Page 117 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“Do you think I could have a copy?” I asked.

She waved her hand toward me. “Keep it. I don’t want it.”

I refolded the paper and tucked it into my purse. “Do you have any phone numbers or addresses for Harvey’s friends?”

“No. But I know Scott works at McDonald’s. He’s a manager there.”

“Okay. We’ll look into him. Anything else?”

She stared out the front windshield. “No. I just want to find who did this and make them pay.” She turned to face me. “I don’t have much money, but I’ll pay you if you can tell me his name and where I can find him.”

“We’re not gonna take your money, Darlene. We want to find the culprit too.”

“And you’ll tell me who it is?”

“Yes.” And I would. Just not before I told Dermot and Joe.

Tears flooded her eyes again. “Thank you.”

“I’ll let you know when we know something.” I knew I should feel guilty for misleading her, but I didn’t. Not if it protected her. I wasn’t going to give her the chance to mete out her own vigilante justice. She was likelier to get killed herself.

Worried, I reached out and placed my hand on her arm, then asked the universe if Darlene was safe from Harvey’s killers. A slightly fuzzy image popped up of a man holding a baby.

“We sure make cute kids,” the man said.

“The cutest,” Vision Darlene said.

I was back in the car blurting out, “You’re gonna have a family.”

Tears flooded her eyes. “Harvey was my family.”

“You’re gonna meet a sweet man and have babies. I promise.”

She gave me a tight smile. “I really hope you’re right.” She reached for the door handle, then stopped. “If Scott won’t talk to you, tell him I said if he doesn’t cooperate, I’ll tell the sheriff he set his house on fire for the insurance money.” With that, she got out of the car.

Scott Van de Camp had committed insurance fraud? The secrets I was keeping from Joe were piling up.

I pulled out my phone to call Dermot. I needed to let him know what was going on, but I waited until Darlene got in her car and drove away before I pulled up his number and placed the call. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message.

“Neely Kate and I talked to Darlene Smith, and then I spoke with her alone a little bit later. I have a few leads, so call me when you get a chance.”

I considered my next move. I knew I really should go inside and get food for the week, but the pull to go to McDonald’s and see if Scott Van de Camp was working won out.

And just like that, for better or worse, I was actively investigating.

Chapter Twenty-Four

I pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot and hurried inside before I could talk myself out of it.

Since it was mid-afternoon, the restaurant wasn’t that busy. There were a couple of cars in the drive-thru line, but no customers were in the dining room or waiting to place orders. I walked up to the counter, and a teenage girl greeted me with a bright smile. “Welcome to McDonald’s. What can I get you today?”

“Actually, I was wondering if Scott Van de Camp was working today.”

Her smile fell. “The manager? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” I assured her. “I need to speak to him about a mutual friend.” Well, a mutual friend in a convoluted way.

“Oh,” she said, still looking uncertain, but she took a step away from the register. “I’ll go get him.”

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