Page 98 of Bad Intentions

I stare in shock. Mallory Blain stares back, her lopsided grin getting bigger.

“What?” She gives me a backward nod, that slurpy chuckle bubbling up in her throat again. “What you looking at me like that for? Look at you. Eyes all round. Yeah? Surprised? Did your grandmother tell you any of this? No? Of course not. Because she was too stuck up to put two and two together. She thought she was all important and tough and had everything under her thumb. Nah. Nuh-huh.”

Mallory Blain killed Sarah Holes, though many people suspected Derek Sickler had. I don’t think anyone ever even considered that Mallory might’ve done it.

That’s not what makes me speechless, though. I’m pretty sure I know where this is going, and if it is, then this woman fooled the entire town.

“What about Doug Hartzel?” I ask. “Was that your doing, too?”

“Huh.” She’s quiet for a second as she scratches the underside of her chin with the barrel of the gun. “Well, that depends on how you put it, I suppose.”

54

MALLORY

It was the last day of the fair. The investigation into Sarah’s death was underway. I needed to do something about Derek, and do it fast. He had to leave town and take me with him. Up and go. I was ready. My heart fluttered at the thought that I would go with him to San Francisco. Or, honestly, wherever he chose to go first.

That Sunday, before work, I drove up to his place. His car was in the driveway, so I pulled in.

Derek wasn’t in a good mood.

“What’s up?” he asked in the curt tone I didn’t like.

“Nothing. Going to work. Today is the last day of the fair.”

“Yeah, and rumor has it, Sarah’s sheriff daddy is in town. The local chief is looking for me.”

I felt a knot in my stomach. “We have to leave town, then.”

He cocked a brow at me. “Oh, yeah?”

“You wanted to go to San Francisco? Me too. We can drive off in two cars. I can sell mine somewhere out of town.”

My old car wasn’t worth much, but if we were to travel together, we didn’t need two cars.

Derek walked up to me, wrapped his arms around me, his hooded gaze on me. I loved it when he looked at me like that. “You have any cash on you?” he asked.

Such a vibe killer. “Maybe?” I teased.

He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. Ten minutes later, he was already getting dressed. Then he picked up my purse and rummaged inside it.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

“We need cash, Mal. We’ll stop out of town and I’ll get some from the bank. Right now, I have to buy some things for the road.”

He suddenly froze and looked at me, the cash from my purse already in his hand. “Unless…unless you changed your mind? If you don’t want to go west, you don’t have to.”

Panic suddenly swamped me. “It’s all right,” I blurted. “I’m going. Of course, I’m going!”

He winked at me.

What I didn’t expect pulling out of Derek’s driveway later was to see a familiar car approaching—Al’s.

That bitch.

I pressed on the gas, driving off, but Al’s car followed, honking like mad, keeping up for several blocks. I was running away, I realized, though I was at my man’s house, and Al had no business to be.

I sharply swerved to the curb and parked, then got out of the car at the same time Al got out of hers behind me.