Nick’s coming over with the gun. He believes your ridiculous story about research and wants to drive you to a firing range for target practice.”
She shook her head.
“Whaaa-aat?” I whined. “Tell me before my head explodes.”
“Okay. But I know you’ll hate it, especially after all that’s happened. I just can’t help myself. I tried, honest, but this is bigger than my willpower, and you know how strong my willpower is.”
This was true. I was the binge drinker. Lisa was the designated driver.
“Just tell me!”
She let out a breath. “Nick asked me to the Martini Madness Ball tomorrow tonight.”
“Get out. You wouldn’t go with him, right? Or would you?”
I didn’t quite know how to react to this news.
“Last night, while you were taking a shower to get rid of all that oil, Nick helped me clean up my car, and I helped him clean off his shoes. Anyway, one thing led to another and, well, he’s a total babe, so I gave him my phone number.”
“But your phone was oil bound at the time.”
“I know, but in the heat of the moment I forgot.”
This was serious. Lisa never forgot anything.
“He’s a detective with the Sheriff’s Department and we’re witnesses in a murder case. Not only did we tamper with the evidence, the body is missing, and the killer tried to frame my mom, and Nick more than likely has the murder weapon that we provided. I don’t care how much of a babe he is, until we can figure all this out, he’s trouble . . . several-years-in-the-slammer type of trouble. Bad-ass biker chick kind of trouble.”
She sat up, and folded her legs under her butt. “That’s not entirely true. I mean let’s review the facts. Your cousin Dickey has been murdered, but the body has gone missing, and as long as it’s missing there’s no murder, at least not according to the law.”
“You and I know there’s been a murder, not to mention my entire family. And we also know that somebody in my family probably knocked him off, and tried to pin it on my mom.”
“But do we actually know this as a fact or are we simply speculating because we found her gun near the body. Who knows how long that gun could have been there?”
“Not long enough. I’d just seen it in her jewelry armoire a few hours before Dickey was killed. That has to be the murder weapon. And what about her bracelet?”
“As long as the police don’t get it, it’s a non issue.”
“But I can’t get it out of my head that she wasn’t wearing a bracelet later in the evening when we all went back into the barn. For all I know, she really is the killer. Wait. Did I just say that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re mom isn’t the killer. Maybe she took it off for some reason and gave it to someone and that someone was the killer. Who knows, but that’s beside the point.”
I shook my head. “Please. She would never do that. When do you ever remember my mom without a bracelet?”
She thought for a moment. “All right, so maybe she did it. And if she did do it, she probably had a damn good reason. And if she had a damn good reason, then it’s all taken care of. Obviously, most of the men in the family had to help her. How else would that millstone have gotten moved?”
I flashed on those papers I retrieved from the bank and a curious negative thought pried open my determination to clear my mom. Could my mom have pulled the trigger on Dickey because of that document, with the entire Spia clan standing by her side? The vision was a little over the top, especially if I focused on Hetty with her ruby-red lips and clown hair, but perfectly reasonable considering my family’s values.
The family that kills together . . .
Lisa continued. “Your family did whatever mobsters do to get rid of a body, which I don’t want to think about, but it was necessary in this situation. It clearly means that Nick isn’t a threat. Not as long as Dickey’s wearing cement boots floating on the bottom of some lake or river. Nick is simply a sweet guy who I’d like to get to know better.”
“Who just happens to be a detective.”
“Not a problem, at least not for me. I’m not part of your family, remember? I’m the friend. I can date a judge and it won’t make any difference. Besides, I’ve