Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(73)

“Did you tell him who she was?”

“Of course I did. I needed him to know how disgusting he was. And do you know what he did?”

“Laugh at you?”

The hand gripping me shook, but not with fear at what she was doing. “You think my ego is so easily bruised I’d kill over that? No, he threatened to take her away. He’d been trying for an heir for years, but Beth kept miscarrying. So he saw Katie as a way to continue his legacy. He was going to pay me to just hand over my daughter. When I said no . . .”

Her slackened hold caused me to stumble—she’d pulled me away without my cane and I needed her support to move forward. Not only was I out a possible way to defend myself, but the fact I needed her assistance made her death grip on me look natural—friendly, even. Just a kind person helping her injured pal navigate the town festival.

She tightened her hold on me and I knew I had to keep her talking. “Could he do that? I mean, she’s almost an adult. There’s no way he could force her to stay after she turned eighteen.”

“Yeah, but she’s only sixteen now. And he’s a Thompson. You think the courts would rule in my favor? He wanted to cut me out of her life! Said it’d be better if she went away to some fancy boarding school to finish her education, and I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t let him take her away. I’d never be able to recover.”

“Mom, you thought I’d leave you just because he had money? You think I wouldn’t have fought to stay with you? That I would just let him buy me? That’s really what you think of me?” Katie’s eyes watered as she tried to keep a hold on Joy. “I’ve spent all this time trying to convince you to leave town with me!”

Caught off guard, Winnie jerked to a stop. “What?”

“I knew you killed Rob. I overheard you planning with Mr. Weinman. That’s why I kept trying to sabotage the pageant, so you’d leave with me because it wasn’t safe. I even had Mr. Weinman help me with all those threatening letters and everything. I could tell that you were losing it, and I was scared. After you slashed Bernadette’s tires, I remembered Mr. Weinman’s plan to mess with the stage, so I loosened the railing’s screws so I’d get hurt. I needed you to snap out of it and get out of Shady Palms so we’d be safe. Why couldn’t you do that?”

Winnie made a move as if to hug Katie, but stopped and tightened her hold on me. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m listening now though. And we could still get away. I took care of Oskar when he was starting to crack, and I’ll take care of this, too. Just listen to me and nobody else has to get hurt. We could start over in a new town. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Katie, don’t do this, please. You can just let us go. You don’t need us. You’ll be able to get away so much faster without us, don’t you think?” Joy pleaded with her best friend.

“She’s right, Katie. Joy has nothing to do with this. You don’t want her getting hurt, do you? Don’t make this worse.” There was no way Winnie would let me go, but if I could at least convince them to let Joy get away safely, then that was one less thing for me to worry about.

Katie looked over at her mom, who shook her head. “Let her go so she can inform the police? Go running to their detective buddy who’s always hanging around? I don’t think so. If I go to jail, what do you think happens to you, Katie? We don’t have family. We only have each other. Now let’s go.”

“I’m sorry,” Katie whispered as she pulled Joy along with her.

Joy cast desperate eyes my way, and I did what I could to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Joy. Winnie doesn’t want any more blood on her hands, isn’t that right? Especially not the blood of an innocent young girl with a bright future, who happens to be her daughter’s best friend?”

OK, so maybe I was laying it on thick, but now was not the time for subtlety.

“Right, Katie? Joy has always been good to you. You wouldn’t hurt her, would you?”

“Never! We’re just holding you so we have time to get away. Rob and Mr. Weinman were jerks. She’d never hurt innocent people. Right, Mom?” Katie glanced over at her mother. When Winnie didn’t respond, she asked again, “I said, right, Mom? Y-you’re not planning on hurting Joy, are you?”

“Not if she listens to what I say and doesn’t cause any problems. Because if she does, it’s her Ate Lila that’s going to feel it. And we don’t want that, do we?” Winnie said, jabbing the gun farther into my ribs to make her point.

Katie and Joy both faltered, but sped up when Winnie ordered them to hurry. The two of them speed-walked through the festival area, heads down and avoiding eye contact, as if the sooner they reached the parking lot, the sooner this nightmare would be over. I wasn’t quite so optimistic about my chances. Winnie wasn’t a monster, and I could feel her tense up when her daughter asked about hurting Joy. There was no way she could do it—Joy was like a daughter to her as well. Me, however? I brought about no such love and my meddling was endangering her life with her daughter.

As if she could hear my thoughts, Winnie said, “It’s not like I’m proud of what I’ve done. If I had to do it over again, I’d find some other way to keep me and Katie together. But it’s too late now. You have to understand, Rob was going to ruin everything. I just want a good life for me and my daughter. For the two of us to be together. Is that so much to ask?”