“My take on Lieber is that he’s a control freak. When Hoffman called saying you two were hanging around, Lieber must have panicked and decided he had to take care of the problem himself. Or be close enough that he could tell if Hoffman was taking care of the problem.” Candace looked at Kara. “He might have killed both of you, even taken out Hoffman and set it up to look like Hoffman was the lone bad guy. You got lucky.”

“Why did you and Evan decide to go there in the first place?” I asked.

“The notebook. We thought we could find it and solve everything,” Kara said. “But Patrick told us that Lieber took any evidence of his relationship to VanKleet with him the day he killed the professor.”

“And probably destroyed everything the minute he got the chance,” Candace said. “Guess you didn’t think we knew how to search a house, huh?”

“I was so focused on gathering evidence myself-for the book-that I put both Evan and me in danger. We made a dumb move,” Kara said.

“Do you trust me now?” Candace said.

“Absolutely,” Kara said. “I trust both of you-and, believe me, I haven’t trusted anyone in a very long time. It feels good to know that you guys had my back.”

I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I will always have your back.” I looked at Candace, who seemed more relaxed than I’d seen her in days. Bet she loved taking Hoffman in.

“I heard Hoffman shouting that he didn’t kill anyone,” I said, looking at Candace. “That’s apparently true, because Lieber told me right to my face that he killed two people. Tom probably heard him, too, though I’m not sure he remembers.”

She said, “Good. When Lieber clams up-and I’m sure he will-we’ve got you to talk about that admission. Hoffman told us he bought the strychnine from Rufus but he gave it to Lieber. He said Rufus had no idea what it was for, but Lieber offered about twice what it was worth. Rufus couldn’t refuse with business down. When Lieber went into the house to visit the so-called lab VanKleet had created in the farmhouse, he had the poison with him.”

“Lieber was the one who rang the doorbell during VanKleet’s call to Robin about getting more cow’s milk,” I said.

“That’s right. I forgot about that. Anyway, I believe that when Lieber saw that filthy place and realized what he’d feared-that it was no research lab at all-he decided to use the poison. He was mad as hell and made sure VanKleet paid a horrible price for wasting his money.”

“But Lieber seemed like such an intelligent person,” I said. “How could he have fallen for what VanKleet was selling?”

“There may have been some good research at first,” Kara said. “According to what both Brandt and Evan told me, their father was a genius until he started skipping his meds.”

I swished what little was left in my Coke can. “And that’s what brought Lieber down. He refused to give up on VanKleet until he was flat broke. I can see that. Being book smart doesn’t mean you’re people smart.”

Kara and Candace nodded their agreement.

“Poor Rufus Bowen,” I said. “I feel like I set events in motion. He got worried that the strychnine could be traced back to him, and instead of coming to you, he called Hoffman.”

“Right,” Kara said. “When you started asking questions, Patrick told me that Rufus called him immediately and they set up a meeting. Lieber was waiting for him, not Patrick. He also said that Lieber ordered him to scare you. Patrick heard talk when he visited Belle’s Beans that you and Candace were tight, so he made a phone call to Candace’s house, too.”

“He was hanging around town?” I said. “And Belle didn’t notice him?”

“Guess she missed him. He claims he got familiar with the town on Lieber’s orders,” Candace said. “Lieber had something on Hoffman, but we don’t know what that is yet. I’m betting that Hoffman shouldn’t have been hired as a campus cop. Probably had an arrest in his past. When Lieber finds out that Hoffman has spilled everything, he’ll be telling us what a bad guy Hoffman is.”

Candace said, “Lieber’s going down, but Patrick Hoffman’s not making any sweet deal where he gets off scot-free. Even if he didn’t kill anyone, he knew everything. And I saw what he did to Jillian.”

“You collected evidence,” I said. “I’m thinking of that ski-mask fiber. Will it be used to convict Hoffman?”

“I doubt it,” Candace said. “Confessions and guilty pleas are the best evidence we can get. But don’t think for one minute I’ll ever stop collecting anything I find that’s even remotely connected to a crime. You never know what might come in handy.”

“Then there’s poor Sarah,” I said. “She sure knows how to pick them.”

Kara looked at me. “Make sure I choose someone exactly like my dad, okay?”

“There will never be another John. But you can come close.” I put my hand over hers.

We sat in the waiting room for another two hours before the surgeon, Dr. Ellis, came to talk to us. She was a tall, commanding woman and told us about the screws and the bone repairs she had to make on Tom’s ankle. But as long as he was okay, that’s all that mattered. He would have to remain overnight but could go home tomorrow afternoon.

“Can I stay with him?” I asked.

“You’d do better to get some rest yourself. He’ll be well sedated and probably need your help a lot more tomorrow,” she said.

“She’s right,” Candace said.

I reluctantly agreed and was allowed to see Tom once he was brought to his hospital room. But he didn’t wake up when I kissed his cheek, and I could tell he’d never remember I was here. I tiptoed out, and Kara and I took the van while Candace drove the Prius back to Mercy.

Once we reached town, Candace called me on her cell and said she’d rather stay at my place one more night. But she was stopping off for food. A cheeseburger for her, a chicken sandwich for me, and as it turned out, even Kara was hungry. But her chicken sandwich had to be grilled, not fried.

Kara and I came in the back and were immediately met by three cats. I knelt for a petting session and praised Chablis for her help in solving the mystery. But soon she was racing down the basement stairs, no doubt to take up her vigil outside Dame Wiggins’s door.

“What will Chablis do without Dame Wiggins?” I said as I poured dry food into the nearly empty cat bowl.

Syrah and Merlot appreciated fresh kibble and began eating.

“That’s what I forgot to tell you,” Kara said, smiling.

I took a bottled water out of the pantry and tossed one to Kara. “What did you forget?”

“Dame Wiggins,” she said. “When Evan and I met at the farmhouse, he told me that his father’s cat was named Dame Wiggins and that he hoped to find her at that shelter where the cats were taken. I told him you had her, and he got so excited.”

“He wants her?” I said.

She was swigging her water but nodded yes.

“No wonder the professor chose her shoulder to implant that microchip,” I said. “I thought he just realized she was the most mellow cat on the planet. Obviously he was entrusting valuable information to a good friend.”

“Cats are like people to you, aren’t they?” Kara said.

“They’ve helped me more than I could ever tell you,” I said, glancing fondly down on Syrah and Merlot.

Candace arrived a few seconds later with the bags of fast food. I swear it was the best chicken sandwich I ever ate.