“I’ll think about it.”
“Thanks.” This was a surprise. He didn’t seem like the pet type. “Hearing the priest talk about Jasmine made me realize how little I knew her. I did know that she liked to dance. Did you guys go to clubs?”
“Wrestling matches. She liked wrestling.” He looked up. “She had her future all worked out. Was mature for her age, ya know?”
“Well, she had a lot of responsibilities.” Given what happened the day they worked together, “mature” was the last word Casey would have used to describe her.
“Somebody has to pay.” Wesley’s eyes zeroed in on someone behind her.
Casey turned and saw Roberto. Wesley’s scowl was burrowing into Roberto’s back, but why? Surely he didn’t believe Roberto had something to do with Jasmine’s death, or was it the way he was flirting with Mainland’s newest receptionist? With his hair trimmed, Roberto looked far more distinguished in his black suit than he did in grimy coveralls.
Wesley moved away from Casey, past three of Mainland’s female drivers talking to the gorgeous, wheelchair-bound guy with the large blue eyes and dark blond hair hanging just below his jaw line. Even before he’d removed his suit jacket and revealed bulging biceps beneath his shirt, the women had been circling him. Casey first noticed him in the church parking lot when Marie assisted the man out of her SUV. Based on the way he and Marie communicated, and had held hands in the church, she figured he was Marie’s brother. She now understood Marie’s remark at Paval’s the other day, about the killer probably renting a van to practise driving. Vans designed for paraplegics would have hand controls. Most thieves couldn’t just jump in and take off. Noel turned and caught Casey watching him. She grinned, feeling like an idiot for staring.
“My brother’s pretty cute, eh?” Marie said as she approached. “I’ll introduce you.”
Although her face was still flushed from her confrontation with Birch, Marie’s tone was friendly enough. Still, there was an edge about her, as if one wrong word could set her off.
“Casey, this is my brother, Noel Merryweather.”
“It’s good to finally meet.” He shook her hand. “I’ve heard a lot of nice things about you.”
“Really?” Taken aback, she turned to Marie.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll leave you two to chat.” Marie hurried off.
“Marie says you’re one of Mainland’s best security officers.”
“She does?”
Noel started to say something until his gaze drifted past her and his mouth clamped shut. Casey turned and spotted a man at Marie’s door. Casey recognized him from the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team. A couple of days ago, he’d asked her about Jasmine’s relationship with various colleagues. It was an awkward conversation. As the officer moved farther into the room, Casey saw Corporal Lundy follow him inside.
“What brings you two here?” Marie asked.
“We’d like to speak with Mr. Merryweather,” the officer replied.
“Forget it, this day’s about Jasmine.”
“I’m sorry, but we wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”
“Give me a bloody break.”
“It’s just a few questions, ma’am.” The officer gave her a cold stare.
Casey doubted anyone could make them leave until they’d done what they came to do. As the officers headed toward Noel, guests cleared a path for them.
Lundy nodded when he noticed Casey. “Miss Holland.”
“Corporal.”
In a firm, quiet tone, Lundy said, “Mr. Merryweather, may we have a private word?”
Noel attempted a smile. “Let’s talk out back.”
“No!” Marie rushed to his side. “You don’t have to do this now.”
Noel clasped her hand. “It’s okay.” He turned to Casey, “I hope I’ll see you again.”
“Me too.” Lord, they weren’t going to take him in for questioning at a funeral reception, were they?
Roberto opened the door for Noel and two German shepherds charged out of the kitchen, followed by Jasmine’s cocker spaniel, Belle. The crowded room erupted with barks and surprised exclamations as guests struggled to keep their cups and paper plates upright.
Roberto tried to grab one of the shepherds. “When’s the last time you fed them, Marie?”
Marie’s face was filled with anguish as she watched the officers follow Noel into the kitchen. It took a couple of minutes for people to corral the excited shepherds. Casey tried to rescue Belle who was under the table and turning in circles. Huge brown eyes looked up at Casey as if pleading for help. Once she’d coaxed the dog out, she headed for the kitchen. If the cops didn’t like the intrusion, too bad.
No one was in the kitchen, but Casey heard voices outside. Paval and the German shepherds entered the room, followed by Marie. Marie rushed to the back door and peered out the window while Paval left the room.
When Marie turned to around her freckled cheeks were scarlet. “Can’t those idiots see he’s being framed?”
Casey didn’t know what to say. “Aside from the van, what else do they have on your brother?”
Tears filled Marie’s eyes as she shrugged. When she sat down, the shepherds padded up to her. One of them whimpered while the other nuzzled her hand. Belle curled up under the kitchen table.
“Marie, does Noel own a gun?”
“No, he hates firearms. He does live less than ten minutes from Jasmine’s place.”
Casey approached the window overlooking the yard. The officers were accompanying Noel to a police van.
“All the evidence is circumstantial.” Marie smacked the table. “They have to see that!”
Casey turned around. “What do you mean by all?”
Marie hesitated. “They found Jasmine’s blood on the driver’s door of his van.”
Not good. “Where did they find the van?”
“At a park near Noel’s house.” She wiped away her tears with her hands.
“I gather he has no alibi for the morning of the murder?”
“If he did, the cops wouldn’t bloody be here, would they?”
Since Marie was upset, Casey overlooked the surliness. She wanted to ask what Noel was doing at the time of the murder, but the question wouldn’t be appreciated.
Paval poked his head into the room. “Sorry to intrude, Marie, but I thought you should know that people are starting to leave.”
“Thanks.”
Casey followed her into the living room, where subdued colleagues hugged Marie and murmured goodbye. Casey couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. She couldn’t make Marie feel better, but she could at least help clean up. Casey started with the food Birch had dumped on the floor.
“You don’t have to do that,” Marie said after the last person had left.
“I don’t mind. Housework helps with stress; so does yoga, but I figured you’d rather see me clearing plates than doing strange poses. Besides, I want to hear how you plan to prove Birch’s guilt.”
Marie picked up coffee cups. “I’ll figure something out.”
Casey wiped food off the floor with serviettes. “What if he really is innocent?”
“I’ll check out the names on those business cards Jasmine collected. It’s possible that one of her dance partners was some psycho who got the wrong idea about her. I should look into Eisler’s activities as well.” She headed for the kitchen. “I can’t believe Roberto or Wesley would kill her.”
“Me neither.” Casey followed her. “Still, people are capable of anything, if provoked enough.”
“Jasmine wouldn’t provoke anyone to the point of murder, unless they were psychos to begin with.”
Was she kidding? The day before Jasmine died, she’d provoked twelve-year-olds into wanting to beat her up.
“Jasmine might not have been killed by her ex, or by a man at all,” Casey said. “Maybe the killer was the jealous girlfriend of someone Jasmine was seeing.”
Marie began loading the dishwasher. “I wonder if Birch owns a handgun.”
Casey sighed and shook her head.
