“You should be proud of your success.You’ve got a major publisher.And Charlotte says your books are very popular.”
Gerald frowned.“Charlotte knows, too?”
Sam wanted to make that clear.She didn’t think Gerald would come after her, but she still didn’t want him to think he could eliminate her and remove the only person who knew his secret.“That’s right.”
Gerald said, “Look, I don’t want anyone to know about this.The bank has a strict no-outside-employment policy.I don’t know if it extends to being a novelist, but I don’t want to find out.”
“Tell me what happened with Margaret.”
Gerald rubbed his temples as if they throbbed.“Margaret was very snide about it.Well, you met her.You know exactly how she could be.She demanded $500 a month from me or else she’d tell the bank and everybody else if I didn’t pay.”He shook his head.“I’ve been bleeding my savings dry.I know how this all looks, but I didn’t do a thing to Margaret.”
“But it must have been a huge relief when she died.”
He blew out a sigh.“Sure.But that made me feel guilty too, even though I had nothing to do with it.I was terrified of her, but I didn’t wish any harm on her.I kept thinking she must have had a tough upbringing or that something awful must have happened to Margaret to make her the way she was.I felt sorry for her, in a way.I didn’t want to be her target, though.She was always giving me these knowing looks.Like she was about to spill the beans and tell everybody at any time.And writing is the only thing I do that’s mine and mine alone.”
It felt like he was telling the truth.But he looked guilty at the same time.Maybe it was just because he felt relieved at Margaret’s death.
“You’re not going to the police, are you?”he asked.
“I have to,” said Sam.“You have a motive.”
“But others have a motive, too.Everyone saw how upset Dylan was after his open mic night.”
Sam asked, “Was there anyone else who might have wanted to harm Margaret?”
Gerald hesitated.He looked clearly uncomfortable, as if he didn’t want to say anything.
“Gerald, if it’s not you, then who?”
In a low voice, Gerald said, “Claire.”
“Claire Mills?”Sam frowned in surprise.
“I really shouldn’t say anything.She’s my friend.We talk about writing all the time.”
Sam asked, “Did Claire know about your romance writing?”
“She knew I was working on something, but not what it was.I told her it was a historical novel, not a historical romance.Anyway, Margaret just destroyed her.She really did.”
“What do you mean?”asked Sam.She knew this was about Margaret’s critique of Claire’s book, but she wanted to hear Gerald’s take on it.
“Claire’s been working on a manuscript for years.She summoned up the courage to ask Margaret what she thought about it.”He shook his head.“I told her not to do it.I said even if Margaret loved it, she wouldn’t give Claire any praise.Margaret was someone who ripped people down, not built them up.But Claire really wanted feedback.”
“Why didn’t she just get you to read it?”
“She did,” said Gerald.“I thought it was great.But Claire thought she couldn’t really get an honest opinion from me because we were friends.She figured Margaret would be honest.Then Margaret just eviscerated the manuscript.Her criticism broke Claire.She stopped coming to meetings for a couple of months.”
Sam shook her head.“That must have been rough on her.”
“Claire kept working on the manuscript.Really obsessively, actually.Like she couldn’t let go of what Margaret said.She told her she’d never be published.That she should give up on writing entirely.But it was always Claire’s dream.”Gerald rubbed his hand over his face.“I feel so bad telling you this.I don’t think Claire could have hurt anyone.”
“But she does have motive.”Sam stood.“I’d better run.I’ll let you finish your lunch.Thanks for talking to me.”
He nodded miserably as Sam left.When she got to the top of the wooden stairs, she turned back to see Gerald sitting on the bench, his head in his hands.
As soon as Sam got back home, she texted Charlotte to see if she’d let Chief Hawkins know and to tell her she’d safely returned from her talk with Gerald.She hadn’t wanted to tell Gerald that it would be Charlotte making the call to the police instead of her.She didn’t like the idea of Charlotte being in any danger.Charlotte texted her back to say that she’d just done it.She asked how Gerald had been, and Sam filled her in as Arlo greeted her with enthusiastic tail wags.
Then she sat down with her notes again, carefully recording Gerald’s secret and how Margaret had discovered it.That she’d been blackmailing him monthly.
