“Right next to Carter, Hernandez, and Martinez,” Vera admitted. “It’s a damned four-way tie.”
“By the way,” he said, “that rental—the Airbnb in Park City that Carter mentioned—was a bust. It took Myra about a dozen calls to track down the owner, and he sent her to a service who handles the rentals. The service refuses to give out any information without a warrant. They did say there were no cameras in or around the property. With what we know now, I’m not so sure it’s worth the hassle.”
“Don’t bother,” Vera agreed. “I think we can pretty much rule out Alicia based on the statements from Parson and Lancaster. The knife being found under her was clearly a setup. As for the others, I can’t think of one reason to rule even one of them out. They all have motive. They all had means and opportunity. The only trouble is proving it.”
“All four disliked Alicia,” Bent reminded her. “All four felt she made things worse. Their boss. Their working environment. Their lives.”
Vera nodded. “True. Maybe Erwin not so much. She just announced she expected to go with Wilton if he moved to California. But I can’t get the story about the first wife she just told me out of my head. There’s something there too.”
“Could be,” Bent admitted. “What we need is for one of them to break.”
“Right.” Vera doubted Erwin would be the one to break. More likely Martinez or Hernandez. Analyzing people was her specialty, but she was a little off her game this week.
Bent cocked his head. “I say we play a little game with our top four.”
Vera grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“We’ll bring all four in and put them in a room together and let them stew for a while, then we’ll question them—together.”
“Erwin and Carter will go head-to-head.” Vera was sure of it. “Sparks will fly.”
“Maybe accusations will be thrown, and we’ll learn something we don’t already know.”
“Good plan.”
He gave her a little two-fingered salute. “See you at home.”
She waved, then wandered to her SUV.Home.Where exactly was home now? She watched him drive past. With Bent, she decided. Wherever he was ... was home.
As Vera pulled onto the street, she made the call to her old friend. Eric promised to have something as quickly as possible for her on Quantum Leap. She thanked him and ended the call. Another call immediately buzzed in.Luna.Her face flashed on the dashboard screen of Vera’s SUV.
She steeled herself and accepted the call. “Hey, Luna. Everything okay?”
“I’m sitting in the parking lot at the hardware store.”
The news sent a new shot of adrenaline through Vera’s chest. “Luna, you—”
“I can’t live with this anymore. I need to tell Jerome, and I just can’t until I talk to Mr. Potter. That receipt has to be wrong.”
“Give me time to get there, and I’ll go in with you.” Vera pressed harder on the accelerator. “Please, Luna, don’t do anything until I get there. I’m on my way.”
She hoped like hell there was some sort of explanation for Luna’s timeline that morning ... otherwise this situation was going to hell in a hurry.
36
Fayetteville Hardware
1100 Winchester Highway, 5:00 p.m.
Vera parked and hurried to catch her sister before she reached the entrance to the hardware store.
“Are you certain you want to do this now?” Vera needed her to be certain. She really did. She wanted to be certain as well. But the truth was she felt utterly terrified after making her own purchase and finding the time stamp correct. Her heart pounded, and ice slipped through her veins.
“Vee.” Luna’s expression was more confident than Vera had seen it in days. “I know you’re worried about this, but I’m not. I know about what time I came over here and about what time I left. It’s true that pregnancy brain is a real thing and that I am more forgetful these days, but there has to be an explanation.”
Vera blinked back the damn emotion that burned in her eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry for doubting you.” She inhaled a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
With that she walked side by side with her little sister to the entrance and prayed with every step that since it was past five o’clock, Clarence Potter would have gone home already. Because deep down Vera was so not ready to do this.
