Thoughts of my mother whirled around in my head as we drove to the police station. Of course she didn’t kill Ilana! When I was growing up, she’d been critical and manipulative. She’d screamed a lot, but she’d never hit Jordan or me when we’d done something that angered her. It wasn’t like her to get physical, much less strike someone with an object.
Dylan parked the car in the lot behind the precinct. When we walked in, Gracie Venditto, the police department’s dispatcher, was sitting at her desk.
“Hi, Carrie. Here to see your mom?”
I nodded. “And now you’ve met both my mother and my father.” As suspects in murder cases.
Gracie shrugged. “It happens.”
I leaned over the desk and whispered, “Is she very upset?”
Gracie shot me a knowing look. “She’s calmed down some.”
“Good.”
“She’ll be happy to see you. Let me find out if John has finished talking to her.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “You mean she’s not being charged?”
“I don’t think so. Not now, at any rate.” She gestured to the row of chairs behind me. “Have a seat. I’ll be back soon.”
I sat down, and Dylan went off to use the men’s room.
“Hey there, Carrie.”
“Oh, Charlie! I didn’t see you there.” I moved to a chair next to Charlie Stanton.
He smiled. “Of course not. You’re worried about your mother.”
“I am. I’m sorry Ilana’s been murdered, but I’m sure my mother didn’t do it.”
“Really?” He cocked his head. “From what I’ve read, anyone can be capable of killing when sufficiently provoked.”
“What are you doing here?”
Charlie let out a belly laugh. “Waiting to be questioned. We all are. Dirk and Serena are ensconced in other rooms.” He winked. “I suspect the police want to make sure we don’t collaborate on our alibis.”
I glared at him. “This isn’t a joke, Charlie! A woman’s been murdered and they think my mother killed her.”
His expression turned solemn. “I do apologize, Carrie. My morbid sense of humor arises when I’m upset. I’m very sorry that Ilana’s been murdered. I’ve known her for years. We all have. Which is why, I suspect, we are all about to be thoroughly interrogated.”
“Carrie,” Gracie called out as she came over to where I was sitting. “They’re waiting for you in John’s office.”
I walked down the narrow corridor and entered the open doorway. Dylan followed me into the room and leaned against the back wall. My mother sat hunched over in a chair. Her face was red and blotchy from crying. I was glad to see Tom in the other “guest” chair. He got to his feet and gestured to me to take his seat, which I did.
“Hello, Carrie. Dylan.” John was standing behind his desk. “We’re just about finished here.”
“Good! Does that mean my mother can leave?”
“Yes,” John said. “As long as she remains in the area while our investigation continues.”
My mother reached for my hand. Surprised, I clasped it in mine. “Thanks so much for coming, Carrie. This has been a terrible ordeal.”
“I can imagine,” I said. “Dylan contacted a lawyer. He’s in court now, but he has your cell phone number and will be calling you soon.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed my hand and turned to smile at Dylan.
“Brianna, why don’t I drive you back to the house so you can rest?” Tom put an arm around her shoulders. “You’ve had a rough morning.”
My mother shook herself free of his embrace. “And where will you be? Where are you off to this time?”
Tom winced. “I’ll stay with you a while, but as soon as everyone’s given their statement, we’re having a meeting—to discuss what just happened and decide if and how we might proceed with the project.”
My mother glared at him. “Go to your meeting, Tom.” She turned to me. “Carrie, would it be all right if I stayed with you? I promise I won’t be any bother.”
“Brianna, what are you saying?” Tom asked.
“You’ve made it perfectly clear that you don’t want me in your life any longer,” she said. “I’ll stay with my daughter. And if she won’t have me, I’ll get a hotel room until I’m free to leave this awful place.”
I stared at my mother, stunned by her request. We hadn’t lived under the same roof in more than twelve years. My memories of our time together were not pleasant.
But then I’d been a difficult teenager—often acting out and irritable. Now I was an adult, old enough to feel sympathy for this unhappy woman whose life was in shambles. She was my mother and she needed my help.
“Of course you can stay with me, Mom,” I said. “Dylan and I will bring you to my cottage and get you settled. In fact, I’ll call the library and let them know I won’t be coming in today.”
My mother smiled at me. “Thank you, Carrie. I appreciate your letting me stay with you, but I don’t want you to change your plans in any way. Tom can drive me to the house we’ve rented so I can pack my bags, then drop me off at your cottage.”
“I’ll be gone for hours,” I began.
“I’ll manage,” she said. Her tone was firm, but the look she sent me was a plea for understanding. “Please. Let’s not argue.”
I got it. She wanted to be alone—at least for now—and not have to answer the many questions I was bound to ask. I was scheduled to work late that day, but I’d leave the library at five instead.
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” I gave Tom directions to the cottage and the door key and security system code to my mother. “I’m afraid I’m low on groceries, but we’ll manage.”
My mother pursed her lips. “In that case, Tom and I will stop at the supermarket and pick up a few items.”
“Whatever you say, Brianna,” Tom said. He sounded resigned.
“What have I done?” I asked Dylan the moment we exited the precinct. My good intentions had been replaced by a feeling of panic. “I can’t remember spending one hour with that woman when we weren’t arguing over something.”
My heart was pounding. “And I have no idea how long she’s planning to stay. What if she decides to leave Tom and wants to live with me? I couldn’t bear it!”
Dylan burst out laughing.
I stopped in my tracks and glared at him. “What’s so funny? I’m terrified she’ll try to run my life. And what if she is a murderer? What then?”
Dylan pulled me close. When I tried to speak, he put his finger to my lips. He held me until my racing heart slowed. Finally, he released me.
“You don’t have to be terrified of your mother. You’re an adult now, Carrie. Linda or Brianna or whatever she’s calling herself these days has no wish to take over your life. You did the right thing, letting her stay with you. She’s distraught—from being a suspect in a homicide case and because she might be heading toward her second divorce.”
“You think so?” I asked.
“I do. It has to be devastating.”
“It seemed to come about so suddenly. I mean, I thought she and Tom were getting along.”
“So she led you to believe. They might have been at odds for some time. Even when you asked to stay with them.”
“I never considered that.”
Dylan chuckled. “And keep in mind—if things get too grim, you can come and stay with me.”
I kissed him. “Good to have a backup plan.”
I was feeling considerably better when Dylan dropped me off. I placed towels in the guest bathroom and carried my computer from the guest room, which I used as my office, into my bedroom. I put Smoky Joe in his carrier and we set off for the library. I saw how happy he was to be there after spending the previous day alone in the cottage. He dashed from room to room, stopping to accept pats and words of adoration from patrons, his bushy tail held high. He really was a social creature!
“Isn’t today a late day for you?” Sally remarked when I stopped by her office. “It’s barely eleven o’clock.”
“Did you hear? This morning one of the stars in the film they’re shooting was found murdered in her hotel room.”
“No!” Sally looked concerned. “Another murder. What’s happened to our sleepy village?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “but my mother was questioned, along with everyone connected to the film. She’ll be staying with me, so I came in early and would like to leave at five, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is,” Sally said, as I’d hoped she would. “Susan will be here, and we don’t have anything special scheduled tonight.”
When I got to my office and sat down at my desk, I couldn’t focus on work. Trish came in and found me staring at my computer screen. I told her Ilana Reingold had been murdered.
“I heard about it on the radio driving over here.” She shuddered. “It’s scary to think someone’s going around killing women in Clover Ridge.”
“Unless there are two murderers,” I said.
“That’s even worse—isn’t it?” Trish said.
“I suppose. Are things running smoothly here in the library?”
“The lights kept flickering during the Zumba class. I called Max and he found the problem—a bad fuse. Would you like me to check on the other programs in progress?”
“Thanks, but I’ll do it. Might as well, since I can’t focus on anything that requires concentration.”
The current-events group was having a heated discussion about the increase in property taxes. The Friends of the Library were discussing their next book sale. I returned to my office just as Trish was leaving.
“Sally asked me to man the hospitality desk for the next hour,” she said.
“All right. I’ll start laying out the June-July newsletter.”
“Marion just emailed us the news regarding the children’s section. I texted Harvey. He’s sending us his tech-related info later today.”
I beamed at my super-efficient assistant. “Thanks, Trish.”
She grinned back at me. “No problem.”
Trish knew that things had been kind of cool between Harvey Kirk and me since he’d come to think I’d suspected him of having murdered someone—which I kind of had.
My office phone rang as Trish left the office. It was Angela. She sounded hurt.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the murder and your mother and everything?”
“I was going to—over lunch. Sally told you the news?”
“She did.”
“John suspects that my mother may have killed Ilana. She was furious at the way Ilana was making a play for Tom and said so yesterday in front of everyone.”
“Oh no! Do you think it’s possible she killed Ilana?”
I let out a deep sigh. “I like to think she didn’t, but how can I know for sure? Angela, she asked to stay with me, and I told her she could. Tom’s dropping her off at the cottage as we speak.”
“But why? Are things that awful between them?”
“Maybe. He hurt my mother terribly by ignoring her and going along with Ilana’s outrageous behavior. The odd thing is, Ilana’s flirting was so over the top. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it wasn’t all an act.”
“What do you think she was after?” Angela asked.
“You mean besides winning Tom back? I have no idea.”
We agreed to meet at noon at the back door to walk over to the Cozy Corner Café as usual. Nothing had changed, but I felt better after talking to my best friend.
I pulled up the June-July newsletter on the computer and smiled at the masthead that Susan had drawn: an adorable sketch of children swimming in a lake with adults watching them from the shore. That girl was so talented!
“What’s this I hear about another murder?”
I looked up. Evelyn was in her usual position—perched on the corner of Trish and Susan’s desk.
“Can you believe it?” For the fourth time that morning I related the little I knew about Ilana’s murder.
Evelyn listened closely. When I’d finished, she said, “That was kind of you—letting your mother stay with you, given your past history.”
“I don’t know how smart it was, but I had no choice. She was very upset and didn’t want to stay with Tom. He was clearly taken aback by her decision.”
Evelyn gave a snort. “A good move on your mother’s part. It gives Tom a chance to stew over what life would be like without her.”
“Hmm. I never thought of that,” I said.
Evelyn cocked her head. “Do you think your mother murdered Ilana?”
“I find it hard to believe. The only reason John suspects her is because she threatened Ilana yesterday—in front of all of us.”
“Letting off steam,” Evelyn murmured.
“That’s what I thought. I mean, who threatens someone, then goes ahead and kills them? Too obvious.”
“Your job is to find out more about Ilana. Who knew her before coming to work on this movie? Who had reason to want her dead?”
“Actually, Charlie, Dirk, and Serena had all worked with her on previous movies.”
I felt a chill as Evelyn stepped closer to me. “Talk to your mother. She’s an excellent source of information.”