Maybe I should have felt elated that we’d found Freddie’s killer.
Instead, a heavy weight of sadness pressed down on me, and all I wanted to do was go home.
Chapter
Fifty-Five
“I wish this party wasn’t happening,” I confessed as Jemma and I approached the open door to Rosario’s apartment.
“Everyone wants to show their appreciation,” my friend said. “Plus, Agnes’s bakery is supplying the food, so we definitely don’t want to miss out.”
She took my arm and propelled me into the apartment, where big band music played and several of my neighbors had already gathered.
With Yolanda under arrest for Freddie’s murder, Mr. Nagy and I were both in the clear. Callahan had canceled my visit to the police station, and with Livy at a friend’s house, I was free to mix and mingle. Yet, despite my relief at no longer being a murder suspect, I didn’t feel at all in a partying mood.
“Emersyn!” Agnes exclaimed when she saw me.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me farther into the room, alerting the others to my arrival. The next thing I knew, Mrs. Nagy had wrapped me in an embrace.
I returned the hug, pouring all my love and gratitude into it. This woman had done so much for me and Livy. I hadn’t done nearly enough to repay her.
“Thank you, Emersyn,” she said. “Thank you for helping my Zoltán.”
I blinked away tears as I stepped back. “I’m not sure how much I really helped, but I’m glad his name is cleared.”
“It’s such a weight off his shoulders.” She smiled lovingly across the room at her husband, who was over in the kitchen, chatting and laughing with Rosario and Carmen.
The counter had been turned into a makeshift bar. As at the previous party in the building, Bodie mixed and shook cocktails, keeping everyone’s glasses full. Jemma was already there, talking with Bodie while he prepared a drink for her.
I chatted with Mrs. Nagy and Agnes for another minute or two, and then Jemma came over to join me, carrying two peachy-colored drinks. She handed one to me.
I thanked her, relieved that I didn’t need to approach Bodie myself. My feelings for Wyatt might still be in a jumble, but I knew now that they were stronger than what I felt for the hot bartender. At some point, I’d have to tell Bodie that I had no intention of taking our relationship any further, but this was so not the time or place.
Not that telling him that would mean I was ready to move forward with Wyatt. I still suspected that staying single was the wisest option for me at the moment.
Jemma might not agree, but I wanted clarity and stability in my life, not confusion and the potential for heartbreak. Then there was the whole guardianship dispute with my mother. That would require my full attention going forward. My mom had granted me a reprieve of sorts, but I was basically on probation. One wrong step, and she’d take up her crusade again.
Jemma and I sampled some of the food from Agnes’s bakery and chatted with the building’s residents. The whole time, I kept glancing toward the door. I knew Agnes had invited Wyatt to the party, but he’d yet to make an appearance. Despite my confused feelings, I really wanted to see him.
During one such glance at the entrance, I spotted Minnie out in the hallway, hovering with a haunted expression on her face.
The petit four I’d eaten sat heavily in my stomach.
I excused myself from my current conversation and stepped out into the hall.
“Minnie…” I started, trying to find a way to put my feelings into words. “I’m so sorry. This wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for.”
Minnie’s eyes were bloodshot, with dark rings beneath them. “Yolanda didn’t do it. She couldn’t have.” She blinked back tears. “She must have confessed because she thinks I did it and she wants to protect me.”
“You really think she believes you could have killed Freddie?” I asked.
I suspected that Yolanda had confessed so readily to prevent any further wrongful accusations against Minnie, but I didn’t doubt the veracity of the confession.
“I didn’t tell the entire truth when I said playing darts cured me of my anger,” Minnie said, wringing her hands. “I got angry all over again when Yolanda told me about Freddie taking the trophy from the speakeasy.”
“So you knew about the secret room too.”
She nodded. “I never paid any attention to the liquor behind the bar, but the speakeasy and everything in it means so much to Yolanda. She knows I was angry on her behalf. She must think that I killed Freddie, so she confessed to protect me.”
