If you’re going to cast any blame over what happened back then, it all starts with Gil. You have to stop defending him, Judith. Gil had no reason to take up with Tiffany except selfishness, unless you honestly believe he ever really cared for her.”
Judith sighed. “No. I guess I don’t. I think he just cared about how he looked—the old guy with the young, hot girl.”
“It’s not a good look when the young, hot girl was your son’s girlfriend,” Gertie said. “And Tiffany had far better reasons for what she did than Gil.”
“What reasons?” Judith asked.
“Her stepfather is in prison for assaulting multiple young women,” Gertie said. “Tiffany showed all the signs of living in an abusive situation. Gil had the money and assets to get her out, so she took advantage of it.”
Judith’s face paled. “I didn’t know. I swear.”
“No one did, and only a few suspected,” Gertie said. “Tiffany has never confirmed it, but with all my years of teaching, I’d bet on it.”
“Gil never said anything,” Judith said. “Or Liam.”
“I doubt Gil knew,” Ida Belle said. “He just thought a young, pretty girl wanted him and that’s all Tiffany wanted him to know. And I’d bet money Liam didn’t know or he would have tried to help. And since he took off right after they married and wasn’t really friends with anyone in Mudbug, then he wouldn’t have had access to any talk about her stepfather after his arrest.”
Judith shook her head. “That changes things, for sure. At least as far as my opinion of her, but Gil knew what he was doing to Liam. And now the man’s dead and still messing with Liam’s life. I tell you, that boy did not hurt Tiffany and he didn’t kill his father.”
“I guess you heard it’s a murder investigation now,” I said.
She nodded. “The boy who delivered some fencing material told me about the car. Then that woman detective from New Orleans came by and had a chat with me. A chat, she called it, seeing as how I was friends with Gil and would know better than anyone if he’d gotten mixed up in something that got him killed. I told her straight-out that the only thing I knew of that Gil had gotten mixed up in was his marriage.”
“Did you tell her about him asking you about a gun?” I asked.
“Yeah, but like I told you guys, I couldn’t tell her why,” Judith said. “Just that I found it odd. But none of that matters. What matters is that I think this detective has Liam in her sights because of the will. Liam’s boss is making noise about all the negative attention. He’s going to lose his future if that detective doesn’t back off, and she mentioned a search warrant when Liam wouldn’t agree to let her search his house again. If she comes back with one for his house and the butcher shop, the future Liam had is as good as over.”
“It’s definitely a bad situation for Liam,” I said, “but I don’t know what I can do about it.”
“Carter is your man,” Judith said. “Surely you can talk to him. Have him call off that detective.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I said. “Carter has been more or less removed from the case. The murder happened in New Orleans, so it’s theirs. Detective Casey uses him to answer questions but she doesn’t have to loop him in on anything, much less involve him in the investigation.”
Judith looked so sad that I felt sorry for her. And I felt sorry for Liam and wished there were something I could do, but my hands were tied. Carter’s hands were tied. At this point, the only thing that would help Liam was finding the murderer, assuming it wasn’t him. I studied Judith as she stared out my back window, slowly shaking her head, and decided to see what kind of reaction I got from her since she appeared to be in a vulnerable position.
“Did you know Gil had found a new girlfriend?” I asked.
Judith’s eyes widened. “What? No. That’s not possible. He would have told me.”
“Would he?” I asked and studied her.
She stared at me for a couple seconds, then dropped her gaze down, shifting to a look of defeat.
“Maybe not,” she said. “Who is she?”
“Someone involved in the acting troupe,” I said.
“I guess it would be,” she said. “How old is this one?”
“Older than Tiffany, but not nearly as old as Gil,” I said.