“What the hell, Harriett? You scared the crap out of me!” She pointed back the way she had come. “Did you do that on purpose?”
“Do what?” Harriett’s eyes slowly opened. In the dim light of the holding cell, her irises seemed flecked with glistening gold.
“Kill the man in the first cell,” Nessa whispered.
“I had to. I promised Lucy.”
“Lucy?” Nessa was confused.
“Do you know who he was?” Harriett asked. “That was the man who broke into Jo’s house.”
“I thought he was under house arrest awaiting his trial,” Nessa said. “Why did they bring him back in?”
“Perhaps because they knew I would soon be in an adjoining cell?” Harriett offered. “Who knows what Rocca had in mind, but the man and I had an interesting chat before he died. I offered him a chance to confess his sins. I probably could have helped him survive the mold, but after I heard his sins, I didn’t feel so inclined. He was hired to scare the three of us out of Mattauk. He thought killing Lucy might do the trick.”
“He told you that?”
“People get chatty when death’s at the door. He also informed me he was getting paid very well to stay silent.”
“Who was paying him?”
“He didn’t know. He said he’d never met his employer, and he claimed he’d never heard of Spencer Harding.” When Harriett rose to her feet, she seemed to be a few inches taller than she had been before. “So do you think I did the wrong thing?” she asked.
The question felt like a test, Nessa thought. But she knew the right answer, and she had no problem giving it.
“No,” Nessa said. “The man was a monster.”
“The mold ate him alive,” Harriett informed her. “He died in terrible agony.”
“He was going to kill Jo’s baby. I’m sure he killed others. He got what he deserved.”
Harriett nodded. “I’m so glad we see eye to eye on this subject.”
Nessa watched Harriett walk out of the cell and through the police station, her bare feet leaving a trail of jet-black prints. Something important had just been decided. Nessa wasn’t entirely sure what it was. But she knew things would be different going forward.
Outside in the parking lot, the young officer Nessa had saved was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. The chief of police was waiting to ambush Nessa and Harriett when they emerged.
“What have you done to my station?” he snarled at Harriett.
“Excuse me?” Nessa shot back. “A mold problem you’ve left untreated just killed a man. If I were you, I’d be very careful what you say right now. We’re contemplating a hefty lawsuit.”
Rocca ignored Nessa and focused on Harriett. “I just got off the phone with the hospital. The officers who were executing the search of your garden have all been admitted for treatment. Two of them were attacked by ants, and one brushed up against something that left him in so much pain that he had to be sedated.”
“Oh dear,” Harriett droned. “I did warn them to be careful around my plants, particularly the mala mujer. I know it’s pretty, but it will fight back if you fondle it. Sounds like one of your men didn’t listen. Did they happen to find any of the mushrooms they were after?”
Rocca’s face had turned an unsettling shade of red. “I swear to God, I’m going to be all over you from now on. You may have gotten lucky this time, but you won’t the next.”
Harriett gave him a grin. “I’m no lawyer, but that certainly sounds like harassment. Does that sound like harassment to you, Nessa?”