Proof of Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #4) - Lauren Elliott Page 0,55
came to mind. She made her way to the board, picked up the chalk, and scribbled Ryley above her cousin’s name.
A knock on the door sent her sleep-deprived nerves skittering. She whipped the chalk at the door. “Marc, this is harassment!” She flung the door open. “Simon?”
“I take it that harassment greeting was meant for none other than the chief of police, whom I saw pulling out of the alley?”
“You’d be right. Come in.”
“Do I dare ask what happened?” He glanced around the back room, his gaze resting on the blackboard. “I take it he didn’t like seeing his girlfriend’s name at the top of your list of suspects?”
“I added that after he left.”
“By the glassy look in your eyes, I’d say it’s time to get you home. You need food and sleep.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“I can’t right now. Marc told me to get a lawyer, and that the DA would probably be reissuing that arrest warrant because I don’t have a concrete alibi.”
“Addie, it’s late, and you’ve had no sleep. Leave this. You can work on it tomorrow.”
“But Simon . . .”
“No buts.” He placed a finger over her lips. “You can’t even stand up right now you’re so exhausted. Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
“Good, because I don’t have my car,” she said with a saucy wink.
“I saw that, so it’s a good thing I dropped by or you’d be hoofing it up that hill. But one look at you right now and I have a feeling we would find you sleeping at the end of the alley tomorrow morning.” He returned her sauciness with a playful swat as she fetched her handbag.
* * *
Simon steered her to the sofa in her living room. “Now sit. Stay. And no more about suspects and being set up and because you don’t have an alibi, you’re going to jail.”
“But—”
“I said, no buts. I heard it all the way here from your shop. You’re so tired you’re not even making sense. Your mind is reeling in every direction.” His lips brushed across hers in a whispered kiss. “Now relax and forget about it all. You can’t solve it when you’re in this state. I’m going to make you some tea and toast and then you’re going to bed. Doctor’s orders.”
Addie only had the strength to kick off her shoes and nestle into the sofa. Her heavy eyelids fluttered, and she fought to keep her eyes open enough to watch the simple, homey actions of Simon shoving the clutter of books on her eighteenth-century Marquetry coffee table aside to slide a small tray in front of her.
“Smells amazing.” Addie forced those words over the cotton-ball feeling in her mouth.
“You still have this?” He sat beside her and picked up a blue wristwatch off the table.
“Yeah, of course I do. You gave it to me. You said I had to become more aware of my health.” She propped herself up on one elbow and reached for a cup of tea from the tray. “I tell you, dating a doctor comes with a lot of responsibilities. Like wristwatch monitoring and tracking what I eat,” she said, inhaling the earthy-musky camomile scent.
“Then why haven’t I seen you wear it lately?”
“I do. Not during the day, though. I got tired of it beeping at me, telling me when to move and all that. I only wear it at night now.”
“Do you?” He studied the device in his hand, his brows furrowing. “Were you wearing it Wednesday night when you went to bed?”
“I never forget it. It helps me see how deeply I’ve slept. Why?”
“Because this tracks your sleep, hours, quality of your sleep, and movements based on your heart rate.”
“I know. You showed me all that when you set it up for me.”
His piercing blue eyes focused on her.
“What?”
“If you were wearing this Wednesday night, the data stored by it will prove you were home sleeping and not out committing a burglary.”
Chapter 17
This was the second time in as many days that Marc had treated her like a child, sending her from the room for a time-out. Addie leaned forward on her elbows and rubbed her palms together. She and Simon had arrived at the police station at precisely 7 a.m., the start of Marc’s shift. He had cordially greeted them both, and he and his sidekick, Ryley, listened as Simon explained about Addie’s fitness watch and showed them the data stored in the app on her phone. That was when Marc