The Heart of Lies - By Debra Burroughs Page 0,64

“Tell Maggie I had to go,” he said as he turned and hurried down the walkway.

“What was that about?” Isabel questioned.

“Sully’s wife just called. Ernie is searching his house next for the murder weapon.”

“Why are they searching Sully’s house? Ernie suspects Sully might have it?”

“Not as much as he suspected Josh, but since he didn’t find it here, I think he wants to rule out Sully.”

“If he doesn’t find it there, then who’s next?”

“Fiona is my guess,” Emily speculated.

“Why Fiona?”

“Why not Fiona? Remember the daggers she was throwing Maggie’s way at the sales presentation where Lucas proposed?”

“Daggers?”

“Well, not real daggers, but if looks could kill…” Emily raised her eyebrows as she crossed her arms.

“A woman’s scorn and all that?” Isabel said in a hushed voice, laying her hand on Emily’s forearm for a moment.

“That and the money.” Emily rubbed the tips of her fingers together with her palm facing up. She glanced at the living room window again, but Colin had moved away.

“Oh, yeah, the money,” Isabel agreed, nodding her head.

“No one seems to know where it is, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Fiona might know. Another good motive for murder.”

“Maybe we should wring her scrawny little neck until she tells us where it is.” Isabel made realistic gestures with her hands and Emily could picture Fiona’s neck being twisted. “Alex and I want our hundred thousand dollars back.”

“You and half the town.”

“Half the town?”

“Well maybe not half the town, but certainly a lot of people.”

Isabel nodded her agreement.

“Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Isabel glanced around and stepped closer to Emily, speaking in a soft voice. “I heard from Jethro today. He asked again if he could see the gun, have it run through ballistics to see if it was involved in any open cases.”

“What did you tell him?” Emily asked, feeling her heart beat quicken its pace. She wasn’t ready to hand it over to anyone. She wanted to know more before she let it out of her control.

“I still told him you were simply talking hypothetically, but I don’t think he bought it.”

“I have a bad feeling about that, Isabel. I don’t want to give him the gun just yet. I don’t even want him to know for certain that I have it.”

“Knowing him, he probably won’t let up now that he knows about it,” Isabel warned.

Goosebumps rippled across Emily’s arms and she suddenly felt exposed standing out in the open in front of Maggie’s home. “I don’t know why, but something doesn’t feel right. We should go inside, now.”

“Why?” Isabel asked as Emily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the house.

As they climbed the few steps to the front door, Emily shuddered and turned to look toward the street, then she shoved Isabel inside, hurrying in after her.

“What are you doing, Em?” Isabel moaned, catching Colin’s attention.

He had been sitting in the living room, talking to Alex, enjoying a glass of Camille’s sweet tea, but he shot out of his seat and rushed to Emily.

“I got an eerie feeling outside. The sense someone was watching me,” she whispered to Colin.

“What’s going on?” Isabel pressed.

“We think someone has been following us,” Colin answered. “Black sedan, late model, not sure of the year and make and I haven’t seen a license plate yet.”

“Black is a very common car color in this town, Emily” Isabel pointed out.

“Maybe, but it’s giving me the creeps.” Emily felt a slight shiver run up her back.

Colin put his arm around her and patted her shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I appreciate that,” she told him, shrugging away from his arm, “but it’s not like I’m some weak little woman.” Looking back at him, she instantly realized she had probably embarrassed him a little in front of Alex and Isabel.

Fumbling with how to lighten the mood, she thought of something that might do the trick. “You’re the one who nicknamed me the pistol-packin’, smokin’ hot lady PI, remember? You wouldn’t want me doing anything to tarnish that title, now would you?” she teased, flashing him a toothy grin.

He burst out in laughter, as did Isabel and Alex.

~*~

Colin dropped Emily off at home to get ready for their dinner date and he headed to his apartment to shower and change. But first, at his insistence, he briefly went inside to help her search the house to make sure no one was there hiding, waiting to pounce.

After that, she promised she’d call him if she felt

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