father’s desk.
That was the only reasonable explanation.
It had to be one of them.
Melinda had been in the hospital, but did that completely rule her out?
What was she thinking?
Melinda couldn’t have killed Charles.
This whole thing was making her paranoid, making her feel things she didn’t want to feel.
She’d read the newspaper reports about Charles and the other events that had taken place around the same time he was murdered.
Pamela Carter had disappeared. There was talk that she and Charles had had an affair. That avenue was certainly worth looking into. Maybe Pamela had killed him and run off with the money Charles had withdrawn. Melinda had told Lacy about the missing money. The police had questioned her regarding the large withdrawal, but she hadn’t known anything about it of course.
Charles’s partner, Nigel Canton, had been investigated just as Melinda had. If there had been anything to find, surely the police would have discovered it. But then again, the same officers of the law hadn’t learned the secret they kept. Could she actually count on the police to find the real killer? Did she even want them to, considering it was more than likely one of her dearest friends?
Enough. She pushed up from her chair. She could sit here all day and speculate, or she could get out and find the truth for herself. That way she could protect her friends if she discovered evidence that it was one of them. Who was she kidding? She knew it was one of them. But which one?
She had several hours before she was supposed to be at Melinda’s. There was plenty of time for her to look into things, starting with the long-missing Pamela.
Lacy grabbed her purse and headed for her car. She’d have to be careful. The others couldn’t know. They wouldn’t understand. They would assume she was working against them. In all the years they’d been friends—and their bond went all the way back to before kindergarten—nothing had ever threatened to pull them apart as Charles’s murder had.
Cassidy was with Melinda and Kira would likely be working from her parents’ home. They all had jobs to take care of. Lacy had e-mailed and faxed several high-priority items already this morning. Cassidy had dumped her entire caseload on a junior partner at her firm and was consulting via phone and e-mail. Kira could more easily do her work most anywhere since she edited for a New York based publishing house.
Bottom line, they were all busy. No one was likely going to wonder where she was. She had her cell phone. If Kira decided she wanted someone besides her mother with whom to share lunch she would call.
As Lacy drove through town on her way to the Carter place, she abruptly noticed the smell of the old paper mill. Funny how when you spent your life someplace you forgot to notice something as cloying as that. On her way she opted to go past the suite of offices where Charles had once worked. The same place his partner had bought out full control. Nigel Canton darn sure had a motive for wanting Charles dead. The business aside, Melinda had told Lacy about the affair Charles had carried on with Nigel’s wife, Patricia.
From what Melinda had seen, Nigel hated Charles.
But he hadn’t been alone in his misery. A lot of men in Ashland had hated Charles.
Lacy drove slowly by the two-story building. Charles’s father had forked over the cash for the swanky architecture. Nothing was too good for his only son. The building still belonged to Charles, Senior, but he continued to lease the space to Nigel. Perhaps to keep him quiet about Charles’s extracurricular activities?
People talked in a small town. But when the gossip revolved around the family who all but owned the entire county, things were kept hush-hush to a large degree. And no one in his right mind would have testified against an Ashland. That would amount to economic and social suicide in this county and probably a few surrounding ones.
Lacy scarcely caught herself before
That was the only reasonable explanation.
It had to be one of them.
Melinda had been in the hospital, but did that completely rule her out?
What was she thinking?
Melinda couldn’t have killed Charles.
This whole thing was making her paranoid, making her feel things she didn’t want to feel.
She’d read the newspaper reports about Charles and the other events that had taken place around the same time he was murdered.
Pamela Carter had disappeared. There was talk that she and Charles had had an affair. That avenue was certainly worth looking into. Maybe Pamela had killed him and run off with the money Charles had withdrawn. Melinda had told Lacy about the missing money. The police had questioned her regarding the large withdrawal, but she hadn’t known anything about it of course.
Charles’s partner, Nigel Canton, had been investigated just as Melinda had. If there had been anything to find, surely the police would have discovered it. But then again, the same officers of the law hadn’t learned the secret they kept. Could she actually count on the police to find the real killer? Did she even want them to, considering it was more than likely one of her dearest friends?
Enough. She pushed up from her chair. She could sit here all day and speculate, or she could get out and find the truth for herself. That way she could protect her friends if she discovered evidence that it was one of them. Who was she kidding? She knew it was one of them. But which one?
She had several hours before she was supposed to be at Melinda’s. There was plenty of time for her to look into things, starting with the long-missing Pamela.
Lacy grabbed her purse and headed for her car. She’d have to be careful. The others couldn’t know. They wouldn’t understand. They would assume she was working against them. In all the years they’d been friends—and their bond went all the way back to before kindergarten—nothing had ever threatened to pull them apart as Charles’s murder had.
Cassidy was with Melinda and Kira would likely be working from her parents’ home. They all had jobs to take care of. Lacy had e-mailed and faxed several high-priority items already this morning. Cassidy had dumped her entire caseload on a junior partner at her firm and was consulting via phone and e-mail. Kira could more easily do her work most anywhere since she edited for a New York based publishing house.
Bottom line, they were all busy. No one was likely going to wonder where she was. She had her cell phone. If Kira decided she wanted someone besides her mother with whom to share lunch she would call.
As Lacy drove through town on her way to the Carter place, she abruptly noticed the smell of the old paper mill. Funny how when you spent your life someplace you forgot to notice something as cloying as that. On her way she opted to go past the suite of offices where Charles had once worked. The same place his partner had bought out full control. Nigel Canton darn sure had a motive for wanting Charles dead. The business aside, Melinda had told Lacy about the affair Charles had carried on with Nigel’s wife, Patricia.
From what Melinda had seen, Nigel hated Charles.
But he hadn’t been alone in his misery. A lot of men in Ashland had hated Charles.
Lacy drove slowly by the two-story building. Charles’s father had forked over the cash for the swanky architecture. Nothing was too good for his only son. The building still belonged to Charles, Senior, but he continued to lease the space to Nigel. Perhaps to keep him quiet about Charles’s extracurricular activities?
People talked in a small town. But when the gossip revolved around the family who all but owned the entire county, things were kept hush-hush to a large degree. And no one in his right mind would have testified against an Ashland. That would amount to economic and social suicide in this county and probably a few surrounding ones.
Lacy scarcely caught herself before
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