EPISODE TEN: Endings, Happy and Otherwise

CHAPTER ONE

Meadows was looking at the group that had crowded into the police station: Emma, Ethan, Sutton, Dan and Char. His gaze settled on the latter. "You're certain of this?"

"Well, I haven't got a signed confession or a smoking gun or anything,"Char replied. "But from what Mum was saying…"

Meadows looked sceptical. "I need more than a throwaway comment. I need evidence."

"Then get it!"Sutton pressed.

"It wouldn't hurt to interview her,"Dan suggested.

Meadows looked over the group again. "Why are you so keen to solve this?"

There was a pause. "Because we don't want it to be one of us,"Emma admitted at last.

"Let's face it,"Ethan observed. "The people with the best motives are those of us in this room and our friends."

Meadows considered the comment. "So where does Mrs Chamberlin fit into this?"

Char hesitated. "I think she did it for me. She knows I was upset at Thayer being back here and she knows that Mads' mum had a big part in that happening. I think she saw it as doing something nice for me."

Meadows nodded his head slowly. "All right, it certainly seems like we should be asking her for some questions. Sheriff, are you and your officers going to come along as back-up?"

"I think that'd be best, yes,"Dan agreed.

Meadows looked over the rest of the group. "You'd better come as well."

Mads and Lexi were just approaching the Rybak house when a convoy of police vehicles turned up. They were more than a little surprised at the sight of the vehicles pulling to a stop, not least when their friends got out of one of them. "What's going on?"Mads asked.

"They want to talk to Mum,"Char explained.

The group, Mads and Lexi included, went inside and headed towards the dining room. What they saw was not what they'd been expecting to see.

Phyllis Chamberlin lay on the floor, her eyes pointing upwards and unseeing, with a bloody wound at the top of her head. And standing over her holding a lamp was Thayer.

Char gave a strangled sob and buried her head in Mads' shoulder. Mads turned and led her away. The others looked at Thayer. "Are you going to tell us you didn't do this one?"Dan asked.

Thayer shook his head. "I worked it out, same as you did. She killed Mum. I came here to confront her, to get her to confess I suppose, I don't know what I wanted really. She wasn't even sorry, kept talking about all the harm we'd done to her family. So I saw red and then…"

"You know that means we've only got your word for this?"Sutton pointed out.

Thayer continued in a detached tone. "She said she strangled Mum with a cord from a lamp. It's upstairs in her room, I haven't touched it." He suddenly seemed to notice the lamp in his hand and put it down on the table. "Guess that gave me the idea."

Meadows nodded to Officer Harry. "Have a look."

"Why didn't you leave it to us?"Emma asked Thayer.

"I guess I wanted to be the one doing the right thing. Should have known I'd mess it up."

"Do you think you'll get the insanity plea this time?"Ethan sniped.

"I'm not sure I care."

At a nod from Meadows, Dan moved in. "Thayer Rybak, I'm arresting you for the murder of Phyllis Chamberlin."

As Dan continued to read his rights, Thayer shot a sad look at Lexi. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you wanted me to be."