Mrs. Hollister is as smart and crafty as I think she is, she might call the alarm company and they’ll be able to tell her the times the alarm was turned off and on, and she’ll know for certain. But, there is also a possibility she might think a rat or a mouse, possibly even a squirrel, got into the attic and knocked over the vase. I just don’t know, Jill. But you need to know everything I know. If she goes the route of the alarm company, someone might have seen Gus Hollister sitting in the driveway last night. She’ll accuse him in a nanosecond. And he’ll have no comeback.”
Jill felt like pulling her hair out. “Okay, got it. Anything else?”
“I’ll be sending you the report on Gus Hollister. He’s clean, Jill. He’s who he says he is. He did what hundreds of guys do, got mixed up with the wrong woman, compounded that mistake, and ended up marrying the mistake. Other than that, there’s nothing there where he’s concerned to throw up any red flags. We’re still working on the grandmother and the two aunts.”
“Okay, Lynus. Thanks. I’ll be in touch.” She was just about ready to turn on her computer when Louise opened the door and whistled sharply. “Ta da! Look at this, Jill,” she said, thrusting a vase of white roses forward so Jill could get a better look. “Someone actually sent you flowers! And they smell wonderful. Bet these cost a small fortune.” She carefully set the vase on the corner of Jill’s desk and stepped back. “Well! Aren’t you going to look at the card? It’s not every day a woman gets flowers sent to her workplace. C’mon, Jill, open the card. When was the last time you got flowers, here or at home?”
“Never! No one ever sends me flowers. I got a corsage for my senior prom, but that’s it. Okay, okay, I’m opening it.” Jill’s eyes popped wide. “They’re from Gus Hollister. He signed it with his name and his dog’s name.”
Louise thought her boss looked shocked. “Now, that’s sweet. You need to have more of an open mind where your client is concerned, Jill. They’re just beautiful. Enjoy them,” Louise said, turning to leave.
Jill waited until the door was closed before she leaned over to smell the huge arrangement of roses. Was Hollister sucking up or was he genuinely sorry for his crass remark, and this was his apology? She sniffed the flowers again, and propped the little card up next to the vase. The flowers were almost in her line of vision, and she’d be able to see them all day long as she worked. Her first flowers. How amazing was that? She felt almost giddy at the thought. A man, a client actually, had taken the time to send her flowers. Later, when she wasn’t so busy, she was going to give some serious thought to the white roses. She was glad they weren’t red roses. She hated red roses.
Jill clicked on her computer, brought up Lynus’s e-mail, and looked at the attached pictures. She studied them for close to an hour before she printed them out. Then she reached for a magnifying glass and studied the printouts. Lynus was right. It looked like Elaine Hollister was into voodoo and witchcraft. She cringed when she saw the toppled vase on the altar. But the mailers and boxes were clearly visible. Initial B Enterprises. She frowned as she tried to recall if she’d ever heard of the company. Nothing came to mind. “Hmmmnn.” Jill pressed a button on the console. “Can you come in here, Louise?”
“Yeah, boss. What’s up?” Louise asked from the doorway.
“I want you to go to the main library and get me some books on voodoo and witchcraft. Try to get older books. I want everything you can get on rituals and spells. I could order them from Amazon, but that will take about a week. I’m going to search the Net, but I still want to have some books on hand.”
Louise raised her eyebrows.
“Take a look at these pictures,” Jill said.
Louise picked up the pictures and looked at them one at a time. “Oooh, this is not good. Okay, I’m on my way. Do you want me to bring back some lunch?”
“Sure, a ham and cheese on rye, and don’t forget the pickles.”
Jill was already clicking away even before Louise was out of the room.
While Jill Jackson was surfing the Internet, Gus Hollister was sitting down