Sid shook his head, puzzled by the news of the theft of David’s car and Lee Barnett’s arrest. He’d had it figured out, and now, in just a few minutes’ time, his theory had been shot all to pieces.
Still, he decided that Stan might not be safe. He headed to Jill’s house, where Stan and Aunt Aggie were staying. While he drove, he called Jill back.
“Hello?” She sounded shaken, anxious.
“Jill, I’m on my way to see Stan and Aunt Aggie. I ain’t sure what’s goin’ on or if we got the right man. One minute I’m sure it’s David, and then we find David calmly sittin’ in his folks’ hotel room with some story about a car theft that Celia and Lee Barnett perpetrated, even though I know Celia’s there with you.”
“She’s not,” Jill cut in.
He didn’t hear. “And the next minute we’re findin’ wet clothes in Lee Barnett’s apartment, even though the guys at the station say that right now he’s wearin’ the same thing he had on when he was arrested earlier tonight—”
“Sid, I said she’s not here.”
His words ground to an abrupt halt. “Who? Celia? Jill, where in the world is she?”
“She left. Took my car, while I was talking to you. I just realized she wasn’t up in her room.”
Sid felt the heat of a volcano prickling through his skin. “Jill, are you sure you ain’t been lyin’ to me about her bein’ there? Cause if what David says is true—”
“It isn’t true, Sid!” she shouted. “She was here! But she found that checkbook, and heard that David had gotten away, and she just left!”
“I don’t believe this. She sure don’t make it easy to clear her.”
“Sid, listen to me. David’s doing it again. He’s getting away with it. If you found the wet clothes in Lee Barnett’s apartment, couldn’t he have put them there? I mean, if he’s the killer, he’d have the key to that apartment. He’d be the one who rented it in the first place!”
“That’s far-fetched, Jill. I ain’t buyin’.”
“But he had the checkbook, Sid. And he’s saying that Celia and Lee Barnett stole his car? Lee was in jail, and then someone was following him, weren’t they? They would know if he’d gone and turned on the gas starter at Stan’s house.”
“R.J. lost him,” Sid said. “There was about an hour there when we didn’t know where he was.”
“And you believe that in that time he went home, changed clothes, picked up Celia, stole David’s car, broke into Stan’s house, waded down the bayou, went home, and changed back into what he’d been wearing before? Come on, Sid!”
“All I know is that David Bradford ain’t wet. He’s sittin’ in his folks’ hotel room dry as a bone. The guys just took the report of the stolen car and left him. I talked to ’em myself.”
“They left him there? Are you telling me that he’s free to go back out?”
Sid realized that probably wasn’t the wisest thing, after all. He was confused. He didn’t know what to think. “Look, I’m at your house. I’m gon’ go in and talk to Stan. Maybe he can help me sort all this out. Meanwhile, I’m gon’ have to put an APB out on Celia. You say she’s in your car?”
“Yes, although I can’t see how that could be, if she stole David’s car.”
“Maybe she stole your car because she couldn’t go back to David’s, since we’d found it.”
“Sid, for this to be true, I’d have to be lying about her being with me all night. Are you calling me a liar?”
“She’s your friend, Jill. You’re tryin’ to keep her outa trouble.”
“I’m not a liar, Sid!”
Sid cut the phone off and dropped it on his seat, then got out of the car and dashed to the front door.
Stan answered the door, and saw Sid standing there. “What’s going on?” Stan asked. “I heard sirens over an hour ago. I tried to call the station to find out what was going on, but I got put on hold—”
“Somebody broke into your house and turned on the gas starter in your fireplace, so you’d die in your sleep.”
Stan’s eyebrows lifted. “And you were there, right? Caught him?”
“No,” Sid said. “We botched it up, man. Whoever it was got away. We found David Bradford’s car on the other side of the woods, and thought sure it was him. And Celia claims she found the checkbook in his briefcase, but she’s disappeared, and I don’t even know if Jill was tellin’ the truth about her bein’ at Aunt Aggie’s all night, and David’s reported his car stolen, claimin’ Celia and Lee Barnett took it, and we found wet clothes in Barnett’s floor, even though he really couldn’t have had time to do all this since the time he was in jail for the bar fight…and whoever the killer is would have a key to Barnett’s apartment anyway…”
“Wait a minute,” Stan said, cutting him off. “David said that Celia and Lee Barnett stole his car?”
“Yes,” Sid said.
He backed off, trying to think. David had the checkbook. David’s car was at the scene of the crime. David had lied about Celia stealing his car.
“What is it?” Aunt Aggie called as she came up the hall in her robe. “Somethin’ happened?”
Sid nodded, but Stan grabbed his arm and made him look at him. “If David said that, Sid, then he’s the killer. Celia didn’t do it.”
“But man, I don’t know where she is.”
“The question is, where is David?”
“He’s at the Newpointe Inn, with his folks. Two of the boys took the stolen car report and left him there.”
“Left him there? Just like that? Sid, are you crazy?”
“They arrested Barnett. Celia’s missin’. All the evidence points back to—”
“Sid, there is evidence, and then there is evidence.” He tried to catch his breath. “You’re falling for all of it, just like he wants. You aren’t using your head. Think! He got away and had to change clothes so he could refocus the suspicion. He had a key to Barnett’s apartment! He had to go somewhere!”
“But it’s too far-fetched. It ain’t as obvious…”
“Sometimes evidence can be too obvious, Sid!” Stan shouted. “Come on. We’ve got to get to the Newpointe Inn. If it’s David, he’s not going to stay there for long. And if Celia’s out there somewhere, she’s probably looking for him. If she gets to him before we do, her life is in danger.”
“Or his,” Sid said.
Stan grabbed his gun and shoulder holster, which had been lying on the table, jerked the keys out of his friend’s hand, and headed for the door.
“Wait up, you!” Aunt Aggie shouted. “I’m comin’ too.”
“You can’t, Aunt Aggie,” Sid said, hurrying out the door. Stan went to the driver’s side. “Stan, you can’t drive in your condition. I’ll drive. Just wait up.”
Stan grudgingly gave him his keys back and got in on the passenger side. Aunt Aggie ran out behind them and jumped into the backseat.
Sid stopped her from closing the door. “No way, Aunt Aggie. Get out!”
“You gon’ drag a ole lady outa the car?” she challenged.
“If I have to!” Sid shouted.
“Shut up and get in the car!” Stan yelled. “Celia’s life is in danger!”