Page 98 of Road Queens
Sean put up his hand. “Second that.”
She poked Cass on the shoulder. “Listen. It’s like a miracle you can get it back. It’s a ghost come back to life. Like Jesus! When I saw itsitting in Sonny’s garage, spotless and cared for and looking like we’d just seen you on it the day before ... it was like a sign. The life-changing kind. I know you guys aren’t all that religious—”
“Atheist.” From Cass.
“Lapsed Presbyterian.” Sidney.
“Practicing Jedi.” Sean.
“Oh, for God’s—never mind. Cass, you’re getting a second chance. You don’t have to shut yourself away from the things you love because Debbie Frank went into the ground. Sonny keeping your bike is a sign! One you should drop everything and heed.”
“So you’ve said.”
“Yeah, well, when you ignore my outstanding advice, I’m forced to repeat myself. I’ve also said you’ve had five years to punish yourself, which if you ask me—”
“No one ever does,” Cass said. “Did you notice?”
“Shush. I’m just saying there’s no need to torture yourself for the next few decades. Debbie’s death was never on you.”
“Or Wanda Garner’s,” Sidney added.
“Hey!” Amanda’s sweet tea almost went down the wrong pipe. “Wanda’s murder wasnotour fault. And neither was Debbie’s, but Wanda really,reallywasn’t our fault. That’s one hundred percent on the mercifully murdered Jonny Frank.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Sean said. He was standing close enough to Amanda that their hips bumped, ignoring Sidney’s knowing smirks. “One hundred percent. No gray area there. But loved ones will still blame themselves. Like I did. Which reminds me, my sister’s coming to town next month, and she’d love to see all of you.”
“Of course—we’re the hottest ticket in town. But who knows where we’ll be a month from now.” Amanda managed to deliver this observation without looking at Cass.Not to mention: definition of “we,” please? The three of us? The four of us? The two of us?“You were saying about how loved ones blame themselves, Sean?”
They waited while Sean paused to figure out how best to articulate his thoughts. “Like I said, I can’t see Jeff Manners enacting this elaborate plot just to make Cassandra’s life difficult. Tracking a target, getting the bike, getting a gun, killing a stranger, transporting the body, dumping the body, and for what? The off chance itmightcause trouble for Cassandra, who doesn’t even live here anymore?”
“You make a good point,” Amanda said after the short silence. “The only reason Sean figured out what was going on is because he’s obsessed with me.”
Cass raised her eyebrows. “Oh, wow. The vanity.”
“Nothing at all to do with vanity.” Amanda sucked down two more sweet potato fries.
“Amanda’s right,” Sean said, ducking his head.
“Aw. That’s cute! And a little off-putting,” Cass said.
“So if it’s not Jeff, we’re back to the first square. If we were investigating. Which we’re not.”
“Maybe it’s nothing to do with Debbie,” Cass speculated. “Jonny Frank was a scumbag and a half. It could have been anyone, for any reason. Drug deal, bad debt, botched mugging. Wrong place, wrong time. He killed two women, and that’s just what we know about. There’s no way he didn’t make enemies outside this group.”
Amanda nodded. “You’re saying Wanda Garner and Debbie Frank weren’t outliers.”
“Outside,” Sean said. “Hmm.”
“You wanna elaborate on that ‘hmm’ or just sit there looking mysterious and a little constipated?” Sidney asked. “Oh, and wewillbe discussing you boning my friend, and your intentions. You might as well mark that in your calendar with permanent ink. If people still had paper calendars and wrote in them.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “Sidney, not now with this, all right?”
The frog over the door announced Dave’s entrance, and he looked surprised to see them eating together. “So you guys are all friends again?”
“We’re still working that out,” Amanda replied.
Cass raised her eyebrows. If she kept it up, she’d pull a muscle. “We are?”
“Shush.”
