“You know… now that I think about it, we never did talk to her. It was always her husband. I guess we’d better go back and see what she has to say.” She thought that was a great lead, and I had proven my worth in her eyes. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, but I’ve got to do a little more digging before I know if it’s going anywhere. If it pans out, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I nodded, feeling a little bad about sending Clue after Reed’s wife. But, as much as I liked him, his wife was still a suspect, and I had too much on my plate right now to question her. If this lead with Carolyn and her granddaughter came to nothing, I could still go back to question Reed’s wife, and I’d know in an instant if she was the murderer.
Dimples glanced at me, thinking I was sure taking my sweet time getting to him. I grinned and hurried over to his desk. “I can’t help it if everyone needs me to solve their cases around here.”
He shook his head. “I know… how did we ever manage without you?”
“I seriously have no idea.” I glanced around the room. “Is Willow here?”
He glanced back at my desk and grimaced, wondering where Willow was. She should be here by now.
“Maybe you’d better call her?”
“Yeah, maybe.” He knew he should call, but right now, he’d like to forget all about her.
A deep sense of satisfaction rolled over me. If nothing else, it was nice to be appreciated.
“Speak of the devil.” Dimples caught sight of Willow rushing in. She caught everyone’s attention in her colorful clothes, looking more done up than usual. Her arms and neck dripped with jewelry, and she wore a flowing peasant dress, with colorful embroidery, that sported tassels hanging from the sleeves and neck. But the biggest surprise was her floppy hat and big round sunglasses, straight out of the sixties… or was it the seventies?
“Oh good, you haven’t started yet. Sorry I’m late. Just let me put these away.” She glided to my desk and set her glasses and hat on top, then placed her fringed, leather purse in a big side drawer and locked it up with a key.
Shock flowed over me. What the hell? I didn’t even know there was a key to that drawer. She caught everyone staring and smiled, happy for the attention, before rushing back to us. “Are the men here?”
“Yes,” Dimples said.
“Good. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to question them. I have a gut feeling that one of them is responsible, and I think I’ll be able to spot him if I ask the right questions.”
My breath caught. She was taking a page right out of my playbook. The nerve. Was she trying to copy me? I couldn’t get a good read on her mind, but I felt the blossoming thread of conviction that she planned to solve the case without my help. It was her mission to impress Dimples and the whole department, and today was the day.
Hmm… that was a tall order, and I couldn’t wait to prove her wrong. With her unfettered confidence, she definitely had something up her sleeve, but I had no idea what it was.
Dimples’s brows rose in shock. She wanted to question the suspects? He didn’t trust her for one minute, so what was she up to? Had she gone to an outside source? He glanced my way. Had I picked up anything? Did I know her plans?
I shrugged my shoulders, feeling his immediate disappointment. “Shall we get started?”
“Yeah.” He opened a folder so I could see it, and Willow crowded to his other side to take a look. “This guy’s name is Carver Thomas, and he’s a chef at one of the nearby restaurants.”
Carver seemed like an unusual name, but it definitely fit for a chef. It fit even better for someone who used a knife and stabbed people.
Dimples closed the file, and we followed him to the interrogation room. He stepped inside, with Willow and me following behind. There were only two chairs in front of the desk, and Willow launched herself into one before I had a chance. Dimples glanced up to the ceiling and shook his head before offering the other chair to me.
I shook my head and moved to the corner, leaning against the wall with my arms folded. With a sigh, Dimples sat down and quickly introduced all of us. “Thanks for coming in. As you know, we’re investigating a homicide that happened the night you were at the hotel. This woman…” He placed an eight-by-ten photo of Sophie in front of him. “…was drugged while she had a drink at the bar. A man took her to her room where he planned to rape her. Do you recognize her?”
Carver studied the photo and shook his head. “No. At least not that I remember.”
“How about him? This is her husband. He showed up at their room, and this is what happened to him. Did you see him that night?”
Dimples shoved the crime scene photo of Brock next to Sophie’s. Brock was covered in blood from multiple stab wounds, and he lay in the red, stained sheets with his eyes wide open. “Take a good look. Someone stabbed him about twenty times.”
Carver jerked back, his heart hammering. “I didn’t see him. I don’t know anything about this. Why are you asking me?” His eyes widened. “Wait. You think I had something to do with this? Are you crazy?”
I opened my mouth to tell Dimples that Carver didn’t do it, but Willow jumped in before I could.
“I’m sure this was the last thing you expected when you came in.” Willow made an effort to keep her voice soothing and low. “We just want to know if you saw Sophie leave the bar with someone. Just
