“Yes. I was traveling alone. I have the right to protect myself,” Kara said.

I was shocked but spoke as calmly as I could. “I have rights, too, and this is my home. I want you to unload that gun,” I said. “You might accidentally shoot one of my cats. Or me.”

Kara looked at me like I had a screw loose. “Are you crazy, Jillian? Someone came into your house and threatened you. Someone might be following me, so-”

“And that’s why I’m here. For protection,” Candace said evenly. “Jillian has asked you to unload your.38 snubnose or put it back where you got it.”

“From what Tom told me,” Kara said, “ South Carolina has the same law that Texas does-the right to carry a loaded handgun in a concealed place like the glove box.”

“Without a permit. I know,” Candace said. “But it’s not in the glove box now. So please do as Jillian asked.”

“Is the safety on?” I said, still horrified at her bringing a gun into my house. Handguns can hurt their owners, too, and I was worried about Kara carrying that thing around.

“Revolvers don’t have safeties,” they both said in unison.

“Even more reason to get that thing out of here,” I said.

“Fine, but I wanted both of you to know I have this. No one is about to intimidate me. No one.” She rewrapped the gun, whirled and went back outside.

Candace shook her head, her expression troubled. “John’s daughter has issues, Jillian.”

“But John’s daughter happens to be my family. Can you be nice to her? For me?” I asked.

“I’ll try, but you be careful, ’cause I can guarantee you I won’t be turning my back on her.”

The next day, I made pancakes for all three of us. When given the choice of sleeping on the couch, downstairs with a bunch of cats and their litter box or in my king-size bed with me, Candace had chosen my room. I’d told her she shouldn’t feel the need to stay that close to me, but she’d laughed and said her choice was all about comfort.

Though Kara complained that the “overloaded with carbs” breakfast would make her bleary for the rest of the day, she ate twice as many pancakes as Candace did. And that’s a lot of pancakes. Would she have to double up on her Red Bull today? And would I need extra coffee?

When we were finished, I decided to be proactive, take more of a motherly role, and suggested that Kara do the dishes. She agreed without so much as a pout. Progress, maybe? I thought.

As Candace and I left the kitchen, I said, “I have a couple new quilts I want to show you.” I grabbed her elbow and squeezed before she could say anything. Candace had no interest whatsoever in anything that had to do with quilting, but I wanted to talk to her alone.

Chablis had joined us this morning-she does enjoy a few nibbles of pancakes-and she and the two boys led the way to my sewing room. Maybe she was getting over her love affair with Dame Wiggins and the kittens. Once the cats took their usual places-Syrah on the windowsill, Merlot on the cutting table and Chablis next to the sewing machine-I closed the door.

“I saw you were stuck to your laptop last night. Were you working on the case?” I said.

She nodded. “Chief Baca sent me information on the family. Plus he has ties with someone from the college and forwarded an e-mail from this person. A former associate of the professor indicated-and it’s all in university-type lingo and thus kinda fuzzy-that VanKleet was terminated. I mean before he was really terminated. But I don’t know why.”

“Can you find out more today?” I glanced at the pile of unbound quilts I had to finish-and soon.

“Spring break, so it might be hard,” she said. “Maybe a trip to that little college town to find anyone willing to sit down and talk about this guy is in order-that is, if anyone is around and not on vacation.”

“Can’t you have one of their local officers help you?” I said.

“I wish. You think Mercy’s small? In Denman, they depend more on the campus police than their four officers. Baca e-mailed me a couple names of the campus cops. But they could be on spring break, too.”

“I heard you get a phone call last night, too,” I said. “From the look on your face before you left the living room with your phone, I’m guessing it was Billy.”

Candace blushed. “You are way too observant. It was him. The professor’s relatives had arrived in town even before I found Rufus’s body. The sons are staying at the Tall Pines Motel, but guess where the ex and her boyfriend are shacked up?”

“How would I-oh no. The Pink House?” I said, referring to the grand old Victorian painted an outrageous pink where last year’s murder had taken place.

Candace pointed at me. “You got it. Did you know the new owners advertise their bed-and-breakfast as haunted? What a crock.”

“Will you talk to the professor’s family today?” I said.

“You want to invite them all here for lunch? I don’t think so,” she said.

“We don’t have to stay here like we’re prisoners. I mean, don’t you need clothes and your toothbrush?” I said. “We could pick them up at your place and then stop at the police station-try to time it so we end up there with the family.”

“You want me to find out from the chief when and where he plans to talk to them and just show up?” From her half smile, I could tell she liked this idea.

“Sounds easy enough,” I said.

“What about Kara? I don’t want her within a country mile of our investigation,” Candace said. “But if we leave her here and Mr. Ski Mask shows up, I’ll be in deep doodoo. Especially if she brings her weapon inside while we’re gone and then feels justified in using it.”

“We’ll drop her off at Belle’s Beans. From all that Red Bull in my fridge, I’d say she’s a genuine caffeine addict. Plus, she said she wanted to learn more about the town. We’ll just share with her the fact that Belle’s is the best place to do that.”

Candace grinned. “Perfect.”

“There’s one more thing you should know.” Something that had kept me awake half the night.

“What’s that?”

“I was so shaken yesterday, I wasn’t thinking. We probably have the whole attack on video,” I said.

Candace’s eyes widened. “Your cat cam.” She thunked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “I should have thought of that.” She started toward the door. “Come on. Show me.”

The cats and I followed as she hurried down the hall to my office. “I’ll bring up the feeds, show you how to look at stored video, but if you don’t mind, I’d rather not watch.”

“I get it. No problem,” she said.

A minute later, I left Candace in my office to view the man scaring the bejesus out of me. The cats didn’t seem interested, either, and followed me out, but then took off in the opposite direction for my bedroom. It was nap time already. Oh, to be a cat.

Kara was sitting in the living room talking into a small recorder when I returned. She quit speaking and shut it off, but before I could tell her the plan that would get her started on her study of Mercy’s proverbial flora and fauna, her cell phone rang.

She smiled after she said,“Hello,” and listened for a second and then held out the phone. “It’s Tom. He wants to talk to you.”

“Thanks.” I walked over to where she sat in John’s chair and took the phone. It was more modern than I was used to and felt awkward in my hand, and even more awkward up against my ear. “Hi.”

“Why didn’t you call me yesterday?” he said.

“Um, my phone sorta went bye-bye,” I said.

“I know,” he said. “But why was Kara the one to call this morning and tell me what happened? You could have borrowed hers or Candace’s and let me in on this. I thought after the other night… Hell, I don’t know what to think now.”

I turned away from Kara’s probing stare and walked into the kitchen. “I was upset and didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to go to sleep. I’m sorry.”