Chapter Thirteen
Olivia answered thedoor on the second knock, and Sam immediately saw what Nora meant.Her friend looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn’t quite conceal.Her auburn hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore an oversized cardigan despite the mild weather.
“Sam!Good to see you.I was just making tea.Want some?”
“Sure.”Sam followed her into the tidy kitchen.
Olivia went through the motions of tea preparation with automatic precision, but her hands shook slightly as she filled the kettle.Sam waited, sensing her friend needed to get to something in her own time.
Finally, with mugs of chamomile tea in front of them at the small kitchen table, Olivia spoke.“The police came by again yesterday.Chief Hawkins.”
Sam’s heart sank.“Oh, Olivia.”Her friend had really been through the wringer as a suspect in various recent investigations.She seemed to have a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“I know.”Olivia stared into her mug.“I haven’t done anything wrong.This is just routine, of course.They’re talking to everyone who was at book club.”Her voice caught a little.“But sitting there again, answering questions, and having Hawkins look at me like I might be a murderer was pretty awful.”She stopped, wrapping both hands around her mug as if seeking warmth.
“I’m so sorry,” Sam said quietly.
“The worst part is, I can see it in the cops’ eyes.They know my history.They know I’ve been involved in similar situations before.That they’ve had to question me before.”Olivia gave a hollow laugh.“I guess once you’re connected to murder investigations, you stay connected.Like some kind of horrible recurring character.”
“That’s not fair to you.”
“Fair or not, it’s true.”Olivia’s expression was distant.“Hawkins was professional about it.But I could tell.I’m not just another book club member to them.I’m someone with a track record.”
Sam reached across the table and squeezed her friend’s hand.“What did they ask you?”
“The usual.Where I was during the meeting, did I notice anything unusual, what was my relationship with Margaret.”Olivia set down her mug.
“What did you think of her?Honestly?”
Olivia considered this.“Margaret was difficult.But you already know that.She had strong opinions about everything, and she wasn’t shy about sharing them.I felt bad for some of the others.Dylan, especially, after that open mic disaster.”
“Did she seem to have problems with anyone specifically?”
“With everyone, really.”Olivia frowned.“Although there was something strange about Sofia.”
“The grad student?”
“If that’s even what she is.”Olivia’s frown deepened.“She’s still a fairly new member.At first, I thought she was just shy, you know?Quiet.And she seemed pleasant.But sometimes, she got this look on her face like she was pained about something.Particularly when Margaret spoke during the meetings.”
“Did she have a run-in with Margaret?”Sam asked.
“Maybe.I mean, everyone else did.At any rate, Sofia doesn’t speak up much during the meetings.I wonder if that will change now that Margaret is dead.”
“Maybe Sofia just doesn’t like conflict and wants to avoid it.”
“Maybe.Still, it was almost as if she was taking Margaret’s actions personally.”Olivia wrapped her hands around her mug again.“And there was one moment a couple of meetings ago.Margaret was going on about something.Who even knows what it was.Sofia stared at her with this almost unfathomable expression.”
