“I believe in keeping accurate records,” Vera said unapologetically.
“Lola runs scams and if she realized you’d been watching her, overhearing something you shouldn’t have?—”
“Lola didn’t know I was in the vault that day and she left the bank before she could see me. I watched her walk out myself, her back to me the whole time.”
“Then maybe you recorded seeing her somewhere, doing something she didn’t want anyone to know about,” I suggested.
“It would have to be something that was a huge threat to her to take such a risk in robbing banks,” Vera said. “And she can forget about getting her hands on my notebooks. There is no way she’s getting any of them.”
The thought settled heavy in my mind. If Lola had been gathering information about safety deposit box holders and therobberies had failed, then whatever she’d hoped to recover from those boxes was still out there.
And the more the FBI dug into things… the more chance of Lola getting caught.
Which meant Lola wouldn’t risk waiting around any longer and that could be the reason she asked Thomas for more money. She planned to hightail it out of Willow Lake. But if she believed Vera had written something down about her in those notebooks, that incriminated her in more than she wanted anyone to know, then she wouldn’t leave it to chance.
She’d come looking for them herself and soon.
“You need to be careful,” I said.
Vera lifted her chin. “I am always careful.”
“Yes, but?—”
The uneasy feeling in my stomach tightened.
“I better call my dad and alert him to the situation.”
I went to reach for my phone in my back pocket when Vera’s words stopped me cold.
“Speak of the devil and she appears.”
CHAPTER 30
Lola stopped beside us.
“Vera. Pepper.” Her smile looked pleasant enough to anyone passing by.
Up close, it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Lovely day for flowers,” Lola said.
“Not for these,” Vera said sharply, nodding toward the tired plants in her SUV.
Lola stepped closer to Vera—too close.
That was when I saw it.
The gun. Small. Black. Pressed discreetly against Vera’s side, hidden by Lola’s large purse.
My breath caught.
“Now,” Lola said quietly, her smile never wavering, “Pepper, you’re going to close the trunk, and then you’re going to get in the passenger seat. Vera and I will walk around to the driver’s side.”
Vera stiffened. “I most certainly?—”
The pressure of the gun increased.
“I have nothing left to lose,” Lola said softly. “After I shoot you, Vera, bullets will start flying. Do you really want to be responsible for other people dying today?”
