in bed wondering what else Sully was hiding. Had he been the one to kill Lucas? He certainly had motive—between Lucas stealing the money and using Maggie the way he did. And he may have had the opportunity to double back to the office after Josh left, before Mrs. Wakefield showed up. Except that Josh had said Fiona was there after him. The only thing completely clearing Sully of Lucas’s murder, in her mind, would be finding the crystal paperweight in some else’s possession.
As for Josh, she’d had her doubts, but it appeared more and more that he was telling the truth. If Lucas was alive after Josh left, and if Josh didn’t know anything about the paperweight, then, with Fiona coming in after him, he could be innocent.
She flipped the covers back and slid out of bed. Heading for the shower, she wondered if there was any news from Ernie on his searches of Sully’s and Fiona’s homes. She hoped Sully was in the clear, but as for Fiona, her suspicions of that conniving woman were growing. She didn’t show up on the security camera, so she must have gone out the back way.
She could have killed him and thrown the heavy paperweight in the river that runs behind the office building. If that was the case, they may never find the murder weapon.
As she stood under the warm cascading water, she ran through the facts in her mind, searching for something she was missing.
When she turned off the water, she heard a noise, like a door closing in the distance. She threw a bath towel around her body and ran to her nightstand for her gun.
With her firearm ready, she crept through the house, searching for anyone who may have gotten in. She made her way to the back door, from where the sound seemed to emanate, and found it unlocked. She stepped onto the deck and peered over the crest of the back fence, noticing a sliver of the top of a black sedan speeding away down the alley.
What are they looking for? They already took the photo. Then the thought hit her. The gun. Someone wants Evan’s hidden gun. Could it be Jethro? Or someone he told?
“Good morning, Emily.” Her elderly neighbor greeted her over the fence from his covered deck, raising his coffee mug in Emily’s direction.
Startled, she realized she was standing on her raised deck in only a towel with dripping wet hair—holding a gun.
“Good morning. Beautiful day,” she replied, spinning around and darting back into her house. Beautiful day? She shook her head. It had been raining outside.
After making sure her doors were securely locked, Emily headed back to her bathroom to finish getting ready. As she grabbed a black, button-front blouse and gray slacks out of her closet, she noticed her everyday leather handbag sitting on the floor. Retrieving her wallet, she checked the coin purse for the bronze key she had been trying to match.
She held the puzzling key in her open palm and wondered what part it played in Evan’s mystery. What other secrets would this key unlock?
Emily finished getting dressed, poured herself a bowl of cereal and climbed on a stool at the breakfast bar. She dialed Colin’s number on her cell phone.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Morning, babe. I wasn’t sure you’d be up yet.”
Hearing his voice calmed her nerves, but she wasn’t sure she should tell him about someone being in her house again. He would worry, want to rush over—probably try to convince her to stay with Isabel for awhile.
“I’m awake, but still in bed, just dreaming about you,” he said in a deeply seductive tenor. “Did you call just to hear the sound of my voice?”
“No. I mean, I do enjoy the sound of your voice, but I had another reason. I wondered if you’d heard from Ernie yet about his search of Sully’s and Fiona’s places. I’d call him myself, but I think he’d be more forthcoming with you.”
“That’s true. I’ll throw some clothes on and go talk to him. You want me to swing by and pick you up?”
“No, he’ll probably tell you more if I’m not there.” She had other plans for the morning that she was not ready to share with him. “I’d love to hear what you find out, though.”
“Will do.”
“Colin?”
“Yes.”
“I had an amazing time last night,” she said.
“Me too. Makes it hard for a guy to leave.”
“That’s nice to hear.” She wasn’t sure if he meant leaving last night or leaving to