Free Classic Revenge by Mitzi Kelly Page A

everybody you've been in contact with over the
last couple of years"
    Sam's eyes opened wide. "I'll do nothing of the sort!
You are not going to start harassing innocent people
and causing trouble just because you're bored!"
    Trish sat back and listened to the exchange between
Sam and Millie, thoughts careening around in her head.
Millie was taking charge of the situation very nicely indeed. Not only was she irritating Sam, but now she was
telling him that they were going to solve this mystery,
if there even was one, because they were old and in a
rut. And Edna just sat there, her silence expressing her
agreement with the plan. This situation was getting out
of hand fast.
    Millie leaned forward. "What have you got to lose,
Sam? Your reputation and your freedom are all you
have left to begin picking up the pieces of your life. If
you lose those two things because you're too stubborn
to admit that maybe, just maybe, we're on to something
here, then you'll be letting everybody down, everybody
that loves you and believes in you"
    "She's right, Sam," Edna said. "And, most of all,
you'll be letting down Susan."
    Sam opened his mouth to say something but then
closed it again. Finally, after several agonizingly quiet moments, he sighed deeply and nodded. "I still think
you all are barking up the wrong tree, but to satisfy
your minds and to say that at least all possible scenarios
were explored, I'll cooperate with you. I'm warning
you, though," he said with a stern look at all of them,
"if you hurt any of my friends' feelings, then you stop
this charade immediately. Is that understood?"

    Millie grinned broadly. "We'll be the model of decorum. Don't worry."
    Edna clapped her hands together and smiled. "I think
you've made the right decision, Sam"
    Trish tried to smile-she really did-but it came off
as a grimace. Were they getting Sam's hopes up for
nothing? And what happened to just throwing out some
suggestions to the police or the attorney? She glanced
at the pleased expressions on Millie's and Edna's faces.
What had they-or, more precisely, Millie just gotten
themselves into?
    For the next hour, Sam talked about his friends and
his past business associates while Edna furiously scribbled notes. It was a frustrating process. Every time one
of them would ask about a possible hidden agenda by a
person on the list of names Sam was giving them, he
would become defiant and defensive. He finally called
it quits altogether. "That's everybody I can think of. Not
one of those people would have a reason to hurt me, but
I've done what you've asked" He leaned back in his
chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what are
you going to do now?"
    Millie looked at him. "We're going to find out who
set you up, of course"

     

GGThere's Charlie," Edna exclaimed as soon as Trish
turned onto their street.
    "That's perfect," Millie said. "He can be the first person we interview. Pull up in front of Sam's house, Trish."
Trish sighed, but did as she was asked. She had to ad-
    mit that she was more than a little curious about the
people on the list Sam had given them, but she still
wasn't convinced that conducting secret interviews on
their own was the right thing to do. What if they inadvertently ruined any chance the person's words could
be used as evidence pointing to Sam's innocence?
    Trish had argued the point tirelessly on the way
home from their visit with Sam, but her comments had
fallen on deaf ears. Millie was certain the police would
do nothing more to investigate this case since they were
so sure they had the guilty man. Edna had agreed, but her
opinion was different. She felt the reason they wouldn't be taken seriously was that Millie had angered the
chief.

    Still, it wasn't as though they were trained in detective
work, Trish had pointed out. However, one thing she was
pretty sure of was that you never ruled out anybody as a
suspect, regardless of your instincts. And her instincts