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“I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH, Dana,” Ned said the next day at his home, his hands shaky as he held unto his cane.
She’d driven him home in her car after he’d been released from the station. His small apartment was located above the Antique’s store.
He was normally strong and could whip around the store and move heavy furniture and everything but not this time. Perhaps the few hours in jail had weaken him, or made him lose hope. It was bad enough that he’d just lost his store then to be accused of killing the guy who trashed the premise, and the fact that he might lose his freedom, must have been all too great a burden to carry.
“No problem, Ned. We’ll find the real killer.”
“We?” Ned looked confused.
“I...um...I mean the cops are looking into things. They’ll find the real killer soon. Trust me. I mean, trust them.” Dana flushed.
“Ha! That’s a laugh. We do trust them, but they arrested poor Ned,” Tiffany said, puffing a cigarette, her hands shaking visibly. What was she doing at Ned’s apartment?
“Tiffany, I’m surprised you’re here. I thought...” Dana didn’t want her to know that she knew that Tiffany had been seen by her therapist.
“I’m just helping out Ned. He needs me.”
“Why didn’t you tell the cops that you two were sitting together at the Cozy Cupcakes yesterday between eight and ten?”
Tiffany looked at Ned then back to Dana. “Um...well, I forgot. Besides, I’m not ready to speak with the police yet. Therapist’s orders.” She drew in another puff of her cigarette. The fumes were beginning to bother Dana’s sinuses. She wasn’t one for second hand smoking.
Dana could tell that Ned was bothered by it, too. He started to cough.
“Are you all right, Ned?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” He continued to cough.
Dana wondered if Tiffany was strong-handling Ned behind the scenes. She seemed very protective over him but also bossy, too. She’d have to keep an eye on her Grandma Rae’s old friend. A very close eye.
“Anyway, Ned, have you seen this Chuck guy before?”
“I already told the cops, no. Never seen him before. Ever!”
“Of course. So he wasn’t hanging about around the store or anything like that?”
“What? Do you think he deliberately tried to kill me and destroy my store?”
“You know I don’t trust Kim, his wife. She’ll stop at nothing to destroy my...Ned,” Tiffany chimed in drawing in another puff of her cigarette which was now almost done, thank heavens. Unless she was about to light up another one. Dana hoped not, for the sake of her own lungs and Ned’s. What ever happened to asking people if they mind if you light up? Goodness, not everyone wants to inhale cigarettes.
“She’ll stop at nothing?” Dana coughed as she waved her hands to fan the smoke away from her face.
Tiffany drew in another puff of her cigarette, coughing herself. Dana then wondered if Tiffany only smoked when she was anxious.
Just then, the hairs on her neck stood up. There were cigarette butts at the scene of the crime, too. And Tiffany had on a blue shirt. In fact, her favorite color was blue, wasn’t it? It brought out the light blue color in her own eyes.
Dana took a mental note of that. She would have to check out a few things. But then again, a lot of people wore blue. Including Kim, Ned’s ex wife, who if Dana remembered correctly, was the only one who didn’t duck down or seemed to be shaken by the collision at the store, almost as if she...expected it to happen!