“He went to a lot of trouble to frame you.”
Jessica nodded. “He wants me gone from here. Shane and I have discovered some things that leave no doubt that Priscilla was murdered.”
“Yeah, Shane told me.”
Some of the tension fled her shoulders. Shane had prepared the way. What she had to say wouldn’t seem so far-fetched. “Whatever happened, Branch is covering it up. He’s been trying to get me to leave ever since I got here. And someone else has too. My getting shot wasn’t just a random act of violence. The next morning, there was a note left on my car letting me know it was a warning, that the next time it’ll be for real.”
“Oh, my.”
“The brake line I had CJ replace, it was cut. Then there was also the rattlesnake that someone threw through my living room window after they broke it.”
BethAnn shuddered. “My fear of snakes is second only to my fear of spiders.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t level with you before. I was afraid if you knew everything that was going on, you wouldn’t want the drama and would let me go, and I really need this job.” She sucked in a deep breath and released it in a long sigh. “If you want me to leave, though, I understand.”
“No, I don’t want you to leave. None of this is your fault.”
Relief washed through her. “Thank you.”
“Frankly, I’ve never liked Branch. He’s always seemed kind of…I don’t know, shifty. And that’s on top of being a conceited blow bag.” BethAnn grinned, washing away the last of Jessica’s concerns.
“That’s an understatement.” She clapped her hands together. “Since I’m still an employee, I guess I’d better get to work. I’ve got forty-five minutes to get something accomplished. Anything in particular you want me to do?”
“Yeah, I got a couple of orders in this afternoon that I haven’t put out yet, some fabric and a box of housewares. How about tagging and putting those items out?”
“Will do.” She headed to the storage closet. First the housewares. After some direction from BethAnn on pricing, she set about rearranging the shelves, making room for the new merchandise. The figurines that BethAnn put out three weeks ago were all still there, minus the one that went the first day. “These haven’t sold very well.”
“They haven’t. Just the one Marge Tandy bought the day I put them out.”
Jess’s hand stopped in midair as a chill passed through her. “Marge Tandy bought the figurine?” Her heart began to pound, and her hands grew sweaty.
BethAnn must have heard something in her voice, because she looked at her sharply. “Yeah. Why?”
“The Tandys’ house was broken into the same night the store was. I suspected there was a connection, and that’s it. They were after the figurines.”
BethAnn shook her head, brows drawn together in confusion. “But they didn’t take them. They didn’t take anything.”
“No, they didn’t take them. They switched them.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I came in that morning, the statues had been moved. Not much, but I could tell. I had straightened the shelves before I left the day before. I had those figurines in three neat rows, each facing perfectly forward. But the next morning, the rows were crooked, and all of the figurines had been turned a few degrees one direction or the other. At the time I thought it was odd that someone had moved them all but not taken any.”
“What do you think it means?”
“You bought the figurines from Driggers and someone got them mixed up and delivered the wrong ones.”
“But they were identical.”
“They appeared identical. But there had to have been some difference. Enough to break into the store to get the original ones back. And then, when one was missing, they had to find out who bought it.”
BethAnn nodded. “That’s why they rifled through the receipts.”
“Yep. And it led them to the Tandys. The only problem is, they didn’t anticipate Roger Tandy getting up during the night and stumbling on them.”
“What are you going to do?”
The jingling of the bell on the front door saved her from having to respond. Mrs. Silverton ambled into the store and occupied BethAnn’s attention for the next several minutes.
Jessica slipped behind the counter and pulled her purse from the bottom drawer. After retrieving her phone, she keyed in a text to Shane. For several moments, she stood motionless, thumb hovering over the triangular “send” icon. She’d finally found the link that connected all the random events together. Shane could now call in a team to raid Driggers Porcelain. Spike and Hammy would go down and Branch possibly would, too. Prissy would finally have justice.
But what if she was wrong? Or what if she was right about Hammy and Spike being involved in something illegal, but the base of their criminal operation was somewhere other than the factory? What if Shane called in a team and they found nothing? Not only would he look bad, but he’d blow any chance of solving either case. He’d never forgive her.
She deleted the text without sending it and slid her phone back into her purse. She needed to be sure. Tonight, she would go to Driggers. She wouldn’t do anything stupid. She would just stay outside and watch from a safe distance. Maybe she’d get lucky and stumble onto something important. Apparently Prissy had.
According to Carolyn, Hammy had bought the Lotus for Prissy. Was that several grand a week another of Hammy’s gifts? Or was it payment to buy her silence? And did the Driggers brothers finally get tired of paying out?
It was possible. No, it was more than possible. It was likely.
Jessica had no delusions about who she was dealing with. Given the right circumstances, either of the Driggers boys could be capable of murder, especially Spike.
But there was one big difference between her and her sister. She wasn’t greedy or stupid enough to blackmail them.
And she no longer believed she was invincible.
Chapter Fifteen
Shane laid the book aside
