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Jane popped into her bedroom to collect her phone before entering the kitchen. As the sweet smelling ambrosia brewed, she checked the messages from Conrad at long last.
Agent Spice:Good morning, sweetheart. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.
Her heart fluttered. Thanks to this amazing man, she’d tossed and turned most of the night.
Agent Spice:Because I know you’re curious, I’ll tell you Belfry is behind bars. For now. Bail hearing is later today. Circumstantial evidence is stacking up, but there’s not yet enough to arrest him for murder. Probably only a matter of time. Fiona and Beau can rest easy.
Hmm. Jane wasn’t convinced Reggie Belfry did the crime. Yes, he topped her list of suspects. But so did others. Her gut told her there were new dramas and depths to be plumbed here. Of course, Jane’s gut might be compromised. Last night, she’d let herself think, briefly, that she was falling for a city boy. The sheer lunacy of such a notion!
Agent Spice:One last thing. Since we both know you’re spooked and going to put me on ice for the next few days, I might as well confess. I miss you already.
Her breath caught. He missed her…and she missed him.
City boy, city boy, city boy.
And okay, yes, Jane was indeed tempted to sink back into old habits and push Conrad away for a bit. Possibly a few weeks. Or months. Maybe a year. Anything to dampen this terrible, wonderful rush of feelings. But in the end, she strapped on her big girl panties and responded.
Jane:I’ve pondered your existence periodically, I guess.
Now then. Enough mushy gushy talk for the moment. Moving on to her other messages.
Fionality:Thank you for the casseroles and snacks, hon. Raymond and I appreciate your thoughtfulness so much. He says your croissant and berries cream cheese casserole might snatch the first place ribbon from my famous blueberry pancakes, and I might have to agree! By the way, he’s feeling better than ever!
Jane:That makes me so happy!!
Next.
Nurse Emma:I just found out Tony planned to kill me and probably Reggie too, but Reggie beat him to it. Guess my former date was involved, after all. Case closed. I don’t need your services anymore.
Wait. Had she fired Jane before a legit arrest had been made? Wow. Just wow. And no mention of setting up that playdate for their pets. Where was the integrity?
No integrity, no loyalty. No loyalty, no reason not to commit murder.
Jane would absolutely be digging deeper into Emma’s story…after she questioned Lucy, spoke with Dr. Garcia and interviewed some of the party attendees. Fired or not, the case must go on. If she had time, she’d even stop by the Headliner offices to speak with the pushy Ashley Katz in person. Maybe the woman had killed for a story, maybe she hadn’t. Time would tell. Either way, the texts and calls would finally end.
With two steaming mugs of coffee in hand, Jane rejoined Lucy in the living room. The loan officer sat on the couch. Cartier was out of the carrier and perched on the mantel, staring down at Rolex, who remained on the floor, peering up at her. The feline version of Romeo and Juliet.
Smiling, Jane handed Lucy one of the mugs, then eased onto the other side of the couch. “First, I’m happy to keep Cartier for you.” Now that she’d seen the two cats together, how could she deny them their blooming romance? “Second, it seems like the authorities consider Reggie Belfry, Emma Miller’s ex-date, the killer. He was arrested last night. Not for the murder, but GBH is working to gather evidence pointing to his guilt. I think they’re wrong, but you can feel free to fire me if—”
“Fire you?” Lucy waved a hand in dismissal. She sipped the coffee and made a little mmm noise of approval. “If you think they’re wrong, I think they’re wrong. Oh! Speaking of the case—” She rifled through an oversize purse and withdrew some papers. “This is an outline of my activities during the party.”
Hmm. Her unwavering enthusiasm was just as suspicious as Emma’s indifference. What if Lucy knew Belfry wasn’t responsible for the murder…because she was?On the other hand, Lucy had tasted—and liked—the coffee. She probably possessed a heart of gold.
Jane accepted the pages and skimmed the text until she reached Lucy’s abandonment of her booth. Well. The loan officer claimed she’d gone on a walk to stretch her leg. No mention of Eden Valley, the bridge or the run-in with Holden.
“Were you able to open the file containing my correspondence with Tony?” Lucy asked.
“Yes, thank you.” While baking those cupcakes for Ms. Butterfield and the casseroles for Fiona and the sheriff, Jane had scoured every message between Tony and his client. Nothing odd had struck her, which had struck her as odd.
“So?” Leaning closer, unblinking, the other woman asked, “Who do you think killed him?”
Was she, perhaps, too curious? “I have several persons of interest. Some of which I’ll be visiting later today.” Jane kept her answer deliberately vague.
“Oh!” Lucy bounced in her seat. “Could I go with you? Please? I left my boss a message, letting him know I’m taking today off.”
Jane almost refused. She worked best alone. Except when Beau helped. Or Fiona tagged along. Or Conrad left her crumbs of information. But why not invite her companion to join her, anyway? What better opportunity to secretly observe the loan officer’s behavior with other suspects?
“All right,” Jane said with a nod. “We’ll lock Cartier in my bedroom and give the cats a chance to sniff each other through the crack in the door and get to know each other better while we speak with our first batter, Dr. Garcia.”
