AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I actually wept with gratitude and he took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and gave it to me.
“Now, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Let’s get to it. The police have ruled out burglary as a motive. There were several paintings on the premises valued at over three million dollars that weren’t touched. The victim was still wearing an expensive pearl necklace and matching earrings when the body was found and her wallet, which was clearly visible, contained $500 in cash and several credit cards.”
“So, the motive was personal,” I replied.
“Yes.”
“What on earth did Annabelle do to make someone so angry?”
&
nbsp; “That’s the $50,000 question, Jackie. Tell me, do you know a lot of journalists?”
“No. Most of my authors write fiction.”
“Have you ever met the columnist Tiffany Nixon?”
“Yes.”
“When, where, and why?”
“Last year at the office. She came in to meet with an editor named Astrid Norstromm about a book idea that she had. Since Tiffany Nixon is Black, I had to attend the meeting.”
“Did the book get published?”
“Not by Welburn. It was a horrible idea . . . some right wing, conservative rant against Black colleges, affirmative action . . . I don’t remember it all but it was truly nauseating.”
“Did you tell her how you felt about it?”
“No. She was Astrid’s guest and that would have been inappropriate.”
“Then what happened?”
“We listened to Miss Nixon’s spiel and then Astrid walked her out to the reception area. When Astrid came back, I told her I would not support the acquisition when it reached the editorial board.”
“What happened at the board meeting?”
“Astrid didn’t bring it up. I never heard about it again.”
“Do you think Astrid told Miss Nixon that it was you who jettisoned her chances?”
“We’re not supposed to let a prospective author know about stuff like that, but Astrid hates me, so she might have.”
“I want to hear all about your problems with Astrid but not right now.”
“Okay. I have to call my job and tell them I’m on my way. May I use your phone?”
“Jackie, someone in that office may be trying to set you up. I’ll talk to whoever is in charge and arrange a paid leave-of-absence for you until this case is closed.”
“My authors need me, Keith. Can’t I just work from home?”
“Jackie, I was on the phone with a friend of mine when you came in. She is a high-ranking member of the police department and we’ve known each other a very long time. Your fingerprints have been found in the same bathroom where Mrs. Murray’s body was found. By tomorrow morning, Tiffany Nixon will know that and the pressure on the police department to make an arrest will be tremendous. I sincerely doubt that the victim’s family will allow you to take any company documents home to work on.”
“So, if I had gone to work this morning . . .”
“They would have sent you home.”
“Can they fire me just like that?”
