For the second time in only a few days, Molly sat on a hospital bed in the emergency room. Apparently, showing up with the sheriff earlier in the week had sped the process along. She’d been on her own for about thirty minutes when Sam burst through the pink curtain.
“Are you okay? What the hell, Molly?” He gently cupped her face in both of his hands, bending his knees so they were eye level.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She gripped his wrists. “I’m so sorry. I have no excuses. I’m so sorry for putting Jill in danger. Have you seen her?”
He shook his head, pressing kisses to her face that she didn’t feel she deserved. “No. My aunt and mom went to see her. She’s down a few beds.”
“Can you forgive me?” Molly whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Sam tucked her against his body with extreme gentleness, mindful of her ribs, which still ached. “Do you even have to ask?”
She looked up at him. “Yes. I put her in danger and I don’t know if I can forgive myself, even if Jill and you can.”
“Molly,” he said, smoothing her hair back from her face. “Did you force Jill to go with you?”
“No. But she wouldn’t have without me,” Molly said. She sniffled, trying to get control of her emotions.
“I see I have a repeat customer,” Dr. Remy said, walking into the room.
Sam stepped aside and let Dr. Remy move into his place. Molly wiped her tears away.
“How you doing, Molly?” Ramona lifted her left arm and examined the scrapes and scratches from the rope.
“Been better, honestly.”
“These look superficial but I’ll get the nurse to clean them up. I’d like to check your ribs and we’ll do another x-ray just to be sure.”
“Can you prescribe bed rest?” Sam asked.
The doctor chuckled. “Would she listen?”
Molly cringed. “I might, now.”
Sam laughed. “No.” He met Molly’s gaze. “I’m going to check on Jill. You need anything?”
“I’m fine.” She tried to smile through the lie but failed. Sam assured her he’d be right back and left her alone with Dr. Remy’s numerous questions and cold hands.
* * * *
She didn’t see Jill until they all arrived at Katherine’s, who insisted everyone come up to the bed and breakfast for some comfort food. She stopped at Calli’s on the way and grabbed enough food for ten families. Tigger was overjoyed to see Molly. As if sensing she wasn’t herself, he didn’t jump up but stayed at her side.
Molly sat across from Jill at the long dining table, grateful when Jill reached across for her hand.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Jill said.
“Like what?” Molly squeezed her hand, taking note of the rope burn along both of her friend’s arms.
“Like you’re wracked with guilt. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. And I chose to go with you,” Jill said, pulling her hand back.
Anne, Katherine, and Sam walked in carrying plates and containers of food.
“She’s right,” Anne said. “She’s a big girl and makes her own choices. Let’s just be thankful you’re both okay.”
“Agreed,” Katherine said.
“Everyone is safe. That’s all that matters,” Sam said, sitting beside Molly. He kissed her cheek. “And the killer is in jail.”
“I did not see that coming,” Jill said. “Molly, do you think your strange reaction in the elevator was your mind’s way of alerting you to trouble?”
Molly gave a half laugh. “If it was, I didn’t pay very good attention.”
“What happened in the elevator?” Katherine sat across from Anne.
“We ran into Tripp on the floor before Tiffany’s and my head started hurting. I felt sweaty and just…off. When we were in the hotel room and I could smell his soap or cologne, it brought the attack back and I realized I’d smelled it then, too. I made the connection too late. Same with his shirt.”
Three sets of eyes stared at her, but it was Anne who asked, “His shirt?”
Molly nodded, adding fries to her plate. “He had a substantial hole in his shirt and I couldn’t figure out why it was bothering me. Then I remembered there was a scrap of fabric on the house on stage when we found Magnolia.”
“Did he say why?” Katherine asked.
“He said something about money and Judd and Magnolia wrecking his plans and his life,” Jill said.
Clearly, their near-death experience hadn’t put a damper on any of their appetites. As they ate and chatted, Molly’s guilt lessened minimally but her curiosity only increased. She just didn’t understand all of the pieces and how they fit together.
“You okay?” Sam asked quietly, leaning in so his breath brushed her ear.
She squeezed his hand. “I am. I just wondered how things are going at the station.”
He smiled, stroked a hand over her hair. “Of course you are.”
Molly frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for who you are, babe. I love you. All the parts that make you you.”
“You’re too good to me,” she said, leaning in for a kiss.
The chatter continued around them but Molly felt cocooned by his unconditional affection.
“Hope you still think that when I ask Chris if we can put a homing device on you so we always know your whereabouts,” he joked.
Molly set her fork down. “How did he know we were there?”
The others stopped talking and looked their way. Sam pushed his plate away and folded his forearms across each other on the tabletop.
“He didn’t. The warrant came through early, so they were going to search Tiffany’s room. When Chris called to tell me you were on your way to the hospital, he said they’d been about to knock when they heard commotion from inside.” He grinned at Molly. “He went with his gut.”
“Thank goodness,” Jill said. “After Molly tried to kick him in the face, I wasn’t entirely sure what our next move was.”
Sam groaned and dropped his head to his arms. “I did not need to know you tried to kick a killer in the face.”
“Don’t give her a hard time, Sam,” Katherine said.
He lifted his head and sighed. Molly smiled at Katherine. “Thank you.”
Katherine arched her perfectly groomed brow. “We have plenty of time to do that after you’ve had some rest.”
The others laughed and Molly couldn’t help but join in.
* * * *
Molly and Sam were getting ready for bed, Tigger trailing her every step, when their doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Sam said over Tigger’s bark.
Molly and Tigger trailed behind him. Chris stood on the other side of the door looking like the day had done a number on him.
“Hey guys, sorry to come by so late,” he said.
“No problem, man. Come on in.”
Sam closed the door as Chris walked over to stand in front of Molly.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thank you and I’m sorry.”
“You’re welcome, and I know. I swear though, Molly, I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as when I saw the three of you huddled together, tied up and frightened.” His voice held no accusation or venom. Just fact. Still, she felt comforted by Sam’s presence at her side, his hand slipping into hers.
Chris looked down at their joined hands then back up at Molly. “Do you know what terrified me most?”
She shook her head, a large lump of emotion lodging in her throat.
“The idea that we might have come too late. That I would have had to tell my best friend that I didn’t get there in time to save the woman he loves.”
Molly pulled her hand out of Sam’s and threw her arms around Chris. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
He hugged her back, gently, and then stepped away. “I know. I’d just really like to never be in that situation again. Please.”
She nodded. “Can I ask?”
He smiled, clapping Sam on the shoulder. “I’m here because I knew you would. Figured it’d be easier to come to you than have you accost me at the station tomorrow demanding an official statement.”
“Come on in, man,” Sam said.
They went into the living room, Molly and Sam on the couch, Chris on the armchair with Tigger in his lap.
He rubbed Tigger’s head. “Hey, buddy.” Tigger’s ears flopped adorably, making them laugh.
“Do you want a drink or anything?” Molly asked belatedly.
Chris shook his head. “Nah. Sarah’s waiting for me. You were right. Tiffany was terrified. I’m going to lay it all out there now, but I’ll give you a formal statement for the paper tomorrow. You can’t print all of this.”
Molly’s lips curled up in a grin. “Noted, Sheriff.”
“Tiffany and Tripp met at the hotel where he works as a casual. He struck up a conversation with her—my guess is because he’d been stalking Magnolia and saw Tiffany at the theater—and they bonded over their mutual hatred of the woman. It complicated matters for Tiffany that she and Vivien were in love.”
“I knew there was something between them,” Molly said.
Chris nodded. “You were right. They kept it a secret though, because Magnolia liked to control her children’s lives and frowned on workplace romances of all things. Sort of ironic considering she and Beau met on set.”
“What a strange woman. But stranger is Vivien cowing to her mom’s demands,” Sam said. “She’s a grown woman. A professional.”
Tigger jumped off Chris’s lap and curled up in his dog bed by the fireplace. Leaning forward, their weary friend clasped his hands between his outstretched knees.
“She is, but she was also working for her mother, and until she had more control over the company, she lived by Magnolia’s wishes. Tiffany was scared of Magnolia but wanted to help Vivien. Magnolia could have broken Tiffany professionally and personally, so when Tripp suggested they kidnap her for ransom money, she thought it would get her out of the way for both of them.”
Trying to follow the logic of that, Molly failed. “What?”
His tired laugh turned into a sigh. “I know. Apparently, that was the plan. Tiffany would drug Magnolia, then Tripp would kidnap her and stash her away. Without the star director, Tiffany would step up and Vivien would be able to go to the theater and see her shine. Tripp would get his money back and then some, and by the time they released Magnolia he’d be gone.”
“I can’t even begin to understand how they actually thought that would work,” Sam said. He rubbed a hand over his face.
Molly understood his confusion. “But they didn’t kidnap her.”
Straightening, Chris shook his head. “Nope. Tripp never intended to. It was always about double revenge. When we called Judd down to the station and talked to him, he was shocked. Crushed and shocked. He and Tripp were supposed to start a boat launch business back in the day. They had ten grand saved. Which would have been a huge chunk and enough for them to get started. When Judd lent it to Magnolia, he swore she’d pay him back. Tripp’s basically been plotting revenge ever since. While living off of Judd.”
“Poor Judd,” Molly said. “That’s awful. So, the handkerchief of his?”
“Tripp planted it.”
Sam rubbed a hand up and down Molly’s arm. “What about the texts?”
“No one broke into Judd’s locker. Tripp stole his phone from home. Tiffany took Magnolia’s. They exchanged just enough texts to make it suspicious.”
“Tripp threatened Vivien?”
Mouth pinched, Chris gave a curt nod. “Told Tiffany that if she said a word before she got him some money to leave town, he’d kill her. Since he’d killed Magnolia in cold blood, Tiffany was right not to doubt him.”
“What’ll happen to her?” Sam asked.
“She’s an accessory to murder. And single. Judd wasn’t the only one crushed. We called Jeffrey and Vivien down to the station to let them know what happened and she couldn’t believe Tiffany was any part of it. They’d argued about telling her mom, but she’d never imagined Tiffany had a hand in her death. Tiffany said it wasn’t meant to happen that way but I don’t think Vivien will come around on the forgiveness.”
As much as Tiffany had made her own bed, Molly felt a stab of empathy for the woman. Not getting the forgiveness of loved ones could really empty a person. Not that she’d know, thanks to the amazing people in her own life, but she’d worried she’d pushed things just a little too far this time.
She squeezed Sam around the middle, hanging on.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Grateful.”
He kissed her head. “You and me both.”