Read Online A Murder of Crows (A Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery #7) by K.J. Emrick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: K.J. Emrick
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who was here earlier didn’t even want to look at it.”
Jon looked at Darcy behind Brad’s back, eyebrows raised. Officer Phillips hadn’t looked at the security footage? “ He said the security camera showed Riley leaving with Marla.”
“See for yourself.” Brad pushed his chair back so Jon and Darcy could crowd in closer to the screen.
The image had been rewound to one-thirty yesterday morning. They could see multiple angles of the bar room, and Darcy pointed out Marla dancing with Riley on the dance floor. They watched them dancing, very closely, through a couple of songs. A lot closer than Darcy would have been comfortable dancing with someone she had just met, that was sure. Then suddenly Marla looked at someone off camera, and with a brush of her hand across Riley’s face she walked away.
“Riley looks upset,” Jon said. “That’s always a good motive for murder.”
“Keep watching,” Brad said.
They did. What they saw was just a glimpse of Marla leaving the bar with a man not ten minutes later. All they could see from any angle, though, was one of the man’s arms. Brad pointed to the screen where Riley went back over to the bar and sat down. Brad was there with him, clapping him on the back, laughing about how he’d almost made it with the pretty redhead.
Brad leaned in to press the fast forward button. The timestamp in the corner of the screen advanced, and the two men sat at the bar well past closing. At four in the morning, they left together.
“I took him home,” Brad explained. “ We walked. Half an hour later, I left him at his apartment steps.”
Darcy stared at the screen. “Jon, how could this be? Officer Phillips said that Riley left with Marla.”
“Maybe he misspoke,” Jon suggested. “And maybe Marla was killed after four thirty. I didn’t think to ask what the time of death was.”
“I’m telling you that Riley had nothing to do with it.” Brad’s voice had gotten angry. “Find the guy she actually left with. Find that man, and you’ll find her killer, I’d bet.”
“So how do we know,” Jon said, “that you didn’t kill her yourself? If the time of death is after four thirty, you don’t exactly have an alibi yourself, do you?”
“Are you insane?” Brad practically yelled. “Why in God’s name would I kill the woman? I didn’t even know her.”
“You know she turned your friend down,” Jon reasoned. “Maybe you saw her back here at the bar when you came back. Or when you were leaving, for that matter. Maybe there was an argument and things got out of hand?”
Brad slammed a hand down on the desk holding the computer equipment. “And maybe you should just leave my bar!”
Jon smiled in that way he had when he knew he had the upper hand with a suspect. “Well, we could always continue this down at the police station, I suppose.”
“Hold on,” Darcy interrupted. “This isn’t helping anything. I might have a way to clear him as a suspect right here and right now, Jon. It would save everyone a lot of time.”
Both men looked at her with questions in their eyes. “How?” Jon asked.
Darcy smiled. “My aunt showed me a way.”
Chapter Eight
“This is stupid,” Brad said.
Darcy and Brad sat in chairs, still in the back room of the bar, facing each other. She held his hands in hers. Jon didn’t look happy about any of this, but he stood back, watching.
“Just trust me,” Darcy said to Brad. “I know what I’m doing.”
“So, you’re what? Some kind of psychic?”
“Something like that.” She tried to remember the instructions that she had read in her aunt’s book. Breathing was key, along with physical contact like they were doing now. The other part of it was strictly an effort of reaching out with her life force, similar to what she did during a communication to contact the dead but different at the same time.
“She consults with
Jon looked at Darcy behind Brad’s back, eyebrows raised. Officer Phillips hadn’t looked at the security footage? “ He said the security camera showed Riley leaving with Marla.”
“See for yourself.” Brad pushed his chair back so Jon and Darcy could crowd in closer to the screen.
The image had been rewound to one-thirty yesterday morning. They could see multiple angles of the bar room, and Darcy pointed out Marla dancing with Riley on the dance floor. They watched them dancing, very closely, through a couple of songs. A lot closer than Darcy would have been comfortable dancing with someone she had just met, that was sure. Then suddenly Marla looked at someone off camera, and with a brush of her hand across Riley’s face she walked away.
“Riley looks upset,” Jon said. “That’s always a good motive for murder.”
“Keep watching,” Brad said.
They did. What they saw was just a glimpse of Marla leaving the bar with a man not ten minutes later. All they could see from any angle, though, was one of the man’s arms. Brad pointed to the screen where Riley went back over to the bar and sat down. Brad was there with him, clapping him on the back, laughing about how he’d almost made it with the pretty redhead.
Brad leaned in to press the fast forward button. The timestamp in the corner of the screen advanced, and the two men sat at the bar well past closing. At four in the morning, they left together.
“I took him home,” Brad explained. “ We walked. Half an hour later, I left him at his apartment steps.”
Darcy stared at the screen. “Jon, how could this be? Officer Phillips said that Riley left with Marla.”
“Maybe he misspoke,” Jon suggested. “And maybe Marla was killed after four thirty. I didn’t think to ask what the time of death was.”
“I’m telling you that Riley had nothing to do with it.” Brad’s voice had gotten angry. “Find the guy she actually left with. Find that man, and you’ll find her killer, I’d bet.”
“So how do we know,” Jon said, “that you didn’t kill her yourself? If the time of death is after four thirty, you don’t exactly have an alibi yourself, do you?”
“Are you insane?” Brad practically yelled. “Why in God’s name would I kill the woman? I didn’t even know her.”
“You know she turned your friend down,” Jon reasoned. “Maybe you saw her back here at the bar when you came back. Or when you were leaving, for that matter. Maybe there was an argument and things got out of hand?”
Brad slammed a hand down on the desk holding the computer equipment. “And maybe you should just leave my bar!”
Jon smiled in that way he had when he knew he had the upper hand with a suspect. “Well, we could always continue this down at the police station, I suppose.”
“Hold on,” Darcy interrupted. “This isn’t helping anything. I might have a way to clear him as a suspect right here and right now, Jon. It would save everyone a lot of time.”
Both men looked at her with questions in their eyes. “How?” Jon asked.
Darcy smiled. “My aunt showed me a way.”
Chapter Eight
“This is stupid,” Brad said.
Darcy and Brad sat in chairs, still in the back room of the bar, facing each other. She held his hands in hers. Jon didn’t look happy about any of this, but he stood back, watching.
“Just trust me,” Darcy said to Brad. “I know what I’m doing.”
“So, you’re what? Some kind of psychic?”
“Something like that.” She tried to remember the instructions that she had read in her aunt’s book. Breathing was key, along with physical contact like they were doing now. The other part of it was strictly an effort of reaching out with her life force, similar to what she did during a communication to contact the dead but different at the same time.
“She consults with
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