Chapter 23

To my dismay, the police station was closed. This was typical of small country towns, but that was no consolation. I pressed the buzzer next to the sign on the wall three times before someone answered.

“This is Laurel Bay. Is Duncan there?” I asked urgently.

The calm voice on the other end informed me that Duncan and Bryan were both out on calls. I told the voice that I was sure Anna Stiles was wearing the stolen tennis bracelet and so was likely implicated in the murder of Alec Mason. The voice assured me that the message would be passed on.

I had no option but to return to my office. I had advertised the celebrity funerals on Twitter and wanted to see how my click-through rate was going. I had no sooner turned on my laptop than the office door was flung open.

“Google.”

Anna Stiles was standing in the doorway.

For a moment it seemed like everything started to move in slow motion. My pulse pounded. There was a strange pressure in my ear as adrenaline began coursing through my veins. Somehow, once again, I had found myself face-to-face with someone I knew to be a murderer.

“Google?” I repeated, trying to stay calm.

“I googled you,” she said as she crossed the room. “Jewelry valuer, eh? You were so surprised when you saw my bracelet. That wasn’t very smart of you.”

I noticed she wasn’t wearing it now. “Yes, very expensive,” I said. “Your ex-boyfriend must have been very wealthy.”

Anna narrowed her eyes. “I’m not stupid, you know,” she said. “I know you recognized the bracelet.”

I was at a loss. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. I clung to the hope that Duncan and Bryan would get the message, and would know I was at the funeral home. I only hoped they would get the message in time.

“You know, I’d rather not kill you if I didn’t have to. I’m not a crazy person!” Anna said, and then she laughed, exactly how a crazy person would. “There’s no way I’m going down for any of this. If anything, I’m the victim!”

“Then why did you do it?” I asked her. I needed to keep her talking as long as possible. “You can’t murder someone and then say you’re a victim.”

Anna smirked and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you want to know why I did it? I was working on my story about the jewelry thieves. Organized crime stories are the best. It was a good story, and a good lead. I did some digging, and it brought me to Alec Mason. I told him I knew everything, and I wanted him to cut me into the deal, or I would publish.”

“But he wouldn’t do it?” I asked.

“He gave me the bracelet to shut me up, and said we had a deal. He knew I really had it on him. I had everything. I had him, and I had names of the people he worked with, and even better, the people he worked for. I wanted a cut of the business, too, but he said no. No, he wouldn’t cut me in. He thought I was just some girl who didn’t know how it worked. And it cost him his life. I want you to know that he threatened me first, and, well, I hit him with the car. I planned it well. I was angry.”

“But you killed Preston Kerr, too?”

Anna nodded. “I had to. I realized he heard me. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s hilarious that you thought his wife was the murderer. Pinning that crime on her is going to be easy. Everything just fits, doesn’t it? The money problems, the affair. I couldn’t have written it any better myself. This story will be my ticket out of these small town trappings. Do I look like a small town girl to you?”

I shook my head.

“All right, enough of this. Let’s just get this done with. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like that singer. You know, the best part about being a girl is that no one ever thinks a girl is strong enough to strangle someone. Never mind that I can bench press more than any cop in this town.”

She lunged across the desk at me in one smooth motion, before I even had a chance to move. She clutched at my throat. Her fingers were strong, with a vice-like grip. I threw myself backward and her fingers loosened a fraction. I tried to pry her fingers from my throat, but they wouldn’t budge. She knocked me to the ground and sat on me, her talons reaching for my throat once more.

I dug my nails into the back of her hand. She yelped and released her grip momentarily.

And then Ian appeared at the door.