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Fiona groaned. “That is not helpful.”
“Sure, it is. I didn’t say anything last night because I didn’t want you to feel like I was kicking you when you were down. Sounds to me like you’re ready to fight.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You called me, and not Jessica or Lori.”
As usual, Christie was spot on. She’d known subconsciously that while Christie certainly felt sympathy for her plight, she wasn’t one to ‘oh poor, sweet baby’ her. While Christie might sympathize, she was far more inclined to go into problem-solving mode and Fiona figured being accused of murder was a perfect fit.
“So, tell me Christie-Wan, what shall I do?” Fiona knew Christie loved all thingsStar Wars.
Christie laughed. “I don’t think breaking out the light sabers would work, but if you want to go after Rafferty with them, I’ve got your back.” There was a slight pause. “Seriously, Fi, I’m sure Rafferty is a good cop, but he’s not invested in proving your innocence. He’s interested in catching the bad guy, which will ultimately show him how wrong he was, but the longer this takes, the worse it is for your reputation.”
“So, what do we do? Notice how I included you?”
“I did, and you’d better include Jessica and Lori, too. I think I could take Lori in a fight, but I’m not so sure about Jess. We need to find out who the real killer is and deliver the sonofabitch on a plate to Rafferty.”
“The bookstore is dead as a doornail. I’m going to head upstairs and make use of that gorgeous whiteboard you gave to each of us for Christmas. I know you said it was for story ideas, but I watch enough cop shows to know it is more commonly known as a murder board.”
Christie laughed. “You found me out.”
“I’m going to head upstairs and start piecing together everything I can.”
“Good girl. I’ll call Jessica and Lori and bring them up to speed, and we can all start talking to people…”
“You mean we’ll see if Jessica can use her feminine wiles to get the inside scoop from Thorn.”
“Well, yes, but it’s not like both of them won’t enjoy it.”
Fiona ended the call and ran through her closing procedure. She had to bite back a sob as she ran her receipts report. It was the first time since she’d opened the bookstore that she hadn’t at least broken even for the day. She took a deep breath as she stepped outside, closing and locking the door behind her. She went around the end of the building only to find someone had tacked up a sign blocking her stairs which said, ‘murderer.’ That hadn’t taken long. Fiona pulled it down, crumpled it up, and went up the stairs to her loft.
Opening the door, she tossed the crumpled sign into her wastepaper basket. She pulled off her boots and hung her scarf, coat, and hat on the antique hall tree and then went to fetch the murder board she kept in her small utility closet.
Pulling out the electronic whiteboard and setting it up beside her desk, she took a dry erase marker and began jotting down the things she knew to be true. The great thing about the whiteboard Christie had given each of them was that they could ‘throw’ images, documents, and the like onto it from a computer or smartphone; use it as a standard whiteboard with dry erase pens; or use it as a combination of both.
She thought about what she knew about the victim:
Name: Daniel Monkton
Date of Death: Yesterday
Method of Death:
Throat and wrists slashed
Additional markings/torture:
Eyes, ears, and tongue removed
Runes and magical symbols carved or tattooed on the body
Staked out, spread eagled on some kind of rock—altar?
Suspect: Fiona Fowler
Why? Similar death detailed in a book she wrote
Alibi? Not great, mostly alone
