Sam was gone before Molly woke up the next morning. Though she moved slowly, she managed to dress in yoga pants and a T-shirt, and put on a pair of socks without crying out in pain. When she shuffled into the kitchen, stiff and sore, coffee was waiting. He was such a good guy. She sent a quick text to thank him. Missing Tigger, she debated going up to the house and grabbing him, but decided his exuberance might be too much for her ribs.
Pouring a cup of coffee, she took it to the back deck, liking the idea that this could be their new routine all summer. Sam had found a tall plant stand in his mom’s shed that they were using for a table between their two chairs. It was a little low-budget, but once the deck was finished and stained, they’d pick something nice together.
Molly put the coffee down and eased her way into the chair. Her ribs protested and a small groan left her lips. As she settled, she gritted her teeth and tried to breathe slowly. If it hurt this much to have bruised ribs, she couldn’t even imagine the pain people felt when they were broken.
Her phone buzzed before she could take a drink.
Jill: You up and moving around?
Molly: I am. Are you at the paper?
Jill: Yes. Need anything other than your laptop? Which you don’t actually need because you could rest instead of work.
Molly: I have a couple notebooks in the top right drawer of my desk. Can you bring those with you, too?
Jill: Yup. Way to ignore the above statement.
Molly: I prefer the word evade.
Jill: That is a good one. Muffins from Bella’s?
Molly: A 1000 times yes.
Jill: LOL See you soon.
Molly set her phone down and focused on drinking her coffee, willing her brain to stay away from anything to do with Magnolia. Chris would have the warrant today. And Tiffany would likely be arrested. Unless whoever hurt Molly got to her first.
Her phone buzzed again.
Katherine: Need anything? I’m headed out for a couple of hours. Sam took Tigger to work with him.
Molly grinned.
Molly: I’m okay. Thank you.
Katherine: You’re feeling all right?
Molly: Better today. Don’t worry.
Katherine: Nice try. I’ll stop by later.
Since she was holding her phone anyway, she decided it was fine to check The Bulletin’s social media. Everything looked great but she couldn’t stop thinking about how, by the next edition, Judd could be cleared.
Trying to think about something else, she typed in patio sets and spent some time browsing through ones she thought Sam might like. That rabbit hole didn’t pull her attention all the way, but it kept her busy until Jill texted and said she was there.
When she opened the door, her mouth watered just from looking at the logo on the white paper take-out bag.
Molly reached out. “You’re the best.”
Jill smiled. “That’s what they all say.”
Heading into the house, Jill unloaded the laptop on Molly’s couch. “Notebooks are in the side pocket.”
Molly bit down on her lip, holding back the words that wanted to spill out as she set muffins on a plate, sliding one across the counter when Jill sat on the barstool.
Jill let out a heavy sigh. “What’s wrong?”
Molly’s gaze flew to her friend’s. She knew her well. “I can’t stop thinking about Tiffany.”
Jill’s eyes widened and she lowered her chin. “The murderer?”
Breaking off a piece of muffin, Molly ate it before replying. “I don’t think she is. She’s involved. Obviously. But, Jill. You should have seen the terror in her eyes.”
Jaw tense, Jill flattened her hands on the countertop. “She should be scared, Molly. Either she killed Magnolia and is about to get caught or she’s working with someone who did and is about to get caught.”
Nodding, Molly tried to quiet the unease in her gut. “I need a favor.”
Jill groaned, long and loud. “You’re going to make Sam hate me, aren’t you?”
“He could never hate you,” Molly said, guilt tickling at the base of her spine.
“Until I willingly collude with his answers-obsessed girlfriend and assist her in her latest dangerous plan while she should be resting.”
Molly grabbed two waters from the fridge and passed one to Jill. “Latest dangerous plan? That’s not fair. I don’t knowingly head into risky situations.”
Jill tilted her head to one side. “Really? Shall we review?”
Molly held up her hand. “No. But I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking, and if you think it’s too dangerous, I won’t do it.”
Picking up a large piece of muffin top, Jill narrowed her eyes. “Tell me.”
“We, that’s we, not me, go to the hotel and make a plea, together, to Tiffany to go to Chris now. Before he issues the warrant. We probably shouldn’t tell her about the warrant, but I know she’s scared, Jill. If she knows Chris will help her—and you know he will—maybe she’ll turn on whoever scares her.”
Jill took her time chewing, making Molly want to squirm. “She’s still part of this, Mol. She’s dangerous.”
“She wasn’t the one who attacked me. Whoever she’s working with is more dangerous. And if she gets arrested and the person finds out, they could be in the wind for good.”
“In the wind? Who is she, Jason Bourne?”
She knew Jill was trying to make her laugh but Molly’s sense of urgency wouldn’t fade. Tiffany might have had something to do with Magnolia’s death, but she could also be in serious trouble herself.
“I’m with you every second,” Jill said.
“Done.”
“We call Chris and tell him,” Jill added.
Molly’s shoulders sagged. “He’ll stop us. I wouldn’t put it past him to put me on house arrest. He’ll have a deputy here before we can get to the driveway.”
“I had to try.”
“We’ll go, make our case—maybe seeing me banged up will be enough to make her see how serious this is—and we’ll leave. We’ll be back before Sam brings me lunch.”
Pushing the muffin away, Jill shook her head, her expression resigned. “Let’s go then.”
* * * *
The Sea Side Shangri-La was Britton Bay’s finest, and only, hotel. There were several motels and dozens of bed and breakfasts for tourists. Eventually, Molly figured they’d get more hotels but for now this one sufficed. Although it was generic, the hotel was full of amenities, boasting four floors and several cottages around an inground pool. People who wanted a place to stay that included room service and a workout room came here.
Jill drove Molly’s Jeep because it was higher than her own car and easier for Molly to slide into. She parked in front of the hotel. Molly realized she hadn’t been here since Skyler’s death. She cringed. Maybe she did get herself into “situations” but it was for the good of others.
Helping her out of the Jeep, Jill asked, “You sure?”
“We’ll be ten minutes and then I won’t involve myself any further,” Molly said.
Jill snorted with laughter. “Right. Wish I’d recorded that.”
They walked side by side into the hotel. Peak season was on its way, but for now the lobby was quiet. Kip, whom Molly had met before, was at the front desk. He smiled when he saw Molly and Jill.
“Morning ladies. What can I do for you?”
“We’re here to see Tiffany Faye,” Molly said.
Kip’s smile dropped. “Is she expecting you?”
“Probably not, but we need to go over a couple of things for photos we’re taking on opening night,” Jill said.
“Oh. Okay. She’s in room 410.”
Molly smiled at him, feeling only a mild level of guilt that it was so easy to get what they wanted.
“Thanks, Kip. You’re awesome,” Jill said.
The dark-haired gangly desk manager blushed and grinned so wide Molly was sure she could see every one of his teeth.
“No problem. Anything you need, Jill.”
Molly bit her lip to hold back her smile as they walked to the elevators. When they got in, she looked over at Jill. “Does every man in Britton Bay have a crush on you?”
Jill scoffed. “What? Kip and I went to school together. He’s a sweetie.”
“I think he’d like to be your sweetie.”
Jill rolled her eyes and stared at the round numbers lighting with each floor. The doors slid open on the third floor. Molly saw the janitor cart first before her eyes moved all the way up to see who was behind it.
“Oops, sorry. I’ll wait—oh, Molly,” Tripp, Judd’s cousin, said.
Molly smiled at him. She hadn’t seen him since the night at Judd’s. “Hi, Tripp.” A sharp stab of pain lanced through her head and she winced.
Jill immediately stepped closer and Tripp pushed the cart ahead just enough to stop the doors from closing.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Molly? Are you?” Jill wrapped an arm around Molly’s shoulders.
Pressing her fingers to her temple, Molly nodded. “I’m fine. I just…my head just hurts.”
“From the look of you, more than that hurts. You get in a scuffle?” Tripp asked.
Looking up at him, her vision feeling slightly off, it took her a minute to answer. Clearly, he worked here. He wore a blue T-shirt with a nametag on the right side of his chest.
“She got attacked,” Jill said as Molly continued to stare.
He didn’t look much like Judd. His hair was shorter and black. He wore jeans and his T-shirt had a small rip under the nametag. Judd wouldn’t wear a shirt with holes in it. He had too much pride.
“Attacked? That’s awful.” Tripp’s voice sounded far away.
“Molly, are you okay?” Jill’s voice snapped through her random thoughts.
“Fine. I’m fine.” Wasn’t she? Maybe she was feeling worse than she thought.
Jill squeezed her shoulder again. “Sorry, but we need to get going. Are you getting on?”
“No ma’am. Company policy not to get on with guests or visitors. You have a nice day. Take care of yourself, Molly.” He pulled back and the doors shut.
“You’re freaking me out,” Jill said, bending her knees a bit as she stood in front of Molly. “Maybe we should go.”
“No. I’m fine. I don’t know what happened. Just a sharp pain.”
The doors slid open on the fourth floor and they quickly found room 410. Molly’s heart rate had ramped up in the elevator, and she felt like it was pulsating through her entire body.
Jill knocked on the door, stealing glances at Molly, who tried to smile and pretend she didn’t feel off.
The door swung open and Tiffany greeted them with a groan. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes scanned Molly. “What happened to you?”
Jill didn’t give the other woman a choice. She stepped forward, dragging Molly with her and Tiffany stepped back, letting them in.
“That’s what we need to know,” Jill said. The door slid closed.
Tiffany was dressed in jeans and a pullover sweater that said “California” across the front. Her hair was back in a ponytail, drawing attention to how pale she looked. Whatever make-up she wore didn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes.
“You two need to go. Now. Before I call security,” Tiffany said.
“Actually, what we need is for you to tell us who beat Molly up,” Jill countered.
They stood in the tiny hallway that led down to a bedroom. The bathroom door to the left of them was ajar, and to the right, the open closet revealed clothes spilling out of a suitcase.
“How would I know?” Tiffany crossed her arms over her chest.
“Tiffany, if you don’t let us help you, whoever did this to me is going to do worse to you. You know that, right?”
“I’m not scared of that. You brought that on yourself. I warned you,” Tiffany said, her eyes darting to the floor.
“I found sedatives in your purse,” Molly said.
Tiffany’s mouth gaped. “You went in my purse?” She stepped forward, anger contorting her features. “Who do you think you are?”
Jill stepped between them, but they all froze when the door buzzed and opened. Tripp came into the room, shutting the door behind him. Molly’s heart rate tripled. Tiffany let out a panicked sound as Tripp pocketed the key card and stared at the three of them with hatred shimmering in his gaze.