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Bonnie held the scrap of blanket up to the light streaming in through the kitchen window. Then she held Tigger’s blanket next to it. “It’s the same pattern, Jake. They both feel like some kind of cheap synthetic, but the colors don’t match.”
“I wonder if it matches the blanket Fred found at Fitzgerald’s grave?”
Bonnie smiled before answering. “Too bad you gave that blanket to your girlfriend, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind checking it out for you.”
“Kelly’s not my girlfriend, Bon.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes and twisted her smile into a frown. “Yeah, and I’m Mother Teresa. We don’t need her anyway,” she said, holding the blankets back up to the light. “Neither of these are old enough to have come from a coffin in that cemetery, so that means someone probably bought them from a store recently.”
“And chances are that someone is none other than Fitzgerald’s wife. Remember I told you her baby was wrapped in a similar blanket just before I picked you up at the airport the first time?”
Bonnie’s eyes lit up. “So that proves her husband was the grave robber.”
“Maybe in our eyes. I’m sure a smart lawyer will call it circumstantial evidence, but we already knew Fitzgerald was the grave robber. What we didn’t know is that he died in a cave-in, and not murdered like everyone thinks.”
“So he wasn’t killed for the Captain’s sword?”
“Not by a long shot. I believe he was using those cheap blankets to line the tunnel, a tunnel that more than likely runs to Captain Scott’s grave. That explains how he came by the sword he hocked. He really did rob the Captain’s grave, and probably a whole bunch more.”
Bonnie put the blankets down on the kitchen table and sat down on the chair closest to them. “Then who killed Crammer and the neighbor?”
“Who had a motive?”
She stared at me blankly, so I asked another question. “Can you think of something Crammer and the neighbors had that someone might want to kill for?”
There was complete silence while I imagined the wheels in her head turning. “Only the land the crazy neighbor wanted, but if he killed Crammer, who killed him and his girlfriend?” she answered.
“Actually, the question was rhetorical. Al might have killed Crammer over it, but who had a motive to kill him and his girlfriend?”
Bonnie tilted her head slightly, as if the answer was stuck up there and she could shake it out. “I don’t know, Jake.”
“Me either, and I’m afraid Kelly is the number one suspect at the moment. She made her hatred of Grace very clear Saturday night—at least, that’s what the sheriff must think. He suspended her and took away her gun and badge.”
Bonnie’s shoulders tightened and the color seemed to drain from her face. “Maybe it’s the sword and knife? I could be next if the murderer finds out I have the sword.”
I went over to the table and put my hand on her shoulder. “Not as long as Fred and I are still breathing. Right, Freddie?”
Fred had been dozing but raised his head at the mention of his name. I looked him in the eyes and asked again. This time we got a bark that brought a smile back to Bonnie’s face.
***
YESTERDAY’S SNOW HAD melted and the forecast was for a high near sixty. One thing Missouri had in common with Colorado was the adage, “If you don’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes, and it will change.” It seemed to be a cliché all weathermen used to explain their mistaken predictions. I wasn’t complaining, and neither was Fred as we went outside to call Kelly back. Well, maybe that’s not why Fred joined me, but I’m sure he was a little curious as to why she hadn’t returned any of my calls.
Kelly answered on the second ring. “Sorry I didn’t call you back, Jake, but Chris has been here all morning, and I didn’t have a chance.” She sounded like she’d been crying.
“Is something wrong, Kell?”
There was a long pause. “Oh, Jake. They think I killed my uncle and his girlfriend. Why would I want him dead? I loved him.”
“Someone was with Bennett?”
“Robin. I thought she was my friend.” This time I detected anger in her voice. “Can you come over, Jake? I need your help.”
“How about we meet somewhere? It’s not that I’m paranoid, but they may be watching, and your boss has already told me not to meddle.” I’d said the word ‘they’ like it was something that tasted terrible.
***
KELLY HAD CHOSEN A bar I knew well. It was the same one I used to frequent last time I’d been here to help my sister when she’d been accused of murder. I felt like the character in Groundhog Day who lived the same day over and over until he got it right.
“Hi, Kell,” I said, taking a chair at the table she’d chosen before I got there—it was a table I knew all too well.
The table was set along the wall next to large windows with a view of the lake. She looked so innocent with the sun shining on her golden hair. One would never imagine she was a murder suspect. “Thanks, Jake. I’m so glad you came. I don’t know who I can trust anymore.”
“Tell me everything, Kell. I don’t know how I can help you, but I will if I can.”
“It’s a long story—I’ll need another drink first.”She reached for an empty glass and waved at the bartender. I’d already noticed the change in personnel, so I didn’t worry about getting caught up in a conversation about old times with the hired help.
***
ONCE KELLY ORDERED her wine and I ordered my coffee, she began. “They questioned me like some kind of criminal. I couldn’t believe it.”
“By ‘they’, I assume you mean Bennett and Robin? I thought she was the coroner. Was she interrogating you?”
“She’s the coroner, forensics technician, and part-time detective when she’s not kissing up to Chris.”
“Oh. I thought you two were friends.”
Kelly emptied her glass and waved at the barmaid for another. “I did, too. Now I see she was just using me to get to Chris. And the fool doesn’t even realize she’s using him to further her career.” She set her glass down and turned her attention toward me. Her gray eyes were mesmerizing.
“Robin told Chris my gun had been fired recently, so they came to my house with several other deputies and asked if I’d mind if they took a look around.” Her eyes grew larger and more beautiful. “Look around. Why didn’t he say search the place? It’s what he meant.”
“I assume they didn’t find what they were looking for, or you wouldn’t be here. Did they tell you what it was?”
“No, but I can guess. Probably wire cutters to cut bailing wire, or maybe one of those fold-up ladders you see on TV. We never found a ladder in the barn, so they probably think Crammer’s killer brought one with him.”
I tried to recall the scene when I’d found the second body. I couldn’t remember seeing a ladder either, which was strange, considering the barn had a loft. It made me wonder how anyone managed to get up there without a ladder.”
Kelly disrupted my memory search when she continued. “Anyway, I might not be able to prove my innocence, so I’m hoping I can count on you for help.”
“Of course you can, but what’s stopping you?”
“Robin can’t do ballistic testing, so she sent the gun and bullet from Grace’s brain to the lab in Jefferson City. If the results come back positive, I’ll be sitting in a cell waiting for my trial.” She wanted to say more, but our waitress returned with a glass of wine and a coffee pot.
I waited until we were alone again. “Are you telling me your gun will be a match?” I tried not to let my doubt of her innocence show, but I’m sure my shaking head gave me away.
“Maybe,” she said, moving closer. “My service handgun has been jamming, so I switched over to my personal Glock after Amanda returned it. I’d lent it to her right after her father had been killed. She gave it back Saturday. The night Uncle Al and Grace were killed.”
I felt my mouth open wider than a dentist’s dream. “You think Amanda killed them? Why would she do that?”
She reached for my hands and held them tightly. “No, but I wouldn’t put it past her ex. His rap sheet includes armed robbery and battery. Murder is usually the next step. He probably borrowed it from her nightstand, or kitchen drawer, or wherever she left it and forgot it.”
“But if they’re divorced, how did he get into her house?”
Kelly forced a smile. “Women do get lonely and need a man now and then, Jake. He’s one of those guys who can charm a snake. It’s hard to turn away a guy that could be on the cover of Hunk. I’ve come so close to falling for his BS myself.”
“Ah, I wouldn’t know, but I do know only psychopaths kill without a motive. Why would he want your uncle and girlfriend dead?”
Kelly tightened her grip on my hands. “It’s why I may need you. If it turns out my Glock matches the bullet from Grace, I’ll be locked up. None of our people have the experience solving murders that you have, so please tell me you’ll follow through, and if it’s not him, that you’ll find out who did it.”
***
KELLY DIDN’T SAY MUCH more besides repeat what she’d already said by the time she finished several more glasses of wine. I excused myself to go the men’s room because of too much coffee, and she was ready to leave when I returned. It took some talking before I convinced her to give me her keys, but she finally agreed that a DUI, or worse, was the last thing she needed right then.
“You’re such a gentleman, Jake. Are you sure you won’t come in for a nightcap?” she said after I walked her to her door.
I’ve been called a lot of things, but a gentleman’s never been one of them. Any other time I’d have jumped at the chance for a nightcap with a beautiful, single woman, even if it was only coffee, but Kelly was looking like she’d be spending the night at the throne, so I kissed her gently and took my leave.