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Authors: Leighann Dobbs
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on the goings on. Maybe she’d know more about Jenny … maybe she’d seen Nathan there.
I connected the Jenny and Nathan bubbles, then moved the others around. But it didn’t help much, the only thing that I discovered was that I needed a lot more information.
I had a sneaking suspicion there was more going on here than met the eye. I wondered what the police had discovered. They would have probably talked to the neighbors already. They might have found an eyewitness who saw something going on that night at the boat. But how could I get that information? I knew Hale probably wouldn’t talk to me, but would Royce?
I sighed and leaned forward to study the mind map, trying to find a clue in the sequence of events. But they didn’t really tell me much.
Evangeline had come to me suspecting Nathan of wanting to kill her.
Nathan was having an affair and possibly pulling some shenanigans at his company.
Nathan claimed to be out of town the night Evangeline was killed.
Nathan bought two tickets to Star Island after Evangeline’s death and denied buying them.
The next day, Jenny, the domestic who Nathan was having the affair with, takes off with her things packed in a suitcase.
Mr. Caffeine gleamed suggestively in the corner. Good idea. Some caffeine might help me think better.
The green power light glowed brighter as I approached. “I hope you’re not going to ask for a latte. My powdered milk pod is empty.”
I stood on my tiptoes to peer over Mr. Caffeine so I could see the pod slots in the back of the machine. He was right, powdered milk was out. I opened the cabinet and rummaged around. No powdered milk pods.
“You’d be best to order the tea anyway. There’s hardly any calories and you can benefit from the anti-aging properties.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I scowled at the machine then wondered if my scowling was causing the permanent frown line in my forehead.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that you’re not getting any younger. I recommend green tea.”
Green tea actually did sound good. I thought about Lexy and Cassie and how well they were doing in their mid-nineties. They drank a lot of green tea. “Okay, I’ll have a green tea.”
“Excellent.”
I stuck my mug under the spout and listened to the whirring, bubbling and gurgling noises. A teabag dropped into the cup, and then steaming water sputtered out of the machine.
“There you go!” Mr. Caffeine exclaimed cheerfully, then his voice turned more serious. “Oh, dear. I seem to have spilled some water on the credenza. Sorry, but it’s hard to make beverages without leaving a trace.”
I wiped up the spill while I thought about Mr. Caffeine’s words. It was hard to do anything without leaving a trace.
One thing had been bothering me about the boat fire. How did Nathan get Evangeline on the boat and then blow it up without blowing himself up? That must have taken some planning and planning leaves a trail of evidence. No matter how clever a criminal is, there’s always at least one clue that trips him up. I was sure this case was no different. Now all I had to do was figure out what that one clue was.
Chapter Ten
B y the time I was done at the office, it was almost suppertime. No new clients came, but I developed a 'to do' list for Evangeline’s case. The first item on the list was to talk to Gerta. I had a pretty good idea that she was the type of woman that could be persuaded to talk with a few baked goods.
I headed home wondering if today would be one of the rare occasions when Artemis would actually cook supper. I was hopeful, especially remembering how he had been working on the Meal-A-Tron.
As soon as I opened my apartment door, I was met with the unfamiliar scent of lemons and sanitizer. Had Artemis been cleaning? The living room was in pristine condition. The television was turned off. Magazines piled neatly on the coffee table, even the shag rug had been raked. I put my tote bag down next to the credenza and
I connected the Jenny and Nathan bubbles, then moved the others around. But it didn’t help much, the only thing that I discovered was that I needed a lot more information.
I had a sneaking suspicion there was more going on here than met the eye. I wondered what the police had discovered. They would have probably talked to the neighbors already. They might have found an eyewitness who saw something going on that night at the boat. But how could I get that information? I knew Hale probably wouldn’t talk to me, but would Royce?
I sighed and leaned forward to study the mind map, trying to find a clue in the sequence of events. But they didn’t really tell me much.
Evangeline had come to me suspecting Nathan of wanting to kill her.
Nathan was having an affair and possibly pulling some shenanigans at his company.
Nathan claimed to be out of town the night Evangeline was killed.
Nathan bought two tickets to Star Island after Evangeline’s death and denied buying them.
The next day, Jenny, the domestic who Nathan was having the affair with, takes off with her things packed in a suitcase.
Mr. Caffeine gleamed suggestively in the corner. Good idea. Some caffeine might help me think better.
The green power light glowed brighter as I approached. “I hope you’re not going to ask for a latte. My powdered milk pod is empty.”
I stood on my tiptoes to peer over Mr. Caffeine so I could see the pod slots in the back of the machine. He was right, powdered milk was out. I opened the cabinet and rummaged around. No powdered milk pods.
“You’d be best to order the tea anyway. There’s hardly any calories and you can benefit from the anti-aging properties.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I scowled at the machine then wondered if my scowling was causing the permanent frown line in my forehead.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that you’re not getting any younger. I recommend green tea.”
Green tea actually did sound good. I thought about Lexy and Cassie and how well they were doing in their mid-nineties. They drank a lot of green tea. “Okay, I’ll have a green tea.”
“Excellent.”
I stuck my mug under the spout and listened to the whirring, bubbling and gurgling noises. A teabag dropped into the cup, and then steaming water sputtered out of the machine.
“There you go!” Mr. Caffeine exclaimed cheerfully, then his voice turned more serious. “Oh, dear. I seem to have spilled some water on the credenza. Sorry, but it’s hard to make beverages without leaving a trace.”
I wiped up the spill while I thought about Mr. Caffeine’s words. It was hard to do anything without leaving a trace.
One thing had been bothering me about the boat fire. How did Nathan get Evangeline on the boat and then blow it up without blowing himself up? That must have taken some planning and planning leaves a trail of evidence. No matter how clever a criminal is, there’s always at least one clue that trips him up. I was sure this case was no different. Now all I had to do was figure out what that one clue was.
Chapter Ten
B y the time I was done at the office, it was almost suppertime. No new clients came, but I developed a 'to do' list for Evangeline’s case. The first item on the list was to talk to Gerta. I had a pretty good idea that she was the type of woman that could be persuaded to talk with a few baked goods.
I headed home wondering if today would be one of the rare occasions when Artemis would actually cook supper. I was hopeful, especially remembering how he had been working on the Meal-A-Tron.
As soon as I opened my apartment door, I was met with the unfamiliar scent of lemons and sanitizer. Had Artemis been cleaning? The living room was in pristine condition. The television was turned off. Magazines piled neatly on the coffee table, even the shag rug had been raked. I put my tote bag down next to the credenza and
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