Free Trouble Vision by Allison Kingsley Page A

followed her cousin’s nod. She saw Molly at the far table talking to a guy she recognized from the meeting the other night: Eddie Hatchett. A tall, dark-haired young man stood on the other side of Molly, his gaze fixed on her face.
    “That’s Jason next to her,” Stephanie said just as Molly turned to leave.
    Jason grabbed Molly’s arm, pulling her back.
    All of Clara’s instincts went on alert, but after a moment or two, Molly pulled herself free and marched across the floor toward the door. Catching sight of the cousins, she gave them a quick shake of her head.
    “Come on,” Stephanie muttered. “Let’s meet her outside.”
    She opened the door, letting in a blast of noise as Clara followed her back into the bar. Glancing over her shoulder, she was reassured to see Molly following them across the room. To Clara’s relief, there was no sign of the bearded guy who’d grabbed her earlier.
    Reaching their table, which by a miracle was still open, Stephanie threw the coats across the backs of the chairs. Molly joined them, and immediately picked up her glass and took a few swallows of the beer.
    “Are you okay?” Clara peered anxiously into Molly’s face. “Jason didn’t hurt you or anything?”
    Molly shook her head, took another swig of beer and sat down. “He wanted us to get back together. I told him no.”
    Stephanie sat down next to her. “What about Eddie Hatchett? Did he tell you anything?”
    Molly nodded. “Let’s get out of here. I can’t hear myself think.”
    Abandoning the rest of their beer, they made their way to the door and out into the chilly darkness.
    Leaning against Molly’s car, Clara let out her breath on a long sigh. “I hope we don’t have to go there again. I hate that place.”
    Stephanie buttoned her coat and turned up the collar. “Me, too.” She turned to Molly. “Tell us what Eddie Hatchett said.”
    Molly shivered. “Let’s get in the car. It’ll be warmer in there.” She unlocked the doors and the cousins scrambled inside.
    Turning on the engine, Molly sighed. “That’s better. My ears are still ringing from all that noise.”
    Stephanie leaned forward from the backseat. “Okay, so spill it.”
    Molly turned so she could look at both cousins. “You can take him off your list of suspects. He was in the ER in Mittleford the night Scott died. Apparently Eddie started working with his father when he got fired from the construction site. He was on his way home on his bike around five thirty that night. It was getting dark and he hit the curb going around the corner. He fell off and sprained his wrist. His called his girlfriend, Stacey, and she drove him to the hospital.”
    Clara frowned. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
    Molly shrugged. “I guess so. His wrist is all bandaged up.”
    “Do you know this Stacey?”
    “I’ve seen her a couple of times, that’s all.”
    “Oh, well, I guess that gives us one less suspect.” Clara gazed out the window. Mist swirled around the streetlamp, casting an eerie orange glow against the night sky. “Looks like it’s back to the drawing board.”
    Stephanie laughed, though it sounded a little hollow. “You really didn’t think it was that easy, did you?”
    Molly looked from one to the other. “Are you two sure about this? I mean, about someone killing Scott? It could have just been an accident, like they said, right?”
    Stephanie gave Clara a look that clearly asked,
What did you tell her
?
    Clara cleared her throat. “Look, Molly, all we can say is that we have good reason to believe that Scott was murdered. We can’t tell you any more than that right now. We’re just asking you to trust us, and not to say anything to anyone about our suspicions, okay?”
    Molly nodded so hard a thick hank of her red hair fell across her forehead. She tossed it back with a flick of her head, saying earnestly, “Of course I trust you both. I want to help as much as I can. If Karen’s husband was murdered, I want to