Page 158 of Murder on Charity Lane

Still, Sophie didn’t back down. Apparently you didn’t call Mrs. B an old bitch without the sweetest of the Marigold Cottages tenants going for your throat. “And when the bottle broke, you spilled ice on the floor at Frank’s feet. I don’t know, maybe you nudged the cubes into place. You’re a gifted bocce player, aren’t you? Either way your husband stepped on an ice cube, you know how unsteady he was, and—”

Karina screamed and threw one of her shoes at Sophie. It went flinging past her, off the deck. A woman yelped, then Lily-Ann emerged at the top of the stairs, uncharacteristically flushed and untidy.

“Someone almost beaned me with a slingback pump,” she said, stepping onto the deck. “I believe it was a Jimmy Choo.”

79

SOPHIE

Nicholas looked like he wanted to punch Karina for throwing her shoe at me, which would’ve been romantic if she weren’t a middle-aged woman. When I laid my hand on his arm, he contented himself with glaring at her.

Lily-Ann said, “We found CJ.”

And just like that, my anger melted away. I’d hated how Karina spoke to Mrs. B, but the wash of relief left me lightheaded. Thank god. Thank god. Mrs. B muttered a few words in Yiddish and clung to Ocean’s arm. They’d found CJ. That meant she was safe, the Marigold Cottages were safe, we were all safe.

“She’s alive?” Pax said. “Thank god.”

“Wait,” Nicholas said. “You thought she was dead?”

“Where was she?” Helene asked.

“In Frank’s music studio.” Lily-Ann brushed dirt from her hands. “She’s in bad shape. Unconscious. Drugged, Anthony said. He found pill bottles.”

Ocean’s breath caught. “Where is she now?”

“She was here?” Karina’s cheeks flushed furiously. “Hiding on my property?”

“She must’ve tried to commit suicide,” Pax said.

“I wish she’d succeeded,” Karina said.

“Guilty conscience.” Pax turned somberly to Lily-Ann. “Was there a note?”

“You think she killed Frank?” I asked him.

“I know she killed him.” Karina pointed her remaining shoe at me. “I saw her!”

“Where is she now?” Ocean demanded, more loudly.

Lily-Ann pointed across the property with her chin. “The music studio.”

“Do we need to call an ambulance?”

“I already did,” Lily-Ann told her. “And Anthony’s with her.”

“I’ll help,” Ocean said.

Mrs. B didn’t release her arm. “She’s unconscious—stay with me.”

“I don’t know if—”

“We’ll go,” Helene interrupted, starting down the stairs. “George was an EMT in college.”

“We’re going to miss the big reveal,” George complained, but he followed Helene away.

“I haven’t the slightest clue what’s going on,” Mrs. B announced. “But I knew we’d figure this all out once we put our heads together.”

Karina looked ready to start yelling again, so I said, “What have we figured out?”