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“Okay, what did he say?” Archer held Killer while she unlocked thebookstore door.
Rarity switched on the lights and headed directly back to the register counter. She set her tote on the counter. “He said, ‘Interesting question.’”
“That’s all?” Archer laughed. “Man, he’s holding his cards close to the vest.”
“It must be my son you’re talking about. I got a stern lecture this morning about eavesdropping and my guest room privileges.” Jonathon set his briefcase on the table as he talked. “I guess I’m going to have to be more discreet. I’d hate to lose my free Sedona guesthouse.”
“I asked Drew who else knew that Janey was going to the quarry that day. He said it was an interesting question.” She unpacked her murder notebook and her laptop. Then she opened the notebook and wrote down the question on a clean sheet of paper. “I think the answer to that question will help solve this murder.”
“And if the answer is only Marcus?” Archer glanced at his watch. “Don’t answer that. I’ve got to run. See you in a few hours. Thanks, Jonathon.”
He set Killer’s unhooked leash on the counter and sprinted toward the door. Jonathon looked amused. Rarity put away the leash and met his gaze. “He’s meeting anew employee.”
“Calliope’s not training them? I swear that girl knows Archer’s business better than he does.” Jonathon nodded to the break room. “Can I grab some icefor my water?”
“Sure. And Calliope’s not working for Archer anymore.” Rarity closed and put away the murder book.
Jonathon frowned. “Really? Well, she must have just been in the area last week when I ran into her. I just assumed. Do you want me to bring you something from therefrigerator?”
Rarity shook her head. “I’m fine.”
As she opened her laptop and tried to work on the income spreadsheet for last week, Jonathon’s words kept ringing some sort of bell for her. What had Calliope been doing in Sedona last week? She trusted Archer, and he’d said that he’d had lunch with his ex-admin assistant lately. So why was she feeling like she was missing something?
Chapter 21
The Tuesday night crowd was all there early. Archer had come at five and taken Killer with him to the house. He was making dinner, so as soon as the book club was over, they’d eat. Jonathon would be walking her home even though she’d insisted she could make it there on her own. When Archer threatened to ask Terrance to escort her, she’d given in. At least Jonathon would be on his way back to Drew’s house once he dropped her off at her door.
“Besides,” Jonathon had told her when Archer had left that afternoon, “I’m getting more walking in here than I do at home. I’ve already gone down a pant size. Edith’s going tobe so jealous.”
She couldn’t fight that. She just worried about Jonathon. The last time someone had been murdered, he’d been robbed for a set of journals that the Survivors’ club had been reading to see if they held any clues. She didn’t want that to happen again.
Shirley had brought treats, and as they gathered by the fireplace at seven, everyone had coffee and a pumpkin sugarcookie nearby.
Rarity took her murder notebook and sat down. “I guess we should get started.”
“Where’s Sam?” Holly asked, glancing aroundthe bookstore.
“She’s not coming tonight. With this investigation being so close to Marcus, she felt like she couldn’t be objective.” Rarity hoped she was relaying Sam’s message meaning without hurting anyone in the club. “So does anyone have any new information we need to add to the notebooks? I do, if no one else wants to go first.”
Shirley pointed at the flip chart. “Rarity, you go, then I’ve got some gossip I heard at church.”
“And Malia has some things she heard at campus.” Holly nudged her friend.
Malia nodded. “With Caleb’s institutionalization, it might be a moot point, but it’s better to have all the information out there, right? Youstart, Rarity.”
Rarity told them about Trish Ford not being at the hairdresser’s like she’d told Drew. “So she no longer has an alibi. At least not one we know. She could have been sleeping in or having an affair or even shopping. But she wasn’t where she said she was. And that’s at least suspicious. I’ve told Drew what I found out, so he’s looking into that.”
She paused as people made notes. The week had been crazy, but she didn’t want to leave anything out. “So Malia mentioned Caleb. Do I need to go over that? Jonathon was here, too, that day, so he can fill in anything I forget.”
Shirley held up her hand. “I know we talked about it, but can you go over what happened again?”
Rarity went through the incident with Caleb and his pain. She added in her own feelings and observations. “I don’t think he killed Janey. I believe he was her stalker and only took the job because she had been hired, but I think he was just trying to get herto notice him.”
“You’ve got a kind heart,” Jonathon said. Then he went on to talk about what he’d learned about stalkers and what he called “love” killers. “Caleb fits the mold of the killer’s thought process. If I can’t have you, no one else will. The fact that he couldn’t go through with his own suicide after the fact doesn’t mean he didn’t kill her. And later he admitted killing Janey. Maybe he was lost in adeep fantasy.”
“Yeah, but he got the details wrong. He said he saw her an hour before Marcus left her at the quarry. And on the wrong trail.” Rarity tried to poke holes in Jonathon’s theory.
“He shot at her. Or he shot at someone. He’s my top suspect, just because of that. Drew’s got some guys going down the trails to see if they can find this spot. If there’s no blood, he could have followed her to the quarry, watched her and Marcus, and when Marcus left, finished the job.” Jonathon had thought this out thoroughly. And since he lived with Drew, this might be one of the theories the police had been kickingaround as well.
