Bree sighed. “OK. Call a press conference for this afternoon. I’ll give an update on the case and take questions.” She ended the call.
“Don’t look so annoyed,” Matt said.
“You know press conferences are one of my least favorite activities.”
“Look on the bright side. We have two new suspects to investigate.”
But Bree had been hoping this case would wrap up quickly. Instead, it was getting more complicated.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Matt settled at one of the deputy cubicles and spent the next few hours typing reports, summarizing interviews, and doing basic research on their suspects. Todd requested subpoenas and phone and financial records, while Bree was tied up with the press conference and paperwork. The regular duties of being a sheriff didn’t go away because of a fresh homicide case. Todd and Matt reviewed reports as they came in. Shannon Phelps called to report her alarm company had sent a tech to her house, and he was currently making the changes Matt had suggested to her security system, along with a few additional upgrades.
It was four o’clock before Bree met Matt and Todd in the conference room. Matt brought his folders and laptop with him.
Bree sat at the head of the table and stretched. “Where are we?”
Todd closed the door behind him and dropped into a chair.
Matt started. “I have the background report on Paul Beckett. No criminal record, just a bunch of speeding tickets he’s accumulated over the past year.” He turned to the page on Beckett Construction. “His construction company was started by his father over thirty years ago. Paul has been working there since the beginning. He became president eight years ago after his father had a massive fatal heart attack at a jobsite.” Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. A headache had formed behind it. “We’re still waiting on his financial statements.”
“Anything on Holly’s laptop?” Bree asked.
Todd shook his head. “The tech at the lab is working on it now.” He opened his own laptop. “I checked out Deb Munchin. No criminal record, but she was arrested for stalking and harassing a coworker at a dollar store two years ago.”
Matt perked up. That sounded promising. “Did the arrest report contain any specifics?”
Todd nodded. “A female coworker claimed Deb followed her home from work and sat outside her apartment, watching her.”
“Creepy.” Bree made a note. “And Deb admitted to doing just that with Holly.”
“Yeah,” Todd agreed. “But the charges were dropped when Deb agreed to leave her alone. She quit the job, and there were no more complaints. So, I assume she complied.”
“Still.” Bree drummed her fingers on the table. “Stalking is a very personal crime.”
“Like choking,” Matt added. “And we already know that Deb had a thing for Holly.”
“And Deb admitted to following Holly to Paul’s house. Jealousy is a potential motivation for the murder.” Bree straightened. “Let’s dig deeper into Deb’s background and contact the victim for more information.”
Todd typed on his keyboard. “Background information on Billy Zinke shows no criminal record. I found nothing on him more serious than a few parking tickets.”
Bree looked thoughtful. “Can we think of other ways to poke holes in Owen’s alibi? He’s not at the top of my list right now, but I don’t want to leave clues unturned.”
“I could go to the Grey Fox to talk to the regulars,” Todd suggested. “If Owen is a regular, then people might remember him being there last Friday night.”
Bree nodded. “Not a bad idea. Go in plain clothes. Take Collins with you. Female patrons will feel more comfortable talking to a woman.”
“Yes, ma’am. What about Shannon?” Todd asked. “Is she still a suspect?”
Bree nodded. “Yes. It’s too early to rule anyone completely out. On one hand, she doesn’t have an alibi, and she has motivation to kill Holly. On the other, she will suffer financially because Holly is no longer around to share the cost of their mother’s medical bills.”
Matt scrolled on his computer. “The preliminary autopsy report is in. No surprises.” The final autopsy report wouldn’t be complete until all the tox screens came in, which would take weeks. “There’s a trace-evidence report from forensics. Traces of something called metabasalt was found in the trunk of Holly’s car.”
“Metabasalt?” Bree looked up.
Matt skimmed the report. “A billion-year-old stone from the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, blah blah blah. It’s ground into a green clay that’s used in making Har-Tru tennis courts.”
“No one has mentioned Holly playing tennis,” Bree said.
“Maybe she didn’t, but maybe her killer does,” Matt