Fern Cranston stares at the ground a moment too long.
“You don’t understand, Lottie.” Her gaze meets with mine as she takes a bold step forward. “I had to do it. She left me no choice. She was going to turn the tables and say it was me who pushed Ben off the rooftop all those years ago. There was no party. I heard voices from the game room in the frat house and I went up there because that was their special place. I knew she found out about Ben and me. It was late, and they were loud. They never noticed how close I had gotten. And that’s when I saw her push him. Yes, he was drinking, and using, and who knows what—but Ben did not want to die that day.”
“Why didn’t you turn her in then? Zack Ross would have still been alive if you did.”
“She said it was an accident and begged me not to ruin her life. She said that they both were. She said she’d find a way to make it up to me and she did. But she made no secret that she hated me after that. If it was one thing Candace couldn’t stand, it was feeling out of control. And I guess you could say after booking me one too many times, she felt she wanted to be back in the driver’s seat. She was going to start rumors, Lottie—that I killed Ben! She knew she didn’t need evidence to ruin me. A rumor would do just fine. She was going to ruin my career over something she did. You’re right, I should have turned her in ages ago. But I didn’t. And now it’s you who has the power to ruin me.”
She bends over and comes up swinging a two-by-four in my direction, missing my midsection by a hair.
“Lottie!” Cluck Norris rolls right off her head and hurtles my way.
I jump back and she swings yet again, this time knocking Cluck Norris right into the sky like a rolling, feathered missile.
“Lottttieee!” he calls as he floats ever so much higher, growing smaller than a baseball from my vantage point. A part of me wonders if he went along with the inertia just for fun. If he can walk through a wall, he could have let that board swing right on through him.
“Lot Lot?” Carlotta calls from behind.
“Carlotta!” I turn and that two-by-four comes just shy of whacking me over the nose. “A fine time the two of you choose to play a little softball. Now get on in there. Foxy and Sexy are just about losing their minds looking for you. Sheesh.”
She turns around and heads back just as that board comes swinging my way once again.
“Lottie Lemon!” Cluck Norris thunders, and I turn around to see that plank of wood zooming right at me. And then with a strong jerk, it’s pulled right back.
Cluck Norris buries his talons over Fern’s scalp and she howls as if her hair was on fire. But that’s not the reason she’s staggering backward. A woman has grabbed her from behind, and soon enough, that woman tosses Fern to the ground as well.
“Run!” the woman shouts as she takes off running herself down the alleyway and I recognize that hair, although a touch darker, and that profile of hers that I got a brief look at before she turned away—it belongs to me.
“Hey! Wait!” I shout for her to stop, but it’s too late. The mystery woman has ducked around the corner, and I can’t risk losing the killer.
Fern rolls over and does her best to grab that plank once again and Cluck Norris does his best to peck her hand to death.
A horrible moan comes from her as she retracts her arm and Cluck Norris begins to float into the sky as he slowly dissipates.
“I’m leaving now! I’m free again! No longer caged by this earth for a second time around. Goodbye, Lottie Lemon! Until we meet again. Oh, and could you bring some of those chocolate chip cookies when you show up? I’m afraid I can’t seem to get enough!” And with that, he disappears in a puff of red and yellow stars.
Fern swipes for the plank once again, but I pick it up and hold it over her body like a baseball bat.
“Freeze!” a deep voice shouts from behind as Noah and Everett bolt this way.
“Lemon,” Everett growls as he takes me into his arms.
“She did it!” I shout. “She confessed to killing Candace Cottonwood.” I bury my face into Everett’s chest. “It’s over,” I pant. “It’s finally over.” I look up at him with a forlorn smile. “But we’ve still got a way to go, haven’t we?”
It seemed as if the entire Ashford Country Sheriff’s Department showed up. Of course, Detective Ivy Fairbanks showed up as well. But when the entourage of patrol cars took off with Fern in tow, Ivy decided to stick around.
Burt and Woody asked if we would stick around ourselves and finish out the show, but that if I was too shaken up they would understand. They had one hour of live airtime to kill, and it was either us or having all of Vermont listen to Cormack prattle on about the latest couture pieces she’s added to her collection.
I knew there was no way I was going to miss out on getting my mother’s B&B back, so I agreed to it. Besides that, both Jimmy Canelli and Luke Lazzari showed up and congratulated me on taking down another perpetrator—then each claimed I had gotten my tenacity to face a killer from their side of the family. But soon enough, all of the paternity secrets will be answered.
And that’s exactly why I find myself back on that stage, nestled between Noah and Everett, while Cormack holds two bright blue envelopes in her hands.
“Now, Liza.” Cormack fans herself with the envelopes while the camera rolls. “Welcome to Getting Candid with Cormack. Why don’t you tell all the fine people of Vermont how much you love your husband and hope and pray this wee one is his?”
I make a face at her. “Of course, I love my husband.” Someone lets out a catcall from the audience—Carlotta is my guess. Followed by an audible retch—Evie, I’m sure. “But I care about both of these men. I love them both. There was no cheating involved here. I was simply breaking things off with Noah and starting things up with Everett. The baby, well, she sort of just happened. And now here we are—anxious to know the truth, but also we’re okay with the truth being whatever it may be. We’re not coming to blows over this. We’re not tipping over the coffee table. We’re going to handle this like mature adults.”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but we’re saving the best for last.” She looks to her left at a trio of darkened figures backstage. “Let’s bring out Jimmy Canelli, Luke Lazzari, and Honey Hollow’s own, Mayor Harry Nash!”
Noah groans, “I seemed to have blocked this part of the day out of my mind.”
“No need to dwell on things that are guaranteed to go sideways,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry, Lemon.” Everett gives my hand a squeeze. “This won’t change anything.”
That’s where Everett is wrong. It will change everything—for him.
And speaking of him, we decided to shelf last night’s discussion about the mystery woman until today’s catastrophe was over. And I didn’t dare bring up the fact that mystery woman all but saved my life out there just now. Everything was happening so quickly. The next thing I knew, Fern was being read her rights then hauled away, and no sooner was that over than we landed on this couch. I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath.
And now this.
Jimmy, Luke, and Harry all step out in single file, each in a neatly pressed dark suit, the same matching serious expressions on each of their faces as well.