Page 76 of Bad Luck Vampire

Inan shrugged that away as inconsequential. “An eleven-year-old can strike a match as easy as an adult.”

“Hmm.” Connor nodded. “And she wouldn’y be the first eleven-year-old mortal to commit murder. There was e’en an eleven-year-old lass who was a serial killer a few years back in the UK.”

While Sophie’s eyes widened at that tidbit of news, Tybo asked skeptically, “But why would Megan kill Andrew and Beverly?”

“Well, let’s think on that,” Inan said, leaning back in his seat.

They were seated in her dining room, rather than in the kitchen. Mostly because her dining table sat eight and allowed them to see each other without having to crane around to look over their shoulder at anyone sitting on the counter in the kitchen.

“So,” Inan said slowly, drawing out the word, “she set the fire to prevent Sophie’s parents from takin’ her away from her . . . But, things didn’y work out as she’d hoped, and Sophie was taken away to the hospital.” Eyeing Sophie, he said, “She probably had no idea where ye went after that. Did she visit ye in the hospital?”

Sophie shook her head. “She said no one would tell her parents where I’d gone because they weren’t family.”

“Right.” He nodded as if that was to be expected. “And ye lived three peaceful years in the hospital and then the group home. But then she found ye again in high school, when fate threw ye together again.”

“Nearly three and a half years,” Sophie corrected quietly. “The fire was in March and we found each other again when high school started, so September.”

“Three and a half,” Inan allowed, and continued, “Only, now things ha’e changed. Ye’ve made new friends, a new family o’ yer own. Andrew and Beverly.”

Sophie swallowed, but nodded.

“Had Megan made friends while ye were apart?” he asked now.

She shook her head reluctantly. “Mama—Mrs. Tomlinson—once said she was so glad Megan found me again. She’d been lonely since the fire and hadn’t really made other friends. She just wanted me.”

Inan nodded as if he’d expected that. “So, I doubt she was pleased to find ye had new friends o’ yer own.”

Sophie frowned at the suggestion. “Beverly and I included Megan in our friend group at once. The three of us did everything together.”

“In me experience, friend threesomes rarely work,” he said solemnly. “One o’ the three always feels lesser than or left out. Since you and Beverly lived in the group home together, Megan would ha’e been the one left out, no matter how unintentionally it happened.”

Sophie swallowed, knowing that was true. It had been obvious more than a time or two that Megan had felt left out. Mostly when they parted ways at the end of the school day and Megan headed home with Bobby, while Beverly and Sophie walked back to the group home together.

“Okay, but if it was Megan, why kill Andrew?” Alasdair asked now. “Bobby seems more likely when it comes to Andrew.”

“And if it was Bobby, why would he kill Beverly?” Inan countered.

“Maybe he felt bad for his sister, Megan,” Alasdair suggested. “He wanted Sophie for himself, but wanted her as a friend for Megan too.”

“Or mayhap Megan wanted Sophie fer her sister, and marrying her brother, Bobby, would make it official which would mean that Andrew would ha’e to be got out o’ the way,” Inan pointed out. “Or mayhap Andrew jest took up a lot o’ Sophie’s time that Megan wanted to lay claim to. Boyfriends often draw girlfriends away from each other, causing resentment and such. So, getting rid o’ Andrew and Beverly—” He stopped, and turned sharply to Sophie. “Ye were refusin’ to move in with the Tomlinsons after Andrew was injured?”

Sophie stiffened. It had just been a fleeting thought through her head, but he’d obviously caught it. Her mouth compressed briefly, but then she sighed in resignation and admitted, “The Tomlinsons were taking all the courses to foster me. It was all supposed to be set and as soon as they finished, I was going to be moved to their house. But after Andrew . . .” She shook her head unhappily. “Beverly and I were both so upset, we both loved him. We clung to each other, comforting one another. If I’d moved to the Tomlinsons’, Beverly would have been alone.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t leave her. I didn’t want to move to the Tomlinsons’ anymore.”

“And then Beverly died and ye did go,” Inan said, his gaze concentrated on her forehead.

Sophie didn’t respond. Why bother? They could just read the answer.

“Is that true?” Alasdair asked with concern.

Sophie gave a reluctant nod.

Inan sat back. “So once Beverly died, ye moved in with the Tomlinsons and became almost a real sister to Megan... as she wanted.”

Alasdair’s mouth compressed, and then he shook his head. “I still say it’s Bobby.”

“That’s just your jealousy, brother,” Colle said solemnly. “I know you’re thinking of the fact that Megan just happened to borrow Sophie’s car this morning. Otherwise, when you found your SUV didn’t work, you would have just hopped in her car and left, leaving the SUV to be dealt with when you got back. Not having her car meant you had to stay and take care of the SUV right away... which allowed for the crash with the tow truck.”

Alasdair sat back with irritation. “Fine. All right. I don’t like Bobby because he thought he should marry Sophie at forty. And, yes, Inan is making some sense, and there is an argument to be had that Megan could be behind everything. But...” He shrugged. “I’ve met her. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to read her in the brief meeting we had when she interrupted us in Sophie’s office Friday night, but she seemed nice.”

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