Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,40

crazy worried. But she doesn’t need to be, because we’ve got you on the case! I know you’ll figure out who’s been trying to terrorize us.”

He couldn’t take one more nice compliment from her, so he changed the subject. “Of course. Well, good luck with him. If he’s annoying or tries to bite someone, just give me a call and I’ll come back and get him.”

“Oh he would never bite anyone!” Jade said, patting Toast on the head.

Toast looked up at her, opened his mouth, and then closed his eyes; he looked like he was in bliss.

“Are there any rules that I should know?” she asked.

Matthew shrugged. “Not really. I brought his dog food so you can feed him if you like. He usually eats at seven. I might be done by then but…I’m not sure. Also, he’s not allowed to jump on people. And he’s not allowed to steal things, obviously, so keep an eye on your toaster.”

“He’ll be good. Don’t worry. We’ll go for some nice long walks and maybe even a drive later.”

“You hear that Toast? This is going to be better than doggy daycare.”

“It is!” Jade said. “Well – thanks. Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

When Matthew got back to his car, he looked back one last time to see that the front door was closed and that Jade was safely inside. It felt like the weight on his chest was lessening, even by just a bit.

Toast really took to Jade, and Matthew knew that he’d bark at any little sound that he heard. Maybe that would be enough to spook anyone lurking around the house. And if they were foolish enough to try to break in again – well, Toast could take care of that, too.

Matthew decided to wait outside of the house for a few minutes just in case Toast was misbehaving and needed to go back home. For a moment, he closed his eyes – it felt nice to let them rest. He hadn’t gotten much sleep over the weekend, because the idea of the suspect getting away drove him mad.

He couldn’t stop until he figured out what happened. Every time that he closed his eyes, he could see Jade’s face as clear as day – the blood on the side of her forehead, her beautiful green eyes reddened from the smoke. He remembered how her weight felt as he carried her, and how she wrapped her arms around his neck…

Dispatch came over the radio, snapping him out of his daydream. Actually, it seemed like he was almost dozing off. Maybe he’d try to get a little more sleep tonight.

He sighed and started the car. It was time to get back to work.

Over the weekend, he managed to track down and interview sixteen different groups of people who attended Jade’s fundraiser. In total, he talked to nearly forty people, and still, no one had seen anything suspicious at the barn. People had their theories of who was to blame, of course, but no one had any evidence.

He’d already visited all of Jade’s old neighbors to see if anyone had video footage that might point him in the direction of a suspect. Unfortunately, no one had anything useful. One neighbor had a doorbell camera, but the scope of the video didn’t show anything for the entire night until the fire started. Whoever started the fire must’ve stayed in the backyard, and it was too dark to see anything back there even if they had a camera.

He decided that the first person he’d talk to today would be Barb. Unlike the last time they spoke, she was more than willing to talk to him.

“I’m horrified about what happened to that girl!” she said. “I mean, I disagreed with her, but this is just too far!”

“I agree. So do you have any idea who might’ve done it?”

Barb shook her head vigorously. “No. But if I hear anything I will tell you straight away. I don’t want to be involved with this project anymore. I’m completely removing myself from it and going neutral. I’m advising that other business owners on the island do the same.”

“Oh? Is anyone fighting you on this?”

She frowned. “Not really. Though when I told the county council, they said it was a shame.”

“Who said it was a shame?”

“Jared. You know him, the kid in the suit.”

Matthew smiled. Jared wasn’t really a kid – he must’ve been at least thirty. But Barb thought that everyone under the age of sixty was a kid. “Yeah, I