“You’d be surprised,” Ivy murmured, raising her eyebrows. “And there wasn’t a note? Or some sort of explanation?”
“Honestly, no,” Vera said with a delicate shrug. “Nothing was missing either, which was a bit of a surprise because the money box is right here behind the counter.”
“It wasn’t a robbery,” Ivy surmised, shaking her head. “Was there anything that stuck out to you about the crime?”
“I guess…” Vera said hesitantly. “This might sound wild, but I think that this was a malicious attack. The vandal targeted some of my favorite books and ripped them up. I left a sweater here the night before, and when I found it, it was cut up into tiny pieces. It was obviously an attack on me, but they didn’t leave a threat. And nothing has happened since.”
“How strange,” Ivy said, running her hands along the spines of books as she paced the length of a bookshelf. “Did you tell anyone else about this theory?”
“Yes, I told Lily. She came by to help me clean everything up. Poor Mrs. Bleeker offered her the day off when she heard what happened. The poor dear loved reading. I always made up a bundle for her and sent it with Lily.”
“How did Lily react when you told her?” Ivy asked thoughtfully.
“She was distraught,” Vera admitted. “Honestly, I was surprised. I knew she’d be worried, but her reaction stunned me. It was as if she took it personally. She promised to fix it all, and even apologized for what happened. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Do you think that she had anything to do with what happened?” Ivy asked curiously.
“It’s simply not possible,” Vera said firmly. “Lily adored books, and she loved this library. Besides, she had nothing against me. We were as close as can be. No, I don’t know why she acted strangely, but I know for a fact that she would never have done something like this to me.”
“And yet, you never thought she could commit murder, but she’s confessed to poisoning Mrs. Bleeker,” Ivy pointed out, causing the other women to glare at her. “Yes, yes, yes,” Ivy said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I know the drill. Lily could never. She was too good. We knew her too well. I get it, but you need to admit that all of this is starting to look very strange.”
“Have you ever considered that someone set Lily up to take responsibility for these crimes?” Vera asked, squaring her shoulders. “She’s quite vulnerable as a maid and an orphan. Someone was counting on the fact that she doesn’t have many people on her side.”
“I expect that’s why the murderer chose her,” Ivy agreed.
“If you think that then why are you accusing Lily of being the culprit?” Zasha asked exasperatedly.
“It’s my job to look at the crime from every angle,” Ivy said. “If I simply stopped looking at a person because their friend swore they were innocent, I’d never get anything done. By the way, Vera, why did Lily come over so often?”
“Why wouldn’t she? She is my cousin, after all.”
Ivy looked at Zasha in surprise, but Zasha was staring at Vera in complete shock.
Chapter Ten
“Why didn’t you tell me that Vera and Lily were related?” Ivy hissed as they walked out of the library.
“I didn’t know,” Zasha admitted, scratching her forehead. “I thought they were just close friends. They look nothing alike and they don’t have the same surname. Besides, I never thought to ask anyone if they were related. No one ever brought it up.”
“You were supposed to know this town like the back of your hand,” Ivy said. “Will you finally admit that maybe the people you’ve been defending so diligently might be the killer?”
“Impossible,” Zasha decided. “I was surprised, but it wasn’t that big of a secret. You saw how casually she mentioned it. The fact that I didn’t know two people are related doesn’t mean that someone around here could’ve done something so despicable.”
“You may think that your blind optimism is an asset, but it’s going to keep you from seeing the truth until it’s too late and the shock might just be enough to disillusion you.”
Zasha kept quiet as she absorbed Ivy’s statement. The words were said in a nonchalant tone, as if Ivy could already see what happened in Zasha’s future. It was annoying, and Zasha didn’t want to let Ivy get away with her hurtful prophecy.
“And you may think that your cynicism makes you sound smart, but it just makes me feel sorry for you,” Zasha said, unable to meet Ivy’s gaze. “Life may have been cruel to you, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to do the same to me.”
“Honey,” Ivy said sympathetically. “Life is cruel to everyone. Just look at your dear mama.”
“What do you mean?” Zasha asked sharply, glaring at Ivy.
Ivy hesitated for a moment, and the pause grated on Zasha’s nerves. She felt a desperate urge to prove Ivy wrong, that Yelena was perfectly happy with the way her life had turned out.
“My mama is happy,” Zasha said firmly, trying to ignore the niggling feeling of doubt at the back of her mind.
There were moments when Zasha caught her mother staring wistfully into space with an undecipherable expression. Every now and then, she’d walk into a room and find that her mother was singing under her breath in Russian, only to quickly stop when she felt another presence in the room. It was during those times that Zasha had to repress the overwhelming urge to ask her mother what had happened. Zasha had always bitten down the word ‘why’. It had become a massive weight that hung over her. She suspected that when she finally gathered the courage to ask the question, things would never be the same.
Ivy stopped and gave Zasha a concerned glance. She seemed to be weighing her words carefully. Zasha waited impatiently, wanting nothing more than to prove Ivy wrong. Her hopes were dashed when Ivy’s expression became guarded. She shook her head firmly, and walked away from Zasha, forcing Zasha to hurry after her.
“What did you mean?” Zasha asked quickly. “My mama is happy.”
“You’re right,” Ivy said dully. “I was wrong. Let’s leave it now. Who do you think we should talk to?”
They had wandered back to the town square and were now attracting strange looks from passersby. Zasha was quickly learning how to ignore them, and the attention barely fazed her now.
“I keep answering your questions, but you avoid all of mine,” Zasha said peevishly.
“We’re not doing this so that you can get to know me better,” Ivy said. “I’m here to find out who murdered your friends. You need to answer questions so that I can do this. I don’t need to answer questions, because the information would be irrelevant. The quicker you get that into your head, the quicker we can get on with all of this.”
As Ivy was speaking, Zasha’s attention was caught by the loud roaring of an engine. She looked around and spotted the Black brothers driving toward the general store. She winced when she spotted Jeremy’s distraught expression.
“Who’s that?” Ivy asked, following her gaze.
“That’s Evelyn’s fiancé,” Zasha said sadly. “That poor man. He probably loved her more than anyone.”
“Is that so?” Ivy asked, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. “And how did Evelyn feel about him?”
“She loved him,” Zasha said with a nod. “Although sometimes I wondered if she loved him as much as he loved her. He’s utterly devoted to her.”
“How do her parents feel about him? Do they approve?”
“Well, Mr. Turner does. He says that Jeremy is a hard worker, even if he is from a bad family.”
“What about Mary?” Ivy asked.
“I… That was different,” Zasha said, releasing a heavy breath. She felt as though she were somehow betraying Evelyn by sharing confidential information with a stranger.
“Zasha, dear, I need to know everything about her. You never know what might have gotten her killed. It might be a small detail that you’ve always overlooked.”
“Mrs. Turner thought that Evelyn could do better,�
� Zasha said in a rush, clenching her eyes shut. “She thought that they were too young to be rushing into anything, and she told Evelyn to wait until she was older.”
“I bet Evelyn didn’t listen,” Ivy said, raising her eyebrow. “And I know Jeremy probably didn’t like that Mrs. Turner said that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Zasha said with a grimace. “Evelyn told me she was going to consider her mother’s words. I honestly think that Evelyn was on the verge of calling off her engagement.”
“Is that so?” Ivy asked, looking at the truck with a suspicious expression.
“Now, wait a minute,” Zasha started, but Ivy was already walking off toward the truck.
By now, Sebastian had gotten out and was heading toward the store while Jeremy stared off into the distance with a haunted expression.
“Ivy,” Zasha jogged to catch up to the private investigator. “No, leave him alone. He didn’t have anything to do with this. He never got mad about what Mrs. Turner said. If anything, it inspired him to work harder. He wanted to prove to her that he was good enough for Evelyn.”
Ivy shrugged and walked to Jeremy’s side of the truck. When he caught sight of the two women, his eyes widened in surprise and he looked at Zasha curiously. Zasha shrugged apologetically while Ivy sized him up.
“How can I help you ladies?” he asked, shifting in his seat so that he was sitting up straighter.
“I hear you’re Evelyn Turner’s fiancé,” Ivy said, putting her hands in her pockets. “I’m sorry about what happened.”
Jeremy gave her a curt nod, his brow furrowed as he tried to stifle his curiosity. His eyes flickered back to Zasha who was bracing herself for Ivy’s brand of bluntness.
“I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don’t mind. You see, I’m the private investigator who’s looking into the case.”
“That’s you?” Jeremy asked, his voice going a little higher. He got out of the truck and stood in front of Ivy; his eyes were wide with desperation. “Have you figured out why anyone would want to do something like this? Everyone loved the Turner girls.”
“We’re trying our best to get to the bottom of this,” Ivy said. “In fact, I’m following a hunch at this very moment.”
“You are?” Jeremy asked, looking hopeful. “What is it? How can I help?”
Zasha always thought that Jeremy Black looked a little like a puppy. He had a round face with wide brown eyes and curly brown hair that framed his face endearingly. He smiled easily and had deep dimples that softened every word he said. His gentle appearance often put people at ease despite his tall, bulky frame. Evelyn affectionately referred to him as her gentle giant.
“You see, when we went to the Turner farm last night, there were a whole lot of people. It seemed everyone was there. Except for you. How come you weren’t there? Didn’t you care that your fiancé had been attacked?”
The question came out of nowhere and hit Jeremy like a ton of bricks. He stood there with a shocked expression, his mouth hanging open.
“I was gone all weekend,” Jeremy said, his words coming out stilted as he tried to gather his thoughts. “I was helping out on my cousin’s farm. He asked me to come last month already and this weekend was the first opportunity I had. I only heard what happened to Evelyn when I got back. I swear, I didn’t know. If I had been here, then maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
“Or maybe you were here and that’s why this happened,” Ivy countered, taking a step forward and forcing Jeremy back against the truck. “You knew Mary disapproved of you, so you thought you could take out your opposition. Isn’t that why Evelyn is the only one who survived the attack?”
“I… I would never,” Jeremy looked on the verge of tears. “Evelyn loved her family more than anything. I would never take that away from her. I would never lift my hand to her. If she wakes up, she’ll never fully recover from this. Her mother and sister are dead. How could I do that to someone I love?”
“It would’ve been a piece of cake for a big guy like you,” Ivy gestured at his massive arms. “You could’ve forced them into the same room then shot them. Evelyn would’ve tried to fight back, so you were forced to shoot her too. Of course, you didn’t want to kill her, so you didn’t shoot to kill.”
“I didn’t!” Jeremy protested, his eyes widening. “I never!”
“Ivy,” Zasha said urgently. “Stop this, he didn’t hurt her. He would never have hurt her.”
“She’s going to be hurting for the rest of her life,” Jeremy said in a small voice. “That breaks my heart. I would never hurt anyone like that. Ask anyone, I don’t have it in me.”
“I’m thinking that Evelyn loved her family more than you,” Ivy said relentlessly, shaking her head at Zasha. “You got jealous, and you decided to make sure that she would only be able to rely on you from now on. You said it yourself, this attack will have broken her. Broken people are much easier to control, aren’t they?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Jeremy asked in disgust.
“Ivy, you’re going too far,” Zasha warned.
Zasha felt terribly guilty. Jeremy looked shattered, there were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pale. In the few minutes that he had been talking to Ivy, his grief had become more palpable and there was a terrible desperation in his tone. She felt responsible for his distress, as if it were her fault that he was now facing an unstoppable inquisition.
“If you don’t have a stomach for this, then it’s better if you leave,” Ivy told her coolly, still staring directly at Jeremy. “Tell me, how did it make you feel when you heard that Mary was trying to convince Evelyn to break off the engagement?”
“She did what?” Jeremy asked, looking bewildered. “Mrs. Turner treated me like a member of the family. She would never.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ivy said, squaring her shoulders.
“Ivy,” Zasha warned, looking scared. “Don’t…”
Jeremy’s face crumpled as he looked at Ivy. His shoulders drooped in despair and Zasha wished she could cover Ivy’s mouth.
“She didn’t think you were good enough for her daughter.” Ivy continued talking, ignoring Zasha’s plea. “Mary wanted Evelyn to do better, and so she told her daughter to wait. I bet that must’ve made you angry.”
“I knew Mrs. Turner wanted better for Evie,” Jeremy said. “I wanted to prove that I could be good enough for her. Mrs. Turner was going to give me a chance.”
“Mary Turner told her daughter to wait until she was older,” Ivy continued. “She knew that in time Evelyn would find someone better. All she had to do was buy some time. You knew that too, and so you got desperate. Especially when…”
“Ivy!” Zasha said sharply, looking at Jeremy in pity. “No. Don’t…”
“Especially when Evelyn realized her mother was right and she decided to call the wedding off.”
Ivy’s words landed like a bomb. The blast shook away the last of Jeremy’s resolve, and tears dripped down his cheeks.
“She was going to call off the wedding?” Jeremy asked.
“Ivy…” Zasha said, her voice thick. “He didn’t know…”
Chapter Eleven
The silence that followed Zasha’s statement was unbearable. Ivy’s eyes widened in shock and she looked at Jeremy. Her lips pursed together, betraying a hint of guilt.
“Is it true?” Jeremy asked Zasha, his voice cracking. “Was she going to leave me?”
“Oh, Jeremy,” Zasha said softly. She shook her head slowly, unsure of what to say.
She remembered the night when Evelyn had shared the shocking news with her.
A sharp tap woke Zasha. At first, she was confused and just lay there in the dark, blinking groggily. Then came the next tap, and the next, until Zasha realized that someone was throwing little rocks at her window. She got up quickly, and padded over to the window, her heart beating a tattoo into her chest. Was it Tom? Was he doing something romantic? Would their relationship finally p
rogress from shy glances and awkward hand holding to something deeper?
She flung the window open and leaned out dramatically like a heroine in a novel, allowing the wind to blow her dark hair backwards. Her white nightdress glimmered slightly in the moonlight, and she was thrilled that she had worn her pretty nightdress that night.
“Pssst, Zasha!”
Zasha frowned. That wasn’t Tom. She looked down and was surprised to see Evelyn’s slight figure below.
“Evie?” she asked incredulously, feeling somewhat disappointed. “What are you doing here?”
“Come down,” Evelyn called softly. She lifted her arms to show off a picnic blanket and a bottle of her father’s famous moonshine. “Let’s have a midnight picnic!”
“I don’t know,” Zasha said, looking back uncomfortably. If her parents caught her, she’d be grounded for eternity.
“Don’t you want to live a little?” Evelyn enticed. “Come on down, I have a secret to tell you!”
That was all the encouragement Zasha needed. Within moments, she was standing with Evelyn in the garden. The two looked at each other, giggled in excitement, and ran off into the night.
They ended up sitting in the little yard behind the church. No one would find them there, and the moon shone brightly over them, lending a mystical aura to their little adventure. Somehow, Zasha knew she would never forget that night for as long as she lived. She leaned her head back to look at the stars while she took a sip of the alcohol.
“I don’t know if I’m going to marry Jeremy.”
The statement came out of nowhere and shocked Zasha to her core. She choked on her drink, and turned to Evelyn with streaming eyes.
“What?” Zasha asked, her voice raspy. “You’re kidding, right?”
All their lives, it had been an accepted fact that Evelyn and Jeremy would get married. They were the kids in school who had fake wedding ceremonies. And when Evelyn wasn’t with Zasha, she was with Jeremy. Zasha imagined that the young couple was the closest thing to soulmates outside of novels. She knew love was real, because she saw it between Evelyn and Jeremy.
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