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Authors: Casey Mayes
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him to provide the missing information, but when he wasn’t forthcoming, I asked, “Are you going to tell me at some point, or do I just have to keep guessing until I stumble across Hannah’s motive on my own?”
“I honestly don’t know if I should share this with anyone, including you,” he said. “Before I say one more word, I’m going to have to get someone else’s permission.”
“Not Hannah’s, I hope.”
He shrugged without committing to an answer one way or the other. “Let’s just leave her name up there for now. If I can get the go-ahead, I’ll tell you her motive later.”
I scowled at him. “How am I supposed to figure out if she killed Joanne or not if I don’t know what her motive could be?”
Rob said softly, “Easy there, Savannah. I realize that you’re under a lot of strain at the moment, but we don’t need the motive for now; not if she’s lacking the opportunity.”
It was time to give up that particular line of reasoning, since it wasn’t likely that I would get anything more out of Rob about Hannah.
I stared at the list, and then asked him, “Is that it?”
“Off the top of my head, I’d say yes. I have to do a little digging, so I’m not ready to say that the list is finished by any stretch of the imagination.”
“There’s one other name that’s not up there,” I said somberly.
“I know you didn’t kill her,” Rob said, the closest his voice had ever gotten to angry in my presence before.
“It’s not my name I’m talking about,” I said.
“Then I’m waiting to be enlightened.”
“I’ll tell you, but you might not believe me.”
He handed me the chalk as he said, “I don’t need to believe you; at least not yet. Just knowing that it’s possible is enough for me for the moment.”
I took the piece of chalk from him and wrote down a name.
He looked at it, and then stared at me. “Is that some kind of joke, Savannah?”
“No, I actually think it’s possible,” I answered.
“Explain yourself,” he said. “There were a great many things Joanne Clayton was capable of doing, but I wouldn’t think poisoning herself was one of them. She wasn’t the suicide type.”
“I T’S POSSIBLE,” I SAID AS I PUT THE chalk back on the desk after writing the murder victim’s name on the board. “She had access to her tea when she was by herself. I haven’t heard what she was poisoned with, but it could be something she was able to get ahold of.”
“That doesn’t mean she killed herself,” Rob said.
“No, but when we were together at the café, Joanne knocked my bag over and spilled everything onto the ground. I thought it was odd at the time that she didn’t help me pick anything up, especially since she was the one who’d made the mess in the first place, but when I sat back up, I noticed my tea cup was askew.”
“Are you implying that she was trying to poison you, and mixed up the cups by accident? That’s a little far-fetched, wouldn’t you say?”
“Rob,” I said, “I can’t think of a reason in the world she would want to kill me.”
“Is that true? Are you saying that there was no motive for her to get rid of you?”
I thought about the puzzle Joanne had published, and the unlikely idea that she’d tried to eliminate her competition, but I found it too ludicrous to voice. “I’m just saying she could have nudged it when she was poisoning her own tea.”
He shook his head. “It’s entirely more likely that she’d poison the three of you for spite before she’d ever dream of killing herself.”
“Fine. I just thought I’d throw it out there.”
I started to erase her name when he said, “Hold on. There’s no reason to be rash about it. I’ll ask around about that, too.”
“You can’t do everything by yourself,” I said. “This is my investigation, and I’m not about to sit back and let you do all of the work.”
“Funny, I thought the police were running an inquiry of their own,” he said, a twinkle
“I honestly don’t know if I should share this with anyone, including you,” he said. “Before I say one more word, I’m going to have to get someone else’s permission.”
“Not Hannah’s, I hope.”
He shrugged without committing to an answer one way or the other. “Let’s just leave her name up there for now. If I can get the go-ahead, I’ll tell you her motive later.”
I scowled at him. “How am I supposed to figure out if she killed Joanne or not if I don’t know what her motive could be?”
Rob said softly, “Easy there, Savannah. I realize that you’re under a lot of strain at the moment, but we don’t need the motive for now; not if she’s lacking the opportunity.”
It was time to give up that particular line of reasoning, since it wasn’t likely that I would get anything more out of Rob about Hannah.
I stared at the list, and then asked him, “Is that it?”
“Off the top of my head, I’d say yes. I have to do a little digging, so I’m not ready to say that the list is finished by any stretch of the imagination.”
“There’s one other name that’s not up there,” I said somberly.
“I know you didn’t kill her,” Rob said, the closest his voice had ever gotten to angry in my presence before.
“It’s not my name I’m talking about,” I said.
“Then I’m waiting to be enlightened.”
“I’ll tell you, but you might not believe me.”
He handed me the chalk as he said, “I don’t need to believe you; at least not yet. Just knowing that it’s possible is enough for me for the moment.”
I took the piece of chalk from him and wrote down a name.
He looked at it, and then stared at me. “Is that some kind of joke, Savannah?”
“No, I actually think it’s possible,” I answered.
“Explain yourself,” he said. “There were a great many things Joanne Clayton was capable of doing, but I wouldn’t think poisoning herself was one of them. She wasn’t the suicide type.”
“I T’S POSSIBLE,” I SAID AS I PUT THE chalk back on the desk after writing the murder victim’s name on the board. “She had access to her tea when she was by herself. I haven’t heard what she was poisoned with, but it could be something she was able to get ahold of.”
“That doesn’t mean she killed herself,” Rob said.
“No, but when we were together at the café, Joanne knocked my bag over and spilled everything onto the ground. I thought it was odd at the time that she didn’t help me pick anything up, especially since she was the one who’d made the mess in the first place, but when I sat back up, I noticed my tea cup was askew.”
“Are you implying that she was trying to poison you, and mixed up the cups by accident? That’s a little far-fetched, wouldn’t you say?”
“Rob,” I said, “I can’t think of a reason in the world she would want to kill me.”
“Is that true? Are you saying that there was no motive for her to get rid of you?”
I thought about the puzzle Joanne had published, and the unlikely idea that she’d tried to eliminate her competition, but I found it too ludicrous to voice. “I’m just saying she could have nudged it when she was poisoning her own tea.”
He shook his head. “It’s entirely more likely that she’d poison the three of you for spite before she’d ever dream of killing herself.”
“Fine. I just thought I’d throw it out there.”
I started to erase her name when he said, “Hold on. There’s no reason to be rash about it. I’ll ask around about that, too.”
“You can’t do everything by yourself,” I said. “This is my investigation, and I’m not about to sit back and let you do all of the work.”
“Funny, I thought the police were running an inquiry of their own,” he said, a twinkle
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