Free Vows of Silence by Debra Webb

sentences.” She leveled her most intimidating stare on Lacy. “This is a hoax. You say the call came in right after Summers left?”
    Lacy nodded. “Almost immediately.”
    “Damn him,” Cassidy swore. “He’s trying to scare you. He can’t get away with that.”
    “What do I do?” Lacy argued. “Tell him that his creepy calls about my secret are not going to work?”
    “You don’t tell him anything,” Cassidy cautioned. “That’s exactly what he wants you to do. Ignore it.”
    “But what if it’s not him?” Melinda leaned in close. “From what I’ve seen so far, Rick is a good chief of police. I can’t imagine he would stoop to this kind of underhanded tactic. Someone had to have seen what you did.”
    Cassidy glanced around the diner as if worried that they were being watched. Deputy Brewer seemed to be focused on his breakfast. “Melinda,” she said, turning her attention back to the woman at her side, “you’re overreacting. No one saw us. If they had, they would have talked years ago. Don’t forget that Senator Ashland offered a sizable reward for any information on his missing son.”
    Lacy had forgotten about that. Rumor had it that Charles, Senior, had even hired a private investigator in hopes of locating his son, but the man had found nothing. She wasn’t sure whether the four of them had simply been smart or extremely lucky.
    Either way, Cassidy was correct. If someone had seen anything, they would certainly have cashed in on the reward ten years ago. But would Rick really go to such extremes to scare her?
    “Remember,” Cassidy reminded, “this is his first murder case. He’s going to be working twenty-four/seven to solve it. Aside from Melinda, we—” she motioned to Kira, Lacy and herself “—are the most logical suspects. We all hated Charles for what he did to Melinda.”
    Some of them hated him for other reasons as well, but Lacy kept that comment to herself. Nothing good could come of bringing up that past. Hurting Melinda further was the last thing she wanted to do.
    “More coffee, ladies?”
    The waitress’s question jerked Lacy back to the here and now. Apparently the whole group had been lost in their own thoughts.
    “None for me,” she said, placing her hand over her cup.
    “Come on, girls,” Cassidy urged, “let’s eat and enjoy. How often do we get together anymore?” She smiled broadly for the waitress. “The doughnut was great, but I’ll have the Betty special.”
    “Me, too,” Kira piped up.
    The Betty special consisted of two eggs, ham, biscuits, pan-fried potatoes and gravy. Lacy was sure she couldn’t handle a bite, much less a meal like that, on top of the worry churning in her belly.
    “Just toast and orange juice,” she said when the waitress looked her way.
    “Pancakes and more coffee,” Melinda announced, joining in. She smiled at the waitress and then said to those seated around the table, “My husband left me practically the same day we married. Why should I be sad now? Nothing’s changed, not really.”
    The startled waitress hustled off to place their order. Lacy worked up a smile for her friend, but she was as surprised by Melinda’s odd comment as the waitress had been. If Kira or Cassidy thought anything of it they didn’t say a word. Maybe they thought it was for the best.
    And perhaps it was. Lacy felt confused and uneasy with the whole situation. She’d struggled with what they’d done for ten long years. Having to face it now only sharpened the intensity of her regret.
    But there was nothing she could do. It was done. Charles was dead and they were responsible. Assuaging her conscience would ruin not only her life, but also her friends’ as well. She wasn’t prepared to do that. Melinda’s children needed her.
    The bell over the door broke into its tinny clatter, drawing Lacy’s attention in that direction. She’d tuned out the sound during the tenser portions of their meeting, but now, as the four of them grew