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I smiled and sat beside her. Adam took the spot beside Paula. Lorraine brought over coffee for Adam and me, and promised bacon and eggs to follow.
"Breakfast of champions," she said. "For our champion detective."
Paula smiled and reached out, her hands resting on mine. "Thank you, Savannah. I knew you hadn't done what they said. I wouldn't blame you if you had, but I knew you hadn't."
"So what happened?" I asked.
She glanced at Kayla. "Could you run next door to the drugstore, honey? Get us some toothpaste? I think we're out."
"We aren't."
"I'd like--"
"I know all about what happened, Grandma. The social worker lady explained it."
"Just humor me then, okay?" Paula took a five from her purse. "Get some candy for yourself, too. Just nothing hard or sticky."
"If I'm getting toothpaste, I don't need to worry about my teeth."
Paula sighed and waved her off. Once the little girl was gone, Paula gave us the short version of events.
Ginny's lover, Cody Radu, had been blamed for the murders. All of them. The police had received an anonymous tip, searched his house, and found a discarded suicide note confessing to the murders. They'd also found the gun that killed Ginny and Brandi, plus evidence that Cody had been the one who'd accused Paula. The police theory was that he'd planned to confess and kill himself, then realized he might still be able to get out of it by framing Paula. When things went wrong, he'd killed the guard and homeless man to cover his tracks, before realizing suicide was his only option.
Was it a perfect theory? No. But it was reasonable and blamed a dead guy that everyone had hated, while freeing a beloved member of the community. Good enough.
"So they let me go," Paula said as Kayla returned. "Not only that, but while I was talking to the officer doing my release paperwork, we got to chatting about my days working for Sheriff Bruyn. This officer told me how they'd just lost their cleaning lady. Next thing I know, I've got the position." She smiled. "I bet I'm the first person to walk in there in handcuffs and leave with a new job."
"That's great," Adam said. "When do you start?"
"Next week. In the meantime, I'm going to look for a new place to live. Get Kayla and me out of Columbus and start fresh, just like I wanted." Another smile, one that made her look as young as her granddaughter. "I keep pinching myself, thinking I'm going to wake up back in that cell. It's amazing how much can change in a day."
How much indeed.
Kayla returned. We ate breakfast and talked. Then, before we left, I excused myself to use the restroom and Paula followed.
When we got inside, she lowered her voice and said, "I don't know if you had anything to do with this--"
"I--"
"I don't know and I'm better off not knowing. But Cody was already dead, and he did kill the others. He must have. That guard and Michael and Claire Kennedy, maybe even Tiffany. Part of me is always going to feel like I got away with something I shouldn't have, but I do believe Kayla is better off with me free."
"She is," I said. "Infinitely better."
Paula dropped her gaze, then squeezed my arm and murmured, "Thank you."
Back at the table, I gave Kayla my e-mail address and she made me promise to come see her in her new home.
Once we were back in the Jeep, I said to Adam, "I'd really like to stay in contact with her. I know this sounds weird, but earlier, before all this happened, I started thinking I wanted to . . . make a college scholarship fund or something for her. With my trust fund, I have the money."
"I don't think it's weird at all. I'd say I think it's nice, but I might get smacked for that."
"Don't worry. I'm not in a smacking mood." And probably wouldn't be for a while. I took a deep breath. "So, I guess I'm screwed, aren't I? I offered a deal and the Fates took me up on it. I don't think I'd back out now even if I could."
"If the Fates really did this, then they're the ones who screwed up. You didn't make any deal. You were upset and vulnerable. Yes, you wanted to fix this problem, but not at that cost. If they took advantage of that--"
The heat of his fury simmered between us, and I basked in it. I wanted this so badly. Someone to say it wasn't my fault. To be angry for me.
He reached out, his warm hand squeezing mine. "We'll fix this."
