Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 100
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“Rose,” Jed growled. “Give it to her.”
“No!” I looked over my shoulder at the woman lying on the floor. “We have to call an ambulance!”
“Sure thing,” Beverly said. “Just as soon as you give me the book.”
I shook my head and glanced over at Jed. He looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off. “I don’t have it on me.” I slowly opened the flaps of my coat to show her I was telling the truth. “I hid it here in the factory. If you shoot me, you’ll never find it.”
She swung her gun around and pointed it at Jed. “Then I’ll shoot him unless you show me where you put it, sweetie,” she said in a mocking tone. “Don’t tempt me. I killed your mother and I’m very willing to kill you too.”
“You killed Dora?” I asked in disbelief.
She scrunched her nose in disgust. “Why do you find that so hard to believe?”
“But why?”
“Why? Did you not hear one word of motor-mouth’s tale?” She momentarily waved her gun toward Hattie and I could see that Jed was considering tackling her, but he didn’t have the chance to act before she returned the barrel to me. “Dora was gonna ruin everything. Her and Daddy dearest. J.R. was pissed the parts were screwed up and heads were gonna roll. Daddy was gonna lose everything. Dirk set the fire so we could collect the insurance. I had no idea Dora had run crying to the police chief. He may have ended up dead a few days later, but Dora was talking about going to the state police with her book of evidence. I couldn’t let her do that, especially since J.R. had offered to pay me all that money to get the book for him. If only I’d thought it through, I would have made sure Paul’s brat was in the car too, and that it burned up in a fiery crash… Just. Like. Paul’s.” She grinned. “But I didn’t have the time to prepare like I did with Paul’s accident. Dora was planning to go to the state police the next day. I had to act quick…and obviously it was a bit sloppy.”
I took a step backward and bumped into a piece of metal machinery. “You killed your own brother?”
“He was cheating on his wife.”
“That’s why?”
“She was jealous of him,” Dirk said, spitting on the floor. “Henry was about to retire and give it all to Paul—the inheritance too—so Beverly offed him.” He chuckled. “Only she didn’t realize when she did it that her inheritance didn’t amount to a hill of beans.” He chuckled again. “She killed him for nothing.”
Beverly’s upper lip curled. “Shut up, Dirk.”
I couldn’t believe someone could be so cold. How could Dirk laugh over Beverly killing her own brother? But both Paul and Dora had died in car accidents. While it seemed a little coincidental, it wasn’t enough to arouse much suspicion. Obviously. “So why have Dirk screw up the parts if it was going to force the factory into bankruptcy? Why wouldn’t you want the factory to make more money?”
Beverly gave Hattie a look of contempt. “The stupid bitch got that part wrong. Dirk had nothing to do with screwing up the parts. It just happened. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t use it to our advantage. I got Dirk to blackmail my father. If he didn’t pay him, Dirk would tip off the authorities.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “But you were stealing money from your father, which would have been your inheritance!”
“Are you not listening? There was no inheritance,” she sneered. “The parts were shoddy. The factory was goin’ down. I needed to get money where I could.” She patted her chest with her free hand. “I had to look out for number one.”
I couldn’t believe someone could be so selfish. “So you started the fire, then you killed the police chief—”
She held up her free hand. “Hey! I had nothin’ to do with killin’ the police chief.”
“Then who did?” I asked. I turned my attention to Dirk.
He shook his head. “Not me.”
“But what about your father?” I asked. “Why did he kill himself?”
An evil grin spread across her face. “He did it after I pointed out how much he’d failed Paul and failed Dora. He’d failed the whole town, so he agreed the best thing to do was to end it all. I thought it was fittin’ punishment.” She winked. “Besides, there was the life insurance to consider. It wasn’t much, but it still paid even though he committed suicide.”
“So the factory’s worth nothing?” I asked.
“We couldn’t sell this place if we tried. And Momma spent most of the money on her bakery, and now it’s goin’ belly-up too.”
“If you’re not here for the inheritance, then what are you doin’ here?” I asked in frustration and fear. “Why did you shoot Hattie?” But as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew. Sick dread washed through me. I’d been carrying around the evidence Mason needed to bring down J.R. Why hadn’t I given it to him when I’d seen him at the abandoned service station?
Beverly started laughing. “You’re so cute.”
I shot Jed a questioning glance, wondering if he was putting it all together too, but he just shook his head, his eyes dark with fury.
She settled down and gave me an impatient glare. “I already suspected you were Paul’s brat. I could have taken care of you years ago, but I saw no point. You were no threat. But then you started asking Dirk questions and your friend told him about the journal, so I figured I could make some money off the deal if I kept an eye on you. Hattie’s been obsessed with finding the secret journal since Dora died in the car crash. Just like I suspected, she convinced you to find it, which means I can reap the benefits of your hard work.”
“No!” I looked over my shoulder at the woman lying on the floor. “We have to call an ambulance!”
“Sure thing,” Beverly said. “Just as soon as you give me the book.”
I shook my head and glanced over at Jed. He looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off. “I don’t have it on me.” I slowly opened the flaps of my coat to show her I was telling the truth. “I hid it here in the factory. If you shoot me, you’ll never find it.”
She swung her gun around and pointed it at Jed. “Then I’ll shoot him unless you show me where you put it, sweetie,” she said in a mocking tone. “Don’t tempt me. I killed your mother and I’m very willing to kill you too.”
“You killed Dora?” I asked in disbelief.
She scrunched her nose in disgust. “Why do you find that so hard to believe?”
“But why?”
“Why? Did you not hear one word of motor-mouth’s tale?” She momentarily waved her gun toward Hattie and I could see that Jed was considering tackling her, but he didn’t have the chance to act before she returned the barrel to me. “Dora was gonna ruin everything. Her and Daddy dearest. J.R. was pissed the parts were screwed up and heads were gonna roll. Daddy was gonna lose everything. Dirk set the fire so we could collect the insurance. I had no idea Dora had run crying to the police chief. He may have ended up dead a few days later, but Dora was talking about going to the state police with her book of evidence. I couldn’t let her do that, especially since J.R. had offered to pay me all that money to get the book for him. If only I’d thought it through, I would have made sure Paul’s brat was in the car too, and that it burned up in a fiery crash… Just. Like. Paul’s.” She grinned. “But I didn’t have the time to prepare like I did with Paul’s accident. Dora was planning to go to the state police the next day. I had to act quick…and obviously it was a bit sloppy.”
I took a step backward and bumped into a piece of metal machinery. “You killed your own brother?”
“He was cheating on his wife.”
“That’s why?”
“She was jealous of him,” Dirk said, spitting on the floor. “Henry was about to retire and give it all to Paul—the inheritance too—so Beverly offed him.” He chuckled. “Only she didn’t realize when she did it that her inheritance didn’t amount to a hill of beans.” He chuckled again. “She killed him for nothing.”
Beverly’s upper lip curled. “Shut up, Dirk.”
I couldn’t believe someone could be so cold. How could Dirk laugh over Beverly killing her own brother? But both Paul and Dora had died in car accidents. While it seemed a little coincidental, it wasn’t enough to arouse much suspicion. Obviously. “So why have Dirk screw up the parts if it was going to force the factory into bankruptcy? Why wouldn’t you want the factory to make more money?”
Beverly gave Hattie a look of contempt. “The stupid bitch got that part wrong. Dirk had nothing to do with screwing up the parts. It just happened. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t use it to our advantage. I got Dirk to blackmail my father. If he didn’t pay him, Dirk would tip off the authorities.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “But you were stealing money from your father, which would have been your inheritance!”
“Are you not listening? There was no inheritance,” she sneered. “The parts were shoddy. The factory was goin’ down. I needed to get money where I could.” She patted her chest with her free hand. “I had to look out for number one.”
I couldn’t believe someone could be so selfish. “So you started the fire, then you killed the police chief—”
She held up her free hand. “Hey! I had nothin’ to do with killin’ the police chief.”
“Then who did?” I asked. I turned my attention to Dirk.
He shook his head. “Not me.”
“But what about your father?” I asked. “Why did he kill himself?”
An evil grin spread across her face. “He did it after I pointed out how much he’d failed Paul and failed Dora. He’d failed the whole town, so he agreed the best thing to do was to end it all. I thought it was fittin’ punishment.” She winked. “Besides, there was the life insurance to consider. It wasn’t much, but it still paid even though he committed suicide.”
“So the factory’s worth nothing?” I asked.
“We couldn’t sell this place if we tried. And Momma spent most of the money on her bakery, and now it’s goin’ belly-up too.”
“If you’re not here for the inheritance, then what are you doin’ here?” I asked in frustration and fear. “Why did you shoot Hattie?” But as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew. Sick dread washed through me. I’d been carrying around the evidence Mason needed to bring down J.R. Why hadn’t I given it to him when I’d seen him at the abandoned service station?
Beverly started laughing. “You’re so cute.”
I shot Jed a questioning glance, wondering if he was putting it all together too, but he just shook his head, his eyes dark with fury.
She settled down and gave me an impatient glare. “I already suspected you were Paul’s brat. I could have taken care of you years ago, but I saw no point. You were no threat. But then you started asking Dirk questions and your friend told him about the journal, so I figured I could make some money off the deal if I kept an eye on you. Hattie’s been obsessed with finding the secret journal since Dora died in the car crash. Just like I suspected, she convinced you to find it, which means I can reap the benefits of your hard work.”
