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Susie must have gotten a similar phone call because moments later, she arrived at their table with two additional cups and a large carafe full of hot coffee.
"Sean said he'd be here within ten minutes," was all she said. Her expression was worried, and Emma wondered how much more Sean had said to Susie. But before she could ask, the woman turned and hurried over to another table. Emma couldn't help but notice the table didn't really need any attention, and she knew Susie was trying to avoid being asked questions.
"What's going on?" Kim asked.
"I can only imagine, but I don't think it's going to be good. Sitting here guessing isn't going to get us anywhere. We'll just have to wait until Sean or Jake arrives and can fill us in."
Deciding Emma's advice was best, Kim picked up her coffee and took a sip, looking around her, taking in the other customers of the diner.
"It seems like there's a lot of people here at this time of day, doesn't it?"
"I think we can attribute that to the season. Everybody's out shopping, and Susie's Diner is a convenient spot to stop and rest before making another plunge into the shops. I know I need to get some shopping done as well."
"It's hard to believe the holidays are so close. What are you doing for Christmas, spending it with Paul and his family?"
"I'll go over late Christmas afternoon, but I'm thinking of having a few friends over Christmas Eve for my celebration. I've already asked Jake, and I was hoping you would come too. It won't be anything fancy."
"Of course, I'll come. Thank you for asking me. It'll be nice to get away for the evening. Sometimes having a large influential family can be draining."
"I know, being an extended part of Charlotte Potter's inner circle is equal to the same thing. No, I plan on staying in Citrus Beach, so it's time I start my own traditions. I think spending Christmas Eve with close friends and leaving Christmas Day for family is perfect for me."
Kim nodded in agreement, and the two grew silent, waiting to see what would happen next with the arrival of their friends.
They didn't have to wait long. Jake was the first one to appear. In his usual hurried way, he made his way back to the booth and plopped in next to Kim, pushing her to make room for him.
"Well, what's up?" Kim asked him as she scooted over on the bench of the booth.
"It's an interesting development—"
"Don't say anything else Jake, Sean's coming in the door now. Let's hash it all out at once rather than repeating ourselves." Emma held up her hand to stop Jake from blurting out what was going on.
Jake grinned back at her and gave a curt nod, agreeing with her suggestion. While he was waiting for Sean to make his way to the booth, Jake poured the two empty cups full of coffee and topped off Emma and Kim's cups.
"It's been one of those days," Sean muttered as he sat down next to Emma, tugging his fingers irritably through his hair.
"So, what's going on? Does that have anything to do with the murder?" Kim asked the reporter in her surfacing.
"I think we can tie it to the murder." Sean stirred sugar and cream into his coffee before he told them what was going on.
"I got a call from Midge Anderson, concerned about Kevin Frost. He didn't show up for an important meeting. She insisted we go to his house for a welfare check. Considering what had happened at her house the day before, I agreed it was a good idea."
"And I was with Sean when the call came in, so I went with him. All I can say is Kevin's house did not look like I expected," Jake added.
Emma and Kim both leaned forward in their seat, eager to hear what had happened and not wanting to miss a word. Sean set his coffee on the table and explained what he and Jake had found in Kevin's house.
"When we walked in the house, the door was partly open, the car was gone, and it was obvious what was in front of us was more than just messy housekeeping. Kevin's house was ransacked. Somebody was looking for something and they were in a hurry. I've no idea what or if they found it."
"There was no sign of Kevin?" Emma asked.
"No, but I believe there was a physical struggle and a search. The man didn't just open his door and let somebody come in. They pushed their way in, and they would've had to subdue Kevin to create the type of chaos that we found," Sean added.
"Was there any sign that they had hurt him?" Kim asked concern in her voice.
"No obvious signs, but he is a big guy, and I think somebody had landed a heavy blow to him to subdue him." Jake was the one who answered, shaking his head.
"What we found has raised enough concern that I've got a search going on for Kevin. We've been questioning the neighbors to find out if anybody saw anything. But we don't even know what time this happened, so it is making it a bit difficult. Needless to say, the Andersons are upset about what's going on," Sean added.
The group sat silently for a moment, each caught up in their own thoughts, wondering what had happened to Kevin. It was Jake who got them back to reality. Pointing a finger at Emma, he dropped the bombshell.
"Do you think the same people who broke into Kevin's house left the Tiffany bag in your apartment?"
"Wait, somebody broke into your apartment?" Kim asked, staring at Emma in astonishment. Emma nodded, and they quickly brought Kim up to date on what had happened. As they finished, Sean pushed his chair back and got to his feet.
"I need to get back to work. I just ducked out to fill you guys in on what's going on. Jake, your suggestion opens more possibilities, and I'm not sure I like the connection." He also turned his sights on Emma. "Promise you won't take any unnecessary risks?"
Emma made the motion of crossing her heart and agreed to be careful.
"That goes for all of you. Don't make my job any harder, please." Sean started to leave but turned back to extend his warning to Kim and Jake. There was a chorus of agreements and promises to look out for each other. Sean finally walked away, still shaking his head, shoulders slumped with the weight of where his investigation was going.
"It wouldn't be so bad for Sean if he had a superior who helped rather than looking for his advantages." Kim was the first to speak, and Emma looked at her for an explanation.
"Citrus Beach lost a good man when Sheriff Green retired. So, we had a few replacements and they've been good, but they've all moved on. This one is no different, and he's making no attempt to hide the fact Citrus Beach is a stepping stone for him to advance into bigger cities. And he won't do a darn thing to help the citizens of our town unless it's to his advantage."
Emma was silent for a moment, thinking of their good friend, Sheriff Green, and consequently, the first replacement that she had met. They had shared a dance one summer evening along the beach, but Emma had known it wouldn't lead to anything, and it didn't surprise her when he took another job in a larger city. That seemed to be the pattern. It was as if the town was waiting for one of its own to grow into the job, just as Sean was doing.
"I think this is a good test ground for Sean. If you can prove he's capable, he'll have no problems getting elected as Sheriff and we can be rid of his sorry replacements." Emma paused and looked at her two friends. "And that means we should do everything we can to make sure we catch the murderer and Sean gets the credit. Agreed?"
"Absolutely." Kim nodded her head as she agreed; Jake merely grinned from ear to ear, giving a thumbs-up signal.
"Okay, then what do we do next?" Emma asked. As if waiting for an opportunity to appear, Jake pulled out an old, crumpled sheet of paper from his front pocket and spread it out on the table, smoothing out the wrinkles.
"Let's start here. I found out some more information about Joe."