Page 37 of Murder Will Out
“Echoic memory,” Catherine said absently, still clicking from web page to web page, learning all she could about lithium toxicity. “Eidetic memory is for visuals; echoic memory is for sounds.”
Mac grinned. “As usual, our librarian, the smartest person in the room.”
“Oh, shut up,” Catherine said half-heartedly, still studying the screen.
Rina’s voice, tight and harsh, shattered their levity. “You’re suggesting someone killed Sue. That her fall wasn’t an accident. And that you had actual concrete information about it that might have given the police something to go on, and you kept it to yourself.”
The room went very still.
Willow forced her voice to stay even. “I’m not suggesting anything; I’m relating what I heard.”
Mac spoke hesitantly into the charged silence. “It makes a twisted kind of sense. All three owners of Cameron House, within the space of a few months? How can that be a coincidence?”
Rina wasn’t looking at Mac, though. Her eyes were locked on Willow, her face white except for two bright spots of color on her cheeks. “And you didn’t think I had the right to know about this? You didn’t think it was something you should have told me?”
Willow raised her chin defiantly. “I’m telling you now.”
“Howdareyou keep this from me!” Rina said, rising to her feet. “You had no right—”
But Willow was on her feet as well. “How dareI? Keep things fromyou? How can you even—” Willow heard her voice rising, could feel her control about to slip away, and stopped mid-sentence.
She turned and fled the café.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Rina stood frozen, as though carved out of marble.
Diana wanted to move to Rina’s side, but she didn’t. She could guess now why Willow was upset; Rina had confided in her about the unmailed letter shortly after Sue’s death. Diana had been supportive; she would still be supportive. But support was not always gentle.
“Go after her,” Diana said firmly to her friend. “Now. No backing down, no putting it off. Follow her.” Rina opened her mouth to protest, but Diana cut her off. “You knew it was going to come back and bite you in the rear eventually, and now it has. Deal with it.”
Diana knew Rina would continue to argue, would summon back the anger that had always been her way to avoid feeling the more complex emotions of shame and grief and guilt, but Diana did not give her the chance. “Willow deserves better.Suedeserves better,” she said. “Go.”
Rina let out her breath, let her head drop in resignation. Without a word, she exited the café.
In the silence that followed, Mac shook her head. “Geez, Mom, sometimes I forget how tough you can be.”
Diana rubbed her temples; she could feel a truly formidable headache in the offing. “She needed it.” She looked out the door after Rina. “I hope they can figure it out. Sue would want them to.”
Mac looked at her watch and started gathering her things. Her mother frowned. “You’re leaving too?”
Mac gave an exaggerated sigh. “Work. I have a shift this afternoon.”
“I thought you didn’t start for another half hour,” Diana said.
“Yeah, but Mike wanted me to come in a little early; he has to take off for some family thing. I told him I would.”
Diana nodded absently. “Okay then. See you later.”
She looked worriedly after Rina and Willow. She’d done all she could; it was up to them now.
Rina grimaced whenshe realized Willow had taken the path down to the same beach, the same jetty where she had sat and had her argument with Imaginary Sue the day of the memorial. She picked her way across the round cobbles to where Willow sat on the jetty, knees pulled up to her chest, looking out at the sea.
Rina swallowed the lump in her throat and said hesitantly, “Willow?”
“Go away,” was the reply.
Rina fought the urge to do exactly that, stayed put, and tried again. “Willow, I’m sorry.”
