Ashley took another sip from the can, then put it back on the table.
“No. I just think that’s where it began.”
“What do you mean? What aren’t you telling me?”
“For about two years, Mason and Mina worked together at South Street. Actually, that’s not quite right. Mason actually bought South Street from Mister Connor, and when he did that, he became Mina’s boss.”
Theo shook her head. “Caroline Huxley owns South Street.”
“She does now. You haven’t been back in Whisper Creek that long. There’s a whole raft of shit that happened in the time you were gone.”
“So, did Mason and Mina have issues when he owned the restaurant?”
“Not until Mason’s wife filed for divorce. It was a messy business. Junie wound up in the hospital one night. Mina was working a lunch shift about a week later, and she said Sheriff Ames came in with a couple of deputies. They took Mason out the back way in handcuffs. Junie accused him of spousal abuse. Mina told me she wasn’t surprised at all by the accusation. She claims she overheard a couple of phone conversations Mason had with Junie in the office. She told me things got really ugly, that Mason said some hateful things. Junie had come to the restaurant a lot, and she and Mina hit it off. Next thing I know, it’s time for them to go to court and Mina’s testifying as a character witness.”
“Let me guess,” Theo said, “what Mina had to say about Mason on the stand wasn’t too complimentary?”
Ashley shook her head. “Nope. Mina wasn’t the only one who shed poor light on Mason. There was a former boss that claimed he’d had to let Mason go after the two of them had gotten into an argument and Mason had destroyed the man’s office. And Junie hadn’t been the only one to bring assault charges against him, either. About four years before they got married, he and another woman got into it. He wound up in a court-ordered anger management class, but I have no idea exactly what happened between the two of them.”
“How did things shake out for Mason in this trial?”
“He lost everything, and Junie got everything she asked for, including full custody of their two-year-old daughter.”
Theo heaved a sigh. “Well, the reasons Mason might have hated Mina are a little clearer now,” she said.
“The night she died she was going on a date.”
“You said she was using Flirt, right? The app?”
“That one was her favorite. She used that one the most.”
“There are pictures on these apps I assume?”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean the pictures match the people. I mean, it’s all a crapshoot. I’ve used some of these sites. Men and women alike are both guilty of using pictures taken years ago. Everyone has become a pro at photo manipulation, and some people use photos they find online of other people. You agree to meet, and just hope like hell they look even slightly like the photos they’ve posted. Dating sucks, Theodora.”
Theo opened the container with the Skittles inside and scooped out a few. “I know exactly how much dating sucks, my friend,” she told Ashley. “I never used an app, but I’ve had my fair share of crappy dates.” She popped one of the candies in her mouth. “If Mason was looking for payback, he could have made a fake profile on Flirt, right? He could have just searched for Mina and set up a meeting.”
Ashley thought about this for a second. “Yeah, but she would’ve booked the second she saw him. She never would have gone through with it.”
Theo munched on her candy. “That’s probably why he needed a horse sedative. Mina wasn’t going to go quietly.”
“Holy shit.”
“What?”
“I just remembered what Junie did for a living.”
“Don’t tell me. She’s a veterinarian?”
Ashley blinked her big blue eyes. “She specializes in large animals.”
“I don’t know how he would have had access if their split was as brutal as it sounds, but one thing I’ve learned is, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Ashley closed her eyes and Theo saw a tear escape her lashes. She reached up and took hold of Ashley’s hand.
“No one deserves to die the way Mina did.”
“Ash—”
“I’m not saying what she did was right. Not in high school, and not just recently in the courtroom. She didn’t always make the best decisions. We had that in common, her and me. I figured this was a phase she needed to go through. I hated that she was going out with so many guys, but I’ve known her since elementary school. I knew if I told her that, she’d just get mad, think I was judging her. I knew she would freeze me out. I thought it was better to keep my mouth shut and be there for her, and when she was on the other side of whatever this was, she’d know no matter what that I would always be there for her.”
“You were a good friend to Mina, Ashley.”
“And that’s probably why Mason came after me, too.”
“Unfortunately, that might be true. But if you had known that this might happen, would you have abandoned her? Would you have stopped being her friend to keep yourself safe?”
“No.”
“Of course not.”
“That’s why he went after you, too.”
“Ashley, the fact that you and I are close brought me to Mason’s attention, but there are a lot of reasons he might hate me that have nothing at all to do with you.” The two of them watched one another for a moment. Theo raised a finger. “He lost his business, right?” Ashley nodded. “I run my own business. A couple of them, actually.” She held up another finger. “He’s had to deal with a lot of legal issues, and, let’s face it, a lot of people have good reason to hate lawyers. I’m a lawyer. Good or bad, lawyers had a hand in the situation he wound up in. He might have taken that anger out on me.” She held up a third finger, “and quite possibly the worst thing about me is that I’m a female. He was on a roll in his payback by the time he got inside my office last night. He’d already killed Mina, and at that point in time, he was sure you were dead, too. He probably figured he was eventually gonna go down for both of your deaths, he might as well keep going while his rage still burned.”
“I’m so sorry I put you in danger.”
“You did no such thing,” Theo argued. “We were faced with an unstable, volatile and incredibly angry person. But we made it, Ash. We’re still here. There’s no way he’s gonna walk away from any of this. Mason Wright is done. Now, what we need to do is keep living lives that are meaningful, and to find ways to celebrate and honor people like Mina.”
