CHAPTER 17
The clock on the wall counted off the seconds. Normally, Abby didn’t notice the sound, but right now the ticking rattled around the silent room, stretching her nerves to the breaking point. If it bothered her so much, how much worse was it for Jada, the one actually in Gage’s crosshairs?
Finally, the girl whispered, “I didn’t kill Mitch Anders. I saw him, though, when he entered the park from one of the trails from the forest. He was carrying a lawn chair and a twelve-pack of some kind. As soon as I recognized him, I ducked down to make sure he wouldn’t see me.”
Her expression was bleak when she looked first at Abby and then at Gage. “You have no reason to believe me, but all of that’s true. I never went near the man, and I have no idea where he sat to watch the movie. I never went further into the park than the parking lot where we’d set up the food truck.”
She was speaking at a more normal volume now, maybe thanks in part to Gage giving her an encouraging nod. “Once the movie started, I didn’t have any customers. It occurred to me that I might be able to retrieve Dad’s stuff from the office. It was just some pictures and a few plaques for awards Dad had earned over the years. I mean, why wouldn’t Mr. Anders just let me get my things and be done with it?”
Her question must have been hypothetical because she didn’t pause long enough for either Gage or Abby to respond. “He’d already insisted that I turn in my set of office keys as well as Dad’s, but he didn’t know that we also kept a spare set at the house. I’d been carrying them with me in case I ever had a chance to sneak in when he wasn’t around. I couldn’t risk going during the day or when I didn’t know where he was. But when he showed up at the movie, I thought it might be my only chance. I slipped away from the food truck and took a roundabout way to the back entrance of the office. I was inside no more than about ten minutes. He’d dumped most everything in a box in the supply closet.”
Had the girl even considered what the repercussions would be if Mitch Anders had ever discovered the items were gone? If Jada was telling the truth, and the only things she’d taken had belonged to her and her father, she might as well have painted a target on her back. One call to the police, and it could’ve had a catastrophic effect on the girl’s future.
It still might, especially if Gage decided to play hardball.
Suddenly curious, Abby asked, “Was one of the items was a large picture of some kind that used to hang in that blank spot on the wall behind your father’s desk?”
Whoops, that instantly drew Gage’s attention in her direction. At least he looked more puzzled than angry. “And how would you know about a blank spot on the wall?”
She gave Jada an apologetic look. “My current insurance agent is a longtime family friend, so I never had a reason to go into your dad’s office. I happened to walk past it the other day. Curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped to look through the front window. The only odd thing I noticed was a big rectangle on the wall where the paint was several shades brighter than the area around it. I figured a large picture of some kind had been removed.”
Jada nodded, looking as if that picture was one of the more important items she’d recovered. “My father was proud of the time he spent in the military. It was a photo of him with his unit.”
Gage held up his hand before Jada could continue. “For now, let’s just say you decided to pay an unscheduled visit to your father’s office. Pick up the story from where you went from there.”
After giving Gage a puzzled look, Jada did as he asked. “I, um, made a quick trip to my car, which was parked down the street at Mr. Quinn’s restaurant. From there, it was a short jog back to the food truck. I stayed there until the movie ended. The only time I saw Mr. Quinn was when he stopped by in case I needed help to finish closing up, but I was already pretty much done. After that, I drove the truck back to the restaurant and unloaded everything that needed to go back inside.”
Her forehead wrinkled as if something bothered her about that. Gage noticed it, too. “Something you want to tell me?”
Jada bit her lower lip and winced before answering. “I was surprised he didn’t follow me back to the restaurant in case I needed help resetting the alarm. I guess he must have stayed with Mrs. McCree or something.”
Abby could fill in that blank for her. “Tripp asked him for his help in packing up the tables we’d set up for vendors. That’s where they were when my mother and I found the . . . well, you know. After that, we were all busy giving Gage our preliminary statements.”
She didn’t know if Jada knew Owen was the only one of them Gage had taken back to headquarters that night, and didn’t see the need to bring that up now. While Abby might be getting used to the idea of her mother’s relationship with the man, she hated that they still didn’t know the depth of Owen Quinn’s involvement with Mitch Anders. She still suspected the two men had known each other before Snowberry Creek. She didn’t have any hard facts to back that up, but she’d learned to trust her gut feeling in these matters. Whether that relationship was innocent or not had yet to be determined. Either way, that was Gage’s problem to deal with.
Right now she was more concerned about the break-in at Jada’s house. Until they knew if it was a random event or connected to the murder, she wouldn’t feel right letting her go back home, especially alone.
Gage closed his notebook. That left both Jada and Abby staring at him as they waited to see what came next. Finally, he pushed his chair back from the table as if preparing to leave, even though he made no move to do so. He studied Jada for several more seconds and then nodded, maybe to indicate that he’d made up his mind about something.
“For the moment, Jada, I’m not going to do anything about the fact you entered Mitch Anders’s office without permission. Assuming you told me the truth about what you took and why, it’s pretty much no harm, no foul. He’s not around to sign a complaint, and I doubt the home office will care about your father’s personal belongings.”
For the first time all day, Jada had more color in her face, and her eyes look less haunted. Maybe confession really was good for the soul. It also meant that Gage and, by extension, Abby had a few more facts to piece together. If they accepted that Jada had finally given them the truth about her actions, it cleared her of any involvement in the murder.
That was the upside. The downside was that it left Owen Quinn without an alibi for the time he’d claimed to be checking on Jada. Abby really didn’t want to be the one to tell her mother that interesting tidbit. The woman was already skating on the nearside of crazy, and this might just send her tumbling over the edge.
“So what happens next, Chief Logan?”
He left the table to set his empty cup and plate on the counter. “First up, Jada, I’d like you to come back to your house with me. I’m not quite ready for you to put things back in order yet. But if you’re feeling up to it, I would really like you to go through the place again to see if anything is missing or if you can figure out what the guy was looking for.”
Before answering, Jada gave Abby a hopeful look, a clear hint that she should volunteer to go with her. There was no way she could refuse the simple request. It wasn’t as if she had anything better to do, and it would get her out of the house—and away from her mother—for a while. A win-win situation as far as she was concerned.
“Gage, if you don’t mind, I’d like to come with Jada. I promise not to interfere, and maybe another pair of eyes might come in handy.”
He gave her a considering look. “Fine, as long as you keep anything we talk about or discover at the scene to yourself.”
She held up her hand as if swearing an oath. “My lips are sealed, honor bright.”
Gage just rolled his eyes. “Fine. Now that we have that settled, let’s go.”
“I’ll grab my purse and keys. We’ll follow you there.”
There was one more thing. “Jada, since Gage is still investigating your break-in, why don’t you plan on staying with me for another night or two?”
The instant relief in the girl’s body language was unmistakable, making Abby glad she’d extended the invitation. Even so, it took seconds longer than Abby expected for her to respond. Finally, Jada took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I have to go back sometime. You know, to stay by myself. I was just starting to get used to the empty quiet since Dad died.”
Abby could sympathize. “True, but it doesn’t have to be today.”
Jada slowly nodded. “If you’re sure, I’d really appreciate staying here another night.”
Gage had listened to the conversation without interfering, but he also nodded as if he approved of their arrangement. “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you at the house in a few minutes. I’ll let myself out.”
After they heard the front door open and close, Jada cleared the rest of the dishes off the table. As she worked, she glanced up at the ceiling. “Are you going to tell your mother where we’re going?”
Abby didn’t want to, but she didn’t like to think of herself as a coward. “Yeah, I should. Give me a minute.”
She forced herself to walk up the steps at a quick pace, even though it was tempting to go much slower to put off another confrontation as long as possible. It was no surprise to find her mother’s door closed. Abby softly rapped on it. “Mom?”
No answer.
She tried again, knocking a little louder. This time she was rewarded with a grumpy, “What?”
“I’m driving Jada back to her house to pick up a few things so she can stay with us again tonight. I thought we could have lunch at Frannie’s diner afterward. Would you like me to swing back by so you can go with us?”
As peace offerings, it wasn’t much. But to her surprise, the door opened just enough for her to see her mother standing on the other side. “Call me when you’re on the way. I’ll meet you outside.”
“Sounds good, Mom. It could be a while, so don’t think I’ve forgotten you.”
Rather than push her luck, she started to walk away. Her mother reached out to catch her arm. “How is Jada holding up?”
“She’s stronger than she knows. Gage is going to meet us at the house so the two of them can go through the place together. I invited myself along for moral support.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re going to be there for her.”
Her mother looked a little wistful. “You know, I would’ve liked to have had the chance to be here for you back when you were going through so much. I don’t mean just the divorce, but everything that’s happened since you moved into this house. Sometimes it feels as if you’ve cut me out of the important stuff in your life and share it with the people you’ve met here in Snowberry Creek instead.”
Abby’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I never meant to do that, Mom. It’s just that I needed to prove to myself that I could stand on my own. You know, like you did when you and Dad split up. I wanted to be that strong, too.”
Evidently it was her mother’s turn to be stunned. “Really, is that how you saw me? As strong?”
“Yeah, I did. I know there were some rocky times, but I always knew we’d make it.”
She hated to keep both Jada and Gage waiting, but she suspected they both would agree that her taking a few seconds to hug it out with her mother was worth the short delay. She wasn’t the only one blinking back a few tears when she took a step back. “I’ll call you when we’re done at Jada’s. Start thinking about which flavor of pie you’re going to want with your meal.”
Her mom grinned, looking more like her usual cheery self. “For the sake of my hips, I really shouldn’t.”
“But you will. We can always walk it off after dinner tonight. Zeke will be glad to go with us.”
Her mother wrinkled her nose and gave an exaggerated sigh before once again smiling. “Fine, we’ll indulge ourselves this afternoon even if we have to pay the price later.”
Abby trotted back down the steps in a lot better mood than she’d been in going up. Now, if only Owen’s and Jada’s problems could be solved with something as a simple as a hug or a piece of Frannie’s pie.
* * *
When they reached Jada’s place, it was obvious the repairs were well underway. The shattered wood in the door frame and the door itself had both been replaced. The naked wood was a raw scar on the house, but it was the first step back toward normal.
She smiled at Jada. “Once it’s painted, you won’t even know it had ever been damaged.”
Before they could continue the conversation, Gage came walking around the end of the garage. “I circled around the house to make sure no one has been messing around in the backyard and didn’t see anything suspicious, so that’s good.”
Holding up a pair of keys dangling from a small ring, he nodded toward the front door. “Mr. Smiley, the handyman, said it will be a couple of days before he’ll be back to paint. He has a couple of other jobs he couldn’t reschedule.”
“That’s fine. There’s no hurry. I’m just glad he could do this much so quickly.” Jada headed up the steps to the front door. “Should we get started?”
Gage nodded. “Take your time, Ms. Davidson. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
She turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. “What are we looking for?”
“Anything that seems off.” He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated. “Look, maybe this was just a random burglary. We don’t get a lot of them in Snowberry Creek, but we do get a few. We may never know why your house was targeted.”
Abby stepped inside and looked around. “But you don’t think that’s what this was.”
“No way to know for sure.” Gage scanned the room with eyes that had seen so much of the darker side of life. “But if our perp was looking for stuff to turn into quick cash, logic says he should’ve at least taken the laptop. Even allowing for my deputy’s quick arrival, he could’ve grabbed it and a few other items and been out the door in no time.”
Finally, Jada started a slow walk around the room, stepping over the stuff that had been scattered on the floor. There was no mistaking the pain in the girl’s expression as she no doubt relived the terror of the break-in. Abby knew her fear would gradually fade, but it would take time. No one liked living with the knowledge that their home was no longer the bastion of safety they’d thought it was.
While Jada continued her slow survey of the room, Abby edged closer to Gage. “You think this could be connected either to her visit to her father’s office or the murder itself, don’t you?”
He didn’t seem inclined to answer, but he finally shrugged. “It’s more of a gut feeling than anything. It just seems odd the break-in came so close on the heels of the other two incidents. That said, I’ve never been a big fan of coincidences.”
By that point, Jada had made a careful lap through the living room. From there, she walked down the hall and disappeared into a room. Gage waited a few seconds before following after her. Since he didn’t tell Abby she couldn’t, she joined the parade. Before they’d gotten as far as the doorway, Jada popped back out and waved them forward. “Come take a look at this.”
The room held a large desk, a couple of bookcases, and a four-drawer filing cabinet. When Jada pointed toward the lock at the top of the cabinet, they both leaned in for a closer look. There were gouges in the beige paint surrounding the lock, which were deep enough to show streaks of the silver metal underneath.
“Sorry I didn’t notice that last night, but I barely glanced around this room because there was nothing obviously out of place. I know for a fact those marks weren’t there a few days ago when I last vacuumed and dusted in here.”
“I’ll send my people back out to go over this room again.” Then Gage used his cell phone to take pictures. “Are the files in this cabinet work-related or personal?”
“Both, actually. The top two contain our personal papers. The bottom two were related to his business. Old stuff, though. His active files and things were kept at the insurance office.”
She opened the closet and reached up to retrieve something from above the door on the inside. Oddly enough, it turned out to be the small silver key needed to unlock the filing cabinet. Seeing the puzzled look on Abby’s face, Jada flashed her a grin. “Dad always said no one ever thinks to look above the door frame when they peek into a closet.”
After unlocking the filing cabinet, she did a quick check of the first three drawers, only hesitating when she got to the bottom one. It was easy to see why when she finally pulled it open to reveal a stack of plaques and framed certificates.
Gage leaned down to study them. “I’m guessing those are some of your dad’s personal items that you wanted returned.”
Jada trailed a finger over the top one, tracing her father’s name. “Yeah, Dad was proud of these. It wasn’t right that Mr. Anders kept hanging on to them. They meant nothing to him.”
But they clearly did to Jada. Abby found herself once again getting angry that Mitch Anders put Jada in a position where the only avenue open to her was to break in to steal back what should’ve been hers in the first place. Hadn’t the man realized they represented an important connection to her late father?
She noted Gage didn’t comment on how they’d ended up in the filing cabinet. Instead, he looked around the office as if searching for something in particular.
“Where’s the picture? The one that was missing from the wall behind the desk at the insurance office?”
Looking a bit sheepish, Jada returned to the closet and lifted a couple of folded blankets down off the top shelf. She handed them off to Gage, who laid them on the desk. From where Abby stood, the shelf looked empty, but maybe the picture was pushed too far back for her to see it. But maybe she wasn’t wrong, considering the increasingly frantic way Jada started patting the shelf.
“What’s wrong, Jada?”
She looked back at Gage, panic rolling off her in waves, as she pointed toward the empty shelf. “It’s not here. The picture is gone.”