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“And what was that donation, Brenda?”Missy’s voice was tight.“What did you give them?”
“I gave them this house and everything in it,” Mrs.Crabtree said.
“Bitch!”Missy screamed.“You were supposed to sell it to CEI.You had six months.Six damn months to sell it.They gave you the best offer.I told them you’d sell it to them.It was part of the deal.You have to tell the Historical Society you changed your mind.”
“I can’t,” Mrs.Crabtree said.“All the papers have been signed and recorded at the courthouse.The house and land belong to them now.”
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” Missy cried.“No idea.”
“CEI is run by a bunch of crooks.They would have torn down Crabtree Manor and put a casino in its place,” Mrs.Crabtree said.“I couldn’t let that happen, no matter how much they threatened me.”
“You hated Thomas.You said you wished he’d die.Hell, he cheated on you so many times.EvenIhad an affair with him, right under your nose.Then he dumped me for that twit, Trish.A child!”
“I know,” Mrs.Crabtree said.“He told me all of it when I showed him the photos my private investigator took of him with you and with Trish.I asked for a divorce, and he threw the prenup agreement in my face.I’d signed it back when I was young, stupid and thought I was in love.I had no choice but to stay in this cesspool of a state, in a farce of a marriage to a man who didn’t give two shits about me.”
“Then why didn’t you sell this place to CEI?”Missy asked.“It would’ve had Thomas rolling over in his grave.You’d have had your revenge.”
“I might have sold to CEI, but I resented being told what I could and couldn’t do.I’d spent my marriage letting Thomas walk all over me because he basically owned me.I had no career to fall back on and no higher education.I couldn’t support myself without him.He knew it.He did whatever the hell he wanted, and I was stuck.After Thomas was murdered and Gaither started blackmailing me, it was Thomas all over again.Once again, I had no control over my life.Decisions were being forced on me.I’d reached the point that I’d had enough.I didn’t care if I lived or died.I wanted out.”
“Yeah, well, you’re going to get your wish,” Missy said.“Those threats you were receiving were real.The people dishing out the consequences don’t care that your ex-husband hurt your feelings.They care that you cheated them out of the land they needed to build a casino in this parish.Big John had a huge stake in the sale to CEI.He stood to make tens of thousands of dollars in commissions for facilitating the sale.”
“You mean coercing the sale,” Mrs.Crabtree said.
“They gave you multiple chances,” Missy said.“I got Thomas out of the way.”
Felina swallowed a gasp.Missy was the woman in green?She killed Thomas?
Chapter14
Holy shit!Never in a million years would Felina have guessed Missy was the murderer.Sure, the woman was crazy...but deadly?
Wow.
Felina wished she had a gun.Then she remembered the knife she’d hooked onto her jeans.It wasn’t enough.
“Now, your most pressing problem is that Big John never leaves loose ends,” Missy said.“He’ll be around to collect what you cheated him out of.”
Mrs.Crabtree said, “I have nothing left to lose.”
“You’re wrong,” Missy said.“There’s the matter of your life.Big John will collect on it.”
“I’ll be waiting for him.”
“You don’t have to wait long,” a deep voice said from the master bedroom.
Felina pressed a hand to her chest to keep her heart from leaping out.
“Don’t reach for your weapon, or I’ll be forced to shoot the old woman,” Big John said.“That’s right, lay it on the floor, nice and easy.”
“Let Mrs.Crabtree go,” Lucas said.“Killing her won’t buy you anything.”
“You’re wrong.The fact she gave the home and property away gives me a black mark with my employer.I have zero tolerance for black marks and liars.”
A shot went off.Felina clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.
“He’s down.Get his gun.”
Felina’s breath lodged in her throat.She knew in her heart Lucas was the man down.Every muscle in her body screamed to move.To check on Lucas and call for an ambulance.Yet, she held back, knowing that if she emerged from the closet at that moment, she’d be shot, too.Then who would rescue the others after Big John and his thugs left?
