Read Online Rip Tide (A Ripple Effect Cozy Mystery, Book 2) by Jeanne Glidewell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jeanne Glidewell
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percent of that category, which are murders perpetrated by acquaintances. Incidentally, men are responsible for over ninety percent of the murders committed in the United States."
I could see that Rip was veering off into a litany of statistics about victims and killers, and I wanted to redirect him back to the subject at hand. "Speaking of cutting to the chase, dear, could you please practice what you preach?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Rip replied. "As I was saying, Branson spoke to Cooper's live-in girlfriend this morning and—"
"Avery Curry?" Milo asked. "Tall, willowy blonde?"
"Did Cooper have more than one live-in girlfriend?" Rip asked pointedly. Milo looked down as if he'd been chastised.
"My point is, there's no way you could not have landed a spot on the suspect list," Rip continued. "Especially given the fact there were witnesses who put you at Crabby Joe's Saloon on Saturday afternoon. That list of witnesses includes over a dozen saloon customers, as well as Avery Curry, who claims to have accompanied Cooper to the bar and grill on Saturday, and was present when you entered the establishment."
Milo's entire body went rigid, his face drained of color. Reggie stepped in to defend her husband. "Milo had been working hard all morning and went to grab lunch at one of his and Cooper's favorite hangouts. Not surprising that they ran into each other, is it? What does that prove?" Reggie was indignant. "How can having lunch with a guy make you a prime suspect for his death later on in the day?"
Rip turned toward Milo and asked, "Would you like to tell her, or should I?"
By the tone of the seasoned law officer's voice, it was clear the latter choice would not bode well for the younger man. Milo looked down at his lap and said, "It's not quite that simple, Regina. I didn't exactly 'have lunch' with Cooper on Saturday. And you see, babe, unfortunately it might prove difficult to come up with an alibi for that afternoon."
Reggie was gawking at her husband of less than six months like he had morphed into the Pillsbury dough boy. I could tell she was in utter shock. She shook her head and directed her comments to Milo, whose face flushed as he squirmed around in his seat. "What? That's impossible! You were at the house on Cactus Street in Fulton working with the electrician and flooring crew from eight in the morning until six or so that evening. I remember you saying you couldn't believe you got them all to work on a Saturday. Surely you can account for every hour that day, and the subcontractors can vouch for your whereabouts, too, if necessary."
"Um, well. Um, you see, dear, I, I, um..." Milo stammered, looking flustered as he tried to come up with the best way to explain his whereabouts on the day in question.
"Yes?" Reggie was on the edge of her seat, staring at Milo intensely. Truthfully, I was on the edge of the couch also, anxious to hear his response.
"Okay, here's what happened. I'm sorry, Reg. I guess I just forgot to tell you. I went to the job site in the morning and got all the subcontractors lined out for the day. At around eleven, I decided to go to Crabby Joe's to grab a bite to eat and ran into Cooper. A couple days earlier he'd told me he couldn't supervise the remodeling project at the Church Street four-plex on Saturday because he'd be visiting a sick uncle in San Antonio all weekend. I'd met his Uncle Charlie and knew he was fighting pancreatic cancer, so I completely understood Coop's desire to spend some time with him. I'd been planning to cover for him by stopping by that job site after lunch. It was no big deal that Coop didn't actually go to San Antonio, but it irritated me that he lied about it." Milo stopped talking, his gaze fixed on his folded hands resting on his lap. "Gosh, if he'd only just been upfront with me—"
"Okay. So, I don't understand, Dad. Why would it matter that witnesses put him at the bar and grill Saturday?" Reggie asked, after placing her right hand on her distraught
I could see that Rip was veering off into a litany of statistics about victims and killers, and I wanted to redirect him back to the subject at hand. "Speaking of cutting to the chase, dear, could you please practice what you preach?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Rip replied. "As I was saying, Branson spoke to Cooper's live-in girlfriend this morning and—"
"Avery Curry?" Milo asked. "Tall, willowy blonde?"
"Did Cooper have more than one live-in girlfriend?" Rip asked pointedly. Milo looked down as if he'd been chastised.
"My point is, there's no way you could not have landed a spot on the suspect list," Rip continued. "Especially given the fact there were witnesses who put you at Crabby Joe's Saloon on Saturday afternoon. That list of witnesses includes over a dozen saloon customers, as well as Avery Curry, who claims to have accompanied Cooper to the bar and grill on Saturday, and was present when you entered the establishment."
Milo's entire body went rigid, his face drained of color. Reggie stepped in to defend her husband. "Milo had been working hard all morning and went to grab lunch at one of his and Cooper's favorite hangouts. Not surprising that they ran into each other, is it? What does that prove?" Reggie was indignant. "How can having lunch with a guy make you a prime suspect for his death later on in the day?"
Rip turned toward Milo and asked, "Would you like to tell her, or should I?"
By the tone of the seasoned law officer's voice, it was clear the latter choice would not bode well for the younger man. Milo looked down at his lap and said, "It's not quite that simple, Regina. I didn't exactly 'have lunch' with Cooper on Saturday. And you see, babe, unfortunately it might prove difficult to come up with an alibi for that afternoon."
Reggie was gawking at her husband of less than six months like he had morphed into the Pillsbury dough boy. I could tell she was in utter shock. She shook her head and directed her comments to Milo, whose face flushed as he squirmed around in his seat. "What? That's impossible! You were at the house on Cactus Street in Fulton working with the electrician and flooring crew from eight in the morning until six or so that evening. I remember you saying you couldn't believe you got them all to work on a Saturday. Surely you can account for every hour that day, and the subcontractors can vouch for your whereabouts, too, if necessary."
"Um, well. Um, you see, dear, I, I, um..." Milo stammered, looking flustered as he tried to come up with the best way to explain his whereabouts on the day in question.
"Yes?" Reggie was on the edge of her seat, staring at Milo intensely. Truthfully, I was on the edge of the couch also, anxious to hear his response.
"Okay, here's what happened. I'm sorry, Reg. I guess I just forgot to tell you. I went to the job site in the morning and got all the subcontractors lined out for the day. At around eleven, I decided to go to Crabby Joe's to grab a bite to eat and ran into Cooper. A couple days earlier he'd told me he couldn't supervise the remodeling project at the Church Street four-plex on Saturday because he'd be visiting a sick uncle in San Antonio all weekend. I'd met his Uncle Charlie and knew he was fighting pancreatic cancer, so I completely understood Coop's desire to spend some time with him. I'd been planning to cover for him by stopping by that job site after lunch. It was no big deal that Coop didn't actually go to San Antonio, but it irritated me that he lied about it." Milo stopped talking, his gaze fixed on his folded hands resting on his lap. "Gosh, if he'd only just been upfront with me—"
"Okay. So, I don't understand, Dad. Why would it matter that witnesses put him at the bar and grill Saturday?" Reggie asked, after placing her right hand on her distraught
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