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“YOU WENT ON A DATE with the detective?” Katie’s jaw fell open later that evening.
“Not exactly a date. Just...well, a friendly bite to eat.”
Dana couldn’t wait to tell Katie about the findings.
“That’s great. So you’re in the clear then?”
“Not quite.”
“What do you mean not quite? You weren’t seen around there at the time of the murder.”
“True. But Detective Troy thinks I could possibly have paid someone to do it and then later went by to make sure it was done.”
“What? How could they even think that?”
“Stranger things have happened, I suppose.” Dana paused in thought. “Well, Uncle Merv and Auntie Nia will be here soon to help us with raking the leaves, so I’d better get going. I think it’s so sweet of them. Though I can do it on my own.”
“Oh, that’s mom and dad for you. They really don’t mind, It’s another form of exercise for them, really. They enjoy it. Besides, they’ve been helping your grandma with yard duty while you were in New York. Why change now?”
“That’s true, I suppose. You see, I really like this.” Dana hugged her mug of coffee to her as she sat around the kitchen table with Katie.
“You really like what?”
“This. The simple life. Everyone helping each other out. Everyone makes time. It’s like times slows down nicely out here so you that you savor the taste of the moment, enjoy the closeness with nature and the beautiful surroundings and friendly neighbors.”
“Wow, you almost sound like an advertisement for the country life. You should consult the town hall to rewrite some of their tourist brochures.”
Dana laughed. “Sorry, I guess it’s the former copywriter in me. Can’t help it.”
“No worries. It’s beautiful. You seem to sum it up all right. Life is a lot different here than in the big city for sure. Been there once, wouldn’t want to go back to living there though.”
“Oh, right. I remember, you moved to uni in the big city.”
“That’s right. It was fun and everything while it lasted. But I really couldn’t wait to come back to small town hospitality where everyone knew you and looked out for you.
Dana thought about that for a moment. It was good that the town was close-knit. Yes, they looked out for each other but was that what happened then when Brad was killed?
Was somebody looking out for the girls in the town? A vigilante perhaps?
Dana shook the thought out of her head and finished sipping her coffee.
Just then she heard the key turn in the lock after a quick knock. Even though her aunt and uncle had the key they always warned her before just opening the door which was sweet of them. Not that she’d be up to anything private in there or roaming around in her birthday suit or anything.
“Thanks so much for coming by to help me with the leaves uncle and auntie.”
“Hey, it’s fun. We do it every year and it’s brilliant exercise, too.” Aunt Nia had her large straw hat on with dangling earrings and her gloves and sunglasses. She looked positively adorable like a tourist. Her silk scarf was also wrapped around her neck.
Uncle Merv said he’d help with the bag. He often had his walking cane but at times would leave it behind on a good day and try to get a bit of exercise.
Dana and Katie did most of the hard work though since they were younger and gathered most of the leaves.
Dana couldn’t wait to tell her aunt and uncle about her meeting with Detective Evan.
“So it must’ve been an inside job then?” Uncle Merv calculated. “I thought so.”
“I’m wondering if Sam from Advertising had anything to do with it then? I mean he pretty much denied having an appointment with me in the beginning though he admitted it to us later, but not to the police. It wouldn’t look to nice on him if he changed his story with them, would it?”
“It could be possible. But I don’t think so.”
Dana thought about what she and Katie spoke about earlier. “It’s a small town where everyone looks out for each other. I’m willing to bet that it could have been a few people at the Gazette that Brad was blackmailing and they each covered for each other, right?”
“You know my dear, that is a good observation. They do look out for each other. But if that were the case, it would be hard to crack then. If they banded together and provided an alibi for each other that is?”
Dana tried hard not to feel discouraged but the butterflies of despair flitted about inside her.
Still, she was out in the clear, right? That was unless someone was going to try harder to push the outsider out of the small town circle while pinning the blame on her?
Back at the Cozy Cupcakes Café later in the night– customers started talking about Bianca and the picture of Mike.
Was Mike seeing Bianca? He could have had something to do with it. He had purchased a pill crusher according to Phil the pharmacist.
Mike must have wanted Bianca for himself but she was tied down to Brad. So he’d get Brad out of the way and help Bianca’s business by getting her competitor out of the way, too. Two birds with one stone.
Dana was aghast at the possibility but it all seemed plausible, didn’t it? Or didn’t it?
Evan had called her not too long ago and also told her about the police update before it hit the local news: cause of death was not poisoning but concussion.
Someone had wanted to poison Brad but he ultimately bumped his head. Was it after he ate the poison or before? He had some food in his mouth according to reports.
The question that overwhelmed her mind right now was: Did someone place it there in their effort to frame Dana really good?