by Sarah Kelly
He shrugged. “Yasmin,” he said, then slid down onto his arm again.
India and Xavier shared a look. Horatio was more devastated about the break up, it seemed. Perhaps Yasmin had been the one to help him cope with all the abuse.
“Why don’t you go to your grandmother’s?” India said gently. “Denise is there, and your grandmother, of course. They’ll look after you.”
“No,” he said, sitting up and suddenly quite animated. “No, no, no.”
Xavier frowned and slid down from his stool. “Why don’t you want to go there, Horatio?” He sat on the seat next to India, and she could tell he was genuinely worried. Something definitely didn’t seem right.
“I don’t fit in there,” he slurred, sinking back into the chair with dull eyes. “No way.”
India didn’t want to pry, but she figured getting him talk would be good on a couple of counts. One, it could be therapeutic for him, and two, it might give them some much-needed information. She felt she didn’t have the first clue who was responsible for Mariette’s murder. “Did you fit in there when your mother was alive?” she asked, her voice soft.
He shook his head roughly. “She was the worst.” But then he shook his head again, looking disgusted. “But everyone should love their mother.” His voice sounded like he was choking on it. “I love her.”
India realized in that moment that perhaps her relationship with her own mother wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. Of course she still wanted them to be closer, but she’d never stopped to appreciate all the good things her mother had done for her. There was no doubt in her mind that her mom loved her very much, even though she wasn’t that skilled at showing it. Her heart swelled with compassion toward him. From what India had seen, Mariette had shown Horatio every single day that she absolutely, positively did not love him. She couldn’t help but reach out and lay her hand on his. “Horatio, you’ll have a life after this,” she said. “You can move somewhere, maybe, or run the florists yourself. Or do whatever you want. You’re free to make a life for yourself. You could go anywhere. Do anything.”
His eyes lit up for a moment, then the hope faded away and he snatched his hand away from hers. “No, I’m useless.”
“That’s just what she told you, I’m sure,” India said. “But you could do anything you put your mind to.”
His eyes glazed over, like he was falling deep into memory. “You know what else she said?”
“What?” Xavier asked gently.
“ ‘I should never have agreed to this.’ That’s what she used to say. And when I asked her what she meant… ‘I expect you’ll find out one day.’ I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly, getting up from the table. “See you.” And he was struggling drunkenly into his coat and out the door, ignoring all India and Xavier’s protests.
***
“I’m not going to lie, I’m beginning to suspect Horatio,” India said, flopping down on Xavier’s bed. “I feel so sorry for him, but I can’t help but think maybe he killed his mother, and that’s why he’s gone to pieces. And maybe he confided in Yasmin and she broke up with him. Then that would make sense what the Mayor said about going to talk to Sheriff Rhodes, too.”
Xavier shook his head somewhat sadly. “That’s what I was thinking, too. If it is true, the whole thing is tragic really, isn’t it? She makes her son’s life a misery for maybe his whole life. Then he just snaps one day and does her in. I mean, of course it’s sad, but it’s hard to feel any outrage, isn’t it?”
“I know,” India said. “It’s like those wives who poison their abusive husbands. It’s not right, but it’s understandable. Abusers can really lock people in cage. That’s what Sarah said, I think. That Horatio was locked in a cage. She really does seem to care about him. It’s good that someone does. To be truthful I’m not sure Lillian’s all that bothered.”
“Yeah,” Xavier said, nodding. “I think Sarah’s such a kind person she’ll be crushed when she finds out it was Horatio and he goes to jail.”
India shook her head. “If it was Horatio.” She sighed. “Though it does seem rather likely. Still, we don’t have any actual proof. She looked at the clock on her iPhone to see it was approaching 3.30pm. “I was so hoping we’d wrap up this case before our wedding, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to manage it.”
Xavier stroked her forearm with one finger. She always loved when he did that, the tickling, comforting sensation. “Why don’t we stop thinking about it for now?” he said. “Maybe you should ring your mom to come and get you. We have a whole day here after the wedding too, before honeymoon remember, so it’s not like we have a real deadline. We can still solve the case, I bet.”
India nodded. “You’re right. All the pressure is self imposed, really, isn’t it? I’ll text her now.” She began to tap a text in.
“We should be thinking about the biggest day of our lives right now,” he said with a grin. “Oh, and wait, look at this.” He hurried to a honey colored wooden cabinet. “Since we’re going to that big manor house hotel tomorrow, I thought maybe we should sign in Sarah’s book. It’s like a guestbook. I found it in the back of one of the cabinets with dust all over it, like she’d forgotten all about it.”
“Oh, yes,” said India. “She’s been so lovely to us. We should definitely say something nice in there. And if she’s really forgotten about it, it would make a really nice surprise.”
Xavier sat on the bed with the guestbook, an A5 book with a landscape orientation cover printed with Monet’s famous bridge. Sarah’s Bakery Guestrooms has been printed onto it in gold lettering, a real professional job. Xavier flipped it over to a blank page. “Oof. The last visitor was in August this year. She’s having a slow year, it looks like, poor woman.” India was busy sending her text and wasn’t paying much attention. “I wonder how long she’s had it going,” he muttered more to himself than to her. Xavier turned back to the first page. “Wow, nearly fifteen years, it looks like.”
“That’s a long time,” India said vaguely, pressing Send.
Xavier began to read aloud. “We are long time friends of the Thomas family from Portland, and we’re over the moon to come and stay with Sarah. It’s wonderful to see she’s finally thriving and doing well.”
“What have the Thomases got to do with it?” India said. “That’s Lillian and Mariette… Huh?”
“Especially since is written after that, then crossed out.” Xavier frowned and read on. “We wish Miss Thomas all the best with this new venture, and—”
“Oh my gosh,” India said. It felt like the world was closing in around her. “Oh my gosh.”
“What?” Xavier said.
“Xavier,” she whispered, leaning forward and feeling her heart thump in her temples. “I think… but don’t quote me on this, because I might be wrong.” She shook her head. “But… I think Sarah killed Mariette.”
Xavier’s mouth actually dropped open, so shocked he was actually speechless.
India shook her head. “This is even sadder than we thought.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Let’s go outside so we can talk,” she whispered. “I can’t believe this. This is crazy.”
They went downstairs pulling their coats and hats on, and gave a cheery wave to Sarah on their way out. India’s chest felt tight, thinking that the woman they’d been so quick to trust had been the killer all along.
As soon as they’d turned a corner, Xavier said, “You have to tell me now.”
“I’m just trying to think if I’ve got this wrong somewhere. I don’t want to accuse her if—”
“Just tell me.”
They walked at super speed down the street, heading toward where the town stretched out into snow covered fields.
“Well, Miss Thomas is written in the book,” Sarah said. “So obviously they’re related somehow, you know, Sarah and Mariette.”
“I got that much,” Xavier said. “But my head’s just swimming with it all, I can’t figure it out.”
&
nbsp; “My head’s swimming too. Banging, actually.” She looked down at her boots, trying to make her thoughts line up straight.
“Oh man,” Xavier said.
“What?” India looked up to see Yasmin walking toward them, looking even moodier than usual. India felt her chest might burst. There was no way she’d be able to pretend niceties. “Yasmin. Why did you break up with Horatio?”
“None of your business,” Yasmin said, her expression darkening even further. “How could you even ask—”
“We know who did it,” India blurted out. “We know.”
Yasmin’s already pale skin lost the tiny bit of color it had. “Oh, thank heaven.”
“And it isn’t Horatio.”
Yasmin looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course it isn’t. I know that. I’m just glad someone else knows.”
“You know who it is?” Xavier asked. “How long have you known?”
Yasmin stamped to keep warm. “The whole time. And I thought I could keep it a secret but it’s just been killing me. I mean, I hated that horrible witch more than anyone, and I even didn’t mind what the killer did at first. But it’s just too much to keep a secret. That’s why I had to split with Horatio.” Her eyes looked genuinely mournful. India could tell she’d missed him terribly for the short time they’d been apart.
“How did you know who it was?” India said.
“I saw her,” Yasmin said plainly. “Coming out of the back of the florists after the murder. I told you I was drawing at the window, remember? But I lied before. I did see someone at around the time my cousin said the murder was.”
India nodded. “Sarah.”
There was a long pause, and for a horrible moment India thought Yasmin was going to say that it was someone else, but she nodded. “Yes. But I really don’t want her to get in trouble. I don’t know what went on between her and Mariette, but she always looked over Horatio much better than she did.”
“I know,” India said. “And unsurprisingly. She’s his mother, I think.”
Xavier gasped, but Yasmin didn’t. Her eyes widened, but within seconds she was nodding. “That makes sense. But, how…?”
India shook her head. “I think we need to go to the sheriff. I don’t even want to. I mean, Sarah has been so so kind to us. And it looks like she has quite good reason to be furious with Mariette. Even murderously furious. But, I don’t see what else we can do.”
Xavier nodded sadly. “Justice has to be served.”
Yasmin kept shaking her head over and over. “I need to go see Horatio. I’m gonna tell him.”
India had the urge to tell her not to, but she knew it wasn’t her place. “How do you think you’ll take it?” she asked. “What if Sarah ends up going to jail?”
“It’s better he knows the truth,” Yasmin said firmly. “No matter what.”
CHAPTER 10
Sheriff Rhodes still looked shaken, even as he led them out to his patrol car. He kept shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe it would be true. “Let’s go now,” he said a couple times, like he was still trying to convince himself.
Xavier and India took their seats in the back and glanced at each other, nervousness in their eyes.
“I keep telling myself we’ve got this wrong,” she said to him in a low voice. “But I know we haven’t.” She’d explained all her thoughts as they’d run up to the Sheriff’s Office, and he’d agreed with it all.
“It’s just wishful thinking,” he said, “because she’s been so nice to us.”
Once Sheriff Rhodes took the driver’s seat and glanced at them in the rearview mirror looking rather shaken up, they quieted down. “It seems impossible,” he said, starting the car. “She’s beloved by everybody. This town will be rocked. Rocked to the core.” He puffed out a long sigh. “But what you’ve told me sounds right. It all adds up.”
By the time he pulled up the patrol car outside the bakery, India’s hands were shaking and she had to clasp them together. Even though every puzzle piece fit into place, it still felt wrong to accuse Sarah. She gulped and tried to draw some strength from the energy, but nothing came and she felt as weak and trembling as ever.
Thankfully the bakery was empty. But when India saw Sarah kneading away at dough and humming to herself she felt a dreadful knotting in her stomach.
“Oh, hello, Sheriff,” Sarah said, looking caught off guard.
“It’s not good news, I’m afraid,” Sheriff Rhodes said, walking up to the counter while India and Xavier stood by the door.
Sarah’s eyes widened to saucers. “Is Horatio… Has he…? Is he all right?”
“Horatio’s fine, as far as I know,” Sheriff Rhodes said. “It’s not about him. It’s about you.”
Sarah’s hands, thick with dough, froze in mid air. Her whole body seemed to tense. “What about me?”
“I’m going to have to arrest you under the suspicion of murder.” The Sheriff sounded like he still wasn’t entirely sure.
Sarah looked in panic between Xavier and India and the Sheriff. “No, no. You’ve got it wrong, I swear.”
All India’s sympathy drained away at that moment, to see her denying it and playing innocent. “Really?” she said. “You’re her sister, aren’t you? And Horatio is your son. She took your son, or something, right?”
Sarah burst into tears, but India sensed it was from relief, more than anything else. It looked like a secret she’d had to hold inside for too long. “Yes! My mother…” She sobbed, trying to catch a breath. “My mother… forced me to give him up. I was too young, they said.” Her face twisted into rage. “But Shirley… that devil! I hate her. I hate her. She acted like she was the angel to take him in, but she wanted to destroy my boy. Because she’s always been jealous. And she did… she did destroy him… no matter how much I looked over him. They left to try and get rid of me, but I followed on.”
Xavier’s shook his head, his eyes glazing over with emotion.
India spoke quietly. “But why didn’t you come out with this before? Why didn’t you tell Horatio? Or do something?”
Sarah gasped with tears. “I should have. I should have. But I was afraid Shirley would twist it all around and tell Horatio I was mentally ill. That’s what she and my mother did to me my entire teenage years. I should have…” The tears flowed out of her eyes like rivers. “I should have run away with Rowan and Horatio all the way back then.”
The Sheriff looked shocked.
“You were young,” India said, feeling an ache in her chest. The situation was so sad. It felt to her like Sarah was more the victim than Mariette or Shirley had ever been. But then… “But you shouldn’t have resorted to murder. You had other options.”
“I didn’t kill her!” Sarah said. “I swear I didn’t. I swear.”
The Sheriff shook his head and sprung back into action. “That’s for us to decide. You’ll have to close up the bakery and come with me.”
Sarah sobbed ever harder. “I swear, I didn’t do it.”
“Yasmin saw you, Sarah, coming out of the shop,” India said sadly. “The game’s up.”
“All right, I was there. I was there, just before she was killed. Arguing with her. But I heard someone coming in through the front door, and I left through the back. I swear on my life I didn’t hurt her. As much as I wanted to.”
India wished she could believe her, but she didn’t. Sarah’s motive was just too strong, and India knew she’d probably lie her way to hell and back so she could stay free and have a relationship with Horatio.
“Come along,” the Sheriff said firmly. “Let’s do this the nice way.”
“Promise me you’ll listen to my story.” Sarah’s voice kept catching in her throat. “Just promise me that. And I’ll come.”
Sheriff Rhodes nodded. “I can promise you that.”
She watched him numbly for a moment. “All right,” she said eventually.
“You’ll close up the bakery now.”
“Okay.” She flicked off an oven switch and
India could see her dough-covered fingers trembling. “Can I wash my hands?”
“Yes.”
India, Xavier and the Sheriff watched as she did do. It was a strange situation for India. In the past, she’d always felt victorious catching the killer, knowing another dangerous person would be put behind bars. This time, she didn’t feel empowered or like justice had won out. If anything, depression hovered over her like a dark cloud.
“Oh,” Sarah said, looking up. “India, Xavier, you’d better get your things from upstairs.”
With that, India’s sadness deepened. Sarah still seemed the kind, caring person she always had been. Not a monster.
***
India had spent most of the night staring up at the ceiling of her childhood bedroom, stacks of books towering around her. The moon was full, shining so brightly through the thin curtains they barely made a difference. Eventually she’d pulled them open and stared up at it, a dazzling mercury against the deep black of the wintry night sky. Her heart was swirling with so many conflicting feelings. Ever since her mother had picked her up, she’d felt her mind was slipping into chaos. She’d been numb as they’d dropped over to Amy’s parents’ house to drop off Xavier. They had a spare bedroom, while the Kirby’s did not, and it was best he and India were apart the next morning. India was beginning to regret her wish they’d solve the case before their wedding day. She had expected to feel relieved. She’d anticipated that same sense of closure she usually got at the end of a case, like everything had been neatly tied with a bow, but it did not come. Nothing felt right. She imagined Sarah in her cell at the Sheriff’s, and was sure she couldn’t sleep either. Eventually India must have drifted off, because the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by her mother.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” Rose said with a huge smile. “Time to get married!”
