Lydia blanches.
Travis’s eyes bug out. “The police have her phone records?” He sounds upset. “They haven’t cracked her phone. They asked us for the password, and they said they couldn’t crack it without that.”
“Well, we have a computer wiz.” I point at Hughes.
“So I guess you saw—” Lydia sags.
“The call? Yes.”
“I didn’t kill my sister, I swear. I mean, yeah, it’s not a secret that we’re happy she’s not here anymore. I mean, she was nuts.”
“Josie told me.”
“She wanted our kids to be her emotional support animals. I think she was gearing up to take them from us,” Travis says stubbornly.
“I don’t know about that. Taylor Grace doesn’t actually like kids.” Lydia tugs at her hair.
“She likes drama.”
“I called her because I wanted to talk to her. She was going nuts, complaining that Josie, Hollis, and Maris were all trying to take her away from me,” Lydia explains. “It began because Hollis and I started hanging out.”
“And Taylor Grace is the one who initiated it,” Travis interjects.
“Yeah, but Hollis loves kids! She’s such a wonderful friend. Taylor Grace got jealous. Said Hollis wanted to steal me from her. You should have heard her when she and that therapist ganged up on me.” Lydia sags against the skating rink wall. “Then Maris came back to town, and Taylor Grace found out that I was trying to get in contact with her, and she just flipped out,accused me of being a traitor. Same thing with Josie—said she and Willow were trying to steal me and the kids from her.”
“Did she say anything when you went to talk to her?” Josie takes her hand.
“Taylor Grace wanted to meet in the shop, and when I got there, she was dead,” Lydia admits. “I just walked away, went to the party.”
“Who knew you were going to meet her at the shop?” I ask.
“Well, Travis did…” Lydia looks at him.
“I didn’t kill her. I was at the Christmas market, nearby, waiting for the meeting to be done.” Travis crosses his arms.
“No one thinks you killed her.” Lydia pats his leg. “The thing is, though,” she says slowly, “she wasn’t shot when I got there. She was face down on the floor, dead, but no gunshot wounds.”
“And you didn’t see anyone else when you were coming or leaving?”
“No.” Lydia shakes her head. She looks teary-eyed. “I guess you’re going to go to the police?”
“Can’t. There’s no evidence.” I shrug.
“But I’m on the video.”
“No, the video cut out.” Hughes frowns.
“Oh, thank God. I mean—” Her eyes shift. “Oh no, now we don’t know who killed my sister.”
“See, Lydia, I told you, you were worried for no reason. The murderer obviously would have thought of the cameras,” Travis says. “That’s why Jonah was hung in the tree. The branches would obscure the cameras.”
“This is the same MO.”
“Ugh,what are we going to do?” We walk back through the market. “We are completely at a dead end.”
“Enjoy the Christmas market, eat cookies, regroup tomorrow. You two can get started on the five babies.” Josie skips beside me.
“I need to go help Hollis.” I take back Lord Mycroft.
