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Instinctively, the three of them leaned their heads closer together over the table, not wanting anyone to overhear the conversation. Dixie poked her head up out of the basket at Jake and Kim. Seeing that she wasn't going to get any attention, she yawned quietly and crawled back down into the basket. Emma glanced at the puppy, assured she was comfortable, and motioned the two sitting across her to begin talking.
"From the look on your faces, I'm guessing you each found something different. You have different sources. Jake, I'm assuming you learned things through the database you have access to because of Aiden. And Kim, you've been in this town longer than me, and your contacts range from Citrus Beach to its surrounding suburbs. Who's going to go first?"
Jake motioned for Kim to speak first, then leaned back slightly. He had already heard what she had to say, and he wanted to study Emma's reaction when she heard the information Kim's resources had provided.
Kim acknowledged Jake's invitation to go first with a smile and then turned her attention back to Emma. "I'm assuming you met everyone who has constant access to the Anderson House?"
"As far as I know, I have," Emma answered.
"Good. That makes it easier. The key employees are the personal secretary to Midge, the bookkeeper, the cook, her granddaughter, and the gardener. These are the people who have access to the house without question. It would be easy for them to slip in without raising any suspicion." As she spoke, she pulled her tablet out of her tote bag and opened a document she had started. Emma looked across the table to the tablet's screen and saw the names of the suspects.
"Don't forget about the gardener's friend Joe, who's staying with her in her cottage." Emma pointed to the list, noting the missing name.
"I've got all the scoop on him. Can you go ahead and report on the stuff you found out and I'll fill you in on the gardener's friend," Jake interjected.
"I am glad you got information on him. I didn't even know he existed." Kim answered and added his name to her list before she turned her attention back to Emma. "The easiest person to start with is Wendy Anderson. She is the niece of Mr. Anderson, and after his funeral, she just never left. She's trying to make her position in society on the coattails of the Anderson name. But no matter how hard she tries, she just can't fit in. She's what my grandmother would call the cousin from the wrong side of the tracks. Some people are born with class and others aren't. And no amount of faking it will get you past the inner circles of Citrus Beach's old society. They tolerated her because of who her uncle was, and Midge is just too nice to send her home."
"But that doesn't make her a suspect, does it?" asked Emma.
"Desperate people do desperate things," was Kim's suggestive answer.
Emma didn't reply. Kim's answer needed to be thought about. But Emma was eager to hear what else Kim had to say and pushed the thought of Wendy to the back of her mind. "What else do you have, Kim?"
"Well, I could only find out positive things about the cook and her granddaughter. The cook has been with the family since Travis was a baby, and Sophie had come to live with her grandmother when her parents were killed. She is younger than Travis but grew up in the Anderson House. I know Midge made sure she got a good education, and she's getting ready for college."
"She's a good kid, and Cook is wonderful. I find it very hard to believe they had anything to do with Cindy's murder. Sophie is close to Wendy's age, right?"
"Yes, and believe me, they don't mix well together. Wendy considers Sophie beneath her and goes out of her way to put the other girl down in front of guests who come to the house. I've been there for several fund-raising events and seen Wendy in action. It's really pretty embarrassing. She seems to have an outdated sense of class structure."
Emma frowned as she remembered the not-so-subtle put-downs directed at Sophie that she had witnessed herself from Wendy. But she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on what Kim was saying.
"But Wendy isn't the only one with an overrated sense of self-worth. Kevin Frost's role in Mr. Anderson's company gave him access to more than the company finances. Kevin became a friend and confidant of the late Mr. Anderson. I can remember seeing the two of them play golf or bridge at the club together, and Kevin was often at the yacht club with the Andersons. His role seemed to naturally cross over into the personal life of the Andersons. I know Midge relies on him heavily."
"How close to the Andersons' personal and family matters is he?" Emma asked.
"Very. When Mr. Anderson died, Travis was working out of the country, so Kevin was the one who advised Midge on financial decisions. It's only recently that Travis has returned and is slowly taking over his father's company."
"I bet that makes Frost resentful," Jake interrupted.
"I don't know about that. When I saw them together, they seemed friendly," Emma said.
"All I know is this, Kevin Frost is very protective of the Anderson family. If he thought someone was threatening Midge or Travis, I'm sure he would step up to make sure the family is taken care of." Kim said. After taking a sip of her drink, she added, "But how far that protection would go..."
"You think Cindy was some sort of threat to the family?" Jake asked.
Kim shrugged and then looked back down at her tablet. She pointed to the next name on her list and smiled.
"Nancy Mills is our most unlikely suspect. She is quiet and very reclusive. The only time I've ever seen her light up is when she is talking about plants and flowers. She is an active member of the garden club, although she rarely attends any social events put on by the club. She is an excellent horticultural speaker and in high demand for her expertise."
"I met her today. She reminds me of a garden nymph. If you look away, she'll disappear into the garden without a word." Emma returned Kim's smile as she remembered her encounter with the young gardener. Kim's description was spot-on.
"So, I think she should go to the bottom of the list of murder suspects," Kim suggested as she adjusted her list. Then she frowned at the next name and shuddered.
"That brings us to Marianne James. I need to let you both know I have had a personal run-in with her in the past. She hasn't worked all that long for Midge, but she's ambitious and will soon, if she hasn't already, position herself where she has become invaluable. And I don't think she would hesitate to use any means to get to that position. I know her type well. I used to be just like her."