Page 84 of Road Queens
Iris speared her daughter with a level gaze. “It’s just another way to lie, Cassandra. As you lied to me earlier this week.”
“Oh. You, um, found out about that?”
“I run and write thePrison Mirror. I find out everything. Speaking of, how goes your own writing?”
“It’s fine, Mom. So listen, last time you made a point of saying it was nice to see familiar faces.”
“I did, yes.”
“Inferring that you’ve been visited by strangers.”
Before Amanda could open her mouth, Iris beat her to it. “Implying, dear. I implied, you inferred.”
For her grammatical excellence, Iris was treated to a Rivers eye roll. “Right. Anyway, d’you mind telling us—”
“Marcus Garner.”
And there it was. Right out there for all of them to ponder.
“Huh,” Amanda commented. “I thought it would take more than twenty seconds to get a name.”
Iris leaned in. “Tell me what’s happened.”
They had talked about this before the drive over. There didn’t seem to be a way to find out what Iris knew without tipping her off about Frank’s murder and Cassandra’s suspected involvement. So Cass agreed they’d have to tell her the whole story.
Which Iris already knew, so it didn’t take long.
“But you aren’t under arrest, correct?” At their nods, Iris continued. “And former detective Beane, you’re investigating at your own instigation, yes? Not officially?”
“That’s correct, ma’am.”
“So, Mom, we were wondering what you thought I—”
“Leave town. Tonight.”
Amanda blinked.Not the advice I was expecting.But given what Cass had done five years ago, Amanda had to wonder if it was adviceCasswas expecting.
“Mom, you caught the part where I didn’t actually kill Frank, right?”
Iris looked at her remaining family member with terrible pity. “Oh, my dear. You grew up in an abusive home, something I still blame myself for.”
“Or you could blame the dead guy,” Sidney suggested. “Just, y’know, for a change of pace.”
“You were abused, you have a documented history of erratic behavior, Operation Starfish routinely broke the law, you have a motive, and your mother rather famously committed mariticide.”
“I always learn a new word when I come here,” Sidney observed, but Iris stayed on point.
“Do not put yourself out there, Cassandra. Do not assume law enforcement will keep an open mind, share everything, and play fair. Leave town. Immediately.”
Beane cleared his throat. “Uh ...”
“Former detective Beane, I am aware hashtag ‘not all cops.’ I am sure nine times out of ten, or nineteen of twenty, perhaps even ninety-nine of a hundred, the police diligently do their jobs. But until that number is one hundred out of one hundred, it’s too high a risk for a mother.”
“Okay, great input; let’s call Cass fleeing into the night plan B,” Amanda said.Jesus, we just got herback. The thought startled her. Was Cass back? And was she staying, or was this a hiatus until she went back to her life in Northfield? A week ago, Amanda wouldn’t have cared either way. “Can you tell us why Marcus Garner came to see you?”
“Which time?”
There was a pause while the group digested that.
