Get that hairy mongrel, that rabies-infested monster, away from me!” a woman shouted.
Lindsey glanced around the room, looking for Heathcliff. He wasn’t there!
She bolted up from her chair and ran from the break room, with Sully right on her heels, down the short hallway and into the reception area of the police station. Mayhem was ensuing, with Heathcliff barking and jumping on his hind legs, Molly trying to shush him, and the object of his attention shrieking.
“Heathcliff, sit,” Lindsey ordered. He sat. He glanced back at her over his shoulder with his tongue hanging out and his tail sweeping the floor. He looked proud of himself, as if he’d treed a squirrel. Lindsey glanced at his quarry, and she had to admit, she could see his confusion.
There, with her pinched features and wearing her long camel coat with the thick rabbit fur trim and a cashmere plaid scarf in a beige, red, and black, and an air of privilege that one could only be born into, stood Jamie Briggs.
Her honey-colored hair was windblown, but it was the only disheveled part of her. Her makeup was perfection, and a faint scent of Joy perfume drifted off her skin. Aside from the curl of dislike on her lips, she looked incredibly well put together, right down to her black riding boots, for a woman whose husband had just been found dead on a beach with his head bashed in.
“He tried to bite my arm off,” she snapped. She pointed at Heathcliff, her hands encased in black leather driving gloves. “That dog needs to be put down.”
“Not on my watch,” Sully said. He sounded furious, and Lindsey reached behind her to take his hand in hers. There was nothing to be gained by having a falling out with Jamie Briggs right now.
“I’m sorry if he startled you,” Lindsey said. “He’s been cooped up all day and didn’t get his usual walk. I can assure you, he’d never harm anyone.”
Jamie sniffed and glanced away. She didn’t bother to greet either Lindsey or Sully, but instead turned to Molly. “I got a message that Chief Plewicki wanted to see me. Why?”
Molly’s face went pale. She cleared her throat and said, “Why don’t you have a seat in her office? She should be here in just a few minutes.”
Jamie huffed a breath. “I don’t have time for this. I’m on my way back to the city. I have so much shopping to do. I assume this has something to do with last night’s party. Did we break a noise ordinance? Why doesn’t she talk to Steve about it? It’s his thing not mine.”
“Can I bring you a cup of coffee while you wait?” Molly asked. Clearly choosing not to engage Jamie in conversation about why she was here.
Jamie pouted. “Fine.”
Molly led her down the hall to Emma’s office. Lindsey reached down and patted Heathcliff’s head. She glanced at Sully and said, “Safe to assume she doesn’t know?”
“Yeah,” he said.
At that moment, the front doors banged open and Emma strode in. She looked cross and harried. Robbie Vine was right behind her.
“Aw, come on, love. Just tell me if you think it was foul play,” he said.
“No,” she said. She spun around to face him. “And stop asking because I’m not talking about this . . . er . . . situation with you.”
“Case. You were about to say case, weren’t you?”
“You really need to take another acting job,” she said. “You have entirely too much time on your hands to play detective.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand. “Just because you played a detective inspector on television—”
“Masterpiece Mystery,” he corrected her. “It’s a cut above.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Stop looking to reprise the role of DI Gordon.”
Robbie huffed out an indignant breath, but Emma was already in motion, striding across the lobby. Noticing Lindsey and Sully, Robbie perked up, but he didn’t get a chance to say a word, as Heathcliff spotted him and charged his friend with ears perked up and tail wagging.
As Heathcliff held Robbie back, demanding pets, Emma smiled. “Good dog, Heathcliff.” She turned to Lindsey and Sully, “Finished with your statements?”
“Not quite,” Sully said. He met her gaze and held it. “Jamie Briggs arrived. Molly took her to your office.”
“Oh.” Emma nodded. Her face tightened. “She didn’t mention . . .”
“She doesn’t know,” Lindsey said. “Or at least she didn’t seem to.”
“Right. Okay then.” Emma stiffened her spine and headed to her office. “Finish up your statements, please. I may or may not have more questions for you.”
“On it,” Lindsey said. She patted her thigh, and Heathcliff abandoned Robbie for her.
“Faithless, that one is,” Robbie muttered.
They were about to walk back to the break room when Jamie came out of Emma’s office. She was lecturing someone, Emma presumably, over her shoulder as she strode toward the door as if preparing for a dramatic exit.
“Is this what we pay you for?” Jamie demanded. “To drag citizens into your office, where you interrogate them about their lives? I won’t have it. I’m going to complain to Mayor Hensen about you. I’ll have you fired!”
Emma was right behind Jamie. Her jaw was clenched, and she looked annoyed. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I wasn’t finished.”
At that, Jamie stopped and spun around. Her eyes were narrowed, and her chin was tilted up. She looked as if she couldn’t believe Emma had the nerve to continue speaking to her. “I don’t understand why you need to know my whereabouts from the end of the party until this morning. I told you, I went to bed and then I slept in this morning, like I always do. I require at least nine hours of beauty rest. This”—she paused to gesture in a circle around her face—“doesn’t just happen, you know. You might consider upping your own sleep game.”
Emma’s eyebrows went up, but she didn’t say a word. When it looked as if Robbie was going to protest, Emma shook her head at him. It was clear that Emma hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Jamie about Steve, and she likely didn’t want to have the conversation veer off into a spat before she did.
“If you could just come back to my office for a moment,” Emma said in a gentle voice. “There was something else I’d like to talk to you about.”
Jamie looked her over. She didn’t move. Instead, she adjusted her scarf and said, “I am a very busy woman. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say right now.”
Emma glanced at the rest of them. Molly had entered the room behind them and stood leaning in the doorway, looking as uncomfortable as everyone else felt.
“The thing is, I believe you’d be more comfortable hearing this is private,” Emma said. “Also, you might want to sit down.”
“Sit down?” Jamie snapped. “I don’t have time to sit down. Honestly, just spit it out so I can leave this godforsaken little hamlet and go back to New York.”
“I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to do that,” Emma said.
“What?” Jamie snapped. “Why not?”
“The reason I called you in here was because I have some bad news,” Emma said.
Jamie blinked. “What sort of bad news? Has something happened? Have we been robbed? Was there a fire? My jewelry! No one stole my jewelry during the party, did they?”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Emma said. “I’m afraid—that is, I’m very sorry to inform you that your husband, Steve Briggs, was found dead this morning on the beach at Bell Island.”
As Lindsey watched, the color drained from Jamie’s face. She wobbled on her boot heels, and then, almost in slow motion, she went limp, staggered a bit and with a coy look at the men, dropped to the floor.
“Whoa!” Sully yelled.
“Oy!” Robbie echoed.
The two men leaped forward, catching her before she hit the ground. Sully caught her around the shoulders, and Robbie caught her legs. Together they tried to carry her to the wheeled office chair that Molly was helpfully pushing forward.
“This way,” Robbie ordered, leading with her feet.
“No,” Sully disagreed. “Her head needs to go first.”
They moved in an awkward, uncoordinated effort that made Jamie look like an inchworm trying to move across a leaf as her middle sagged toward the ground and was then stretched out. Jamie let out a feeble moan as the men turned and twisted, trying to figure out how to plop her gently into the chair.
“Good grief,” Emma muttered. “This isn’t brain surgery. Just put her down.”
Sully angled Jamie’s upper body over the seat and tried to lower her into it, but her hip hit the armrest, and the wheels spun. The chair moved, and the two men began to chase it, dragging Jamie’s limp body. Molly stepped forward and grabbed the chair, holding it still so Sully could put Jamie in the seat while Robbie lowered her feet to the ground.
“That’s the way, mate,” Robbie said. He clapped Sully on the shoulder as if they’d just achieved the impossible.
Lindsey shook her head. A closer look at Jamie, and she noticed the woman had one eye closed and one eye slitted open as if she’d been watching the progress of her two rescuers with a wary glance at the floor. As soon as Sully stepped away from her, she let out another moan and put the back of her wrist to her forehead.
Emma stepped forward and said, “Mrs. Briggs—Jamie—are you all right? Can I get you anything?”
“You!” Jamie popped up to a seated position. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, and she pointed at Emma with a shaking finger. “How dare you say such a thing! I don’t believe you. I refuse to believe such lies.”
Emma stepped back in surprise. She steeled herself by straightening her spine and forcing her voice to be calm. “I’m sorry. I wish it weren’t true, but Sully and Lindsey were the ones who found him. Your husband is dead.”
“Noooo.” Jamie went rigid as she let out a wail that was little more than a high-pitched shriek. It was painful to see her agony, and Lindsey glanced away.
Molly patted her shoulder, and Lindsey was surprised to see Jamie turn and lean into Molly’s warmth. Jamie clung to her, and Molly glanced over her head at Lindsey as if she didn’t know what to do. She continued to pat Jamie’s back, saying, “There, there. It’ll be all right.”
Several minutes passed before Jamie’s sobs diminished and she wiped her eyes with the end of her scarf. Molly snatched a tissue from the box on her desk and handed it to her. Jamie dabbed her eyes gratefully. Remarkably, her makeup hadn’t been smudged at all by her tears.
“Jamie, if you can manage it, I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Emma said.
“What?” Jamie looked incredulous. “I have just been told that my beloved husband is dead, and now you want to ask me questions? Have you no heart?”
Emma pressed her lips together. She took a long breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. “I am sorry for your loss, truly,” she said. “Steve was such a large part of this community . . .” She paused, clearing the catch in her throat. “It’s going to be hard to imagine Briar Creek without him. However, there are certain realities in play here, one of which is the first forty-eight hours are critical to an investigation.”
“Investigation?” Jamie asked.
“Yes,” Emma said. “The manner of Steve’s death requires an official investigation.”
“I thought you said he was found on the beach,” Jamie said.
“Yes,” Emma said. She didn’t elaborate.
“Wait . . .” Jamie blinked. She stared at Emma as if she might be able to read her mind. Then she asked, “Are you telling me that my husband was murdered?”
“We won’t know for certain until we’ve completed our inquiry,” Emma said. “But there is reason to consider the possibility that his death wasn’t an accident.”
Lindsey thought about the side of Steve’s head. It certainly hadn’t looked like an accident had caused the deep gash. Even if he had fallen off his boat and cracked his head on the way down, then where was the boat? How had he managed to swim to shore, and why was he still in his elf suit? So many questions. None of which Jamie seemed prepared to answer.
“I can’t process this,” Jamie said. Her voice quavered, and she looked to be on the brink of tears. “I need my Teddy.”
Robbie’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced at Sully, who looked equally as perplexed.
“Teddy?” Emma asked.
“Yes, he’s my emotional support dog,” Jamie said.
“Oh, Teddy not teddy,” Robbie said. “Now it’s all coming into focus.”
Emma gave him a look, and he stopped talking.
“I can’t possibly answer any questions without him,” Jamie declared. “I’ll unravel. I need him. He grounds me.”
“All right, is he at the house?” Emma asked. She was very calm, and Lindsey marveled that she could keep her composure when she probably wanted to demand answers.
“Yes,” Jamie said. “My housekeeper can bring him to me.” She glanced at Heathcliff with a dark look. “But that mongrel has to go.”
“Hey,” Sully protested at the same time that Robbie said, “Oy.”
Lindsey shook her head. She didn’t want them to antagonize Jamie. She had a feeling she was going to be difficult enough to interview without any additional upset.
“Why don’t you take Heathcliff home?” Lindsey asked Robbie. “He could use a good run on the beach on the way there.”
“But—” Robbie began to protest, but Emma cut him off.
“Go.”
Robbie glared at all of them. Then he patted his thigh and said, “Come here, boy. We know when we’re not wanted, don’t we?”
The doors shut behind him and Heathcliff as they left the building. Heathcliff romped ahead, but Robbie cast a forlorn look over his shoulder as he went. He really hated being out of the loop.
“Mrs. Briggs. Jamie,” Emma said. “Would you like to return to my office while I have one of my officers go and fetch Teddy? We can talk about last night while we wait.”
Jamie gave her a look of outrage. “I can’t possibly.” She sounded on the brink of hysterics. “Not without my Teddy.” With that, she dissolved into tears and sobs that racked her thin frame.
Emma looked as if she was at a loss as to what to do. Molly stepped up and gently put her hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “There, there. How about we make you a nice hot cup of tea. You can lie down on the sofa in the chief’s office and await your Teddy. Does that sound all right?”
Jamie sniffed. She blinked at Molly and nodded, looking more like a child than a grown woman. Molly gently took her hand and led her away. She glanced back and nodded at Emma, signaling that she would stay with Jamie until her dog arrived.
Emma turned away from them and got on her radio. Lindsey and Sully listened while she called for one of her officers to swing by the Briggs house and pick up the dog. There was some pushback, as one of the officers was not a fan of dogs. In the end, Officer Wilcox agreed to get Teddy.
Lindsey and Sully went back to the break room to fill out their statements, and Emma followed. She said it was to pour herself a cup of coffee, but when she sat at the table with them and didn’t drink, Lindsey suspected she was avoiding having to go and sit with Jamie Briggs.
“What does anyone know about Jamie other than she grew up in Darien and prefers life in New York?” Lindsey asked.
“Not much,” Sully said. He glanced at Emma, and she shrugged, indicating that she knew as little as they did. “I know her maiden name is Gerbowski and her family made its fortune in the post-prohibition era, producing and distributing alcohol.”
“Big family?” Lindsey asked.
Sully’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what he knew about his friend’s wife. “I’m trying to remember. I was at their wedding.”
“You were?” Emma asked.
“Steve and I go way back,” Sully said. “I didn’t stand up for him, but my whole family was invited. My parents might know more; my mother is very good at getting people to talk to her.”
“I may have to call her in,” Emma joked. “I have no idea how I’m going to question that one.” She jerked her thumb in the direction of her office. “If there is a woman more opposite to me than her, I have yet to meet her.”
“Hopefully her dog will calm her down enough to talk,” Lindsey said.
“I can’t help feeling like it was a ploy,” Emma said. “Assuming the information that her husband was dead was news to her, don’t you think she’d want to reach out to his family, or even her own, before demanding to see her dog? And she didn’t ask any questions about him or the cause of death or even if she could see him, I mean—”
Emma glanced up at them and took a long sip of her hot coffee. She seemed to be reining herself in.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “That was incredibly unprofessional. I shouldn’t be talking about a case in front of civilians like that.”
“Well, we’re more than just civilians,” Sully said.
“Yeah, we’re your friends,” Lindsey agreed.
“Doesn’t make it okay,” Emma said. “Please forget my random speculation.”
“Already forgotten,” Sully assured her. He glanced across the table at Lindsey and said, “Hypothetically speaking, if you were called to the police station because my body was found on the beach with a head trauma, what would your response be?”
Lindsey stared at him. “I don’t like this hypothetical—at all.”
Emma glanced between them. She tapped her chin with her forefinger and said, “For curiosity’s sake, what would your response be?”
“I’d demand to see his body,” Lindsey said. “I wouldn’t believe it until I saw him with my own eyes, and then I’d have a million questions, and you’d better believe I’d want answers. I’d be on a mission to figure out what happened.”
“I get that,” Emma said. “I’d react the same.”
“Me, too,” Sully said.
“But people process bad news differently,” Lindsey said. “Also, we don’t know what their relationship was like. Remember what Jamie said at the party last night?”
“Oh, yeah, that was awkward,” Sully said.
“What did she say?” Emma asked.
“She said, ‘Trust me, you marry a guy who you think is your Prince Charming but it’s only a matter of time before he turns into a frog,’” Lindsey answered. “I don’t think it’s a wild guess to say that she and Steve were unhappy in their marriage, or at least she was.”
“Interesting,” Emma said. “I suppose the question is, How unhappy was she? Enough to do something about it? And, if so, what?”
“She seems to have hired help for just about everything,” Sully said.
He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to as both Lindsey and Emma knew what he was saying. If Jamie did have anything to do with her husband’s death, she would have hired someone to do it for her. And if she had, then there was definitely going to be a trail of one sort or another.