Part 30 (2/2)
”Were you with Byron tonight, when he held up the Stop & Shop?” Melissa asked.
Andrea flung a beleaguered look in her direction, but she retained her composure.
”I was with Byron tonight,” she said. ”But he didn't rob the Stop & Shop.”
Melissa merely waited, her own tea cooling, forgotten, on the table.
The set of Andrea's jaw was obstinate, but only for a moment or two. Fresh tears brimmed along her lower lashes, and one trickled, zigzag, down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of one hand, but only after the fact.
”I'm telling you, Byron didn't do anything wrong,” the girl insisted.
”You know,” Melissa said carefully, when Andrea lapsed into another silence, ”I keep hearing that. From you. From Velda. But Byron was heading out of town at top speed when Tom caught up with him, and later, the money from the robbery was found in the trunk of his car, along with a ski mask like the one Martine described when she reported what happened.”
”We were in bed,” Andrea said, in a broken whisper. ”Byron and me.”
”Where?” Melissa asked. She still suspected her a.s.sistant of making up an alibi for her boyfriend, but she was willing to listen.
”His place,” Andrea said, meeting Melissa's eyes only with an effort.
”Velda must have loved that,” Melissa commented.
Andrea bristled. ”She was at work,” she said. ”Byron and I had the place to ourselves. Velda called from the c.o.c.ktail lounge around nine-thirty and said she didn't feel very well and she needed to come home, and would Byron pick her up. That's when he found out the car was gone.”
”Gone? You mean, stolen?”
”Byron knew who'd taken it. It was that loser, Nathan. He's been hanging around the Cahills' place lately-he and Byron ran around together when they were younger-said he needed someplace to stay. I guess Byron felt sorry for him or something.” Andrea tossed her head slightly; a good sign. She was turning back into her old, spirited self. ”That Nathan, he's a sneak. He tried to borrow money from me a couple of times-I turned him down. And he bragged that he had a case against Deputy Ferguson because of that black eye, and the county would have to give him some kind of settlement to keep the story out of the news-” She stopped, took a shaky breath, and then rushed on. ”Deputy Ferguson didn't give Nathan that s.h.i.+ner. Velda did.”
The tale was just crazy enough to be true. ”Velda?” Melissa asked, intrigued and more than a little uneasy. ”Why?”
”She said she caught him going through her purse,” Andrea said. ”Byron and I weren't around at the time. She told us later that she slugged Nathan because he gave her some back talk, and then she kicked him out.” Another sigh. ”Of course, he came back, and Velda decided the cops were out to get him and so she'd let him stay at the trailer a while longer.”
”Were you planning on mentioning this to me at some point?” Melissa asked archly. ”The accusation Nathan Carter made could have ruined Deputy Ferguson's career-or even his life.”
”We didn't know he'd accused anybody of anything until he started bragging about it,” Andrea said, sounding miffed. ”I wouldn't have let Deputy Ferguson be blamed, and neither would Byron. He's a good person, Melissa.”
”I really want to believe that,” Melissa said slowly.
”But you don't?” Andrea challenged, and the tears were back again.
Melissa didn't answer.
”Don't you see?” Andrea pressed, looking and sounding desperate now. ”Nathan Carter robbed that store, not Byron!” robbed that store, not Byron!”
It wasn't beyond credibility, but there was one obvious problem. Nathan hadn't been trying to get away from Stone Creek with the money taken at gunpoint from the Stop & Shop-Byron had been the one at the wheel when Tom caught up to him. And Byron probably wouldn't have stopped at all if he hadn't run off the road. had been the one at the wheel when Tom caught up to him. And Byron probably wouldn't have stopped at all if he hadn't run off the road.
”Then why wasn't he driving Velda's car, Andrea?” Melissa asked, after taking a few moments to collect her own composure. ”If Nathan went into that store, wearing a ski mask, and stole that money, why was Byron the one who tried to get away?”
”I don't know,” Andrea said.
”You don't know,” Melissa repeated, absorbing that.
”After Byron realized his mom's car was missing, he told me to go back to my apartment and stay there. He said there was going to be trouble, he could feel it, and he didn't want me to be involved.”
”And you went home? Just like that?” Melissa was skeptical. The Andrea she knew wasn't fond of taking orders.
”Yes,” Andrea replied. ”Byron was really upset, and I was scared. Not of Byron, but of whatever had scared Andrea replied. ”Byron was really upset, and I was scared. Not of Byron, but of whatever had scared him him so much.” so much.”
”So you've been home, in your apartment, since Byron sent you away?”
Andrea bit her lower lip, then shook her head. ”No,” she answered, after a few beats. ”The Crockett sisters heard about the robbery over their police scanner, and they couldn't wait to tell me that Sheriff Parker and all his deputies were out hunting for Byron. I panicked and went over to Velda's, and Nathan was there. He told me Byron was in big trouble, that he'd pulled a heist with a deadly weapon and Velda had gone to the jail to try and do something to help-”
A chill trickled down Melissa's spine. ”And after that?”
”Steven Creed brought Velda home. She's a basket case. Nathan's making like he's all caring and everything-he made her a hot toddy and everything.”
”And you decided to come and talk to me.” It was a statement, not a question. Melissa's mind was racing, but she knew she appeared calm on the outside. She'd had a lot of practice at that.
Andrea nodded hard, glanced nervously in the direction of the door. ”I knew Byron thought Nathan had taken the car, and when I heard about the robbery and headed over to Velda's, and Nathan was there, I knew what had really really happened. I sneaked out while he was making a fuss over Velda, making her a drink and everything, and then I was scared to go home, because Nathan knows where I live.” happened. I sneaked out while he was making a fuss over Velda, making her a drink and everything, and then I was scared to go home, because Nathan knows where I live.”
Melissa rose from her chair, crossed to the wall phone, and picked up the handset.
Tom Parker answered on the first ring. ”Stone Creek County Sheriff's office,” he said. ”This is Tom.”
Melissa launched right in, telling Tom everything Andrea had told her.
He didn't interrupt, but simply listened.
”I'll check it out,” he said, when she'd finished. ”Keep Andrea there with you, and make sure all the doors and windows are locked up tight.”
”Tom,” Melissa said, after catching her breath. ”Be careful, okay?”
”Always,” he promised, with a smile in his voice. ”I'll leave Elvis here to guard the prisoner.”
Melissa didn't comment. ”Call me,” she said.
”Lock up tight,” Tom responded.
And then he hung up.
Melissa checked the front door and all the windows. She brewed more tea, and she and Andrea moved to the living room, where there were draperies over the windows.
Melissa was definitely creeped out, and she knew Andrea was, too, although neither of them said much. Andrea seemed exhausted, and little wonder, after the night she'd put in.
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