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“You used him. . . .” Lia’s words died on her lips as she realized Cord wasn’t the only boy Sunny had manipulated to get what she wanted. “You were driving his truck when you threw that brick at me.”
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, just that I wanted you hurt. Or dead,” Sunny confessed with a shrug. “But I couldn’t risk being spotted by one of those nosy bitches who are always roaming around town, so I told Cord I wanted to go buy a bag of weed and I didn’t want to take my parents’ car.” She laughed. “Guys are so easy, aren’t they? Especially guys in this town. One smile and I have them wrapped around my little finger.”
Lia couldn’t argue with that. She didn’t doubt for a second that the boys in Pike were willing to do whatever Sunny asked.
“Why would you poison me?” she demanded instead.
Sunny’s smile faded, a hint of irritation darkening her eyes. “You kept digging into the past. You and your boyfriend had to be stopped somehow. I noticed your vehicles were missing from the alley and it seemed the perfect opportunity to get rid of both of you. After all, Wayne conveniently left the key to the shop where I could find it. Such an idiot.”
Lia ground her teeth as fury blasted through her. She wanted to reach out and slap the little bitch. Anyone could have eaten those cookies. Even Della, who was in the store every day. At her age, there was no way she would have survived.
Wisely, Lia bit back her words of condemnation. She wasn’t sure Sunny had the moral capacity to understand what she did was wrong. Besides, she still had more questions.
“Is that why you killed Ryan Burke?”
Waiting for Sunny to brag about yet another murder, Lia was caught off guard when Jolene interrupted the conversation.
“She didn’t. I did.”
Lia glanced back at the older woman, a combination of shock and horror and disbelief making her feel nauseated.
“Quite the murderous tag team, aren’t you?” she accused, her voice harsh in the frigid air. Jolene arched a plucked brow, her expression indifferent. “Why kill him?”
“It was becoming increasingly obvious that someone was going to be blamed for killing Vanna,” she pointed out. “Why not my faithless husband?”
“You intended to frame Tate for the murder?”
“It was easy enough. All I needed was the proof of Vanna’s blackmail and the picture of Tate and Vanna I’d given him.”
Lia blinked at the woman’s cunning. She didn’t know what was scarier. The fact that Jolene was a psychopath. Or the fact that she was clever enough to avoid getting caught.
“You put the envelope in Kaden’s Jeep,” Lia said, speaking more to herself than Jolene.
The older woman glanced down at Kaden. “He kept threatening to go to the FBI. I assumed he would eventually get around to handing the evidence over to the authorities. I followed him from the hospital in Grange, and when he went into the store, I dropped the envelopes into his vehicle.”
“Why bash in Ryan’s head?” Lia asked, her voice louder than necessary. She wanted Jolene’s attention on her, not the unconscious Kaden. “I’m sure he would have handed it over.”
As she’d hoped, Jolene looked up, her expression puzzled. As if she didn’t understand why Lia was asking the question. Obviously, in her mind, it was perfectly reasonable to murder anyone who might be a threat to her role as mother.
“He knew I didn’t give birth to Vanna. He was . . .”
“A loose end,” Lia finished for her.
“Exactly.” Jolene stepped forward. “Just like you and your lover.”
* * *
Kaden swallowed a curse as he felt a cramp twisting his calf muscles into a painful knot. He’d been alert for several minutes, watching the situation from beneath lowered lashes. He was waiting for the right time to make his move. Annoyingly, he didn’t know what his move was going to be. Or when he would know the time was right.
His body, however, had just made the decision for him.
The freezing temperature in the building combined with the hard floorboards were causing his muscles to stiffen. Soon it would affect his mobility. If he was going to do something, it had to be now.
The thought was still forming in his foggy mind when he heard the distant sound of sirens blasting through the night air. They were growing louder with every second, and Kaden allowed himself a tiny spark of hope they were the calvary riding to their rescue.
At the same moment, there was a loud creak of the floorboards. Obviously, Jolene had heard the sirens as well and was instinctively turning toward the window.
A grim smile curved Kaden’s lips. At last the bitch had made a mistake. Not only had she taken her attention off Lia, she’d lowered the gun to her side. Now it was up to him to make her pay.
