Page 16 of A Medium Fate


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“I think you’re right, but why would someone with a key try to break in?” He took off his cap and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

“Because I changed the locks today. If someone had a key, it’s from before I bought the place.” I went over and looked at the new lock. A key had been dropped on the ground next to the door but behind a planter. I pointed it out to the detective. “Detective Charles? Any chance you might get a fingerprint from that?”

He came and picked up the key with a tissue, then put it in a small evidence bag. He held it up to the beat cop who now stood next to Bubba. “I guess we assumed that we had our suspect a little too soon.”

I nodded to the doorhandle. “You’ll need to fingerprint that too, right? Can you check to make sure it’s locked? I’m wiped and would like to go home.”

“I’m calling the crime techs down now. Go home and get some sleep. I’ll check it as soon as they dust it for fingerprints. Can you get me a list of all of Matty’s employees? I think we need to look a little closer at some of them.” He glanced over to Bubba. “You have an escort? Or should I send one of my guys?”

“I have a shadow.” I stepped away from the detective. “Thank you and I’ll send you that list tomorrow to your email. I still have your card.”

As we walked back to the hotel, Bubba got a call. “We’re on our way back now. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Your replacement is here?” I asked as we weaved through the crowd. Someone was drinking a Hurricane and I could smell the fruit juice as we walked by.

“He is.” Bubba moved us around a crowd of drunk college kids talking about where to go next. “I’ll be here in the morning to go with you to Matty’s house. I’m not scheduled on until noon, but I adjusted my hours so you didn’t have to have someone new there.”

“That was nice of you.” I figured Bubba actually wanted to be part of what he saw as a scavenger hunt for the missing antiques. “I’m having a drink when we get back. Do you want to join me?”

He shook his head. “I won’t be on duty then. My replacement…”

I paused at the door to the hotel. “I wasn’t asking you as my bodyguard. I owe you for all the work you did on the missing items. Come and have one drink with me. Then I’ll let you get home to your wife or girlfriend. I just hate sitting alone at a bar. Men think you’re lonely.”

He laughed at that and nodded. “I can have one drink before I head home. Fluffy won’t mind.”

“Your wife’s name is fluffy?” I pushed the door open and headed to the bar. I could see that there were still seats on the rotating carousel with the circus animal stools. If we hurried, I could snag a lion.

“Fluffy is my cat. I don’t have a wife,” he paused as they settled onto seats at the circular bar, “or a girlfriend.”

8

Friday morning, Nic waited outside the hotel in his limo. Apparently, he wanted to make a statement when we hit Matty’s neighborhood. I slid inside and Bubba followed me.

“Coffee?” Nic offered as he held out a carafe. Annamae sent me with some banana bread and a question on when you’re coming over to the house again. She misses you.”

“I know. I need to come out more often. Maybe after we get the shop up and running. Did you hear about the attempted break in?” I sank into the seat and reached the carafe.

Nic nodded. “Trenton monitors the police channel. You should have called me last night.”

“I was fine. Bubba came with me to the shop.” I refilled my coffee cup and screwed the lid on tight. I didn’t need coffee spilling all over me or Nic’s leather seats because we hit a bump.

“Oh, I thought this happened later in the evening. Did your replacement not arrive?” Now Nic’s gaze was focused on Bubba who had just turned a bright shade of red.

“No, sir. I mean, yes, Terry came on time, but this was when the princess, I mean, Ms. Cayce was eating dinner.” He blushed and kept talking. “Then after we returned to the hotel, I stayed and had a drink with Ms. Cayce.”

Now, Nic wasn’t looking at Bubba, he was watching me. “Interesting.”

“I was technically off the clock.” Bubba continued.

I reached out and touched Bubba’s arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just messing with you.”

Relief filled Bubba’s face as he looked back and forth from Nic to me. Something in our faces must have told him he wasn’t losing his job, at least not today. I sipped my coffee, thinking about last night’s events. “I’m beginning to think that one of Matty’s employees had something to do with his death. This place was a goose with golden eggs to some of the employees. They were making double what they should have been paid, and if you take into consideration the commission, it’s triple. Whoever tried to get in last night had to have been after more of the antiques. We need to find most of these things in Matty’s house so we can stop looking over our shoulders.”

“What did Detective Charles say?” Nic handed me a slice of banana bread, then two slices to Bubba.

“Not much. At first, he thought it was Kirk, the homeless guy who has been hanging around the shop. Then I found a key that the guy had tried to use, that matched Kirk’s story, so he asked for a list of Matty’s employees. I’m sending it to him today after we finish up with Matty’s house.”

“Charles said he was thinking about charging the homeless guy?” Nic leaned back in his seat, watching my reaction.

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