Page 102 of Murder on Charity Lane

“As long as CJ shows up for her legal proceedings,” Lily-Ann said, trying to share information and hold off Ocean’s explosion, “nothing happens. However, if she flees, Mrs. B loses the property.”

“Loses like … loses?” Sophie asked.

“Yes.”

Ocean grunted. “And my kids lose the only home they’ve ever known.”

“She won’t run,” Mrs. B said. “She’d never do that to us—or herself! She’ll stay while we prove her innocence.”

“Bail doesn’t exist in California anymore,” Hamilton said. “Mrs. B probably posted a property bond to afford the services of a pretrial consultant to secure CJ’s release. Which is extremely bail-like without actually being bail.”

“She won’t run,” Mrs. B repeated.

“It’s your property,” Ocean said, her voice clipped. “You have every right to do what you want with it.”

“You’re upset,” Mrs. B said.

“Of course I’m upset! Miles and Riley live here. You should’ve told me.”

“But you’re falling for CJ! I’ve seen you looking at her.”

“Sure, and my taste is so impeccable that my wife never left me and the kids.” Ocean rose angrily from her chair. “You turned a few dates into a massive uncertainty in their lives.”

“I, I didn’t think—”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Ocean snapped, before she walked out.

The screen door slammed shut and Mrs. B said, “That was poorly done of me. I … I didn’t think it through.”

“She’s just surprised,” Sophie told her. “She’ll come around.”

“And we won’t let CJ run away.” Hamilton frowned at his phone, his bushy eyebrows beetling. “Despite whatever new evidence suddenly comes to light.”

“She’s not going to try to run away!” Mrs. B insisted. “Stop saying that!”

Sophie clearly couldn’t stand to see Mrs. B so unhappy. “That’s right. Even if she’s guilty—”

“Which she isn’t,” Mrs. B said.

“—she’s not about to run. She worked the same job for her entire adult life. She isn’t a flight risk and she lives right across the courtyard. She’s surrounded by, um…”

“Busybodies?” Nicholas suggested.

“By interested parties,” Lily-Ann offered, “who won’t let her run. We’ll watch her.”

“Well!” Hamilton said. “Someone should go after Ocean. And someone else should make sure CJ has a ride home from the jail tomorrow. And a third person should, um, get to bed early because he has a big meeting at five in the morning. That one is me. I’m the third person.”

“Are you kicking us out?” Sophie asked.

Lily-Ann caught the disbelief in her voice. Hamilton always tried to keep a dinner going as long as possible, he never cut one short.

“No, no,” Hamilton said. “Not ‘kicking’ exactly.”

“I’ll talk to Ocean,” Mrs. B said.

“That’s a terrible idea,” Nicholas told her. “If you two talk right now, there’ll be another murder.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Sophie told Mrs. B.