gotten it for her. Maybe then I would have been able to help Jet.” He paused, inhaled deeply. “If you need me to tell the police that I stepped away from Candice for less than five minutes, I will, but I think even if they knew that, they wouldn’t be able to charge her anyway. She didn’t have the time to get back to the gallery, kill him, then come back with me.”
Brian and Candice shared a glance that Molly couldn’t interpret. He met Molly’s gaze.
“As for me, I ran into a couple of security guards on my way back in, literally. Younger guys. Didn’t catch their names, but I’m sure if you checked with them, they’d tell you that right after that, I decided the crowd wasn’t worth a jacket we could grab the next day. So our time is accounted for, Molly.”
Candice said nothing to confirm or deny, and Molly could guess why. Candy had been alone more than long enough. And Brian was providing her an alibi.
Molly stood abruptly. “I need to get going,” she said.
“Oh.” Brian looked up at her. “Okay. Do you want me to amend my statement to the police? They’ll likely swing by. It seems to be part of their routine, dropping in to place more stress on Candice.”
“Uh, no. Don’t worry about it.” Now she knew why the police hadn’t brought Candy in and charged her formally. They couldn’t with the time line and alibi she had established.
Candice didn’t say anything when Brian walked her to the door. He hesitated before opening it.
“She’s the best woman I know, Molly. A good woman. Deserves happiness.”
All she could do was paste a phony smile on her face. She had no right to tell him that he might be looking at her through love-tainted glasses. But she’d tell Chris and hope it wouldn’t break Brian if he learned the truth.
Molly wasn’t sure what she was feeling when she got into her Jeep. She needed to go back to the office. She needed to sort through some of the random thoughts running through her head.
Turning back onto the road that would lead her to Main Street, she wondered if she should head to the police station. If she told Chris about what Greg had said, Brian would just cover for the time Candy was alone. She would chat with those security guards after asking Sam how to get in touch with them, but a sinking feeling in her stomach told her she’d learn Brian had chatted with them for longer than he’d let on. Was he covering for her because he knew she intended to kill Jet or because she’d confessed to him afterward?
The crowbar was a tool of opportunity, which suggested Candy hadn’t planned the murder. They’d argued, she’d picked up the crowbar, hit him, maybe even used the jacket she’d forgotten there to wipe the prints off of it? There’d been no blood on it, at least not that Pris had mentioned. But what would she have wiped the tool off with?
Molly had seen Candice’s temper, could imagine the resentment she felt toward Jethro. He’d probably cheated throughout their whole marriage. Maybe she’d even known and looked the other way. But then he’d divorced her.
For Amber. The two women had more than a mild distrust and dislike of each other. Molly wasn’t sure if Amber would open up to her, but she wanted to know more about the assault Candice had mentioned. Since she seemed fine with lying, there was a very good chance she’d been the one to instigate the argument. If it turned out that Candice had threatened Amber verbally and almost physically, it would add weight to the theory. And the knowledge that Candice had had opportunity.
Deciding she couldn’t wait for these details, she turned left on Main Street instead of right and headed for the bed-and-breakfast.
Calling Jill on the way, she left a message. Hopefully the fact that her machine had picked up meant she was getting answers. Molly wanted to have some when they met up again as well.
When she pulled up to the bed-and-breakfast, shock had her slamming on her brakes. Chris was there with another officer. They were leading Amber out of the house. Though she couldn’t hear him, she could see Ed yelling and Chris gesturing with his hand for him to back off.
Katherine watched from the porch, and Amber’s sister was crying, tears streaming down her face. Molly parked across the street instead of going around to the back, where she usually parked. Getting out of her Jeep, she ran over in time to hear Ed threaten Chris.
“When I’m finished with you, you won’t be able to get a job as security guard at a donut shop. You’re going to regret this.”
“Sir, I’m going to ask you to calm down one last time, and then I’m going to slap cuffs on you as well,” Chris said, his voice completely even as though it was a normal, everyday conversation.
“Amber, baby, don’t worry. I’m going to fix this.” He got in Chris’s path again, and the detective handed a hysterical Amber over to his deputy. He turned to face Ed.
“You need to calm down.”
Instead of doing as he was told, Ed did the exact opposite. He shoved Chris, swearing at him. Katherine rushed down the steps when Amber’s sister jolted forward.
“No, dear. Don’t get involved.”
“That’s it,” Chris said, easily maneuvering Ed, twisting him and sho
ving him up against the same cop car that Amber had just been put inside of. “You’re under arrest for assaulting an officer. You have the right to remain silent, and I really, truly hope you’ll exercise that right starting now. But if you can’t shut up and choose to waive that right…”
He continued the Miranda warning, and Molly covered her mouth in shock. Belatedly, she realized this was why she made a better editor than reporter. Chris put him in the back of the cruiser with Amber and stalked over to her.
She wanted to take a step back, but stood her ground. “What are you going to put online?”
She ignored the snarl. Her entire theory collapsed in her brain. Chris would not make an arrest without solid, irrefutable evidence. “What do you want me to put?”
“Nothing would be my preference.”
She didn’t smile, but tilted her head. “That’s unlikely. Is Amber under arrest for Jethro’s murder?”
“Yes. We have reason to believe she lied about her alibi.” His jaw tightened. He didn’t want to share any information with her.
“What reason?”
Chris huffed out a sigh. “She lied about her alibi. She didn’t get a ride home. The driver who was supposed to take her said she blew him off and went back to the fairgrounds. I need to deal with this. I’ll update you later if you promise not to speculate on social media.”
“Deal.”
She watched them drive off, then turned to Katherine, who was just staring back, mouth slightly open, holding a sobbing stranger in her arms.
Chapter Nineteen
Molly watched as Katherine tried to extricate herself from Alicia’s grasp. The woman was hovering on the border of hysterical and theatrical. Eyes wide, Katherine stared at Molly.
“Um, Alicia?” Molly said, coming closer.
Alicia lifted her head and turned to Molly, allowing Sam’s mom to take a step back. The distraught woman brought a hand to her mouth and wrapped her other arm around her waist, her loud sobs sounding like a large animal dying in exquisite pain.