Judith nodded. “Liam pointed out that since she wasn’t dead, he didn’t see how that pointed the finger at him, but that detective wasn’t having any.”
“It’s possible for people to panic,” Ida Belle said. “Especially if this isn’t normal behavior, and it’s not for the majority of people. But if they get worked up to that level of desperation, they might think someone was dead or realize what they did and then flee the scene before they get caught. The detective has to consider that possibility.”
Judith slumped in her chair. “That boy wouldn’t hurt anyone, not even that useless cheater.”
“That statement could refer to Tiffany or Gil,” I said and gave her a pointed look.
Judith stared at me for a moment, then lowered her eyes to the table.
“She’s right,” Ida Belle said. “Gil owed Liam more than Tiffany did. If you’re going to cast any blame over what happened back then, it all starts with Gil. You have to stop defending him, Judith. Gil had no reason to take up with Tiffany except selfishness, unless you honestly believe he ever really cared for her.”
Judith sighed. “No. I guess I don’t. I think he just cared about how he looked—the old guy with the young, hot girl.”
“It’s not a good look when the young, hot girl was your son’s girlfriend,” Gertie said. “And Tiffany had far better reasons for what she did than Gil.”
“What reasons?” Judith asked.
“Her stepfather is in prison for assaulting multiple young women,” Gertie said. “Tiffany showed all the signs of living in an abusive situation. Gil had the money and assets to get her out, so she took advantage of it.”
Judith’s face paled. “I didn’t know. I swear.”
“No one did, and only a few suspected,” Gertie said. “Tiffany has never confirmed it, but with all my years of teaching, I’d bet on it.”
“Gil never said anything,” Judith said. “Or Liam.”
“I doubt Gil knew,” Ida Belle said. “He just thought a young, pretty girl wanted him and that’s all Tiffany wanted him to know. And I’d bet money Liam didn’t know or he would have tried to help. And since he took off right after they married and wasn’t really friends with anyone in Mudbug, then he wouldn’t have had access to any talk about her stepfather after his arrest.”
Judith shook her head. “That changes things, for sure. At least as far as my opinion of her, but Gil knew what he was doing to Liam. And now the man’s dead and still messing with Liam’s life. I tell you, that boy did not hurt Tiffany and he didn’t kill his father.”
“I guess you heard it’s a murder investigation now,” I said.
She nodded. “The boy who delivered some fencing material told me about the car. Then that woman detective from New Orleans came by and had a chat with me. A chat, she called it, seeing as how I was friends with Gil and would know better than anyone if he’d gotten mixed up in something that got him killed. I told her straight-out that the only thing I knew of that Gil had gotten mixed up in was his marriage.”
“Did you tell her about him asking you about a gun?” I asked.
“Yeah, but like I told you guys, I couldn’t tell her why,” Judith said. “Just that I found it odd. But none of that matters. What matters is that I think this detective has Liam in her sights because of the will. Liam’s boss is making noise about all the negative attention. He’s going to lose his future if that detective doesn’t back off, and she mentioned a search warrant when Liam wouldn’t agree to let her search his house again. If she comes back with one for his house and the butcher shop, the future Liam had is as good as over.”
“It’s definitely a bad situation for Liam,” I said, “but I don’t know what I can do about it.”
“Carter is your man,” Judith said. “Surely you can talk to him. Have him call off that detective.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I said. “Carter has been more or less removed from the case. The murder happened in New Orleans, so it’s theirs. Detective Casey uses him to answer questions but she doesn’t have to loop him in on anything, much less involve him in the investigation.”
Judith looked so sad that I felt sorry for her. And I felt sorry for Liam and wished there were something I could do, but my hands were tied. Carter’s hands were tied. At this point, the only thing that would help Liam was finding the murderer, assuming it wasn’t him. I studied Judith as she stared out my back window, slowly shaking her head, and decided to see what kind of reaction I got from her since she appeared to be in a vulnerable position.
“Did you know Gil had found a new girlfriend?” I asked.
Judith’s eyes widened. “What? No. That’s not possible. He would have told me.”
“Would he?” I asked and studied her.
She stared at me for a couple seconds, then dropped her gaze down, shifting to a look of defeat.
“Maybe not,” she said. “Who is she?”
“Someone involved in the acting troupe,” I said.
“I guess it would be,” she said. “How old is this one?”
“Older than Tiffany, but not nearly as old as Gil,” I said.
Judith sighed. “It shouldn’t surprise me. I knew Gil and Tiffany never had a real marriage. I don’t think he ever really cared about her as a person. More as a collectible, you know? Someone that made him look successful and hip and made the other guys jealous. Mind you, that’s what I think he thought, not what I think other people thought.”
“Good,” Gertie said. “Because other people thought he was a fool. At best.”
Judith pushed herself up from the chair and gave me a forlorn nod. “I appreciate you talking with me. I’m going to call my lawyer and set up an appointment with Liam. I’ve got to do something to protect him. He doesn’t deserve this. Any of this.”
“Let us know if there’s anything else we can do,” Ida Belle said. “And if Liam needs anything that we can help with. “
Judith gave us a nod and headed out. I waited until I heard the door close behind her, then asked, “Do we believe she didn’t know about Gwyn?”
Ida Belle and Gertie both shook their heads.
I sighed. Exactly what I’d thought.
We weren’t sure.
I checked the tracker I’d put in Tiffany’s car before we left my house and it showed her location in New Orleans, so we headed out. When we got to the city limits, I pulled it up again so that we could home in on her exact location. Ida Belle snaked around the city streets until we arrived at a boutique hotel just outside the French Quarter. There was a lot across the street and I spotted Tiffany’s car in an end slot.
“This is definitely the place,” I said, and pointed.
Ida Belle entered the parking lot and backed into a space on the row farthest from Tiffany’s car and next to a van. I hopped out and ran to shove some bills in the collection box and then hurried back to the SUV.
“Only one hotel here, so that has to be the place, right?” Gertie said.
“Unless she’s staying somewhere farther down and this is the closest lot,” Ida Belle said. “Or the closest one with available parking. And that’s assuming she got a room right away and isn’t just meeting her mystery friend from the motel.”