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MaryBeth Danger’s house (ref Liz, Blue niece)
MaryLou Blue’s house
Blue mansion
He stepped back like he’d just completed a masterpiece. “Mickey Pitts hated the Blues, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“So, the Shady Rest was an outlier, having nothing to do with the Blues, because someone paid him to do it, right?”
I was staring at it because it wasn’t right. “Something’s missing.” I thought through the events of that tumultuous week. I got up and, hating to show that Bartlett’s process had some benefit, I took the marker from him and inserted an event he’d left out, before the fire at Navy Blue’s house.
Porter garage
“Are the Porters related to the Blues?” Bartlett asked.
“Tangentially, in that Cash married Lavender Blue,” I said.For all of four hours, I didn’t add.
“So, it’s like going after Navy’s house,” Bartlett said. “Navy was dead, but Mickey destroyed his house anyway.”
I shook my head. “I think he just wanted to wipe out all Blue property. But I also think Mickey destroyed that house to get at Pete OneTree and his sister who were staying there while Margot was in rehab.” I tapped the board. “And Cash has nothing to do with the garage. Will and Patsy bought him out years ago. Destroying that has nothing to do with the Blues.” I remembered the chaos, right after I’d given Liz her new, old Camry. Mickey riding off, and the folks from Over-the-Hill answering Patsy’s volunteer fire department alarm and showing up, saving it.
And Cash arriving right after to make an offer on the garage and the land since it was now fire-damaged. No, to make asecondoffer after being rebuffed the first time. Sure this time he’d get it because—
“Son of a bitch.”
Bartlett was startled and took a step away. “What?”
“Cash paid Mickey to torch the Porter’s Garage.” I didn’t state the logical follow up to that.
Bartlett surprised me by taking the marker from my hand and drawing a line.
FromPorter GaragetoShady Rest. He looked at me with puppy eyes, panting for approval.
I nodded. “It’s logical that was Cash, too.”
“Why would Cash want to get rid of Thacker?” Bartlett asked.
“You saw those posts. Thacker was all over Cash and the Blues. Hell, Cash attacked him in JB’s.”
“Ah, yes, the fight,” Bartlett said as if remembering his first time in combat. His role in that fight had mainly to get puked on by Cash.
I really hated Cash Porter.
Then Bartlett wiped out the concept of his whiteboard by saying, “Cash is off-limits.”
“What?”
“Mayor O’Toole told me that Cash is a great asset to Burney. He’s building River Vista which will more than double our tax base.”
“Even if he paid Mickey Pitts to commit arson and murder?”
“There’s no proof of that. Just conjecture.” He actually did wipe off the board now with a cloth. “Listen, Cooper. The first houses out there will be on the market soon. The mayor doesn’t want anything disturbing that.”
“And you’re okay with that? What if I find proof?”
“You’re not going to,” Bartlett said.
