Howard held his head high and met her gaze. “I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the work you’ve done to investigate her death, and for asking me here. But also…” He paused and swallowed, glancing at Ryan. “I know only too well the risks associated with an oil derrick, particularly the drilling operation.” He looked at Julia. “Early in my science career, United Oil made use of a technology that I pioneered, to disastrous ends.” The young woman gasped a little as she stared at him. “It’s not something I’m proud of.” He turned to look at Maris. “But it’s the reason I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure oil drilling doesn’t come to Pixie Point Bay. I’m willing to gather the data, write the reports, and testify. I am at your disposal.”
“Thank you, Howard,” she said smiling at him. As he nodded and smiled back at her, she watched as his shoulders lifted and the lines in his forehead eased. “We may yet need that.”
Her gaze fell on Ryan, who sat next to him. “We know the murder weapon came from your shop, Ryan.” Though the young man looked at her, he remained silent. “But what I’d like you to tell the sheriff is when it disappeared.” He glanced at Julia, frowned, and glared back at her. “It’s all right,” she said gently. “Just tell the truth.”
He grimaced a little, but looked up at Mac. “It disappeared the day that Julia dropped off flyers in my shop.”
“I didn’t take it,” she protested.
“I didn’t say that,” Ryan quickly added. “I think Julia is doing an absolutely great job.”
Mac held up a hand. “No one said Julia took it.” He glanced at Joseph. “Ms. Mendes arrived in town the same day that Ms. Graisser and Mr. Toler did. They were canvasing the Towne Plaza, same as her.”
The lawyer scowled at him, and then Maris. “I’d like to remind you two that Ms. Mendes gets paid to do her job, like anybody else. She’s no environmental saint.” He looked at Ryan and Howard. “It’s naive in the extreme to assume she’s here out of the goodness of her heart. In fact, it’s naive to think an oil derrick won’t be placed in the bay. If not NAP, who has an impeccable record, then maybe a company like United Oil.” He pointedly looked at Howard, before pointing a finger at Julia. “Only one person in this room stood to gain from my colleague’s death—or even mine.” Now he glared at Ryan. “I’m the one who received the death threat. I wonder where that hook came from?” He fixed his gaze on Julia. “I wonder if the two of you aren’t working together.”
Although Ryan opened his mouth, Maris cut him off. “Speaking of that note,” she said loudly. “I was there when you brought it to the garden.” She tilted her head at the young environmentalist. “Julia had to hide behind Bear. She was obviously afraid.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But why hide behind Bear?” She looked at the lawyer. “Did she really think you’d do something in front of us?” When he made to answer, she stopped him. “The answer was obvious. I just didn’t see it. For example, the obvious answer as to how the flyers ended up under the pier is that Julia was there.”
Ryan took in a sharp breath, and whipped his head around to look at the young woman. Her shoulders hunched and she seemed to cave in on herself. “It’s true,” she said in a trembling voice. “I was there.”
“What?” Howard said. He shot a glance at Maris, then turned back to Julia. “I don’t believe it.”
Julia hugged herself around the middle. “Believe me,” she said. “I wish it wasn’t true. But it is.” She looked between Ryan and Howard. “I didn’t kill Audrey, but…” She looked at Mac. “I saw who did.”
“You saw it?” Howard said, incredulous. “You saw who killed her? But why didn’t you say so?”
“Because…because I was afraid for my life,” she whispered, staring at the floor. “My cousin was killed in a whale hunting intervention, on purpose. It’s something that’s haunted me ever since.”
“Well then, who killed her?” Ryan asked.
Julia raised her gaze and leveled it at Joseph.
The lawyer jumped up from his seat and took a step in her direction. “That’s ridiculous. I would never–”
Mac crossed the room in two long strides. He put a hand on Toler’s shoulder. “Please have a seat, Mr. Toler.”
“But I–” he protested.
Mac tightened his grip and came between him and the rest of the room. “Please have a seat. I won’t ask a second time.”
Though Toler’s red face glared at him, he finally took a step back and Mac let him go. As the lawyer sat back down, Mac stood next to him but turned back to the room.
“That was why you hid behind Bear,” Maris said to Julia. “You were afraid for your life, but not because of what happened in the garden.” The young woman nodded. “Tell us what you saw.”
“I was picking up flyers from the sand, when I heard raised voices.” She looked at Mac. “I was behind one of the pier’s pillars when I saw them. Joseph and Audrey that is. They were arguing.”
“This is insane,” Toler grumbled.
“Let her finish,” Mac told him.
Although the lawyer angrily crossed his arms over his chest, he remained silent.
“What were they arguing about?” Maris asked.
“The emails about the EIRs and how they’d been done by companies with ties to NAP. She was livid at being blindsided, and wanted to know what was going on.” She finally looked at Toler. “You called her a liability. Then she threatened to get you fired. When you brought out the spear gun you told her she was only worth drumming up sympathy, and worth
