“Fern, I have good news,” he began.
Oh really.
“The charges against you have been dropped.”
“What?” Fern and I said together.
“You’re no longer being charged with Earl’s murder,” he clarified, taking a seat on the sofa.
I returned to the overstuffed chair and plopped down. “Have you charged someone else?”
“Not quite. But Patty Henderson is a strong person of interest.”
“No!” I jumped up from my seat.
Cole’s eyebrows rose, confused by my reaction. “I thought you’d be happy about this.”
“Well, I would be, but Patty didn’t do it.” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Charlee,” Fern chided. “Give Cole a chance to explain.”
Silently, I sat back down.
“Drugs were discovered in the trunk of Patty’s car, and her DNA was found on some of the cash recovered from the suitcase in Fern’s barn.”
“And?” I prodded.
Cole frowned. “And we found some evidence on the Henderson’s computer that is still being looked into.”
“I don’t buy it.” I crossed my arms defensively. “Does Patty look like a killer to you?”
Cole sighed, exasperated. “There’s just no pleasing you, is there, Charlee?” It was a question, but clearly meant as a statement.
I opened my mouth to deny it, but Fern shooed Moose from her lap and rose from her chair. “You said all the charges were dropped?”
Cole nodded.
“Even the charge for the still?” she questioned hopefully.
Cole chuckled. “Yes, although technically you were never charged with that. DA Hines decided it was best not to move forward with that in light of wrongfully charging you with Earl’s murder.”
Fern’s fist shot up in the air. “Yippee!” she squealed. “This calls for a celebration.” With that, my aunt scurried off to the kitchen.
Cole looked back at me, sporting his earlier frown.
“What?” I asked, feeling undeserving of his frustration. They were about to arrest the wrong person. Again. I wasn’t going to idly stand by and do nothing.
“Cole,” Fern called from the kitchen. “Would you like some of my special tea?”
I shook my head.
“Uh,” he started, before noticing my waving hand.
“No,” I mouthed, “you don’t.”
“No, thank you,” Cole answered, his eyes widening with understanding.
“Fern, Cole and I will take some coffee if that’s all right,” I said cheerfully, despite feeling anything but that inside.
This had to be a tremendous relief for my aunt. And I was happy for her, but it was overshadowed by the fact that the police were about to arrest another innocent woman. Poor Patty. She’d just lost her husband to a brutal murder, and now she was accused of it.
Awkward silence descended upon the room. The only thing I had anything to say about was the case, and how the cops had screwed it up again. I had to bite my tongue because the information I wanted to share had been obtained illegally.
With how much I’d already interfered with Cole’s investigation, my snooping through case files would probably put him over the edge, and I’d find myself arrested. That meant I’d see Preston again.
He still wanted to take me to dinner, but I’d told him I was busy. Which was true. Between stumbling into more dead bodies and hunting down a murderer, I had my hands full.
I glanced at Cole, who was looking quite uneasy sitting on the sofa across the room, as he tapped his foot on Fern’s bohemian-inspired area rug. With how straitlaced he was, I imagine he was still shocked Fern had offered him moonshine just after being told she was home free.
My aunt returned with a beaming smile and a tray filled with mugs and of course, creamer and whipped cream.
“Just black coffee for me, thanks.” Cole received a cup from Fern.
Fern set the tray on the end table between our two chairs. With the knots that had begun to form in my stomach, I skipped the whipped cream, and used the sugary creamer sparingly. Well, sparingly for me, since I usually filled my cup about a third full of the stuff.
After another minute of awkward silence, I finally couldn’t help myself. “Do you really think Patty did it?” I blurted.
Cole paused, his coffee mug a few inches from his mouth. Lowering it, he said firmly, “Charlee, it isn’t about what I think. I don’t make decisions based on how I feel.” Unlike me, he implied.
He gave me a pointed look. “I focus on facts. And right now, the facts suggest Patty was involved in her husband’s death. Whether or not she killed him is yet to be determined.”
“Okay, but—”
“And,” he cut me off, “you need to stay out of it. I heard you were at the Henderson’s house this morning when Deputy Roberts stopped by to pick her up.” His voice had escalated, telling me I’d really stepped in it this time.
“I don’t know what I have to do to get through to you that you need to mind your own business. I probably would have arrested you if—” he hesitated.
“If my dad wasn’t the mayor,” I interjected, flippantly.
Cole placed his mug on a table beside the sofa and stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Fern, thank you for the coffee.” He spoke directly to my aunt, refusing to look at me, before making a hasty departure.
When the door shut, Fern turned to me. “Well, that could have gone better,” she said dryly. “But he’ll get over it.” She raised her mug to her mouth and took a long sip. “This extra-special tea is especially good today. Are you sure you don’t want some?”
I shook my head. Extra-special meant extra strong. And despite Cole being royally ticked off with me, I needed to pay Russell Jenkins another visit. With Patty in jail, time was running out.
Chapter Twenty-one
Shortly after Cole left, I grabbed my purse and coat and headed back to the insurance office. I was almost positive that Russell had something to do with Earl’s death. The monthly payments were too suspicious. Whether or not he killed him, I wasn’t sure. When I arrived at the office, I dialed Fern and slid the phone into my pocket.
