“Gina, I can’t promise you that,” Candy said honestly, “but I promise I’ll hear you out.”
Felicia took a few steps toward her. In a tense voice, she said, “We don’t have to tell you anything.” To Gina, she added, “Just remember that.”
Gina Templeton folded her hands and nodded. She looked tired, frail. Her eyes had taken on a haunted look. “It’s okay,” she said to Felicia. “We have to talk to someone. We have to let them know what happened before.…”
Her voice trailed off as her gaze shifted. Candy turned to look as well. Sitting beside the door were several bags of luggage.
It took Candy a few moments to fully grasp what it meant. “You’re leaving?”
“I can’t stay,” Gina said fretfully. “Too much has happened. I have to leave. I have to figure out what to do.”
“Have you talked to the police?” Candy asked.
“Yes, but…” She paused, again glancing toward Felicia. “I can’t go back there. I have nothing else to say to them.”
“Gina, you have to talk to the police about Victor, especially if you know how he died.”
At that, Gina seemed to shrink away. With all the energy she had left, she lowered herself into an upholstered armchair next to a small maple desk. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said weakly, putting a hand to her forehead.
Candy was silent for a moment. She looked from Gina to Felicia and back again. “Gina,” Candy said as gently as she could, “someone murdered your husband. You have to go back to the police and tell them everything you know—whatever it might be.”
“I can’t,” Gina said, trying to hold back her emotions.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s complicated,” Gina said, “and it involves our friends.”
“Yes, but…” Candy stopped and thought about it. Maybe it was time to take a different approach. “The hatchet belonged to Duncan, didn’t it?” When again she received no reply, she explained, “I found Solomon Hatch in the woods today. He had taken all Victor’s belongings, plus the hatchet, off Victor’s body before he moved it out to the road. The police have the hatchet now, and they know it’s the murder weapon.”
A defiant look crept into Gina’s eyes. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“I checked it online. Duncan won that contest. They gave him the hatchet as an award.”
“The website is wrong,” Gina said, her voice cracking. “It wasn’t Duncan’s.”
“Then whose was it?”
Felicia finally spoke up. “It was Liam’s. That’s what she’s trying to tell you. That’s what the police must have found out, and that’s why they arrested him.”
“Liam won that contest,” Gina explained, getting some of her composure back. “He was awarded the hatchet. But it was later discovered, after complaints and reviewing videotape of the event, that he stepped over some sort of line at some point, and he was disqualified. There were allegations that he cheated, although it was quickly hushed up. Duncan came in second, so they named him the winner. But Liam kept the hatchet. He refused to return it or to pass it on to the rightful winner.”
So there it is, Candy thought. Liam really was the killer.
“That’s why Duncan was so upset tonight at the ball, isn’t it? That’s why he hit Liam.” And quickly Candy explained what had happened a short time earlier at the Moose Fest Ball.
“It all makes sense,” Felicia said. “Duncan thought Liam had set him up. The records show Duncan won the contest and should have received the hatchet as an award. But only a few people know the real story. So it was natural for the police to suspect Duncan.”
“But if that’s true,” Candy said, “the truth would have eventually come out. They would have discovered the hatchet wasn’t really Duncan’s in a matter of hours, if not minutes. If you’re right, there must be several people who knew Liam didn’t return the hatchet. He couldn’t hide the fact.”
“Who knows what was on Liam’s mind?” Felicia said obliquely.
“Perhaps,” Gina mused, “Liam thought that by using misdirection—the hatchet everyone thought was Duncan’s—he could buy himself a little time until he had a chance to escape.”
Candy considered that possibility but quickly dismissed it. “That doesn’t make much sense. Victor was killed Thursday morning. Liam was hanging around here all weekend. He was at the ball tonight with Wanda Boyle. He could be the one who’s been feeding her valuable information for her blog. Why would he do all that if he murdered your husband? Why hang around for so long?”
Felicia’s eyes shifted about quickly before they returned to Candy. “He’s always been a glory hound,” she said finally, in a harsher tone. “He can’t help himself. He obviously wanted the attention.”
“But why?” Candy asked. “Why would he kill Victor? For publicity? Because they’re rivals? Why?”
The questions hung in the room for several beats, as all three women looked at each other. Candy heard another soft toot from outside. Maggie was getting impatient—or just worrying about her.
It was Candy who broke the silence. “All three of us need to go to the police,” she said with finality. “You need to tell them everything you know.”
Felicia shook her head. “I’m afraid we can’t do that.” She gave Candy a hard look. “As far as I see it, there are only two options here. You can let us go—or we can make this difficult.” She wiggled her hand under her cloak, where it had remained since Candy had entered the cabin.
Candy got the hint. She knew they were up to something, though she hadn’t quite figured out what it was yet, but she stepped back toward the door. “Okay. Maybe you’re right. Maybe this was none of my business and I’ve gone a little too far. So, I… think I’ll just excuse myself, and let you two get on with whatever it is you have to do.”
Felicia smiled, and her eyes reflected pinpricks of light. “Thank you,” she said. Under the cloak, she slipped something into a hidden pocket. She turned to Gina. “You need to finish packing. It’s time to go.”
Gina nodded. She rose wearily and headed toward the bedroom. “I just have one more bag to finish packing.” She stopped in the doorway, turning back. “Oh, and I looked all over for that red scarf you said you lost,” she told Felicia. “You know, the one with the gold tassels at the end? Well I can’t find it anywhere. I’m afraid it’s gone.”