“Thank you,” Sebastian grumbled. “Where was I? Oh yeah, I saw someone breaking into the library. They obviously thought that they wouldn’t be seen.”
“Did you see their face?” Zasha asked in excitement. “Who was it?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Sebastian said with a grimace.
“What?” Zasha asked in shock. “Why not?”
“If I give you a name, you’re going to go charging at them. You’re going to get yourself killed and I can’t let that happen.”
“What are you talking about?” Zasha asked in confusion.
“This whole mess is a lot bigger than you can imagine,” Sebastian said seriously. “When you find out, it’s going to wreck this whole town for you. It’s changed everything for me, and I already hated this place. I can’t imagine what it’s going to do to you.”
“Sebastian,” Zasha said in irritation. “If you don’t start making some sense right this minute, I’m going to walk away. Tell me, who did you see?”
Sebastian swore under his breath and turned his back to her. She rolled her eyes at his antics. He was known for overreacting to things and often got into fights at school.
“I shouldn’t have come,” Sebastian said when he was done. He turned to her and she was surprised to see the conflict in his eyes. “I don’t know what else to do. Zasha, could you trust me just this once?”
“What is it?” she asked carefully.
“I need you to stop looking into this whole thing. Seriously. If you ever want to live the life you planned with Tom, you need to leave all of this alone. Once you know who did this, you’re not going to be able to go back to the way things were.”
“Are you saying Tom has something to do with this whole mess?” Zasha asked incredulously.
“No,” Sebastian said, shaking his head vigorously. “No, not at all. He doesn’t know anything. All I’m saying is that the truth about this murder is going to rock this town to its core. I don’t think anyone’s ready for what’s going to happen when Ivy gets the truth.”
“You’re still not making any sense, Sebastian,” Zasha said with a sigh. “Do you know who it is? If you know something, then you better tell us. You can’t help the murderer by hiding crucial information.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Sebastian said. “But I’m not telling you anything either. Leave it alone, please. I… I want you to stay safe. I always thought that I wanted to get you out of your comfort zone. I guess I was wrong. If I’m being honest, I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you. I guess…”
He trailed off when he looked at Zasha’s wide eyes. They both sensed that he had been about to say something that he couldn’t take back. Zasha could feel her heart pounding in her chest. A part of her wanted him to finish his sentence. She wanted to hear what he had to say. A larger part wanted to clamp her hands over her ears so that she wouldn’t be able to hear him. She compromised by staying completely still.
Sebastian seemed to be debating with himself, wrestling with something that was holding him back. After a few moments, he sighed and looked down. He had been defeated and wouldn’t say what he had been about to confess.
“Be careful Zasha and stay away from all things sweet. They aren’t what they seem.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I can’t believe this,” Ivy said in irritation, staring up at the house.
They had gone to Mrs. Bleeker’s house first thing in the morning, but once they got there, it was clear that it was empty. Ivy hadn’t been willing to give up, so she walked around the entire house, looking through all the windows. Eventually she had to admit that no one was there.
“Do you think he’s left for good?” Zasha asked nervously.
If Daniel was gone, then there was a good chance, they would never be able to catch him. What if Mary’s murderer had been right under their noses this entire time and they left him slip away? The shame was too overwhelming, and Zasha had to shy away from the thought. It was impossible.
“It’s possible,” Ivy said mournfully, “although I don’t think that snake would want to leave all that money behind. Besides, the last time we saw him, he didn’t seem to be on the verge of running away.”
“What do we do now?” Zasha asked, sitting down on the porch steps and folding her skirt around her. “Do you have any ideas?”
“I think we need to give up for now. We still have to meet up with Lily today and see what she has to say.”
“That’s if she decides to talk to us,” Zasha said with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what to do anymore. Are we ever going to find the killer?”
“Cheer up, kid,” Ivy said, making her way back to the car. “It’s been a few days. Most investigations take months or even years.”
“You mean I might have to share my room with you for a few months?” Zasha asked aghast, hurrying to catch up to Ivy. “Wouldn’t it be better to get a house of your own?”
“I thought you small town people were supposed to be hospitable,” Ivy teased as she started the car.
“We’re supposed to be, but you snore like a wounded animal,” Zasha quipped, closing the door behind her.
“When we first met, I thought you were polite,” Ivy said, shaking her head sadly. “What happened to you?”
“You’re a terrible influence on me,” Zasha said, shrugging her shoulders. “It looks like they’re right when they say that bad friends lead to bad habits.”
The rest of the trip was short as they continued to banter with one another. Zasha found that spending time with Ivy was getting easier. Once she got over her initial awe of Ivy’s sophistication, she realized that Ivy was a simple person and that she wasn’t all that different from the people of New Hope.
When they got to the prison, the same guard they met the day before was on duty, and he promptly led them to a windowless room with a table and a few chairs.
“Wait here,” he said cordially, looking at Ivy expectantly.
“You’ll get your money when I’m finished talking to Lily,” Ivy said dismissively. “And we’d appreciate some water.”
The guard nodded quickly and walked out of the room. Zasha looked around nervously and rubbed her arms in an effort to comfort herself.
“What an awful place,” Zasha said sadly. “I can’t imagine Lily being in here. She’s such a nice person.”
“It just means that whoever made her confess must have something massive over her,” Ivy said, looking around critically. “What would convince a young woman to give up everything and spend the rest of her life in a place like this?”
The door opened, and they looked up expectantly while Lily shuffled in. Lily was a pretty girl who was known for being vibrant and lively. Now, she looked like a shadow of her former self, with her pretty blonde hair pulled back into a severe style and the baggy overalls that she had been forced to wear.
“Hello, Lily,” Zasha said gently. “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Zasha. I’m Mr. Ross’ daughter.”
“I know who you are,” Lily said in a subdued tone. Her voice was scratchy, as if it hadn’t been used lately. “I said I don’t want any visitors. I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk to you.”
“I understand,” Zasha said, her mouth twisting in disappointment. “You’ve been through an awful time. We were hoping that we could help you, though. You see, we think that…”
“I don’t need your help,” Lily said, swallowing with difficulty. “I don’t have anything to say, and there’s nothing you can help me with. Let me be, things are over now. There’s no need to go digging around in what’s already done.”
“Lily,” Ivy said, leaning on the table. “We can drop the act now. We all know that you never killed Mrs. Bleeker. You wouldn’t do something like that. Everyone in town is sure of it, and your poor cousin is distraught. She can’t imagine why you’d confess to something like this.”
“I don’t know who you are,” Lily said, her eyes hard and unyielding.
&nbs
p; She sat back in her chair, leaning as far back as she could. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap as she watched the two women in front of her carefully.
“My name is Ivy,” Ivy explained patiently. “Mr. Hyde hired me to look into Mrs. Bleeker’s murder. He knew that something was fishy. He didn’t believe for one second that you committed this murder, and neither do we.”
Lily shook her head slightly and looked up at the ceiling, her lips pressed together in determination. Zasha studied her carefully and wondered why Lily was going through so much effort to edge away from them. She wondered how much effort it was taking to keep the awful truth a secret.
“You wouldn’t know this,” Ivy said with a sigh, “but I worked with the government during the war. You remember the war, don’t you?”
Ivy paused and let the silence become awkward until Lily was finally forced to nod.
“Everyone talks about how awful it was, but the truth is that no one can truly know how bad it was unless they were in the thick of it. I saw terrible things, Lily. I saw the very worst of humanity, so I know what can happen to a good person. I also know how bad people can be. You see, I’m looking at you now and I know you’re not a killer. You want to know how I know that?”
This time Ivy didn’t have to wait long for Lily to respond. It seemed that the private investigator had caught Lily’s attention. Lily shrugged curiously and tilted her head slightly.
“I’ve seen a killer,” Ivy said, looking at Lily intently. “I’ve seen the damage that kind of thing does to a good person’s psyche. You don’t have the same haunted look, Lily, but I can see that something awful did happen to you. I understand that you don’t want to talk, but I need you to be braver than that. Do you know what happened to Evelyn, Mary, and Clara Turner?”
Lily’s eyes widened, and she looked down quickly, her entire face going a deathly shade of white.
“I see that you do,” Ivy said nodding slowly. “Do you know how old Clara was?”
Lily pressed her lips tightly together, and when Zasha looked over, she saw that the maid’s hands were shaking.
“She was fourteen years old,” Ivy said heavily. “Whoever made you do all this, went on to murder two innocent people. Doesn’t that make you angry? Don’t you want to prove your innocence? Don’t you want to help Mary and Clara find justice? I know you’re not a selfish person, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Don’t do it for you. Do it for them.”
Ivy stopped, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully at Lily who wouldn’t look back at her. Lily was trembling from head to foot, but still her lips remained stubbornly shut. Zasha and Ivy exchanged nervous glances. What would they do if Lily refused to say anything?
Zasha lifted her eyebrows questioningly, and Ivy nodded in agreement. They weren’t willing to give up yet. Lily would tell them something before they left, Zasha thought, or else they wouldn’t leave at all.
“At first, we weren’t sure that the two murders were connected,” Zasha explained, leaning forward and looking directly at Lily. “We thought that they might be, but there was no proof. Did you know that Evelyn survived the attack? She knows who the killer is. But she hasn’t woken up yet. In fact, she might never wake up. Yesterday, someone snuck into her hospital room and poisoned her.”
Lily sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at Zasha in shock. Zasha nodded firmly, letting Lily know that Evelyn survived.
“She was dying again,” Zasha said, forcing herself not to cry. “For the second time in a week. We thought she wasn’t going to make it, and then Ivy had a brilliant idea. She told the doctors to give Evelyn the antidote for Phonasin. You know what that is, don’t you?”
“It’s the poison that killed Mrs. Bleeker,” Lily whispered, looking shocked.
“Yes, so that’s how we know that you’re not the killer,” Zasha said. “And once we tell your lawyer that, your case is over. They’ll let you go. It doesn’t matter that you’ve confessed. They’ll know that you’re protecting someone. So, Lily, you can make this easier on yourself and tell us who the real killer is. You know that if you don’t, there’s a chance that more people will die.”
“I can’t tell you,” Lily said, clenching her eyes shut.
“Yes,” Ivy said firmly. “You can. We know almost everything. We know that someone stole stocks from Mrs. Bleeker and that she probably found out. We know that Mary Turner stole that money with a partner and that she was planning to pay Mrs. Bleeker back. When Mrs. Bleeker was killed, we know that Mary probably felt so overwhelmed with guilt that she was going to come forward and confess to everything. You can give us the final piece of the puzzle. Who are you protecting?”
“I can’t,” Lily said, shaking her head emphatically. “I can’t tell you, otherwise she’ll know.”
“She!” Ivy pounced on the word like a stealthy cat. “Mary was working with a woman. Who is it?”
“No,” Lily said, shaking her head. It was obvious that she was deeply distressed. “I can’t tell you. Please understand. I need to keep this a secret. You’re so close, but if I tell you then I’ll be on my own. I’ve already lost everyone else. I can’t do it anymore. Please find who killed Mrs. Bleeker. She didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“Why can’t you tell us?” Zasha asked in concern.
Before Lily could reply, Ivy jumped in. Her expression was livid, and she smacked her hand on the table causing Lily and Zasha to jump in surprise.
“Aren’t you angry?” Ivy asked. “Someone came to you and forced you into this place. They threatened you, and they killed your employer. Not only that, but they went on to murder an innocent woman and her daughter. They destroyed so many lives, and they’re able to walk around freely. Don’t you want to catch this person?”
“I can’t do this,” Lily said again, shaking her head. “Please understand. I can’t. I’m not brave enough. I never have been. I’ll do anything to protect my family. If I tell you what’s going on, then Vera’s next. Vera’s the only family I have left, and if I tell you then I’ll have killed her.”
“Ivy,” Zasha said gently, touching Ivy’s arm to stop her. “Don’t. We can’t make her tell us. Don’t worry, Lily. We’ll keep Vera safe, and we’ll get you out of here.”
“Thank you,” Lily said, her voice cracking in relief as tears streamed down her face. “All I can tell you is that I trusted the wrong person. Mrs. Bleeker found out about the theft, and I told the wrong person. This is all my fault.”
“You can’t think like that, Lily. We won’t cause the killer to lash out again,” Zasha said, giving Ivy a warning glance. “We’re going to catch her by surprise.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I don’t know what any of that was,” Ivy said tiredly as they stepped out of the prison. “This would be a whole lot easier if people just told us what they knew. If Ivy told us who the killer was, then we could arrest her, and Vera would be safe. What doesn’t she understand?”
“I don’t think she would’ve told us no matter what we did,” Zasha said with a little shrug. “We can’t force people to be brave. Besides, if anything did happen to Vera, then Lily would feel guilty for the rest of her life. We can’t do that to her.”
“She already feels guilty about the whole thing even though it isn’t her fault,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “Either this killer is probably the most manipulative person I’ve ever met, or the people of New Hope are too sensitive and blame themselves for everything that goes wrong.”
“Honestly, I think it’s a bit of both,” Zasha said sheepishly. “Although, I think it’s safe to say that we can rule Daniel out as a suspect now. I wonder where he went. I hope we aren’t going to find another body.”
“I doubt it,” Ivy said with a shrug. “He didn’t know anything, and he had no interest in finding out. He probably found himself a gin joint and is drinking himself silly.”
“Yeah,” Zasha said, “that’s probably it. He doesn’t care about anything but the money. Where do you think we should go n
ext?”
“I think we need to take a break and evaluate what we already know,” Ivy decided. “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”
Zasha opened her mouth, looking scandalized. Ivy gave her a playful wink and shook her head.
“Yes, I know. We’re not allowed to drink, it’s unholy and immoral. Let’s get the next best thing. You’re always talking about the coffee at your local café. Let’s see if it’s as good as you say.”
“Of course, it is,” Zasha sniffed. “I may not know much, but I know good coffee when I taste it.”
“Yeah, and how many coffee places have you been to?” Ivy asked, lifting her eyebrow. Zasha blushed and looked away, feeling shy. “That’s what I thought.”
When they walked into Dorothy’s café, Dorothy was standing at the register with her frilly apron. She smiled at Zasha and immediately hurried over, ignoring all her other customers.
“Look who it is,” she gushed, rushing over to Zasha and holding her arms out. “One of my favorite Ross girls. How are things going? How’s Evie?”
“Not good,” Zasha said, wincing. “She barely survived the attack yesterday.”
“That poor girl,” Dorothy said, her brow furrowing in concern. “She can’t catch a break. I’m heading over there now to help poor Mr. Turner. He’s had a terrible time. You know, I wasn’t sure about him when Mary first said that she wanted to marry him, but now I know that there was no better match for her. She loved that man dearly. And he loved her just as much.”
“That’s kind of you,” Zasha said sincerely. “I know he needs a break. He blames himself for what happened yesterday, he said that if he hadn’t taken a break then the killer wouldn’t have gotten close to Evie.”
“He’s too hard on himself,” Dorothy said with a sigh. “He’s not a machine, he needs to take a break. Alright, let me finish up here and head into the city so that he can relax. Is it okay if I ask the new waitress to help you?”
“Don’t worry,” Zasha said with a smile, waving her hand dismissively. “I wanted to prove to Ivy that you’ve got the best coffee in the world.”
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