A Justified Murder (Medlar Mystery #2)(73)

“He’d go home!” She said it so fiercely that Kate and Jack laughed.

“I like it,” Jack said. “Let’s go see Tayla and do our best to tell her we’re trying to get her out.”

“Without letting him know,” Kate said.

“Agreed.”

Kate was texting her office to let them know she wouldn’t be there. Melissa would have to show Chris an apartment. Jack saw what she was doing and he smiled all the way down the hall.

To get to the cell where Tayla was being held, Jack, Kate, and Chet had to pass a lot of people in uniform.

“Hey Jack!” an older man said. “Good to see you again.”

“Jack! We miss Roy a lot. Especially Moose. He likes to entertain us with what he’d like to, uh, say to your dad.” This was followed by laughter.

“Jack, have you had any trouble with Wayne since he got out? He was pretty mad at your dad.”

“Long time, no see. What’d they get you on this time?”

“I’m waiting for you to call me back, baby.” This was said by a pretty blonde woman.

Through it all, Jack gave vague smiles and mumbled nonanswers. And he absolutely would not meet Kate’s eyes.

Tayla was waiting for them in her cell. Without makeup and with eyes that said she’d given up hope, she looked her age. Her usually sleek hair hung in flat tendrils and looked rough and disheveled. Her prison uniform was too big for her and swallowed her slim figure.

A folding chair had been set in the cell. She took it and the three of them sat on the hard bed across from her.

Kate was sitting next to Chet and she could feel his heart beating rapidly. He’d been involved in the White Lily Kidnapping case for most of his life and right now he might be close to an end to it.

“We want to know the truth,” Chet said. “What happened in Atlanta on—”

“How are you?” Kate asked loudly. “I brought a bag of cosmetics and moisturizer but they wouldn’t let me bring it in. I’ll transfer money into your account.”

“Thank you,” Tayla said.

“We—” Kate began.

Chet cut her off. “We don’t have much time. Where did Janet Beeson get the baby bootie from the White Lily Kidnapping? Who wrote Stop the Cop on that napkin? Was it Janet’s ex?”

Tayla looked at Kate. “You need to stay out of this. Let me deal with it. Only I can stop it.”

“By taking the blame?” Jack asked.

Tayla’s eyes were intense. “I did it. I killed Janet Beeson.”

Kate didn’t so much as blink. “Did Lisa give you the gun?”

“No! She—” Tayla took a breath. “I poisoned Janet. I swear it.”

“Because of a lawsuit?” Jack’s tone was of disbelief.

Chet had been impatiently waiting. “Look!” he said angrily. “We need information from you. We believe Janet’s murder has nothing to do with some lawsuit and everything to do with the kidnapping. What do you know?” He shouted the last.

Tayla didn’t seem perturbed by his aggression. “You think this is one of your investigations, but you don’t know anything. You think you’ve found out all about witches and teen girls being nasty but they mean nothing. You haven’t come close to the hatred involved—or the evil that controls it.”

She looked directly at Chet. “You want to find a way to forgive yourself for your stupidity when the kidnapping happened. And you think it’s all right to do anything to achieve your goal. You believe you will be satisfied, so other people don’t matter.”

She stood up and looked down at them. “You have no idea of the depth of hatred that you’re trying to bring into the light. It will eat up the good.”

After a quick glance at Kate, she called the guard and he opened the door for them to leave. Her dismissal of them didn’t make Chet soften his attack. Obsessions aren’t destroyed by a few scary words. His voice was barely more than a whisper. “Just so you know, I can identify the kidnapper. Cross my heart.” He made the gesture on his chest where he’d seen the birthmark. When Tayla’s face went pale, he got up and walked out without a backward glance.

Jack paused by her. “Sara is on your side.” He stepped out of the cell.

Kate kissed Tayla’s cheek, but she said nothing. There wasn’t anything she could say.

Tayla caught her arm. “Nobody is what they seem.” She started to say more but the guard separated them.

Carl was hiding again. His weight loss was good for slipping into small spaces and his age and lack of good looks were assets. No one paid any attention to a skinny old man.

As he waited for the young woman, he thought back to when it all began.

After his dear wife died, he’d been so alone. They’d been together since they were fourteen. It had been her idea to start manufacturing ink cartridges. She said, “Someday every house in America is going to have a printer and they’ll need ink.” The bank thought the idea was ridiculous—you just pour the ink into the machine, right? Ink was cheap so there was no money to be made in that. Carl and his wife had borrowed and hocked things until they could start a small company. It flourished. Eventually, he bought a high-rise and rented out the floors his company didn’t use.

For years, he’d been a happy man. They weren’t blessed with children but they had each other.