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Authors: Debra Burroughs
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called out as she opened the red front door. Chattering voices and laughter spilled out from the kitchen at the back of the house.
“Back here!” she heard Maggie call out.
Carrying her bag of buttermilk biscuits in one hand and a pecan pie in the other, she stepped into the doorway of the kitchen. “Hello, everyone. Sorry I’m late.”
Maggie rushed over to her and unburdened her arms. “Gettin’ to be a habit, Em.”
Camille gave her a hug. “We weren’t sure you were going to make it. Isabel said you and Colin were working on a big case.”
Emily looked over at Isabel, unwrapping her pan of delicious-looking macaroni and cheese with bacon that she had set on the counter. “Don’t worry,” Isabel said, tossing her a glance, “I didn’t give any details.”
“No, she wouldn’t say a thing,” Maggie moaned. “Can’t you give us the teensiest hint, Em?”
“I don’t know how much I can say. Before I left, Colin warned me it’s an on-going investigation.” Emily was especially concerned that, if Maggie was somehow involved, giving away too many details could land herself in a lot of hot water…and not just with Colin.
However, she had already discussed with Camille the fact that Elise was missing when she questioned her that morning, and knowing Camille’s appetite for gossip, it was likely that Maggie already knew as much as Camille did.
“Is it about Elise having gone missing?” Camille asked. “‘Cause there’s been nothing on the news about it.”
“Elise is missin’?” Maggie gasped.
Emily’s gaze met Isabel’s. “Unfortunately, she is.”
Apparently Emily was wrong about Camille this time, but now the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
“Since when?” Maggie asked.
“Sometime yesterday,” Emily admitted.
“I did a workout with her after the weddin’ appointment. She seemed fine.”
“At your studio?” Emily asked.
“No, at her house. You think that’s where she was taken from?”
“It looks that way.”
That put Maggie at the Murphy home with an innocent enough reason, but how did Maggie’s blood get on the area rug and in the trash? And why was Elise wearing the same clothes in the bank’s video that she’d had on at the wedding appointment if she had done a workout in between? Maybe this wasn’t the best time to ask Maggie those questions, but they would have to be asked—and answered—soon.
“What about you, Maggs?” Emily asked casually. “Everything okay with you?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Maggie said, her brow wrinkling quizzically.
“I mean with you and Elise. Any disagreements or misunderstandings with her?”
Maggie’s frown grew more intense. “Are you askin’ if I had anything to do with her disappearance?”
“You just admitted you were at her house around the time she went missing.”
“Oh, Emily,” Camille broke in. “You can’t be serious.”
Emily’s gaze remained on Maggie. Yes, her friend was sweet and kind, but she was also in terrific physical shape, and Emily and Isabel had trained her well in self-defense. If Maggie wanted to restrain Elise and force her to do something, she was fully capable of doing it, especially if she had help—namely Jake Mitchell.
She didn’t want to believe her friend would have anything to do with Elise’s disappearance, but the timeline fit and then there was her blood. Maybe Maggie was the one drinking the other glass of wine. Could she have slipped a drug into Elise’s glass to make her more compliant? Had there been enough residue in the glass for Nelly to test for anything unusual?
“I’m just trying to find out what happened to Elise. If you know anything, now would be a good time to tell me.”
“Well, I don’t know anything, Miss Emily Parker.” Maggie’s hands were now firmly planted on her hips. “And frankly, I’m offended you would even ask.”
The fact that Maggie called Emily by her full name was her roundabout way of telling Emily she was
“Back here!” she heard Maggie call out.
Carrying her bag of buttermilk biscuits in one hand and a pecan pie in the other, she stepped into the doorway of the kitchen. “Hello, everyone. Sorry I’m late.”
Maggie rushed over to her and unburdened her arms. “Gettin’ to be a habit, Em.”
Camille gave her a hug. “We weren’t sure you were going to make it. Isabel said you and Colin were working on a big case.”
Emily looked over at Isabel, unwrapping her pan of delicious-looking macaroni and cheese with bacon that she had set on the counter. “Don’t worry,” Isabel said, tossing her a glance, “I didn’t give any details.”
“No, she wouldn’t say a thing,” Maggie moaned. “Can’t you give us the teensiest hint, Em?”
“I don’t know how much I can say. Before I left, Colin warned me it’s an on-going investigation.” Emily was especially concerned that, if Maggie was somehow involved, giving away too many details could land herself in a lot of hot water…and not just with Colin.
However, she had already discussed with Camille the fact that Elise was missing when she questioned her that morning, and knowing Camille’s appetite for gossip, it was likely that Maggie already knew as much as Camille did.
“Is it about Elise having gone missing?” Camille asked. “‘Cause there’s been nothing on the news about it.”
“Elise is missin’?” Maggie gasped.
Emily’s gaze met Isabel’s. “Unfortunately, she is.”
Apparently Emily was wrong about Camille this time, but now the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
“Since when?” Maggie asked.
“Sometime yesterday,” Emily admitted.
“I did a workout with her after the weddin’ appointment. She seemed fine.”
“At your studio?” Emily asked.
“No, at her house. You think that’s where she was taken from?”
“It looks that way.”
That put Maggie at the Murphy home with an innocent enough reason, but how did Maggie’s blood get on the area rug and in the trash? And why was Elise wearing the same clothes in the bank’s video that she’d had on at the wedding appointment if she had done a workout in between? Maybe this wasn’t the best time to ask Maggie those questions, but they would have to be asked—and answered—soon.
“What about you, Maggs?” Emily asked casually. “Everything okay with you?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Maggie said, her brow wrinkling quizzically.
“I mean with you and Elise. Any disagreements or misunderstandings with her?”
Maggie’s frown grew more intense. “Are you askin’ if I had anything to do with her disappearance?”
“You just admitted you were at her house around the time she went missing.”
“Oh, Emily,” Camille broke in. “You can’t be serious.”
Emily’s gaze remained on Maggie. Yes, her friend was sweet and kind, but she was also in terrific physical shape, and Emily and Isabel had trained her well in self-defense. If Maggie wanted to restrain Elise and force her to do something, she was fully capable of doing it, especially if she had help—namely Jake Mitchell.
She didn’t want to believe her friend would have anything to do with Elise’s disappearance, but the timeline fit and then there was her blood. Maybe Maggie was the one drinking the other glass of wine. Could she have slipped a drug into Elise’s glass to make her more compliant? Had there been enough residue in the glass for Nelly to test for anything unusual?
“I’m just trying to find out what happened to Elise. If you know anything, now would be a good time to tell me.”
“Well, I don’t know anything, Miss Emily Parker.” Maggie’s hands were now firmly planted on her hips. “And frankly, I’m offended you would even ask.”
The fact that Maggie called Emily by her full name was her roundabout way of telling Emily she was
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