Page 53 of Go Alone

“I just don’t want Mom to have to deal with this!” Linda exclaimed. “You know, she almost killed herself, too, after Martin dumped her? She had to stay with me for over a year before she could pick herself back up and get past it. I don’t want to bring her into this again, and… Well, yes, okay? I’m not going to shed a tear if they end up dead for what they did to her.”

Kate drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. It was rare that she encountered someone who wasn’t upset over a murder, even the murder of someone they didn’t like, but each time it happened it bothered her. She understood what it was to hate someone. She hated Elijah Cox so much it consumed her sometimes.

But she would never stoop to that level. She could have killed him herself, but she didn’t. It wasn’t right. And if someone else murdered Cox and Kate had information that would put them away, she would reveal that information to investigators. You didn’t take the law into your own hands. In his own way, that was what Cox was doing.

And you didn’t tacitly allow people to take the law into their hands. That wasn’t the right way to handle evil. It only led to more evil.

“Linda, if you refuse to give me your mother’s number, I’ll just find it through public record. And I’ll have you arrested for obstructing a federal investigation.”

Linda sighed again. “For God’s sake. Why is everyone harassing us and protecting the bad guys? Do you have something to write with?”

Kate had an answer to the first question, but she only replied to the second. “Yes. Go ahead.”

Linda gave her the number and said, “I really hope you don’t catch this guy until he’s finished. Someone has to do something about all the people who hurt others who aren’t ‘bad’ enough to earn the attention of the law. People like Martin Cole shouldn’t get away with what they do. You can think of me as evil if you want, but I don’t feel sad that he’s dead, and I’m even glad the killer murdered him.”

“I don’t think you’re evil,” Kate replied, “just lost.”

She hung up before Linda could reply, then immediately dialed Beverly. No doubt Linda was furiously texting her mother, warning her that the FBI was calling to harass her.

The phone was answered on the second ring, but it was a male voice that replied, “Hello?”

Kate blinked. “Hi. This is Special Agent Kate Valentine of the FBI. I’m looking for Beverly Marsh?”

The man on the other end paused. “Well… my wife’s name is Beverly Connors. May I ask what this is about?”

“It pertains to an investigation,” Kate said. “Your wife’s not in trouble, but we believe she might have information that will help us. That’s all I can say.”

Mr. Connors was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was muffled, as though he was covering the speaker and calling over his shoulder. “Bev? Someone from the FBI is asking for you.”

A moment later, there was a rustling noise. Then a female voice that sounded exactly like an older version of Linda asked, “Yes?” in a curt tone.

Kate prepared herself for another confrontation. “We’re investigating the murder of Martin Cole. We—”

“Martin’s dead?”

Kate blinked and realized that Linda hadn’t informed her mother of the death yet. Kate had assumed that she had since she was in the house looking for her mother’s things. “I’m sorry, Miss Mar—Mrs. Connors. I wasn’t aware that you hadn’t been notified.”

“Oh, God. Um…” Beverly sighed. “When did this happen?”

“Last night,” Kate said. “I spoke with your daughter at the scene. I thought she would have told you.”

“Linda was there? What was she doing there?”

“She said she was trying to take some things that belonged to you.”

Beverly sighed again. “My jewelry. That’s probably why she didn’t tell you. She’s a good girl, Linda, but she has a taste for the finer things in life, and since I no longer work, I don’t have the nest egg she was expecting to receive when I passed. Oh, God, I shouldn’t have said that. Ma’am, I promise you, there’s no way my Linda would have killed Martin. She’s just not that kind of girl.”

That explained why Linda didn’t want Kate calling Beverly. “She’s not a suspect, ma’am,” Kate said. “I’m calling because the killer left a message at the scene mentioning someone else who conspired with Martin to end your relationship with Linus Varne and steal his—your house.”

Beverly scoffed. “Linus? This killer is avenging Linus?”

Kate had no idea anymore what motivated their killer aside from the tenth commandment. Were it not for the message about her father in the cipher, she wouldn’t even be sure it was a Lawgiver case at all.

For simplicity’s sake, she just said, “It’s possible.”

Beverly sighed. “Well, Martin seduced me all on his own.” Somewhere behind her, Mr. Connors exclaimed, and Beverly said, “I’ll tell you later, Frank. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before.”

To Kate, she said, “Martin had a way about him. You’re a woman, so I’m sure you understand what I’m saying.”