There's No Place Like Rhodes (Book 2)

Confessions

Arthur stood across from Karen, the dining table between them. Her face was flushed and her chest heaved as if she'd finished running to the river and back.

He was taken aback at her admission, sure, but it confused him more than anything. "You killed Molly? Molly O'Shea?"

Annoyed, Karen snapped, "Of course Molly O'Shea. How many goddamn Mollys you know?"

Ruffled, Arthur retorted, "You ain't killed her. Susan shot her."

"I'm the reason she's dead. It's the same damn thing."

Tears sported an appearance and she turned away, covering her face. Arthur could handle a yelling match, but crying always had him uncomfortable.

To make matters worse for him, Charlotte chose that moment to stand up and say, "This appears to be a private matter between the two of you. I think I shall lie down so you can talk this through."

Arthur raised his hand and opened his mouth to stop her, but she'd already reached the bedroom. She spared him an encouraging look before she shut the door and left him to fend for himself. Why did Charlotte have it in her head that he'd find the right words to say? She knew better than anyone he wasn't any good in these sorts of situations.

Arthur scratched the side of his head, cleared his throat and turned to Karen again. "What you mean, saying you're the reason Molly's dead?"

Karen told him, "Dutch treated Molly like shit those last few months, but she never ratted us out."

"We figured that out." Too late though. Unless Karen meant there had been another rat and Molly had taken the fall. He never thought Karen as a snitch, but she hadn't exactly been in the right mindset at the end of everything. "Don't tell me you talked?"

She scowled fiercely, offended. "'Course I didn't, idiot."

"Then you best start speakin' clearer 'cause I ain't takin' your meaning."

"Molly came to me, before we left Shady Belle." Karen rubbed her arms, avoiding his eyes again. "Before you boys got yourselves stuck on that island."

"And?" he prompted because she seemed to need it.

"I took her drinking in Saint Denis."

"You took Molly drinking? I thought you two hated each other."

"We did." She smiled at a memory. "Only, a little bit of brandy sure turned her into a fun drunk. Wished I'd known sooner she could party with the best of us."

"Then what happened? What did she come to you for?"

"She wanted advice." Karen's smile fell. "She begged me to help get Dutch to pay her some attention."

Arthur had been a witness to Dutch's callous disregard for Molly. He didn't know what had led to the change between the two. He supposed Dutch lost interest while Molly was too disillusioned to see they weren't a match no more. Happened to the best of them. But he still didn't see how Karen fit into it.

"I told her..." Karen hesitated.

"You told her...?"

"I told her she needed to do something big. I told her she should find something he cares about and break it."

"Okay..." Not exactly the way he'd go about it.

"But then ya'll got lost. When we moved to Lakay, Molly didn't come with us. I was kinda miffed about it actually since I was just starting to like her. I thought she finally left us for good. Thought she'd found some other fool to hook her claws into. Maybe she would have if you boys hadn't come back."