Charlie forced a smile. “Thanks. Want some coffee?” She glanced past Lila to Sarah.
“Right. I’ll get that.” Sarah disappeared.
Lila dropped the bag on the table.
“Have a seat.” Ryan pulled out a chair. Lila thanked him and sat while Charlie returned to hers.
Ryan took the coffee Sarah brought in and thanked Sarah who seemed to take this as her cue to leave.
“What do you remember about the argument between my uncle and Eddie?” Charlie asked once Ryan was seated.
“Only that it was strange. Those two always got along. At first, I thought they were playing around. You know, pretending to be mad. Then Pete grabbed hold of Eddie’s collar, and I thought they were going to come to blows.”
Charlie glanced at Ryan and tried not to think about their kiss. “Did you overhear what the argument was about?”
Lila shook her head. “Not really. The café was busy, so it was loud. But as I ran to break them up, I overheard Pete tell Eddie that he knew what Junior did and he was going to confront him about it.”
The words chilled Charlie to the bone. “You have any idea what he meant by that?”
Lila thought about it for a moment. “Not really. But do you remember back when Pete was sheriff there was some money that went missing from the county’s bank account? Everyone was questioned if I remember correctly but no one ever confessed, and the money was never found.”
Charlie remembered Pete talking about that. He’d been preoccupied at the time though he didn’t say much about it. “I wonder if it's possible Junior was the one who took it. Maybewhile investigating Abby’s case, he discovered the truth about the missing funds.”
Lila shrugged. “I’d say it’s likely.” She glanced between Ryan and Charlie. “Eddie’s been wanting to speak to you. Maybe you could bring it up.”
Charlie remembered Boone was going to speak with Lila about when she and Jason had gotten together. She asked her friend about it.
Lila glanced between them. “You don’t really think he’s behind what’s happening do you?”
“We just need to confirm his alibi,” Ryan told her.
Lila seemed to accept his answer. “It was the day before you arrived. He stopped by to tell me his family was in town and wanted to get together for dinner soon.”
“If that’s true, then Jason and Grant didn’t kill Pete themselves.” Still, it didn’t rule out they’d hired someone.
Charlie sat back in her seat. Having to wait until daybreak to speak to Eddie was nearly impossible. It felt as if the clock was ticking on the next attack. As much as she didn’t want to have this conversation with Eddie about Junior, she wanted the truth about what happened. She just prayed it didn’t convict the man Pete considered his best friend.
Chapter Fourteen
Eddie Hawthorne had never appeared so cagey before. He kept looking to Charlie for answers.
He agreed to meet with them at the police station but hadn’t sat since he arrived.
“What’s this about?” he asked, yet Ryan believed he knew.
Ryan and Boone would conduct the interview. Charlie insisted on sitting in. Ryan prayed Eddie wouldn’t reveal anything that would cause Charlie more pain.
“Thanks for coming in, Eddie,” Boone told him. “We have a few questions for you.” The sheriff had been briefed on what Lila said.
“Questions?” His eyes panned around the room lingering on Charlie. “What type of questions?” There was a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“About the argument between you and Pete shortly before his death.” Ryan indicated the chair he pulled out. “Please have a seat.”
Eddie jerked back as if struck. “Argument?” He made a growling sound. “There was no argument. We were simply two old men who got snippy with each other.” Eddie slipped into the chair and inched it closer to the table and away from Ryan.
Ryan returned to his seat beside Charlie before revealing what they knew. “Not according to the owner of the café. Lila said she had to break you two apart. And she mentioned something about Junior.”
Eddie seemed to scramble to come up with an answer. “Nothing. I was just telling him he should let the investigation into Abby’s disappearance go. After all these years his questions were stirring up the worst period in our town’s history and it always seemed to put Pete on edge.”
