Chapter 29
“So you think they have enough real evidence that Millie killed Analesa, or is she going down just because she stole the necklace?” Honey asked me when we were seated at my kitchen table eating the éclairs with gusto. “Okay, seriously, these things are amazing! Hands down winner over the ones I brought you.”
I felt more than a little smug about her compliment, but didn’t allow it to derail me from the main topic. “I don’t know. It seems a little too convenient to me—and the destruction of my home only reinforces that. I mean, Tingey nearly arrested me because of my fingerprints on the murder weapon—never mind how they got there or that I was nowhere near the hotel that night.”
“That is pretty damning evidence,” Honey said. “Especially since they didn’t find a second set of prints. You’re lucky Jeff agreed with your story. If he hadn’t, it might be you in that jail cell right now.”
“Yeah, and I’m not saying that lying about the theft wasn’t dead stupid, because it was, but that doesn’t make her a murderer.” I took another bite of éclair, trying not to get it all over myself.
Honey used her finger to swipe some chocolate icing from her plate and licked it off. “You still have to talk to Tad this morning, though. Maybe he knows something more.”
“Maybe. But I don’t like him for the murderer and I don’t know what I’m missing, though blackmail is always a powerful motivator.”
“I guess we’ll have to see what we can see, won’t we?”
We finished eating and cleared everything out of the way before my appointment with Tad.
The drive to Tad’s apartment in Prescott didn’t take very long, and when I pulled up to the condo where he and Analesa lived, I wasn’t sure if I was grateful for the ringing of my cell phone or not. That was, until I saw who was on the other end. “Hey, Lenny, tell me you found what I needed.”
His gravely smoker’s voice ground across the line. “I tracked the last call made from that number—it was about midnight your time. Then I followed the number back to a Theodore Richardson. Mean anything to you?”
Tad. So I wasn’t wrong. “Oh, yeah. It’s exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks. I owe you.”
“You can owe me one of your chocolate cheesecakes when you get back to town. You never shared the recipe with me—what’s up with that? You really didn’t trust me?” The question must have been rhetorical because he continued without giving me a chance to answer. “You really staying in that hole in the ground forever?”
“That’s the plan.” I felt defensive, but tried to keep it out of my voice. What was everyone’s problem with Arizona, anyway? And did they think I was such a city girl that I’d wither up and die if I had to drive more than an hour to a mall once in a while? “You’d be surprised at how great it is to live here. I bet you could be converted into a country boy in no time.” That would be as likely as Gandhi starting a jihad, but it was fun poking at him.
“So not happening, babe. I might be serious about that job, though, if you need help in a while. Working here with Karen is enough to drive anyone batty.”
“If you decide to put in applications around town, feel free to use me as a referral. You do good work, considering you went to community college.” I was pushing his buttons now, but it was an old joke between us. He’d learned great things in his local classes and through his own hard work and determination—he was better than some of my former assistants who’d attended prestigious programs. I admired the way he’d managed to turn his life around, and he knew it.
“You’re such a snob, but I’ll take you up on the referral.” A door opened and closed and I could hear footsteps on the stairs, indicating he was on his way to the diner next door for breakfast. The man was a creature of habit. “When’s the boss man coming back, d’you know?”
“He’d better be at the airport headed home now. Did you get the plans for this week’s cakes? Any problems?”
“Nah. It went great. Who needs your brilliance, anyway?” A door slammed and the sounds of the street rushed through the background. “Hope you figure stuff out. Don’t get in too much trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll stop by when I reach town, bring you that cheesecake. And Lenny, you’re the best.”
“I know.” He hung up and I sat in the car for a long moment while I dealt with the answer I’d just gotten. Knowing it had been Tad Valerie had spoken to last didn’t make me feel better. Instead, it made me wonder what I was doing at his apartment. Surely the detective had already chased this lead, but I was here now.
I saw the door to Tad’s condo open and watched him step out, look straight at me and walk my direction.