He drew in a shaky breath. “Once I started visiting and discovered how far she’d flown from reality, we changed the plan. I pretended to be her late husband and wheedled all the information about you I could get.”
“That’s despicable,” Susan’s godfather said in an oddly hollow voice.
A bitter look crossed Ish’s face. “Do you think I don’t know that? Almost everything my mother ever involved me in for my entire life was despicable.”
“You’re a grown man,” Jack said sharply. “My mommy was mean to me,doesn’t fly as an excuse.”
“I know. Iknow. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Susan.”
She sat back and looked at him frankly. “I’ve gotta tell you, it’s not worth much.”
I cleared my throat. “Susan, I know now isn’t really the time, but next week let’s have lunch and talk about Granny. She’s really to where it’s not fair to expect Sadie to handle her.”
“I know.” Susan shoved her hair out of her face and sighed. “I know, Tess. Yeah. Let’s talk next week. I need to find live-in professional help or move her to an assisted-care facility.”
“I have a list of resources,” Lizzie said, raising her hand. “I’ll print it out and leave it on your desk.”
A hint of a smile crossed Susan’s face. “Thank you, Lizzie. But you don’t have to raise your hand.” She glanced at me, and I caught a hint of “were we ever that young” in her eyes.
I smiled at her and shook my head. It sure didn’t feel like it just then. In fact, I felt like I was a hundred years old, weighed down by knowledge I wished I didn’t have. And … weighed down by something else.
“Whatever you need, whatever Granny needs,” Jack said. “You know we’ll be there for you.”
Suddenly, Ish grabbed Susan by the hand. “But listen. You have to believe me.I did not kill my mother.”
I couldn’t have scripted a better cue, so I took a deep breath and stepped forward. “We know you didn’t, Aloysius. Don’t we, Mr. Butler?”
Susan’s godfather jerkily stood up from his chair and frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I took the plastic bag out from inside my jacket. “You do, though. We found the murder weapon hidden in your van. And we know—” I glanced at Lizzie; I wasn’t going to say she’d smelled that nobody but him had touched it. “We have proof that you were the one who fired it.”
“I had to protect you,” he told Susan in an almost-robotic voice. “Cordelia wanted to steal these horrible artifacts, and she didn’t care if she had to kill you to get them.”
“I was against the murder part of the plan, by the way,” Ish muttered, but we all ignored him.
“When I caught her, she said she’d kill me,” Butler continued. “She grabbed the dagger, so I shot her.”
Susan jumped up off the floor, staring at her godfather in horror. “I’m so stupid. Iknewsomething was wrong when you told Andy you didn’t have guns. You’ve always had guns. You were the one who taught me how to shoot and took me hunting. I just figured you thought it would make you look bad…”
I remembered her reaction at the time. It made sense now, unfortunately.
Ish scrambled to his feet, his face a study in rage, and started toward Mr. Butler. “I’m going to kill you! You murdered my mother!”
Jack intercepted him and held him back while he raged and struggled, until he finally gave up and hung limp, sobbing.
Mr. Butler, oddly enough, seemed unmoved by the entire scene, which confirmed my second suspicion.
“Mr. Butler. I wonder why you just happened to be carrying a gun?”
He took a jerky step toward Susan and spoke in a monotone. “Knew they were dangerous. Had to protect you. Had to protect you. Sworn to protect you.”
“Jack! Stop him,” I shouted.
Jack dropped Ish and lunged at Butler, who snarled and fought but was no match for a tiger shifter.
Susan stared at her godfather in shock. “What is going on?”
I ran over to him and dropped to the floor. “Pardon me for this.” I yanked up his pants leg. Nothing.
