Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Conrad tensed as the attorney issued another protest. Again Mason proceeded anyway.
“I’ll bring it by later today.”
Yes! A true win!
“I appreciate that,” Conrad said, relaxing. “Let’s talk about your heart medication. Did Abigail have access to your prescriptions?”
Mason worked his jaw. “Is that how she did it? Trying to blame me? Yeah, she had access. We shared a bathroom, and my pills are kept in an unlocked medicine cabinet.”
The lawyer took over from there, and this time, Mason allowed it. No other questions were answered.
“What do you think?” Jane asked after the ex and his council exited.
“I don’t think he’s our guy,” Conrad replied and scrubbed a palm over his face. “His pride is bruised. He’s angry, but he’s willing to go against the advice of his attorney for the slightest chance Abigail is guilty. Meaning, he isn’t sure, just hopeful.”
“I concur.” Yeah, Jane no longer believed Mason was the culprit. His perplexity over the heart medication struck her as genuine. And he didn’t seem the cat-and-mouse game type. More like the kind of person who preferred his enemy to remain alive; you couldn’t hurt them if they were dead.
“You ready for our next interview?” Conrad checked his phone. “Waynes-Kirkland is locked and loaded in room two.”
Dang. Working for the police department certainly had its perks. No chasing down people for interviews–they came to you. “I am beyond ready.”
He stood, pulled out her seat, and escorted Jane into the room next door, where Abigail sat alone. Opted not to spend money on counsel? Of course the woman had been in her fair share of scrapes with the law, having her first arrest at the age of eighteen for vandalizing storefronts. But Abigail knew how to put on an air of respectability, that was for sure. Today she wore a silk blouse with a demure bow at the throat, a long black skirt and fashionable stiletto boots. Her dark hair was slicked back and her gaze untroubled. Guess who wasn’t wearing her engagement ring?
“She can’t be in here,” Abigail burst out, pointing an accusing finger at Jane. Did fear spark in her eyes, her ease fading? “She’s the killer, and she’s attempting to frame me!”
“Me?” Jane demanded, thumping her chest to be certain she’d heard correctly. “Are you implying I hit myself on the back of the head to cover up a murder, then poisoned my own fiancé?”
The other woman smirked, though, yes, there was definitely fear in her dark eyes. “If the horns and hooves fit.”
A muscle jumped in Conrad’s jaw as he helped Jane ease into her chair then claimed the seat beside her. “Jane is a consultant on the case with a rock-solid alibi for both murders.”
Jane jutted her chin. “What he’s saying is, if you’ve ever seen a TV show or movie featuring an expert crime solver with an extraordinary talent utilized by law enforcement, well, that’s basically my story. I’m even getting paid.”
The socialite ran her tongue over her straight white teeth. “If you’re an expert, I’m the Treasurer of Intergalactic dating. I didn’t kill Hannah, and I didn’t kill Jacob. I was at the grocery store. Ask Christopher! He was there with a few other firefighters. I saw them, and they saw me.”
“Maybe Jacob committed the murder at your urging while you gave yourself the perfect alibi,” Jane suggested.
Abigail pointed at her again, saying to Conrad, “I don’t care what Cemetery Girl thinks or what that old sourpuss Mason said. He hated Hannah and vowed to destroy Jacob. He probably killed them both and now hopes to blame me. His heart is as withered as his bank account.”
Conrad let her spout her venom without comment, no doubt making note of every tidbit she uttered. “Tell us about your relationship with Jacob Thacker. And please don’t insult my intelligence by saying you barely knew him.”
The other woman deflated a bit. Her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. An act of sorrow or genuine? “He adored me, and I adored him. I would never hurt him. But I couldn’t be with him, either. He was deeply in debt, so there was no way I could link my life to his on a permanent basis.”
Ding, ding, ding. Debt?
“You were spotted entering Mr. Thacker’s home late last night,” Conrad said.
Whoa. Abigail was with Jacob just before he died? And who was the witness?
The other woman gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “Who told you that? Mason? You can’t believe anything he says. He’s a liar. He told me his home was my home, then kicked me out at the first sign of trouble.” Bitterness seeped into her tone.
“It wasn’t Mr. Thorton,” Conrad replied.
Oooh. So who was it? Neighbors Christopher and/or Maggie? Was Maggie ready to snitch on her friend? Perhaps they’d worked together to kill Hannah so Maggie could inherit the Treasure Room sooner, but Abigail had rid herself of Jacob on her own because he’d learned her worst secrets and planned to turn her in. Now, Maggie sought revenge for her cousin.