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Kelly was the first to arrive for Bonnie’s birthday party. She parked around back as we had planned. Fred and I greeted her at the door and gave her a big hug. “You look especially good this morning.” I wanted to give her a kiss, but Fred started barking. Kari was coming down the drive. Kelly went inside before Kari saw her. My mascot deserted me and went with her.
“Jake, how are you?” Kari said after she climbed the stairs and gave me a little peck of a kiss on my cheek. She was all smiles and holding a small package with brightly colored wrapping paper. There were little birthday cakes with candles printed on it like the emoticons one sees online.
“I’m doing great, Kari. Thanks for coming,” I answered and led her inside.
I offered to take her coat once inside and could sense her stiffen when she saw Bonnie and Kelly in the kitchen. Her smile also vanished. I took her package, set it down on the foyer table, and led her to the kitchen.
“You remember Deputy Brown, I’m sure. And Bonnie, the birthday girl,” I said, holding out a chair for her. Kelly was sitting at the opposite end of the table while Bonnie was busy making coffee at the sink.
Kari unconsciously rubbed her arms like she was freezing even though it was a toasty seventy-five in the kitchen. “Hello, Deputy. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Kelly forced a smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss Bonnie’s party for the world.” Then she let the smile go and turned serious. “I hope you don’t hold the arrest against me. The evidence was overwhelming, and I was just doing my job.”
Kari seemed to relax a bit. “No, I’m just glad you saw the light and agreed with Jake. I suppose I should be thanking you.”
“Would anyone care for coffee while we wait for Ruth?” Bonnie said while pouring some into the cups she had lined up on the counter. “You’ll have to help yourselves if you need cream or sugar. There’s some whiskey here, too, if you need something stronger.” She said it while pouring a shot into one of the cups and surprising Kari by giving the fortified coffee to her.
“I remember you like yours black, but I put a little something in it anyway, seeing as you look like you’re freezing.”
“Thank you, Bonnie. You read my mind. By the way, who is Ruth?”
“My friend from church and bridge partner. I’d hate to get started without her.”
Kari turned to Kelly. “I’m curious, Deputy, has Rob Croix said why he planted that book in my burn barrel?” She seemed to have regained her composure. Bonnie’s ploy to loosen her up with the whiskey was working, and Kari hadn’t had a sip yet.
“No, he won’t say anything. The only information we get is from his lawyer, and that’s next to nothing.” Kelly was in her element. She wasn’t much at small talk, but now that the evidence against Croix was public information, I could tell she was enjoying every minute of telling about it.
“Not that we need a confession. The DA is confident all the forensic evidence will put him away for years.”
Kari was all smiles again and reached out to touch my arm. “I can’t thank you enough, Jake. That was brilliant the way you got his fingerprints and put him at the scene of the crime with that watch. I’d probably be looking at death row if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Don’t forget Fred—he’s the one who found the evidence.” Fred turned to look at me when I mentioned his name. He’d been over by Bonnie, waiting for something edible to drop. “But we need to find Ruth before I die of embarrassment. Do you mind if I borrow your cell phone? Mine’s out in my truck.”
Kari reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and signed in for me. “Just tap the phone icon to call her.” Then she giggled. “As if I need to tell you how to use electronics. That was another brilliant idea, having Kelly seize that computer. You do amaze me, Jake.”
Bonnie interrupted with Ruth’s number so I could pretend to dial it and came over to refresh Kari’s coffee. “I think I should get a little credit, too,” she said, acting hurt.
All eyes went to her. Once more, she was too far to kick, and I silently prayed she didn’t say anything about helping me hack into it. “If it hadn’t been for me, Jake would never have noticed the computer. I had to point it out to him.”
Satisfied that she hadn’t perjured us, I went back to searching Kari’s phone for the real reason I borrowed it. I’d just found what I was looking for when Ruth let herself in the door with her guest. Kari’s mouth dropped, and her eyes grew to twice their normal size.
“Yeah, that’s her all right. She’s even wearing the same pearl necklace she had on at the pawn shop.”
“What the hell is this?” Kari said, getting up. “I’ve never seen that kid in my life.”
“What this is,” I answered, turning her phone’s screen so everyone could see, “is proof you bought the watch for your lover, Rob.” I had found the Wi-Fi app for her doorbell camera along with a picture of her and Croix in a hot embrace.
Kari sat back down without saying a word. Her eyes were focused on her coffee. Kelly was already out of her chair and walking toward Kari’s. “How did you know? We kept it a secret from everyone, even after we broke up.”
“Too many things didn’t add up. I kept asking myself why you had hired me to prove it was murder. Why would you reopen a closed case and make yourself a suspect?” I got up and went to the counter to take one of the coffees.
“You almost had me convinced it was Rob and Katherine,” I said, leaning against the counter. “All the evidence pointed to him: the doctored reservation database, the wire cutters, the watch, and finally, his prints on the how-to book. But why would he need a how-to book on electrical circuits? He’s a master electrician. Then it hit me. You two had been in on it together. Once Katherine collected the insurance, he would either eliminate her and the kids or find a way to get his hands on the money so you and he would live happily ever after. But your little secret must have fallen apart when he decided to dump you and stay with Katherine. That’s when you decided to plant the book with his fingerprints. Like they say, Hell has no fury like a scorned woman.”
“I think you meant, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,’ Jake. It’s from the bible.”
Kari didn’t seem to care that Bonnie corrected me. Tears were forming in the corners of Kari’s eyes, and she was as quiet as Tigger stalking a mouse.
Kelly put a hand under Kari's arm and lifted her out of her chair. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney...” Kelly had one hand on Kari’s shoulder and open cuffs in the other.