time. I know he’s a little weird, but he seems like such a quiet man—not at all the kind of person who would kill someone.”
“Few people do.” Clara stretched out her legs and wiggled her aching toes. “Everyone has his breaking point, though. John Halloran could have been harboring resentment all this time, and some little thing could easily have set him off.”
“Like what?”
Clara shrugged. “I don’t know. Something Ana said to him, or something he heard somewhere.”
Stephanie considered that for a moment before answering. “Well, if that’s so, he’s not the only one. I know someone else who suffered because of Ana’s lies.”
Molly’s eyes gleamed with hope. “Who?”
“Rick Sanders.”
Clara stared at her. “The guy across the street?”
“Yep. He used to work for Ana’s father, Henry. That was before this store existed. This used to be part of Jordan’s Stationer’s, remember?”
“Of course I do. I remember when Ana sold off this part of the building after her father died.”
Stephanie uttered a soft gasp. “Maybe that’s how Ana got into the stockroom. If our two stores used to be all one building, and the locks were never changed, she could still have had keys to the Raven’s Nest.”
Clara sat up. “So could anyone who has worked for her.”
Both women stared at her as if she’d just announced the end of the world.
“Oh, wow,” Molly whispered.
Eyes gleaming, Stephanie nodded. “That does explain a few things. I remember George telling me that Ana’s father had left her a load of debt and she had to sell the annex to help keep the store afloat.”
“Well, I’m glad she did,” Molly said, looking around. “I love the Raven’s Nest, and so do most of the people in this town.”
“But what about Rick Sanders?” Clara leaned forward. “What lies did Ana tell about him?”
“Well, according to George, who heard it from a couple of people, Ana fired Rick right after she took over the store. She more or less accused him of stealing from her father, which accounted for the bad debts. Rick swore he never took anything. He said she fired him because she was afraid he’d buy her out. Apparently, he had money from an inheritance, and he knew more about how that store was run than she did.”
Molly gasped. “I can’t believe that no one ever took that woman to court.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Well, I guess there was no way to prove it. George said that Ana was clever and never actually came right out and said anything specific. She just sort of hinted, and people took it from there. Anyway, it was her word against Rick’s, and Ana grew up in Finn’s Harbor. Everyone knew her. Rick was the stranger in town.”
“Well, it didn’t stop him from eventually taking over his own store, right across the street,” Molly said. “He’s doing pretty well with it, too, from what I hear.” She yawned and looked at her watch. “Only I don’t see what any of this has to do with Ana’s murder. Rick’s a nice guy. He doesn’t seem like a killer any more than John Halloran does.”
“You can never tell what a person is really like unless you live with him.” Clara was unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Meeting Stephanie’s curious stare, she added quickly, “I guess there’s a lot of people in town who had a reason to hate Ana Jordan, and that just makes it all the harder to figure out who killed her.”
“We have to start asking questions,” Stephanie said. “Like, who was on the street late Friday night and what were they doing there?”
“Motive and opportunity.” Clara frowned. “What’s the third thing?”
“Means!” Molly looked pleased with herself. “I read a lot of mysteries. It means the murder weapon.”
“Good. I’m glad someone knows what she’s doing. Only in this case, anyone could have had the means bit. It wouldn’t have been that hard to lift the bust and hit Ana over the head with it.”
Stephanie nodded her
“Few people do.” Clara stretched out her legs and wiggled her aching toes. “Everyone has his breaking point, though. John Halloran could have been harboring resentment all this time, and some little thing could easily have set him off.”
“Like what?”
Clara shrugged. “I don’t know. Something Ana said to him, or something he heard somewhere.”
Stephanie considered that for a moment before answering. “Well, if that’s so, he’s not the only one. I know someone else who suffered because of Ana’s lies.”
Molly’s eyes gleamed with hope. “Who?”
“Rick Sanders.”
Clara stared at her. “The guy across the street?”
“Yep. He used to work for Ana’s father, Henry. That was before this store existed. This used to be part of Jordan’s Stationer’s, remember?”
“Of course I do. I remember when Ana sold off this part of the building after her father died.”
Stephanie uttered a soft gasp. “Maybe that’s how Ana got into the stockroom. If our two stores used to be all one building, and the locks were never changed, she could still have had keys to the Raven’s Nest.”
Clara sat up. “So could anyone who has worked for her.”
Both women stared at her as if she’d just announced the end of the world.
“Oh, wow,” Molly whispered.
Eyes gleaming, Stephanie nodded. “That does explain a few things. I remember George telling me that Ana’s father had left her a load of debt and she had to sell the annex to help keep the store afloat.”
“Well, I’m glad she did,” Molly said, looking around. “I love the Raven’s Nest, and so do most of the people in this town.”
“But what about Rick Sanders?” Clara leaned forward. “What lies did Ana tell about him?”
“Well, according to George, who heard it from a couple of people, Ana fired Rick right after she took over the store. She more or less accused him of stealing from her father, which accounted for the bad debts. Rick swore he never took anything. He said she fired him because she was afraid he’d buy her out. Apparently, he had money from an inheritance, and he knew more about how that store was run than she did.”
Molly gasped. “I can’t believe that no one ever took that woman to court.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Well, I guess there was no way to prove it. George said that Ana was clever and never actually came right out and said anything specific. She just sort of hinted, and people took it from there. Anyway, it was her word against Rick’s, and Ana grew up in Finn’s Harbor. Everyone knew her. Rick was the stranger in town.”
“Well, it didn’t stop him from eventually taking over his own store, right across the street,” Molly said. “He’s doing pretty well with it, too, from what I hear.” She yawned and looked at her watch. “Only I don’t see what any of this has to do with Ana’s murder. Rick’s a nice guy. He doesn’t seem like a killer any more than John Halloran does.”
“You can never tell what a person is really like unless you live with him.” Clara was unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Meeting Stephanie’s curious stare, she added quickly, “I guess there’s a lot of people in town who had a reason to hate Ana Jordan, and that just makes it all the harder to figure out who killed her.”
“We have to start asking questions,” Stephanie said. “Like, who was on the street late Friday night and what were they doing there?”
“Motive and opportunity.” Clara frowned. “What’s the third thing?”
“Means!” Molly looked pleased with herself. “I read a lot of mysteries. It means the murder weapon.”
“Good. I’m glad someone knows what she’s doing. Only in this case, anyone could have had the means bit. It wouldn’t have been that hard to lift the bust and hit Ana over the head with it.”
Stephanie nodded her
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