Page 107 of Half Baked

“Her house?” she asked sarcastically, but I saw the fear in her eyes.

“What did it go to, Gina?” When she didn’t respond, I moved onto the more incriminating piece. “Do you know why my mother was holding a pendant with an eagle on it when she died?”

“You need to let this go, Maddie,” she spat through her teeth. “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“Where’s Gordy now?” I pressed. “Did he come to the funeral?”

“Of course he came, wild horses couldn’t have kept him away, and Billy was counting on that. He nabbed Gordy on his way out and told him the deal was off. He had two choices. He could either go back to being Billy’s mule, or he’d kill the second most precious thing to him.”

“His motorcycle?” I asked in disgust.

“No, you ungrateful girl. It was you.”

“Me?I’ve never met the man!” I felt light-headed. So much of my mother’s life had been a lie. Had my parentage been one too? “Was Gordy my father?”

“He didn’t meet your mom until you were in preschool.”

“Then how could I be the second most precious thing to him?”

“Because he loved your mother, and you were the most precious thing toher. He’d do anything to protect Andrea’s daughter. Even sell his soul to a devil like Billy Hauser.”

“I didn’t even know him!” I protested, angry at the rush of guilt. “Why would he dothat?”

“For your mother.”

“Wait,” I said, as my brain started connecting pieces. “Billy was murdered about a week later.”

“Yep.”

“Oh, my God, did Gordy kill him?”

“Let’s just say the police never investigated it too hard, but if I were a bettin’ girl, I’d put down a thousand bucks that he did.”

“Because he thought Billy might have killed my mother?”

“I don’t know. When I asked him about it, he told me it was to protect you. He said the fact that Billy had threatened you was enough to take him out.” She made a face. “Not that he admitted to doing it. He made it all sound hypothetical.”

“Wait,” I said. “Billy was murdered about a week after my mother’s death. You saw Gordy again after the funeral? After Billy was murdered?”

“Hell, I see him all the time.”

“What?Where?”

“He’s living in town now. Damn good mechanic. But he goes by a different name now. George. He owns George’s Garage.” Her cheeks reddened. “Now tell me the real reason why the police are looking for me.”

“Howard Bergan’s dead.”

Her eyes went wide with fear. “No.”

“Noah thinks we pissed someone off by looking into my mother’s death and they’re…I don’t know. Wrapping up loose ends?”

She shook her head. “You’ve really done it.”

“Who’s doing this?”

She shook her head again, determination filling her eyes. “Nope. I already told you too much. If you want to know more, you need to go talk to George.”

She rushed over to the kitchen table and snatched up her coat and purse. “I have to get out of here. For all we know, they’re comin’ for you next.” She threw the back door open and rushed out toward the garage. She disappeared through the side door, and seconds later the garage door opened. She was already getting in her car.

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