Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“Why did you rule out Devin Hagger and Emma Miller?” Jane asked again.
After sitting behind the desk, Ms. Katz waved to the chairs in front of her. “Please, have a seat.” Only after Jane smoothed the skirt of her dress and eased into the seat, as requested, did Ms. Katz continue. “Emma hired me to find her ex’s murderer. Not something a killer would do. As for Hagger, a witness places him far from the crime scene at the time of Ms. Lawrence’s scream.”
So. Emma had double-dipped with her investigators, putting her fingers in every available cookie jar. More suspicious than ever! “Who is this supposed witness? Video footage might or might not disagree with their assessment.” And their own placement.
“All right. I’ll play this game.” Ms. Katz fiddled with an extra binder clip on the desk. “Lucy Chang spotted him about four minutes before the scream. I spoke with her last night.”
A frown pulled at the corners of Jane’s mouth. It was possible Lucy had seen Hagger on her way to the bridge in Eden Valley. But why hadn’t she told Jane, the PI she’d originally hired?
Had it been anyone else, Jane would have etched their name in stone at the top of her suspect list. Yet, doubting Lucy had caused nothing but problems. There must be a legitimate reason for her oversight.
“You believe Lucy’s claim, though you still suspect her of murder?” Jane hadn’t forgotten the question mark above her friend’s photo. And Lucy was her friend, whether or not the other woman forgave her.
“Until I speak with Hagger again and confirm Chang’s story, she remains a suspect.”
Again, she’d said. Had Devin Hagger given Ms. Katz a full-on interview? “Or maybe you have a problem with anyone connected to me. Before we ever spoke, you wrote sneering remarks about my home.”
“I wrote facts.” Ashley picked up a pen and flipped open a notebook. “Speaking of, can you prove Fiona Lawrence and Beauregard Harden didn’t do the dirty deed?”
Okay, so Jane had walked right into that one. “Yes, I can. Their alibis check out one hundred percent.”
The reporter perked up. “Do tell. This is the first I’ve heard about any alibis.”
“Well, they both have hearts of gold and morals of steel.”
A scowl met her proclamation. “Do you have concrete evidence they didn’t kill the guy?”
“Do you have concrete evidence that they did?”
Ms. Katz flashed her a gotcha smile and made a notation in her notebook. “So you don’t.”
Frustrated, Jane demanded, “Tell me their motive.”
“All right. Maybe you paid them to do it. This was the third murder to take place on your property. As I mentioned before, you are making a tidy profit from your newfound notoriety.”
Maintaining eye contact, Ms. Katz leaned forward. “What about the boost to your romantic life? When Mr. Miller died, you gained another excuse to keep Special Agent Ryan close. A man who may or may not be compromised.”
All right. Jane bit her tongue until she tasted a tinge of blood. She withdrew a pen and Truth Be Told from her purse. Then, she did what she did best. Let wild theories fly. “What would you say to those wondering if you bought stolen drugs from Emma Miller and murdered her ex-husband after he threatened to turn you in? Then you had the audacity to use the tragedy to make a splash with your first published story while also covering your tracks.”
“No one wonders that,” Ms. Katz snapped. “And if they do, they shouldn’t.
Jane batted her lashes, mimicking Beau’s housecaptive. “Can you concretely prove it?”
Scowling, Ms. Katz leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think you need to leave, Miss Ladling.”
“Happy to.” As Jane stored her things and stood, she said, “Seems like I’ve got a new angle to investigate.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“To win, you’ve got to be a triple threat. Starved, mean and loud.”
Reggie Belfry, self-proclaimed best chef in Georgia. No, the world.
“What am I missing?” Jane muttered as she rolled out her own white board from the back room. After leaving Ms. Katz’s office, she’d bought a burner phone, hoping to get into the mastermind of a depraved killer. Now, to remind herself of all the evidence she’d collected.
Rolex lay on the couch. To protest Cartier’s absence, he’d gone on a hunger strike. This was hour three. If it lasted much longer, Jane would be forced to take drastic measures!
“Please, don’t worry, baby. I’ll win Lucy and Cartier back for us,” she vowed. “As soon as I solve this murder, they’ll be priority one.”
Her mind whirled. Emma. Hagger. Belfry. The three with the greatest motive. It had to be one or two or all. Though Jane had begun to doubt that they’d worked together. The trio had done little to protect each other. Rather, they’d done everything they could to implicate each other.