Chapter 17
The memories of our previous night were still flooding my vision every time I closed my eyes the next morning. It also made it difficult to look at Dane. But I did it anyway.
Now that the sun was out again, we had to face yesterday’s problems.
“We need to go over the suspects,” I said as I accepted the iced coffee from Dane.
He must have run to the shop while I was in the shower.
“No bagel?” I’d gotten used to my morning bagel.
Dane smirked and pulled the small bag out from behind his back. “Of course.”
He handed it to me and then gave me a quick peck of a kiss on my lips. My eyes widened. So, we were going to be like that now?
I liked it.
My boss was going to kill me.
When he tried to pull away, I wrapped my arm around his neck and drew him close, deepening the kiss before I let him go.
Yeah, I definitely liked it.
“We need to find out who took the job after William’s death. I agree that’s a good path.” Dane sat beside me on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. I’m glad he got comfortable because he would not like my first suggestion.
My only suggestion.
“We could try the B&E thing again.” I tried to say it casually, so he wouldn’t freak out as much.
It didn’t work.
Dane jumped up from the couch. “What did you say?”
Did he really not hear me? I hedged my bets.
“We could try the B&E plan again?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.” Dane jerked his chin at me. “Just in case you ever wondered, this is why you’re reckless.”
“What? That’s not reckless. It’s investigation.” I took a bite of the bagel, letting the cream cheese calm my senses. Who doesn’t love an everything bagel with cream cheese?
Dane plopped back on the couch. “Give me a minute.”
I ate my bagel as he jabbed his finger over his phone screen. “We don’t have a ton of time, Dane. Whoever killed William knows we’re digging into the case.”
“It won’t take long. Spencer works fast.”
I chewed faster so I could get my question out quickly. “The guy from last night?”
“Yeah.” He typed some more.
“Dane.” I held off on my next bite. “Why didn’t you ask him originally?”
He glanced up from his phone and smirked. “I wanted to let you work your magic. That was back when I thought you had good ideas. I know better now.”
“Yeah, well, next time just give me the number for the smart guy.” I finished the top part of the bagel, wiping cream cheese from my fingers.
Dane’s phone beeped. “We’ve got her name and phone number.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, my mouth full of bagel. That took less than five minutes. I hadn’t even finished my breakfast. He let us run around this town and almost go to jail, and he could have had the information in less than a bagel? “I’m so annoyed with you.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, using the pad of his thumb to wipe a crumb from the corner of my lips. “You think I’m hot.”
I finished the bagel and crumpled up the bag. “I can think you’re hot and still find you annoying.”
* * *
“You’re sure this is it?” I asked as our Uber stopped at the curb in front of a three-story house on the south side of the city.
Dane gave the area a small whistle. “This is what Spencer said, and I always trust Spencer.”
The home was painted a bright white color with a big wraparound porch. It looked like whoever lived there probably didn’t need to work.
“The mortgage has to be expensive,” I said as we left the Uber.
Dane closed the door and stood beside me as we stared at it. “That’s probably family money.”
He knocked, and we stood beside it together. I’d prepared a few questions, but the direction of my questions depended on who opened the door.
A short, frail woman’s face greeted us. “Can I help you?”
“Are you Alma Lynn?” Dane asked.
She hesitated, staring at the bulky man beside me.
I held out my hand. “We’re writing an article about Boone Hall Plantation, and we heard you’re on the research team.”
Alma’s shoulders relaxed, and her concerned expression turned into a smile. “Yes, I have a position on the team. But I’m the newest member. Would you like the name of our lead?”
Shit, a real reporter would probably want to talk to the boss.
But we weren’t real reporters.
“No,” I said, shaking my head quickly with my lips pressed together hard. “We just have a few questions. I’d really like to get the article written up today. You know how it is on a deadline.”
Alma laughed. “We can’t have you missing a due date. I always held my students accountable when I taught.”
“Oh, you used to be a teacher before working at Boone?” I asked.
Dane stood wisely behind me and tried not to look scary. It was only fifty-fifty.
“Yes,” she said. “Can we sit outside for your questions?”
She and I both turned and stared at Dane. I should have left him at the curb.
“Of course.” I tried to smile wider. “Let me get my notebook.”
Alma calmed a little more as I pulled out my handy blue notebook and pen. She led us to a pair of rocking chairs set to the side on the porch. Dane stayed in his place.
“How long did you teach?” I asked. Every bit of information about Alma might provide clues to the case.
She rocked a little in her chair. “Thirty years.”
“Thirty years,” I didn’t have to feign my shock. “A full career and now you’re at Boone.”
That wasn’t adding up. Also not adding up, a woman who worked thirty years now killing someone to steal his job.
She laughed. “I’m seventy-one, but it’s important not to let yourself get bored. After retiring ten years ago, I volunteered at Boone.”
“As a researcher?”
“No.” She rocked harder. “A tour guide. I stepped in only after the poor man they had hired for the position passed away. They’ll probably hire someone else later this year. Maybe then I’ll finally retire.”
My face fell. Okay, that all sounded reasonable, but I hated it.
Alma’s answers didn’t line up with any of my theories.
She planned to leave the job? And how did someone in their seventies kill a man?
Alma seemed super sweet, but even I knew women could hide a killer personality.
However, she also looked like a strong breeze might blow her over.
Did she hire someone to kill William?
“But enough about me,” she said. “What questions do you have about Boone Plantation? I’ll do my best to help you.”
I thought up a few fake questions regarding the tour schedule and the gorgeous oak trees before Dane and I made our exit. We walked back rather than take an Uber. It gave me time to think.
“Next time tell Spencer to let us know if the suspect is over sixty,” I said as we crossed a street.
He grunted. “Technically, I didn’t tell him why I wanted the information. Plus, people can kill at any age, princess.”
“Yeah, but women, and older women especially, usually use poison.” Although William had a high dose of antihistamines. I still needed to Google the symptoms of that, like the reporter said. “It’s possible she hired a killer. Looks like she has the money.”
“It’s a stretch.”
A stretch? Yes. Our only lead? Also, yes.
“Spencer should see if there have been any large payments out of Alma’s bank accounts. He can do that. Right?”
“Sure can,” he answered quickly.
I pressed the up button on the elevator at our building. “You know, this would be easier if you just gave me Spencer’s number.”
Dane laughed as we walked onto the elevator. “Never.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him as we stepped off the elevator on our floor. “Shit, Dane.”
His gaze followed my finger as I pointed at the door to my old unit.
Someone had taped a light blue envelope to the door.