by Molly Dox
Officer Gregory drew his attention to Olive. “Show me your arms,” he stated firmly.
Olive hemmed and hawed, frustrated to be in the spotlight. “Why? What does that have to do anything?”
And then the words were out. “Lady, you’re a suspect in the murder of Jeanette Chadwick, and I’d suggest you do as you’re told.”
“Am I under arrest? If so, I’m getting a lawyer. I’m not doing anything without my lawyer.” Olive backpedaled, not ready to play their game.
Cassie gasped. “Did you kill my mother?” The look of horror on her face made it obvious Cassie hadn’t done it. She was stunned.
“I was doing all of us a favor,” she snapped, realizing what she’d said. “She was never good enough for my brother, and she pushed you aside like you were an inconvenience. She had it coming.”
Jocelyn’s jaw dropped. “I knew it,” she whispered to Andrea.
Officer Gregory read her the riot act, then her rights. With a pair of cuffs from his work belt, he slapped them onto Olive’s wrists. He turned to Cassie. “You’ll want to thank these two ladies. They’re the ones that were piecing things together. We were heading in the wrong direction.”
“Aunt Olive?” Cassie shuddered.
Andrea wrapped her arm over Cassie’s shoulder. “Come on, we’ll take you home. Why don’t we call your father?”
As back-up arrived, Officer Gregory was walking Olive out to his car. Carmen was in the back of the other officer’s car. “I came as soon as I could; I had to help with a suspect pick-up. Sheriff’s office is backed up.”
“Carmen?” Jocelyn ran over to the car. “She didn’t do it. Olive Mackanack just admitted to killing Jeanie Chadwick.”
“It’s true,” Office Gregory added. “I was there when she confessed. If that’s the other girl they suspected, let her know she should be released shortly. We’ll clear everything up at headquarters. In fact, ladies, I’ll need you to go down to the station to give statements, and then you can take Cassandra home.”
“Yes, sir,” the friends answered. It was as if a weight had fallen off of their shoulders. Andrea couldn’t wait to call Lonnie to let them know they’d found the killer and that it was not spa related, but family related. Hopefully, it would clear up concerns other clients might have had.
Cassie wouldn’t look at her aunt. Heartbreak cracked across Olive’s face. The only one she truly cared about was her niece. “Cassie, your mother was cheating on your father. I told him when I found out. He seemed indifferent, like it didn’t bother him. I was furious. She was never good enough. My intention was to scare her. It got out of control. And then after it happened…” Her voice cracked.
“How did you get into the spa?” Jocelyn asked.
“I have the key. I lifted it off one of the girls,” she said, realizing all the details were spilling out. She couldn’t stop talking. She never meant to confess. She thought she could get away with it, but once she got it off her chest, the words kept coming. “And these girls, snooping around, they were next.”
“Wait a minute; didn’t you say Cassie had the van? Was it you that tried to run us off the road?” Andrea just remembered that detail. “Why?”
“You wouldn’t leave things alone. You kept digging up stuff, trying to cause trouble. You couldn’t just leave me alone. First you come up to tell me my mother is dead, and then you’re prying around my house. I didn’t trust you, and wanted to send you a message, loud and clear.” She lowered her head. She had no idea all of this had gone down. “I only wanted to scare you, not hurt you.”
“Alright, you get in the car with my partner over there,” he said, pointing to the other officer. “Let the Carmen girl ride up front. She’ll be cleared once we get to the station. I’ll take this one and have her booked. We’ll put her in a room until her lawyer shows up. With a confession, we’ll need everybody’s statements to help secure the case.”
“Officer Gregory,” Andrea chimed in. “I hope you get that promotion.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without your help. What do you say I look the other way about you acquiring information about Mrs. Mackanack’s address?”
Andrea grimaced sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”
Jocelyn had one final thing to say. “By the way, the guy at the front desk…is he single?”
THE END
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*Special thanks to M&R. Thanks for getting me back on track.
