Read Online Major Crimes by Michele Lynn Seigfried - Free Book Online

the time Drew appeared from his office, it was five of twelve.
    “Oh, hi, Chelsey, Bryce.” He shook our hands. “I only have about five minutes. I have a lunch appointment that I can’t miss. What brings you all the way here to Garfield?”
    I was about to speak, but Bryce beat me to it. “The night we went out for Archie’s retirement party—at Savoy’s, did you see anything peculiar?”
    “No, why? What happened?”
    Drew was at Savoy’s, was a friend of Archie’s, and he didn’t know what happened to him? “Have you heard that Archie died?”
    “Of course I heard he died. I have to send something to his wife. I’ve been so swamped here at work. I really didn’t pay much attention to what happened.”
    “Don’t you watch the news?” I raised an eyebrow.
    “Yes, Chelsey, I watch the news when I have time. It’s a little crazy here.”
    Bryce jumped back into the conversation. “Long story short, Archie was murdered and probably drugged. Did you see anyone strange near our drinks?”
    “No.”
    “What time did you leave?”
    “I don’t recall, exactly.”
    “Where did you go after you left?”
    “To a base…wait, are you accusing me of something?”
    “No, I just…”
    “I don’t have time for this. Good day to you both.” Drew stormed off.
    I turned and looked at Bryce. “That went well.”
    Bryce frowned. “Something’s up with him.”
    “That’s for sure. How could he not know about Archie? Was he playing dumb? Do you think he was lying?”
    “He was defensive, so he’s hiding something.”
    “Maybe he did hear the news, knows you’re a wanted man, and got nervous?”
    “If that’s the case, we’d better get out of here. The Garfield police could be here in seconds.”
    Bryce and I made our way out of Garfield City Hall and hopped back into my car. He drove off in search of a place to grab lunch. We found a diner a few towns away.
    Bryce parked in their had-seen-better-days parking lot, and we trekked up the starting-to-crumble staircase. I hoped the food was fresh because the establishment was not.
    “Are you sure you don’t want to find a better place to eat?” I feared walking away with Salmonella or worse.
    “This will do. We’ll eat fast and get back.”
    Inside, a sign told us to seat ourselves. We picked a booth in a far corner, so Bryce was less noticeable. His usually cool and calm demeanor was noticeably changing. Anxiety was beginning to take a toll on Bryce.
    I reached over the table and put my hand on top of his. My gaze met his. “We’ll find who killed Archie.”
    Bryce nodded and squeezed my hand. He didn’t seem reassured by my words. I wished I could magically make his problems vanish, but I didn’t know how. I wished I was able to provide the comfort to him that he provided me earlier.
    “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Freddy?”
    The waitress came over to take our order. Bryce asked for a cheeseburger and I ordered a salad. When the waitress left, I asked my question again.
    “No. He was a former cop. I’m not sure I trust him.”
    “If you hire him, I’m sure he won’t turn down the work. He’s an honest guy. He is very hardheaded, but in good way. I mean, he isn’t going to just believe what everyone else says. He forms his own opinions.”
    Bryce didn’t answer, which led me to believe he was thinking about it. I didn’t see how we could investigate the myriad of suspects ourselves. We needed help. I had a few in mind that were the most likely candidates—Drew, Solar, and Tina, but what if it wasn’t one of them? How would we narrow down the ever-growing list? I know Bonnie told me to cross Tina off my list, but a real investigator would confirm Tina’s whereabouts the night Archie was killed, just to be sure.
    Then there was the wives’ club. Archie’s first, second, and third wives: Martha, Jennifer, and Pamela. They were also high on my list of suspects. And there was also Archie’s new job to explore. Maybe someone