"What's going on?" she asked, sounding surprised. "I feel like you're coming back again and again for answers that I can't really tell you. I battled to give you information on Ed last time, and I've thought of nothing new."
May knew this would be a shock to her.
"This isn't about Ed anymore," she explained. "It's about you."
Molly blinked. "What on earth do you mean?" she said, sounding perplexed. "About me? Why?"
"We found out that the two other victims are both men you dated in the past. And I'm guessing you didn't date that many people when you were at school?"
Frowning, Molly said, "No, I didn't. I actually focused on my studies, like my dad told me to. There was Anthony Mulligan, but we didn't really date for long, because I soon saw who he was. And way back, a year or so before that, Dave Tyne asked me to the class ball. It wasn’t really a date, but I did go with him."
May nodded. "They're both dead."
Now, the color drained from Molly's face.
"What?" Her voice sounded on the edge of panic. "I don't believe it. They're both dead? And it's because of me? Someone is seriously killing off all the men I've dated?"
"Please, let's go in and sit down."
May wanted Molly to sit down before she fell down. This news had jolted her right out of the tenuous comfort zone she'd achieved. She was looking sheet white. As she turned away, May saw her scrub at her eyes.
"This is the biggest nightmare," she said, stumbling through to the living room. "I feel like I'm a jinx. Now, it seems like I bring death to men. I don't know what I did, but it's my fault. Maybe I've been cursed." She slumped down on the sofa.
"It's not your fault," May told her in a very firm voice. "It's the fault of the killer and nobody else."
"How did it happen?" Molly asked, her face taut with horror.
"The same MO each time," May said briefly, not wanting to traumatize Molly with further details.
"No! That's terrible! Pepper sprayed and stabbed, just because they knew me?"
"Molly, calm down. We're going to find out who did this, with your help. And we're going to nail whoever is responsible," Owen said firmly.
Alerted by her daughter's raised voice, Molly’s mother appeared in the doorway, her face anxious. "What's going on here?" she asked, rushing over to Molly, who was now fighting not to cry.
"It's my fault. It's all my fault. This is very hard to accept," she choked.
Rachel looked questioningly at May and Owen.
"Ma'am, we've discovered a very disturbing fact. The three men who've been killed so far are all people who have dated Molly, or else married her."
Rachel turned as pale as Molly. "Not Dave Tyne?" she asked. "He was always such a polite young man, and I still have a photo of him and Molly at that dance."
"Yes, I'm afraid he is dead. So is Anthony Mulligan." May said the words gently.
"No, no!" Rachel put her arm around her daughter protectively. "Honey, this is not your fault. But I'm worried you're at risk. If someone is killing the men you've associated with in the past, what happens if they try to kill you?" Her voice was filled with anxiety as she presented this very valid question to May.
"We're going to have to get a policeman here, to guard you, until we've got the right suspect arrested," May agreed. "But for now, we need to figure out who that is."
"You know," Rachel said thoughtfully, "being a sheriff's wife or daughter in a small town was not always easy. There were some people who had a grudge against Molly just because her father enforced law and order in the town, and they were on the wrong side of the law. You wouldn't think anyone could be nasty to a young girl because they had received a parking ticket?"
"You definitely wouldn't," Owen agreed.
"But from time to time, we did have to deal with that kind of unpleasantness. Even though Jack was always reasonable and kind. He was in law enforcement because he wanted to help people, not put them away."
"Anyone who had a serious grudge, despite that?"
May could see both Molly and her mother were thinking hard.
