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“Good morning Bobby, I didn’t expect to see you here.” She wondered at the look on his face that was almost identical to Gil’s. “Something you two want to tell me?” She looked from one man to the other as they fidgeted where they stood. Bobby looked down at the floor sheepishly while Gil just outright buttoned his lips and looked anywhere but at her or Officer Bailey.
“I was going to call you later Detective. Bobby was saying that he thinks I should let you go through Melissa’s stuff if that would help find her killer.” He looked so hopeful that she felt a pang of sadness for the poor man and decided to drop it for now. Maybe later, she can have Officer Bailey question the two of them as to what had put that look of misery on their faces.
Usually, given the circumstances, one might write off the strange behavior as part of the grieving process, everyone grieves in their own way after all, but somehow she didn’t think so. Both men were acting rather out of character from what little she’d learned about them, not to mention the twin blushes on their faces didn’t shout grief as much as they did shame.
“I appreciate that that’s why we’re here, in fact.” She didn’t bring up the fact that his wife had quit her job at the club, not yet. His offer to let them go through the victim’s personal belongings put a new spin on things and helped to further solidify her belief in his innocence.
Gil gestured with a hand towards the bedroom that he had yet to enter since coming back from the precinct the day before. Each time he got near the door, bile threatened to choke him, and he just wasn’t ready to face the room where he’d last spent time with his wife. He’d awakened in the guest bedroom this morning with Bobby at the foot of the bed, passed out and snoring loud enough to shake the rafters.
If the cops found it strange that his wife’s lover was in his home, they had the decency not to mention it as they both put on gloves and headed into the room. Gil stood in the doorway, pointing out which drawers in the bureau belonged to his wife and where else they could look in the room that she may have hidden anything she didn’t want found.
Detective Sparks took her time combing through the victim’s belongings, even rifling through pockets and the hidden compartments that can be found in all lady’s purses. She didn’t stop to look over everything but instead placed them all in an evidence bag for later.
Once she was sure that she and Officer Bailey had done a thorough job of it she thanked the two men and left feeling hopeful that something among the little scraps of papers they’d found would give him some insight into just what the late Mrs. Sherry had been up to before she died.
“What do you think that’s all about in there?” Officer Bailey asked as he climbed into the passenger seat of the police issue vehicle and strapped in. He’d exclaimed over the sweet ride his partner had driven in this morning but stopped short of asking her where she’d got it.
He, along with the rest of the town was all glued with noses pressed up to the glass as they watched the unfolding tableau between the Detective and the wealthiest man in town. He couldn’t say that he was surprised. Detective Sparks was easily the most beautiful woman in these parts, even though she plays her beauty down to no avail.
It’s lucky for him that he never had any real interest in her other than the acknowledgment that she was way out of his league, or this latest turn of events would’ve crushed his poor ego. He knew for a fact that he was no match for Riley O’Rourke. That, coupled with the secret little smiles he’s seen cross his partner’s face these last couple of days when she thinks no one is looking, is more than enough to assure him that had he been so inclined all hope would be dashed.
“You noticed it too, huh. Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s too bad, but I want you to keep an eye on it.”
“Why? You think they’re hiding something?”
“Could be, but I’m almost certain that it doesn’t have anything to do with our crime.” Saying that Celia couldn’t figure out what in the world could make the two men blush like they had been.
Back at the station, she didn’t have much time to dwell on what she deemed not relevant to her case as she got caught up going through the treasure trove of evidence they’d collected. Lucky for her, it seemed the late Mrs. Sherry was a borderline hoarder. There were receipts and little notes going back a couple of years, and she’d only just touched the surface.
