Free Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn Page B

what really happened—”
    “Are you prepared to risk Eve’s life on that?” Carolyn broke in. “Because that’s what you’ll be doing if you turn your back on this, you know. Do you honestly believe she could survive being sent to prison? Do you want to have to go to Huntsville to visit her and see her wasting away to nothing in there behind those iron bars?”
    “I think they send most of the female convicts to Gatesville instead of Huntsville,” Sam said, then when Carolyn gave him an angry look hurried on, “Anyway, it doesn’t matter, because Eve’s not gonna be convicted of anything, and she’s not gonna be convicted of anything because she’s innocent. We all saw her with Roy the past couple of months. There’s no way she would ever hurt him, let alone kill him.”
    Phyllis knew that was true. The conventional wisdom was that anybody was capable of anything under the right circumstances, but she didn’t believe that. Maybe it was true in most cases, but some things were so far beyond the pale that they simply were impossible.
    She turned toward the phone, and Carolyn asked, “What are you going to do?”
    “I thought I’d call Juliette Yorke,” Phyllis replied. “We said we’d get a lawyer for Eve, and Juliette’s the best one I know.”
    Despite her relative youth, Juliette was a highly competent defense attorney, and she had been involved in several of the cases Phyllis had solved in the past. If Eve was going to turn herself in, she would be better off if Juliette was with her.
    Phyllis had barely picked up the phone, though, when Sam, who was looking out the window, said, “Better wait a minute.”
    “Why?” Phyllis asked.
    “Because Eve just pulled her car into the driveway.”

Chapter 10
     
    I t was all Phyllis could do not to rush out the front door to meet Eve.
    Carolyn was on her feet, too. She said, “We need to tell her to run!”
    “No!” Phyllis cried. “That’s the absolute worst thing she could do. That’ll just convince the investigators more than ever that she’s guilty!”
    “Hang on, both of you,” Sam said. “Look at her. You want proof? There it is.”
    The three of them stood in front of the picture window and watched as Eve got out of her car, walked around the front of it, and started along the walk toward the porch. She seemed perfectly calm, and as she looked up and saw the three of them there, she smiled brightly and waved.
    “Good Lord,” Sam breathed. “She doesn’t know a thing about it yet.”
    The expressions on their faces must have told Eve that something was wrong. Her step faltered a little, but then she came on. By the time she reached the porch, Phyllis had the door open, and Sam and Carolyn were standing right behind her.
    “Oh, dear,” Eve said as she stepped into the house. “Something’s wrong, I can tell. What is it? What’s happened?”
    “Eve,” Phyllis said miserably, not knowing how to begin, “there’s something you need to know . . .”
    She didn’t get any further before Eve’s eyes suddenly widened in horror and she cried out, “Roy!”
    There was nothing suspicious about that, Phyllis told herself. At their age, naturally the prospect of bad news would make someone who was married think immediately of their spouse.
    Phyllis moved to Eve’s right side, Carolyn to the left. Phyllis linked her arm with Eve’s and said gently, “Let’s go into the living room—”
    “No!” Eve cried. Tears were already running down her face. “Tell me! He’s dead, isn’t he? Roy’s dead?”
    Phyllis swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m sorry, Eve. I’m so sorry.”
    Eve would have collapsed then if Phyllis and Carolyn hadn’t had ahold of her. She sagged in their grip and sobbed brokenly. Step by halting step, they managed to walk her into the living room and get her over to the sofa. They lowered her onto it and sat down on either side of her.
    Phyllis looked up at Sam and asked, “Could you go make that phone call we