by Sophie Sharp
Mayor Tully opened the door only seconds after Molly rang the doorbell. His eyebrows raised and he took off his reading glasses. “Molly, this is nothing short of a surprise.”
Molly tilted her head to the side, wrinkled her nose, and asked, “Can I come in for a second? I have a few questions I think you can help me with.” Come to think of it, she sure hoped that Nell wasn’t expected anytime soon.
“Help is my middle name,” Mayor Tully said. “I’m working on my speech for Friday. I’m presenting at this weekend’s California Mayors’ Convention in Sacramento. I suppose your visit is about the lot. I already told you there’s nothing I can do. The council meeting has been cancelled, and it’s up to Max Harrison now.”
That news alone made her visit to the mayor worth it. Sure, Max Harrison could end up selling the lot to another developer in the future, but for now—with no developer and no city council vote—the pressure was off her and Van Clan to relocate, and they could do a formal request with Max to extend their leases. She couldn’t wait to tell everyone, but first she had business of her own.
“Actually, I’m not sure if this is anything to do with the lot or not, but I wanted to talk to you about Nell.”
“Nell?” The mayor looked surprised and then concerned. “You’d better come in.”
Molly had never been in the mayor’s house and she thought the living room he led her to was far from cozy. She would have never expected the art-deco decor, but he looked so happy and comfortable in his own space, it only took seconds for it to seem like the perfect home for him. She looked over his face. He didn’t look like a man grieving over the loss of a lover either. She fleetingly thought about the safe room that Nell mentioned a week ago, where she’d seen Veronica leaving. Dare she ask the mayor about the room before she left? It wasn’t any of her business. If Detective Moat was any good, he would have tracked all of Veronica’s steps in the days before her death.
First, she had to focus on helping Nell. Or figuring out what Nell had done.
Mayor Tully put his glasses on the table and faced Molly. “How can I help?”
“Well, I’m worried about Nell. She’s acting strangely, just not herself.”
Molly had expected the strong mayor to offer an explanation or reassure her he hadn’t noticed anything strange, but instead, he closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded.
“I’ve known this was coming, just not when or by whom.” He reached over and squeezed Molly’s hand. “I’m worried about her too. She’s been secretive, distracted, and contradictory lately. I’ve tried to find out what’s been bothering her, but she just clams up. You know, she’s like a daughter to me and she’s always confided in me, but lately, I don’t know what’s happening with her. Molly, can I trust you?”
Yes! Yes! Yes! Tell me everything. “Of course.”
“I don’t say this lightly. I think Nell might have a drinking problem. I’m in the process of planning an intervention. If you think you can help, given your own family history and your high regard for Nell, I’d like you to come.”
Whoa, what? She hadn’t seen that coming. She thought back to the night before. Had Nell seemed drunk? Had she smelled like she’d been drinking to excess? Not enough for Molly to recall for sure. She appreciated the mayor’s concern, but something didn’t add up. She’d never recognized any signs of addiction in Nell, but then again, the mayor had much more experience with, and exposure to, Nell. He could be right about Nell being distracted and less forthright than usual, but what if she was simply uncomfortable being open about her young boyfriend, Damion? Maybe she was afraid the mayor would disapprove. And there was the necklace …
“Are you sure?”
He rubbed his hands over his face, tired. “If there is one thing I know, it’s how alcoholics try to hide their addiction.”
Maybe Damion was her addiction.
“Interesting, Mayor.” Molly wasn’t ready to tell him about Damion. “Could it be something else?”
“I can’t think of anything else she’d want to hide from me. Just drinking, even though she would know I would sponsor and support her recovery.”
“Nell says she is working on a secret project with you. Is that true?”
Molly could tell by the way his face went from blank to confused that he was scrambling to consider what Nell might be referring to, but drawing a blank, he said, “We are always working on something, but nothing we wouldn’t be able to share with the public. Definitely not something that would explain her recent distance. Obviously, I was going to the council for approval of Max Harrison’s sale to Corsello and her development requests, but as I mentioned, it’s been cancelled given Veronica’s horrific murder. However, Max could still choose to sell it to another developer.”
When the mayor said horrific murder he hadn’t looked crestfallen or heartbroken. But it didn’t mean he still hadn’t been on Team Corsello. He’d been publicly aligned with Veronica’s plans. “Yes,” Molly said, “You made that quite clear when you switched from advocating for the truckies to supporting Veronica Corsello’s ideas.”
The mayor looked displeased.
Good, I’ve hit a nerve. She was getting pretty darn good at pushing the right buttons of late.
“Molly, I know it was confusing when I changed my position and stance on the plans, but the truth is, all this brings us back to Nell. She’s the one who convinced me that it was time for the lot to change. She’d gone to an urban development conference on our behalf a few months ago and had come back all fired up with ideas, practically desperate for me to support the development if the Harrisons ever decided to sell the lot, saying that Corsello’s plan was best for San Cosmas. At that time, I said I wanted to see more tourism statistics and data. Besides, Opal May was against selling anyway and I figured it was between Opal May and her son at that point in time. It was a moot point for me. There wasn’t going to be any change as long as Opal May was alive. But then Opal May passed away and Max made the verbal agreement, and Nell urged me strongly to make a stand. She felt timing was imperative. I’ve always trusted Nell’s instincts about the community. Corsello’s idea would have brought in new business opportunities and tourists, and let’s be honest, the truck entrepreneurs are meant to be mobile, aren’t they? You could help draw business to other areas of San Cosmas.”
Mobile. Mobile. Mobile. Why did everyone keep telling reminding her? Had they ever owned a mobile business? Did they know what was involved? Nope.
“And?” Molly prodded him to continue when he remained silent longer than usual.
“Well, that’s the part that has me concerned. Like I said, Nell was all for the lot sale after the Green Urban Development Conference. Gung ho, in fact. Then a few days ago, just before Veronica was killed, she came to me and told me that she wanted me to remove my support of Veronica Corsello’s plans. This was within days of her convincing me to support it. She urged me to oppose the plans but said that, for personal reasons, she couldn’t be seen going against Corsello. So in effect, she’d convinced me the plan was for the best, then she wanted me to change my stance again. It was insane, Molly. Insane. I would have looked like an indecisive idiot. All the while, she wanted to look like she was not changing her mind, like we weren’t aligned. And all for ‘personal’ reasons? That’s just not logical thinking. It’s frantic. It’s a cover-up. It’s the way an alcoholic thinks. There, I’ve said it again.”
Oh my. Is the mayor right? If so, poor Nell. What if Nell was making horrible choice after horrible choice due to addiction? And perhaps Damion was one of those bad choices. But again, what if the illogical behavior was because she was desperate? What if she felt she had no choice? Molly couldn’t help but keep coming back to the idea that Veronica may have been blackmailing Nell with something that would threaten her future career and standing in the community. And then could another choice have been murder? Just how had Nell’s necklace ended up in Veronica’s hand? Molly could either trust the mayor with the information or not.
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br /> “Mayor, how well did you really know Veronica Corsello?”
“She was a savvy business woman,” he said.
Molly tried not to gag. “Savvy? Mayor, she was a nightmare. I’m sorry if she was your friend in any size or shape.” So much for being sensitive. “Veronica was blackmailing several of the truckies. And now I think she was threatening Nell, possibly because …” She’d almost said an affair, though an addiction would make more sense, but again, it had never hurt the mayor’s career. Ugh. So confusing. “… because of her addiction and making her support her publicly.”
The mayor paled and rubbed his eyes. “My dear, dear Nell. Nell asked me for a loan a few weeks ago. She said it was for a lawyer, but I didn’t believe her. Thought it was the drinking. Most alcoholics are irresponsible when it comes to finances. When I asked her if she was drinking, she got furious and stormed out. Just like—”
“—a confronted addict would do,” Molly finished. Or someone backed into a corner, she added silently.
“But if she would have just told me what was happening, whether blackmail or addiction, I could have helped her.” A new thought must have come to the mayor because Molly watched anxiously as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Molly, what if Nell is the blackmailer? Was she asking for any money?”
Molly shook her head. “No, we are positive it was Veronica. She hand-delivered her devious demands.”
“Does the detective know? And are you sure there is no way Nell was involved?”
“Only if she is a blackmail victim,” Molly said. “I’m speaking to the detective next. But I wanted to speak to you first, to see if there was an explanation for Nell’s behavior.”
They both stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.
Molly turned. She had to get the following out of the way. “Listen, I understand that you saw Veronica the night before she died.”
Molly didn’t think the mayor seemed surprised or put-out by the question.
“Yes. Veronica came here to talk to me about the development plans, and to tell me that she was concerned that Nell was getting cold feet and might try to talk me out of supporting the new plan. Given Nell had indeed approached me, I thought I should hear Veronica out.”
“Did Veronica say why she thought this, or when Nell seemed to change? Or did she act like Nell had something to hide?” Molly asked.
“Veronica said she’d talked to Nell Thursday morning and that Nell had hinted that she had changed her mind and would change mine too.”
“Why?”
“Veronica thought Nell was being vindictive because Veronica and Max Harrison had intended to rekindle their teenage romance.”
Huh? Veronica and Max? Right, Doug had mentioned something about the two in high school. She raised her hand. “I’m confused. Why would Nell care who Veronica or Max dated now? Besides, that was a long time ago.” Of course, she hadn’t seen Nell and Damion’s tryst coming either.
Wait a hot second. If Max and Veronica had fallen in love, or in the sack together, it totally explained why Max would go against his mother’s wishes for the lot and offer up the land to Veronica within days of Opal May’s death. Holy hot irons! That’s it. It explains soooooo much. Did the detective know about this relationship? And did this change Max’s status in this murder case? She couldn’t wait to ask Moat when she saw him next. She wished Mia was here.
The mayor had more to say. “It’s a well-kept secret, I suppose. But Nell was in love with Max Harrison in high school. They kept it quiet, that’s what I understand. Lived on different sides of the track and all that. And when Max went away to college and Nell left San Cosmas, the relationship took its natural course.”
“It ended,” Molly said.
“It ended,” Mayor Tully confirmed.
“So let me get this straight, Mayor. Veronica believed that Nell was withdrawing her support over a fit of jealousy because Veronica might be dating Nell’s high school sweetheart?”
“She did,” Mayor Tully said.
Molly wasn’t buying it. Damion was part of this picture somehow, Molly knew it. “Does that sound like something Nell would care about to you?” she asked. “Something enough to be distracting and explain her behavior of late?”
“No, but again,” he said, “like I’ve said, I think Nell has been struggling with other issues.”
“Mayor, who do you think killed Veronica Corsello?”
He paused and wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m going to tell you something I haven’t even told Detective Moat yet. I wanted to do the intervention with Nell first, to get her help. But Nell was actually the last person to see Veronica alive, I think.”
Molly gasped and sat up straight. “What? When and where? But that would mean …”
“That Nell may have killed Veronica.”
“Do you really believe that is possible? And why do you think she was the last person to see Veronica?” The necklace flashed in Molly’s mind.
“Because when I left Opal May’s funeral after talking to you to head to my weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, I saw Nell walking toward the truck lot. She should have been inside at the funeral.”
Molly thought about Brody saying he saw Nell smack dab between the funeral home and the lot. Molly wished Nell had been more receptive the night before, because then maybe Molly would have had a chance to ask Nell about her whereabouts. But her confrontation with Nell had turned south too fast. Had Nell’s dazed expression been due to a murderous confrontation? How exact did Detective Moat’s autopsy report need to be? She thought about when she’d gone back inside the funeral. She hadn’t actually seen Nell, had she? Oh crud. It was adding up.
Molly quickly excused herself to the mayor and texted Mia as she raced home. It was time for her and Mia to take everything to Detective Moat. The mayor’s confidence was unsettling. If he was remotely right—and it did make sense—Nell needed a truck lot full of help and for more things than one.
She’d seen Nell angry last night and she wasn’t about to confront her alone again. She decided to pull over and call Detective Moat.
“We’re bringing you the necklace list,” she announced like Miss Marple, “and some other vital information you might not have up your sleeve.”
“Intriguing. I’m out in the field today,” Moat said. “I will swing by Glam Van within the hour.”
“We’ll be there,” Molly said.
This will all be fixed. Nell was most likely their killer. Exactly why, Molly wasn’t sure. Could be a possible affair with a younger man. Could be a fit of jealousy over Max. Could be the mayor was right and Nell had a drinking problem. Push comes to shove, who knew, but desperate people did desperate things. Detective Moat would be the final filter, and use the upper hand of the law.
Except when she pulled up to get Mia, Doug’s truck was back home far too early. He’d left for work so angry with her, she was shocked to see him back before his usual quitting time.
She met him in the kitchen sans Mia. He wasn’t even baking. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him in the kitchen without a cookbook or an apron on. He was just sitting there.
“You lied to me,” he said and looked at her with such hurt and disappointment, she almost dropped to the ground, crawled to his feet, and begged for his forgiveness.
“I did. And I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry? Really? Where were you just now then? I came home, thinking it was unfair of me not to have a grown-up discussion with you, and you couldn’t have waited more than ten minutes to run out after I left.”
He was right. This was going to get uglier before it got prettier. Her marriage was going to need a makeover by the time this case was closed. “I was at Mayor Tully’s. I can’t tell you more. But I will. I promise. I was just coming home to pick up Mia and meet Detective Moat to tell him absolutely everything we know. I was going to tell you everything when you came home.”
She’d never seen Doug turn purple, but he was purple now. He jumpe
d up, “You involved our niece in this?”
Oh lawd. Right. That bit hadn’t exactly come out yet. She’d never felt worse. What kind of wife, sister, and aunt am I?
The kitchen door banged open. “What did the mayor say?” Mia tore around the corner and dropped her jaw when she saw her Uncle Doug. She wouldn’t have seen her uncle’s truck from her studio apartment.
“Great,” Doug said. “Just great. You’ve both been lying to me. Putting yourselves in harm’s way too. If something would have happened to you, I couldn’t have done anything. I would have been clueless.”
Molly stood and moved toward him, but he stepped out of reach. “You said you were going to talk to Moat, well get going.”
Molly blushed in equal parts shame and fury. She wished Mia didn’t have to see this. Her hubby thought she was bluffing. He didn’t believe she was going to the police.
She didn’t know if she could fix this, but the only way to start was to do as she’d said she would.
Mia caught on and said, “I’ll wait in the car. Sorry, Uncle Doug. I love you so much.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
Molly went to her office to gather the photos and the guest book. She put them in her purse.
She stopped by the kitchen entrance. “I’ll make you proud. You’ll see,” she said. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”
As she turned and walked out the door, she hoped that he’d let her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mia sat in silence as Aunt Molly drove them to Glam Van to meet Detective Moat. She ought to say something reassuring to Aunt Molly, or apologize for causing problems with Uncle Doug, but she sensed she’d do better to stay quiet right now. After all, she doubted they would ever have gotten involved in the case had Mia not been a suspect. But she had, and something had flipped inside Aunt Molly. Now wasn’t the time to say it, but she’d seen a feistiness in her aunt that she hadn’t known was there. Feisty looked good on her. Mia wanted to tell her so, but Aunt Molly didn’t appear to be in a chatty mood. All the feisty had gone.