"I thought about that." Bill said. "If he did do it, better to act normal. Like nothing's happened."
"Could Sandy be that cold?" Hadley asked.
"I don't know. If he is, he played his part perfectly. He had that court appearance that morning. Sandy showed up. Eustian did not. Now, we know why."
"So, you think Sandy set this up to make himself look so guilty that nobody would believe he did this?" Hadley asked.
"Either that," Bill said, "or somebody else planted that bottle to make Sandy look guilty."
"What if Teddy Croft did it?" Hadley asked. "I mean, what if he bought some of that stuff Sandy uses. Sandy explains the process to anyone who shows any interest at the flea market. He's told me all about gold plating before.
He didn't have the actual bottles of solution he used the day he talked to me, but he had printouts of a supply list and where you could get the stuff he uses.
What if Teddy came back and Sandy instructed him?
You know, not realizing it was Teddy Croft he was educating. And Teddy ordered the stuff, killed Eustian, planted the incriminating empty bottle of cyanide solution where somebody would be sure to discover it, and he's gone back under whatever rock he's been hiding under all these years?"
"I don't know, Hadley," Bills said. "I think that's a long shot."
"Well," said Hadley, "whoever did it is one smart cookie. I wouldn't have the smarts to pull it off."
"Me either," said Bill. "Maury says Beanie's helping you with the bazaar."
"Yeah," Hadley said. "I feel bad that we haven't been able to clean out Eustian's house. I promised him half of that money."
"Money doesn't mean much to a guy like Beanie," Bill said.
"I know," Hadley said. "But I still feel guilty."
YOU ARE READING
Nobody's Sorry You're Dead
Mystery / ThrillerA Clean Cozy Mystery - Mountain Air and Murder Hadley Pell, a college-educated housewife and widow, is still reeling from the loss of her beloved husband five years ago. She lives in a small town in the Southern Appalachians where nothing much happe...
