“That’s the problem, Court. I don’t know how many people could have known that, or who might’ve had a grudge against my mother. I haven’t exactly been around for the last decade.”
“True,” she gave in, inclining her head. “Very true. So, basically... we’re nowhere.”
“Basically.”
Courtney heaved herself up. “We’ll keep brainstorming in the car. It’s time to pick up the girls.”
Surprised, I glanced at the clock, seeing that she was right. Afternoon snuck up on us quickly.
Quickly we cleaned up, then took off in Sue’s car, first to pick up Taylor and then to pick up Lily.
“I’ll see you there,” Mr. Layton called, waving at us as he made for the car. “Short lesson today so Lily can play with her friend.”
“Yay,” Lily cried, jumping up and down and hugging Taylor like they were long-lost sisters reunited.
Seeing them made something broken and empty in my heart twinge. Not even at our best were Sue and I like this. We were always on opposite sides, and that war destroyed many lives—even got people killed. Even Courtney, the only real sister I ever had, got caught up in the poisonous miasma that seemed to follow the Kim family everywhere they went.
Makes me wonder if the real reason so many societies, cultures, and nations have a concept of curses... is because they’re real.
Together we drove back to the manor. Courtney and I kept the conversation light while the girls chattered in the backseat. When we got home, Courtney took them into the kitchen for a quick snack while I prepped the sitting room for Lily’s piano lesson.
Ding-ding.
I hurried out, rushing to the door to let Mr. Layton in.
“Hello, again,” I said.
Layton stood on the welcome mat, his sheet music under one arm and his coat under the other.
He didn’t move.
“Come in, come in.” I swept aside, gesturing him in. “Lily’s finishing up her snack but she’ll be ready soon. I can get you something too while you wait—”
He dropped to his knees. Wide eyes swallowing me, Layton pitched forward—sprawling the welcome mat dead.
I took one look and clamped my hand over my mouth, screaming into my palm.
“MRS. KIM.” BALOGUNwaited for me outside Lily’s room with a serious expression that bordered more on disapproving. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
“I agree,” I rasped, stomach heaving. I was glad I couldn’t see myself in Lily’s wall mirror anymore, because I looked terrible. “Have any suggestions for how I make that happen? Because mine for you is that you catch the bastard who keeps killing everyone I know.” It was a struggle not to scream.
Balogun seemed to feel the anger in my voice all the same. She pressed her lips tightly together as she gestured for me to follow her. “How is your daughter?”
“She’s fine. My friend is looking after her right now, and my husbands are on the way home.” I pressed my hand to my forehead, feeling flushed and sweaty. “Thankfully, she didn’t see him like that, but now I have to explain to her that she’ll never see her teacher again so soon after losing her grandmother. My goodness, who is doing these things, because you have to see that it’s not Mrs. Finley,” I cried, whirling on her. “You know that she’s lying about killing my mother, don’t you?”
She gazed at me steadily. “Mrs. Finley hasn’t given us a chance to question her story because she refuses to tell us. She hasn’t spoken a word since she was brought into custody except to say that she’s the killer, and she’ll give the full details to a reporter.”
It was scary how right I was about that.
“Naturally,” Balogun drawled, “that’s never going to happen. We don’t allow suspects to sensationalize their crimes for media attention. Even the thought of that is obscene and disrespectful to the victims.”
“I completely agree—in most cases.” I sighed, rubbing my temple. Together we tromped down the stairs. “But in this case, Mrs. Finley didn’t kill my mother and she definitely didn’t touch Mr. Layton. What she really wants is to give her son a voice. To speak up for him now that he’s gone. If you promise her that she’ll get plenty of coverage and attention for confessing to the crime, and strangling me, she’ll give up the lie and tell you the truth of what really happened that night.”
Her expression didn’t change. “An interesting suggestion, Mrs. Kim, but not what we’re here to discuss.” Stepping off the bottom step, she pointed to the man dead in my doorway. “I’m here for him.”
Seeing Layton like that again exploded bile up my throat. As dead bodies go, he didn’t crack my top three of the most horrifying to witness, but still, the massive knife sticking out of his spine made me want to run and hide.
Her partner leaned over that knife, examining it while he jotted down notes in his pad. On either side of him were two crime scene technicians, and behind all of them, was Officer Davis.
