Bed & Breakfast Bedlam - Abby L Vandiver Page 0,53

basically – but she never wanted to talk about that. I’m surprised she told you.”

“Well she did,” Miss Vivee assured her. “But you know, Koryn, with love often comes trouble.” Koryn nodded her head. “And as you’ve experienced that trouble can cause great harm. Not just to your heart.”

“I know,” she said and rubbed her arm. “So you think that maybe Darius or Jeffrey killed her?”

“Well, you know,” Miss Vivee said. “It’s for Sheriff Haynes to put all the clues together and deduce who the culprit is. But the more information he has, the better shot he has on solving this whole thing.”

Koryn nodded eagerly. She set forward. “Darius was here the day she died,” she said. “Does the Sheriff know that?”

“In Yasamee?” I asked, my eyes wide.

“Yeah,” she said. “He’d come because he’d been trying to blackmail her.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Koryn telling us that Darius was trying to blackmail Gemma made a big, wide crack in a case that I think even Miss Vivee was beginning to believe wouldn’t ever be solved.

Miss Vivee’s jaw went slack and she did one of her “lost in the moment” gazes over the banister and out in the street.

“How do you know he was in Yasamee?” I asked.

“He came by the house. Said he was looking for Gemma. I didn’t know who he was, but I’m not really trusting of men nowadays so I didn’t want to tell him anything,” she said. She took in a deep breath. “I told him she wasn’t home and I didn’t expect her back anytime soon. He told me to tell her that ‘Darius’ came by to see her and that he wasn’t planning on leaving until he talked to her.”

“Did he talk to her?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. He stayed parked out in front of the house for a little while. Not too long. But long enough that it worried me. He was in a blue truck,” she said her eyes drifting off. “If I’d known Gemma wasn’t poisoned by the bouillabaisse, I would have told the sheriff about him being here.” She looked at me. “I never thought he had anything to do with it.” She licked her lips. “I didn’t go out while he was here, but I kept peeking through the curtains until he left.” She looked down at her hands. “Gemma never did come back home.”

“Did Gemma tell you that Darius was blackmailing her?” I asked. I had taken over the questioning.

“Yeah. That’s why she moved back here. I don’t think that he ever did actually blackmail her. He tried to but she said that she took the wind out of his sail.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“That means whatever it was he had against her, she fixed it so he couldn’t use it against her anymore,” Miss Vivee said. “That makes me think that whatever he was trying to blackmail her about was the reason she left Euclid Park Elementary School.”

“She taught second grade there,” Koryn said. “She loved that job. I felt so bad when she left it. I didn’t want her to do that for me.”

“I don’t think she did it for you, Koryn,” Miss Vivee said. “I think she did it to keep her promise to the principal there. Jill Sterba.” Miss Vivee, with lips pulled tight, stared at me for a long minute.

I nodded at Miss Vivee. “Koryn, do you know Darius’ last name?” I asked. “Gemma only told Miss Vivee his first name. And I’m sure the Sheriff would want to talk to him.”

Miss Vivee’s lying must be contagious.

“It’s Hamilton,” Koryn said.

“Darius Hamilton,” Miss Vivee said. She seemed to be committing the name to memory.

“And he lives in South Carolina now. Right across the Savannah River Gemma told me,” Koryn was talking fast. She seemed ready to share all the information she knew. “I remember her saying that now it didn’t matter, wherever he lived, he couldn’t hurt her anymore.”

“Do you know where in South Carolina?” Miss Vivee asked.

“No. She never told me. I know that that’s where he grew up, though. She said he was running home to his daddy. I think his father was pretty famous in whatever city it is where they lived.” She looked at Miss Vivee. “You think that’ll help the Sheriff?”

“Oh. I know it will,” she said. She stood up. “C’mon, Logan. We’ve got to find Sheriff Haynes right away and give him the information that Koryn has given us.” Miss Vivee stood and that prompted Koryn to get up, too.”

“I’m so