“I’ll do my best to seduce him and see how far that gets me.”
A lopsided grin lands on his face. “It will get you wherever you want to go. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Why do I get the feeling I’m being used because I hold the keys to the kingdom?”
“Don’t worry. I’m using you for your good looks, too.” I hike up and dot a kiss to his lips. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Can’t wait.”
And I can’t wait to rifle my way through Julian Fletcher’s most prized notebooks.
I have a feeling we’re inches away from the truth—and the killer.
Chapter 15
Jasper and I make a pit stop at the Seaview Sheriff’s Department first. Considering it’s just about the middle of the night, it strikes me as odd that the facility is fully operating as if it were the middle of the afternoon. But, considering the nature of the law-enforcing beast, that sounds about right.
Once Jasper snatched up the keys to Julian’s place, we took off for Rose Glen, where Julian owned a two-story bungalow style home near the pier.
“Snazzy,” I say as I shiver beside Jasper as he unlocks the door and lets us in. “Should we turn on our flashlights?”
“No, we should do this.” He flicks on the lights and exposes the interior to be far more modern than the outside of this beach bungalow implied. The floors, walls, and furniture share the same bright white hue. There’s a giant fluffy rug that takes over the expansive living room that looks as if it’s made of sheepskin, and it makes me wonder how many sheep were sacrificed to piece that monster together.
“Boy,” I muse, taking a look around. “He must have really been a good magician.”
“Because he has a ritzy home?”
“No,” I flatline. “Because he’s figured out how to make all the stains disappear. It’s impossible to live in a whiteout like this and not see a single coffee ring or even a drop of red wine.”
Jasper’s cheek flickers. “Don’t forget the pizza stains and the glob of grease those Chinese takeout boxes leave.”
“You’re speaking from experience, I take it?”
“You’ve been to my place. You tell me.” He winks my way.
“How about we scour Julian’s place so we can get to your place and I can reexamine the evidence?”
“I like your midnight math.” Jasper takes me by the hand. “His office is in the back.”
“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t your first rodeo in this pristine palace?”
“Because you’re a great detective. I’ve been here six times. Granted, I wasn’t looking for notebooks.”
“Six times? Why so many?”
“Each time we did an in-depth search of one of the rooms in the house. Looking for unusual fingerprints, fibers, blood.”
I suck in a quick breath. “You weren’t searching for Julian’s killer. Jasper, you think he’s responsible for those women’s disappearances, don’t you?”
His lips press white. “He’s on the short list. But like I said, we weren’t able to prove anything. I thought maybe we’d find a trace of those girls here. Anything at all. But we didn’t so much as find a bobby pin, let alone anything significant.”
“Did you look in his bedroom? Did you check his nightstand for cuffs and collars? How about the garage for an abundance of duct tape and body bags?”
“Done, done, and done. He’s pretty sanitized as far as any of that goes. This place is like a museum. It made me wonder if it was a front for his real home. I’ve never seen anyone live so meticulously.”
“He could have been a neat freak. It’s actually what I strive to be. But now that I’m marrying you, I suppose I’ll have to abandon the effort.”
His eyes flit my way.
“Kidding!” I say and we share a dull laugh.
“We could always blame Sherlock and Fish.” He shakes his head as he makes the suggestion. “Or the kids.” His brows twitch. “All ten of them.”
“Ten?” I laugh. “You’re really determined to have me live up to my name.”
“You’ll never be alone in the effort.”
I wrap my arms around him. “Sounds as if I’m marrying the right guy.”
“That’s good news, considering the big day is moments away. And there’s not another woman on the planet I’d want to spend my days with.”
“Camila will be sad to hear it.” I bite down on a laugh. “But I’m not.” I give his ribs a tweak. “While we’re here, let’s do a mental roundup of the suspects. I want this case closed long before we say I do.”
“You and me both. Who’s up first?”
“Michaela.” I shrug. “Like I mentioned on the ride over, Julian dragged her into the Collective. He was pressing her to tell her sister. And by the sound of it, that was one secret she’d rather take to the grave.”
“And now he’s taken it to his.”
I nod. “There’s Bernie.” I shake my head. “She was his lover. She didn’t even know she was the other woman until later in their relationship, according to Zeke, and she wanted nothing to do with him after his divorce. And then there’s Zeke.”
Jasper takes a breath. “I spoke to him today. He pretty much affirmed that conversation you had with him. He hated the guy for what he did to Bernie. He had the motive to want Julian dead, and he was there at ground zero the night he died.”
“He helped to set that glass ceiling over Julian’s watery grave. He could have easily manipulated those hinges.”
“Agreed,” he says. “What about Archie? He was there, too.”
“And he’s a fellow magician. Maybe he wanted Julian out of the way so he could move up in the entertainment ranks?”
“Maybe.” Jasper gives the kitchen a quick once-over as we pass it. “But he’s not taking all of the voids Julian left in the roster down at the Magic Castle. When I asked him about it, he said his passion for landscaping is just as much alive. He has no interest in going full-time. But it might be
