Read Online Murder at Castle Rock by Anne Marie Stoddard - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Marie Stoddard
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him under the bus was way more respectable than taking me down with him. I felt a little guilty for placing the blame on Dixon. Regardless of who was to blame, I wasn't going to let them shut down Castle Rock without a fight.
The Sergeant narrowed his eyes first at me then at Detective Dixon. He sighed and threw his hands in the air in resignation. "Alright, fine. Amelia, you're off the hook for now, but it would be unwise to repeat anything you may have heard. This is still an open investigation. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." I forced back my temper and gave him a pleading look. "Sir, with all due respect, Castle Rock can't close down now. I'm sure Bronwyn's told you that it's a really big week for us—Bobby Glitter Week. We have two more sold-out shows scheduled, and they're shooting Glitter's tour video here, too. There's no room to postpone the shows, and refunding thousands of tickets could put us under." Growing misty-eyed, I added, "Parker's gone, and this place is his legacy. Please don't take it away from us."
Sinclair grimaced. "I'm afraid I have to." He shook his head sadly. "We need the entire second floor and the tower to remain undisturbed until our forensics team wraps up their investigation. At the very least it will be forty-eight hours or so before I can let you all back up there."
Forty-eight hours? I glanced at my watch and quickly did the math. It was now two in the morning on Tuesday. Bobby's next set was scheduled for Wednesday evening at nine o'clock, but he and the band would need to do another sound check at five, and doors would open at seven…that just wasn't enough time. I opened my mouth to protest but was cut off by a cry from down the hall.
"Ugh! Dad, come on ! You can't shut us down!" came a whiny plea from around the corner. The three of us whirled around—thankfully with no guns raised this time—to see a small face framed by short pink hair peeping at us from around the corner. Uh oh.
"Bronwyn Rebecca Sinclair!" the sergeant bellowed. "Get your ass over here now!" Bron shrank back around the corner with a frightened squeak as her father continued to yell. "Just what do you think you're doing, young lady? This is official police business!" The officer from Kat's office peeked out into the hallway again and raised a curious eyebrow. Sinclair shot him a withering look before throwing his hands up again, exasperated. "Is there no place in this building to have a private conversation?"
I cleared my throat and gestured to my office. Sinclair followed my gaze. His jaw clenched. "Dixon, excuse us a moment while I have a word with Miss Grace and my daughter," the sergeant ordered gruffly. Dixon reluctantly moved aside, and I followed the sarge into my office, with Bronwyn scrambling after us. Sinclair gave his detective a pointed look as he made a show of slamming the door to ensure that it was closed. I could see Dixon's face redden through my office window. He'd certainly never make that mistake again.
"I am gonna be so grounded," Bronwyn lamented under her breath. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she said in what I called her "cotton candy voice." It was light, airy, and sweet. I suspected she'd used it often to get out of trouble with her old man. "Officer Thomas told me I was free to go, and I was just coming to find you to take me home. I only heard that last part about shutting down Castle Rock, I swear!" She looked up at her father and innocently batted her lashes.
"You just can't shut down Castle Rock, this week, Daddy," she pleaded with that sugary tone. "If this puts the venue under and we have to close permanently, I'll be out of a job. Then I won't be able to afford college, my car payments, or my phone bill. You'll either never get me out of the house or I'll have to get a job on the streets just to make ends meet," she wailed dramatically. "Then I might end up in prison, or a strip club, or dead in that ditch that Mom's always talking about…you see where I'm going with this,
The Sergeant narrowed his eyes first at me then at Detective Dixon. He sighed and threw his hands in the air in resignation. "Alright, fine. Amelia, you're off the hook for now, but it would be unwise to repeat anything you may have heard. This is still an open investigation. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." I forced back my temper and gave him a pleading look. "Sir, with all due respect, Castle Rock can't close down now. I'm sure Bronwyn's told you that it's a really big week for us—Bobby Glitter Week. We have two more sold-out shows scheduled, and they're shooting Glitter's tour video here, too. There's no room to postpone the shows, and refunding thousands of tickets could put us under." Growing misty-eyed, I added, "Parker's gone, and this place is his legacy. Please don't take it away from us."
Sinclair grimaced. "I'm afraid I have to." He shook his head sadly. "We need the entire second floor and the tower to remain undisturbed until our forensics team wraps up their investigation. At the very least it will be forty-eight hours or so before I can let you all back up there."
Forty-eight hours? I glanced at my watch and quickly did the math. It was now two in the morning on Tuesday. Bobby's next set was scheduled for Wednesday evening at nine o'clock, but he and the band would need to do another sound check at five, and doors would open at seven…that just wasn't enough time. I opened my mouth to protest but was cut off by a cry from down the hall.
"Ugh! Dad, come on ! You can't shut us down!" came a whiny plea from around the corner. The three of us whirled around—thankfully with no guns raised this time—to see a small face framed by short pink hair peeping at us from around the corner. Uh oh.
"Bronwyn Rebecca Sinclair!" the sergeant bellowed. "Get your ass over here now!" Bron shrank back around the corner with a frightened squeak as her father continued to yell. "Just what do you think you're doing, young lady? This is official police business!" The officer from Kat's office peeked out into the hallway again and raised a curious eyebrow. Sinclair shot him a withering look before throwing his hands up again, exasperated. "Is there no place in this building to have a private conversation?"
I cleared my throat and gestured to my office. Sinclair followed my gaze. His jaw clenched. "Dixon, excuse us a moment while I have a word with Miss Grace and my daughter," the sergeant ordered gruffly. Dixon reluctantly moved aside, and I followed the sarge into my office, with Bronwyn scrambling after us. Sinclair gave his detective a pointed look as he made a show of slamming the door to ensure that it was closed. I could see Dixon's face redden through my office window. He'd certainly never make that mistake again.
"I am gonna be so grounded," Bronwyn lamented under her breath. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she said in what I called her "cotton candy voice." It was light, airy, and sweet. I suspected she'd used it often to get out of trouble with her old man. "Officer Thomas told me I was free to go, and I was just coming to find you to take me home. I only heard that last part about shutting down Castle Rock, I swear!" She looked up at her father and innocently batted her lashes.
"You just can't shut down Castle Rock, this week, Daddy," she pleaded with that sugary tone. "If this puts the venue under and we have to close permanently, I'll be out of a job. Then I won't be able to afford college, my car payments, or my phone bill. You'll either never get me out of the house or I'll have to get a job on the streets just to make ends meet," she wailed dramatically. "Then I might end up in prison, or a strip club, or dead in that ditch that Mom's always talking about…you see where I'm going with this,
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