Dead By Midnight

That means Elaine was in Savannah the night Pat took that photo in the Jamison gazebo. Burl Field will swear to that.”

“Thanks, Max. But”—Billy was brisk—“Elaine Jamison is a person of interest in the murder of Glen Jamison. Not,” and he repeated with emphasis, “not in the possible homicide of Pat Merridew.”

Max frowned. “Are you saying the murders are unconnected?”

“I’m saying we have one homicide and one unexplained death.”

“Pat Merridew went to the Jamison backyard—”

“Got it from you. Got it from Annie. Several times.” His tone was now gruff. “Sure, the BlackBerry photo’s odd, but we will never be able to prove what was or wasn’t in that towel. Look at it like this. If the Colt was in that towel, what was the point? I guess your theory is that the gun was hidden there until it was used to shoot Glen, which means premeditation. Maybe that’s true, maybe not. We don’t know who put the towel there or why. If it contained the gun, it’s interesting to note that Elaine Jamison lives outside of the house. Very handy for her. That’s not to say somebody in the house didn’t put the towel there, but we are never going to know. As for rendering a verdict of innocent for Elaine Jamison on the basis of the BlackBerry photo, maybe the towel was hidden there the night before and Pat Merridew found it on the night of June twelfth. Maybe Pat Merridew came back every night to look and see who might be checking on the towel and that was when she saw Elaine Jamison. You can take it from me, and you can tell Annie, the timing of that photo doesn’t matter and in no way does it knock out Elaine Jamison as a suspect in her brother’s murder. If you want to spend time figuring what may or may not have happened, give a little thought to the murder weapon. The weapon hasn’t been found. Annie saw Elaine Jamison shortly after she apparently threw something into the marsh. You want to take bets on whether she threw the murder weapon? If she had the Colt and threw it in the marsh, she was either trying to save herself, which makes her the principal suspect, or she disposed of the gun to save someone else. You know what that’s called? Accessory after the fact.”

The connection ended.

Max gave a soundless whistle. Annie was not going to be pleased at the course of Billy’s investigation.

Chapter Nine

Max used a short stroke and the ball rolled up and over a slight ridge to curl beautifully into the hole of the indoor putting green. “Way to go.” A successful putt was always a thing of beauty to him. Would Annie consider him derelict in his duty if he went over to the driving range? It was a perfect day to hit a bucket of balls and he wanted to practice his wood shots.

Max slid the putter into the bag. The phone rang. Annie. He smiled and punched his speakerphone. Maybe she’d join him. “Hey, Annie, let’s go to the club and have lunch and—”

“I grabbed a sandwich after I went to see Elaine.” Annie’s voice was discouraged. “I told her I was sure she was innocent, but I felt like I was talking to a wall. She’s like a cornered animal.”

Max picked up a pen, drew a legal pad near, doodled an ostrich with its head in a hole. “She has good reason to be scared. I told Billy about Elaine and Burl in Savannah. As far as he’s concerned, Elaine’s whereabouts that night aren’t relevant.”

Her voice rose in protest. “He can’t ignore what happened to Pat.”

“Unfortunately”—Max spoke gently—“he can. Elaine is a suspect because of her own actions. She threw something in the marsh. If she got rid of the Colt, Billy believes she is either guilty or protecting someone. As he put it, an accessory after the fact.”

Annie was subdued. “I want to help her. She won’t cooperate.”

Max drew a porcupine, quills flared. “She’s an adult. She’s made choices. Billy’s a good cop. Let it go, Annie.”

She was silent for so long he added five more porcupines to his row. “It’s a gorgeous day. Let’s play golf.”

Annie’s voice wobbled. “If I don’t try to help her, I’ll feel like I’ve turned my back on somebody in big trouble.”

Max wrote in all caps: BIG TROUBLE. “She put herself in a deep hole. You didn’t dig it, Annie.”

“I can throw her a line, find a ladder, do something. If I thought she was guilty, I’d be glad to stay at the store and be happy and not talk to people who are upset and frightened. I would leave everything to Billy, if I thought he was really looking. But he’s made up his mind. So I’ve got to see what I can find out. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Elaine poisoned Pat and shot Glen. But maybe she didn’t. She doesn’t want me to interfere, but she doesn’t have anyone on her side.”

Max sketched a slender figure standing by a hole with a lariat. Annie rarely met a lost cause she wouldn’t champion. “I understand.”

“All right.” Annie was abruptly vigorous, encouraged by her decision. “I’ll talk to the rest of the family.”

Max was sure Billy Cameron had already interviewed them, but perhaps one of them would say more to Annie than to a police officer. Max drew a little halo above a small cat with its fur on end, scrappy and determined. “Count me in. I’ll nose around. We can’t do any harm and maybe we can find out something else helpful to Elaine.”

“Right. Here’s what you can do . . .”

He jotted notes on the pad. “No stone unturned, that’s my motto.” He clicked off the call and looked at the list. It wasn’t the way he’d planned to spend his afternoon. He took a moment to fix a peanut-butter sandwich in Barb’s storeroom-cum-kitchen and carried it to his desk with a glass of milk. He glanced at Annie’s picture with a whimsical smile. “So you’ve found an underdog you’re determined to rescue.” His tone was conversational. “Even if she doesn’t want to be saved. Hey, that’s why I love you.” His smile dimmed. “But sometimes rescuers get bitten.”

Annie punched the front doorbell of the Jamison house. She was surprised that Cleo Jamison opened the door. Cleo’s beauty remained intact but it was muted, diminished by pallid skin, deep-sunken