Jane stood at the end of the pier and stared out over the whitecaps. The breeze lifted her hair, and she inhaled the aroma of seaweed and saltwater. Pete had followed her out here and perched on the end of the pier by her feet. He eyeballed Parker when the dog plopped beside him, but after several years of contact with the dog, he wasn’t frightened off.
“Ms. Briscoe was about to be arrested?” Had Jane heard that right? This would turn the entire investigation on its head.
“That’s correct, Chief Hardy. A complaint was filed against her, and we have proof she forged a doctor’s signature about drug test results. We were about to execute the warrant when we learned of her tragic death,” the board of health employee said.
“Any chance the author of that complaint was Finn Presley?”
“Mr. Presley brought that charge, yes.”
“And he died in the fire too.”
“Our investigation ended when Ms. Briscoe died, so I was unaware of that detail. I’d heard a firefighter died, but I hadn’t heard the name. An interesting development. I wonder if Mr. Presley would have known her address when he went into the house.”
“I spoke with his ex-wife, and I believe he knew where she lived and had tried to talk to her.”
“Interesting. Let me know what you find out.”
“Could you send over details of your investigation?”
“Of course.”
Jane gave the woman her email and ended the call. She turned to find Reid striding toward her on the pier. His excited expression made her heart leap. Could Will be about to be released?
He reached her and held up his phone. “Elliot found out that Lauren knew Gail!”
Jane absorbed the news. “That’s definitely odd, but Gail died before Lauren, so their friendship doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Lauren’s death.”
“Maybe it does. We still don’t know who her lover was. What if he’s the one behind all of this? Maybe he killed both women.”
Adrenaline shot through her. “That’s true. This might lead to something important.”
“Gail was blackmailing Lauren. Elliot found emails about it. She was so desperate for money she was trying to extort her own friend. She threatened to tell me what she knew about Lauren. I wish she had. Things might be different now.”
“Could that be why Lauren was pressing so hard for money?”
“It’s possible. What did you find out?”
She took his arm, and they began to walk back to shore. Parker padded beside her. “Gail was falsifying drug tests. Finn placed a complaint, and the investigation showed that the doctor verifying her work never signed off on them. She forged his signature.”
“Wow. That’s huge news.”
“Finn’s complaint started an investigation, so there was definitely bad blood between them.”
“And he knew where she lived. With his anger against her, would he have risked his life for her? It seems fishy.”
“What if he killed her, then set the fire and was caught in the blaze himself?”
Reid nodded. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with Lauren’s death.”
“I’ll have to investigate and see what we can find out. There might be a connection, or it might not mean anything about Lauren’s death. I’m going to tell Augusta about it.” She pulled out her phone and called the detective, then put on the speakerphone so Reid could hear too.
“Chief, I was just about to call you,” Augusta said. “I spoke to Lauren’s next-door neighbor, and she saw the man in her life a few times. He was older than Lauren and obviously wealthy.”
“We figured he had money. Maybe he dumped her, and that’s why she was desperate for Reid’s money.”
“The neighbor never heard them argue. And listen to this. Over the back fence a few days before she left, the neighbor heard the man tell her if she managed to pull ‘this’ off, whatever ‘this’ means, he’d make sure she never had to worry about money again.”
“Whoa. So the two had some sort of plan that involved her coming to Pelican Harbor. On Google Earth, we found an image of a man in her backyard. I sent it to Nora to see if she could enhance it. I haven’t heard from her yet, but she might have been able to do something with it.”
“I’ll check on it.”
“Anything from other neighbors?”
“Just that the man drove a black Lexus.”
“Anyone provide a description more than he’s older? Some way to identify him?”
“He had white hair, but no one got a good look at him.”
White hair could be anyone over forty or fifty. “So that’s a dead end. And there are a lot of Lexuses in the country.”
“But I found it interesting that she wasn’t here to get money because she broke up with her sugar daddy. Quite the opposite. One other thing—the neighbor said she was home for a few hours last week, and the man met her there.”
“I don’t suppose anyone got a license plate number?”
Augusta huffed out a sardonic laugh. “We should be so lucky.”
“I have some interesting news for you too. Lauren knew Gail Briscoe. And Gail was trying to blackmail her.”
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. You’re thinking maybe this unseen guy killed Lauren? As well as Gail?”
“Maybe. There’s more though. Finn Presley hated Gail. She had falsified his drug test, which caused him to lose custody of his daughter. The health department was checking into the allegations. Yet he died in a fire at her house. Did he set the fire and get caught? Or is there more than we’re seeing?”
“Good work, Chief. Let me know what else you find out. I tracked down Drew’s attorney. That information is in the main file.”
“I’ll give him a call.” Jane ended the connection and turned to Reid. “At least Augusta isn’t saying I shouldn’t be involved now that Gail’s case might tie to Lauren’s death. Since they are two separate investigations, we can plow ahead. I’m going to arrange a meeting with Drew and his attorney.”
“You think he’ll agree?”
“If he refuses, I’ll bring him in to the station for interrogation. I think he’ll go for it.” She logged into the file and found the attorney’s name and number. Ms. Jenkins had a meeting with Drew in an hour and agreed to let Jane come by with questions.
She put her phone away. “She’s in Foley, and Drew is on his way there now.”
“Fast work.”
“She didn’t want Drew to be hauled into the station.”
It was a start. All Jane could do was pray something led to their son’s release in the next few days.
* * *
“Thanks for allowing me to interview your client so quickly.” Jane shook Chloe Jenkins’s hand and stepped into the massive, expensively appointed office.
Ms. Jenkins had red hair that brushed her shoulders and a sprinkling of freckles that gave her a girl-next-door look. She was around forty with a professional, pleasant manner. She’d play well to women jurors.
Jane glanced around and spotted Drew Briscoe on the sofa in a seating area to the left. “Mr. Briscoe.”
His glower didn’t lighten. “This is ridiculous. I already told you all I know.”
“Have a seat.” Ms. Jenkins settled beside Drew on the sofa.
Jane and Reid settled on opposite chairs, and she took out her notepad. “One small thing I wanted to ask you about—did you put a sticker in the window of the home you shared with Gail that read ‘Save My Pet’?”
He blinked and shook his head. “I’ve never seen a sticker there. Gail hated animals. She didn’t want a dog or a cat. Not even a gerbil.”
Jane underlined his answer. She’d have to puzzle that out.
“Let’s circle back to your relationship with the deceased. You broke her jaw and sent her to the hospital several other times.”
“Don’t answer that,” Ms. Jenkins said.
“I’ll answer it. I have nothing to hide.” Drew’s fists clenched, and his face reddened. “I’m not proud of that, but you don’t know what Gail was like. She knew just how to push my buttons and tip me over the edge. She’d smile.” He shuddered.
Abusers were always alike—the spouse had it coming. Jane kept her expression and tone neutral. “I’m going to need your whereabouts on the morning of May 30.”
“I didn’t kill her!”
“Just answer the question,” his attorney said quietly. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Where were you that morning?”
“Home. It was a Saturday, right?”
“It was.”
“I got up at seven, fixed breakfast. Probably eggs and bacon, but I don’t really remember. Went for a jog, showered about nine. That detailed enough?”
“Anyone see you?”
“The neighbors probably saw me jogging. I didn’t pay any attention, but I think I heard mowers going down the street.”
Jane made a note to follow up with neighbors. “She was killed early. Any proof you were home in bed? Phone calls, someone else in the house?”
He shook his head and frowned. “I live alone. My vehicle was in the garage.”
“I’m sure you can find neighbors who saw him go home,” his attorney said. “Do your job, Chief Hardy.”
So no real alibi for the time when Gail was murdered. He would stay at the top of her list for now.
“Were you aware Gail was about to be arrested? She had been forging a doctor’s signature on lab results.”
He lifted a brow. “I hadn’t heard that. Why would she do that?”
“I assume money. She would have had to pay the doctor for his time, and this way she could run through more results. There is some question she might not have been running the tests at all—just filling out forms and sending them back. She would save the costs of testing materials as well. Do you know why she might have been in such dire financial straits? According to bank records, she earned nearly 150,000 dollars a year.”
He relaxed. “She liked to spend money. It was one of our biggest sources of arguments. Jewelry, nice cars, new furniture every few years.”
“I see. Do you have any idea why she was so desperate right now? Was there something she wanted to buy? Some debt she owed?”
“I already told you she was taking me back to court for more money, but she didn’t say why she needed it so badly. Just that she couldn’t live with the agreed property division.”
“Do you have a girlfriend, Mr. Briscoe?”
He straightened again. “What’s that have to do with anything? It’s not a crime. We were divorced.”
“So you do have a girlfriend?”
“That has no bearing on this,” Ms. Jenkins said. “You don’t need to answer that, Drew.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been seeing a woman for about a year. So what?”
“Did you complain about Gail to her?”
“Well, sure. When you’re in a relationship, you share your thoughts and problems.”
“Gail was definitely a problem.”
“I didn’t say that!” He ran his fingers through his brown hair. “You seem determined to pin this on me.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. That’s not my intention. I want to get to the truth. What’s your friend’s name?”
He pressed his lips together and glanced at his attorney who nodded. “Fiona Hamilton. You probably know her. She owns the bridal shop Tropical Weddings.”
Jane darted her gaze down to hide her shock. “I know her. I’ll have a chat with her.”
“She was shocked to hear of Gail’s death. Fiona liked her.”
“Have you thought of anyone who might have hated Gail enough to kill her?”
“No one in particular. Have you spoken with her employees? She has two that I know of.”
“Not yet.” Jane had added their names to her list of people to interview.
“Is that all, Chief?” Ms. Jenkins asked.
Jane rose. “For now. I’ll need to try to verify your alibi, Mr. Briscoe.”
“Sure you do,” he said in a weary voice. “I hope you figure out who did it so people stop staring at me.”
Jane had firsthand experience of what that was like now. She thanked them and exited the office with Reid.
He took her hand as they went toward the SUV. “What do you think?”
“I’ll need to check with the neighbors, but he might be telling the truth. I find it hard to believe Fiona would ever drug someone and leave them to die in a fire. We might need to look elsewhere.”
Which brought the lab back under suspicion again. “We’re not far from her lab. Let’s stop by there.”