“No, you’re not,” Carrie snapped. “I think you got exactly the reaction you were hoping for. I’m not an idiot.”
“Don’t yell at her,” Maude chided. “It’s not her fault. It sounds like you were keeping a secret from this one. That’s on you guys, quite frankly. It’s not Maddie’s fault.”
“Oh, shut up, you old bird,” Carrie snapped. She heaved out an exaggerated breath and focused on Melanie. “We were going to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Melanie was furious.
“Your mother and I had been discussing the best way to go with the brand moving forward.” Carrie licked her lips, clearly readying herself for an explosion. “She decided that I might make a better fit. I wasn’t certain how I felt about it and wanted to wait until we could discuss it together. I guess now that’s never going to happen.”
Melanie was deadly quiet for a long time and then she slapped her hands on the bar. “Do you think I’m an idiot?” She extended a warning finger toward Carrie when the woman opened her mouth to respond. “Don’t bother answering. I know exactly what the two of you were planning. If you think I’m going to sit back and let you take this from me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Suddenly, Carrie was the picture of innocence. “I would never willingly take anything from you. How can you even suspect I would want to hurt you? You’re like a sister to me.”
“Oh, stuff it.” Melanie was clearly enraged. She downed the rest of her beer and slammed the glass on the countertop with enough force the sound echoed. “I think we should have a talk outside.”
“Of course. I ... of course.” Carrie watched the other woman storm out of the saloon with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes were glittery slits of hate when she turned them on Maddie seconds later. “Did you get the reaction you were looking for?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maddie replied, using her best “little girl” voice. “I just assumed ... .”
“I’m not an idiot,” Carrie snapped. “Don’t you think that poor woman has been through enough? Her mother was just murdered. Now you’re poking her to get a reaction. You’re not even smooth about it. I mean ... that was amateur hour.”
Maddie’s expression didn’t change. “I’m truly sorry you’re upset.”
“Whatever.” Carrie drained the rest of her beer and headed toward the door. Her steps were much slower and more deliberate, as if she was resigned to stepping in front of a firing squad.
Boone was coming through the swinging doors as she slipped out. He looked curious as he followed the woman’s departure but wisely kept his mouth shut until he was certain she was out of earshot. “Do I even want to know what’s going on with her?” he asked finally.
“Probably not,” Cooper replied, his eyes drifting to the sheriff. “Where have you been? I expected you more than an hour ago.”
“I’ve been running the names supplied by the organizer,” Boone replied, accepting the glass Maude handed him with a smile. “This isn’t alcoholic, is it? I’m on the job.”
“It’s just beer,” Maude replied. “That doesn’t count.”
Boone opened his mouth to debate the point and then shrugged. “Good enough for me.” He took the spot between Cooper and Nick. “We managed to track down everyone on the list ... except one person. Does anybody want to guess who?”
“The assistant,” Maddie and Hannah said at the same time, laughing as they snagged gazes.
“No, the assistant was easy to track down,” Boone replied. “She has a record, by the way. Petty larceny and retail fraud.”
Cooper frowned. “I’m surprised Velma decided to groom a woman with a record as her successor.”
“She might not have known about it,” Boone replied. “Carrie was a minor and her records were buried under seals.”
“And yet you found them,” Hannah noted.
“I’m an industrious guy.” Boone winked at her. “Carrie isn’t the one I was talking about, though. That honor would go to Cadence.”
Maddie made a face. That wasn’t the name she expected him to utter. Technically, she didn’t know who she thought he would point his finger at. Cadence was low on the list, though. “Really?”
Boone nodded. “She’s not who she says she is. I have a deputy scanning the fingerprints we collected last night after everyone left the saloon for the seance. He got a hit about an hour ago.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.” Cooper leaned forward. “You only build things up like this when it’s good.”
“You know me well,” Boone agreed. “It seems Cadence Carpenter’s real name is Roseanne Goodman. She was last known to be living in Florida. Then her roommate went missing — under very strange circumstances, mind you — and after one round of questioning, Roseanne disappeared. The locals have been looking for her ever since.”
“Did they ever find a body?” Nick queried.
Boone shook his head. “No, but the apartment they shared wasn’t far from a few alligator-infested swamps. The cops there are working on a theory that a body will never be found.”
“Well, that’s very interesting,” Cooper noted. “We should probably find Cadence and have a talk with her.”
Boone bobbed his head. “You read my mind.”
17
Seventeen
They hit Main Street as a group, eyes peeled for Cadence.
“Do you see her?” Hannah asked, slowly scanning each face for the one she was looking for.
Cooper shook his head. “Was she here when you guys walked up?”
“I don’t know. It’s not as if we were focused on her. We had information to share. She wasn’t part of it.”
“Right.” He popped his lips, as was his habit when antsy. “Where would she go?”
“It’s not as if we know her,” Hannah pointed out. “She hasn’t garnered a lot of attention for a reason. She’s been annoying, not murderous.”
“None of them have
