Val called at midnight. It was late for her to call, but I wasn’t sleeping.
“Hey.” I yawned and sat up higher in the bed, pausing the episode of Friends I been watching. My go-to when I needed to zone out and remain lighthearted.
“Hey. How are you doing? When I called to check in on David, he said you were sick from the fish you had for dinner.”
“It wasn’t the fish. My nerves were wrecked.”
“I can imagine. You poor thing. I’ve been stewing ever since I left. I wish I’d been waiting in the restroom. I’d have given that person a ‘come-to-Jesus’ meeting, and I mean in the real sense of the word: Bitch, meet your maker!”
“Wow, Val, take a breath, my friend. While I appreciate you caring and all, I don’t want you to end up behind bars because of some psycho, or worse, dead. I can’t bear to lose another friend.”
“I’m just sick and tired of people rocking our nice, calm little boat. And I miss Carol.”
“I know, hon, and I’m sorry. I miss her too.”
We settled into silence, and I heard Friends in the background. “Watching Netflix reruns too?” I smiled and clicked the “Play” button to unfreeze the frame.
“Yeah. It’s my choice for sleepless nights.”
I snuggled into the down pillow. “Mine too. How was the judge when you talked to him?”
“Drunk. I called Marigold to go over and look after him. They fight all the time. Like kids. Carol used to be the peacemaker in the family.” She sighed. “I guess they’ll have to fend for themselves now.”
“Guess so.” I fast-forwarded to where she was. I didn’t like to hear conflicting scenes.
“I spoke with Ellen,” Val casually said, but I caught an edge to her tone.
I didn’t respond, just waited.
“Ellen said you two have sort of made amends. I think it’s good.”
“We called a truce for now. Real-life problems supersede family drama.”
A cat howling outside caused me to jump.
“Makes sense. I forgot to mention I went to see Kevin with Ellen the other day.”
“Oh?” How could she forget that?
“Yeah, he claims innocence, and, on the one hand, I almost believed him until he started speaking in a kind of code to Ellen. And he wasn’t happy she brought me along. I just went for moral support, but hey, if he doesn’t want me there, then fine. Once he’s convicted, he’ll have to put people on a list for visitors anyway.” Was that true? Huh.
“He called me tonight from jail.” I pulled the down comforter up higher on my chest. “He keeps asking for my help. But Quinn told me Carol filed a complaint against him. He claims it was for show. I don’t know anymore.”
“Some nerve!”
I swallowed. “Did you happen to mention to Ellen about the note Carol left? The reference to the book, in particular.”
“She already knew. She heard it from a friend of a friend that got the information from Patsy.”
My head ached as Quinn’s words rang in my ears. No wonder he believed we were all gossiping females.
“Don’t let Kevin play on your sympathetic nature or your past relationship. The man’s a murderer. Plain and simple. I don’t care if he meant to hurt Carol or not. The result is she’s dead. Now someone is trying to cast doubt by using our club and that stupid rhyme!” Val was getting worked up.
“I know you loved Carol. I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
“I am hurting. People think I’m stone. That I don’t have feelings. I do. They’re just different from the rest of y’all’s.” She sighed. “I know about the pictures, Lyla.”
“How? Did Carol tell you about them? Where she’d hid them?” I felt relieved to be able to share my discovery with someone. I’d planned on keeping the evidence quiet until I turned them over to Brad. I’d call him in the morning.
She went quiet for a second, “No.” She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “David told me he gave them to you. And his investigator took documented images of Kevin abusing Carol.”
Oh. Those pictures. “I just took possession of the pictures the day he was arrested. I asked Kevin, and he admitted to the arguments and losing his temper, but he swears he wasn’t the one I saw in the car with her.”
She scoffed. “You saw him in the camo hat that day, for God’s sake. You found the same hat in your trash. Add that to the images where he’s threatening Carol while wearing it, and we have a slam dunk.”
“It seems like a slam dunk.”
“Look. I get it. He’s attractive and is good at sweet-talking vulnerable women. I don’t blame you or Ellen. But we’re talking about murder here.”
I sat up. “He claims there’s evidence to exonerate him.” But if he was counting on what I found, he’d be out of luck. They were more damning than anything else. He was the one that told me they existed. I could see Val’s point. It just didn’t feel right.
“And you believed him? Ha! So, where is it? This evidence?”
“I don’t know.” It wasn’t a complete lie. What I found wouldn’t help his case.
“Exactly. The point is that whatever Kevin told you is bullshit. He wants you to stand by him at the trial. Don’t let him manipulate you. Let’s make a pact. Here and now. Whatever you find out about any of this, you’ll tell me. And I’ll do the same for you. We’ll keep each other strong. For Carol.”
“Okay.” I agreed, even though I was already breaking the pact. With all the gossip flying around town, I needed to safeguard what I’d found. Val knew her mind better than anyone I’d ever met. The expression “Not always right but never in doubt” came to mind when I thought of my friend. She didn’t let her ignorance of any subject cloud her strong opinions. She’d already convicted Kevin. Maybe he was guilty. Maybe he wasn’t. After tonight, and what I’d found and the way Judge Timms had behaved, my thoughts were in such a tumult I could scarcely find my way to a coherent one.
“Okay.” She went silent, then sighed. “’Night.”
“’Night.”
The next morning, I sat in the office, gathering together all the evidence I had in my possession. I’d called Brad and left an urgent message. I was ready to deliver what I’d found. My mind felt sharper after a few hours of sleep. I needed to delve into the nitty-gritty of the case. I thought of Ellen and our complicated relationship. How could the Jane Doe get her necklace? Had she given it to her? Pawned it? Had I been wrong, and the necklaces weren’t custom-made? Could she stoop so low as to be a killer’s accomplice?
First things first. The necklace. Only one way to find out if Ellen still had hers. I blew out a breath and called her.
“Lyla.”
“Ellen. Can I ask you a question?”
“Will it help Kevin?” She sounded tense.
“It could. You remember the necklace Grandmother gave us when we were younger? The one she had special made?”
“I don’t understand what this has to do with anything.”
I heard voices in the background. “Do you have company?”
“No … um, it’s the TV.” It didn’t sound like the TV. “What about the angel necklace?”
“I just wondered if you still have yours.”
“I don’t know … Oh, wait! It was stolen. I had it at the alumnae bonfire. Yeah, that’s right. I took it off and put it in my purse. My purse was stolen.”
“What about your majorette scarf?”
“I have no idea what happened to that ugly ole thing. What does this have to do with Kevin?”
“Maybe nothing. Thanks for answering my questions.”
“You’re a terrible PI.” The call dropped. The truce must have ended without my knowledge. Could the Jane Doe have bought the necklace at a pawn shop? Or had she stolen it from Ellen?
Feeling way out of my depth, I needed more answers. I picked up my cell and dialed Brad’s number. “Jones here.”
“Brad, this is Lyla.”
“Oh, hey, I was just about to call you back. You disappeared last night without a word.”
Was I detecting a bit of irritation or suspicion in his tone? I was getting way too paranoid.
“I know—I had to get out of there. But I’m reaching out now, and we need to talk in person and soon. I found something at the Timms’s residence I believe you need to see.”
“You didn’t search without permission …”
“No! I asked Judge Timms if I could look through Carol’s things. Well, I found something the police missed. Something big.” I took a breath. “I found pictures of your Jane Doe. And Brad, these pictures aren’t just the skeletal remains. They were taken in progression as the body decomposed for years.”
“Where are these pictures now?”
“I have them. They’re on a flash drive.”
“Okay. I’m in Atlanta, attempting to gain a court order from a judge to allow me to be the lead on the case in Sweet Mountain.”
“Quinn said you were already working the case together.”
He snorted, and I felt ill. “I’ll call you the second I’m back in town. Do not, and I repeat, do not share what you’ve found with the local police or anyone else. And go somewhere you’ll be safe.”
Of all the things he could’ve said, that last part was the most frightening.