Great. That doesn’t help in the least. I suspect that “windfall” was from my uncle, but still can’t prove it. “No one questioned where that money came from?”
“Are you kidding?” Renee chuckles. “Your mom was just glad to see the ink dry on the deal so she and Brittany would never have to see Stella again.”
“And yet Stella and her wealthy boyfriend are coming back day after tomorrow to take Brittany away.” I drop my head into my hands and sigh.
A new set of customers pass through the front door, so Renee stands to help them. “You didn’t live here when Brittany and her mom moved to Sunset Cove, but Stella has a brother named Andrew who let them live with him until he moved. Your mom and I wondered if that’s where the money might have come from. He lives in San Francisco, the last anyone heard. Maybe Dylan can help find him?”
I pop my head up. “Brittany never mentioned having an uncle.” Why am I just learning this now?
“Probably because he’s about as messed up as Stella. We were all glad to see him leave.” Renee pushes her chair under the table. “Andrew’s probably a dead end, but if I remember anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” I pull out my phone to send a text to Gage. I’ll fill him in and also tell him it’s okay to discuss my case with Renee. Hopefully, we’ll find this Andrew person quickly.
After I hit Send, I dump my trash and gather my things. Nan can watch the bookstore for about another hour, so I head up the hill to my house. I want to ask Brittany some more questions.
I get about ten feet from Renee’s shop when I hear, “Sawyer! Wait up!”
Madge is rushing my way, so I stop and let her catch up. “What’s going on?”
“Big news!” Madge drops her hands to her knees to catch her breath. “Looks like Dylan called in a favor. They moved Tina up in line for an autopsy.” Madge is coughing and panting at the same time.
“That is good news.” I pat Madge on her yarn-covered back to help her catch her breath. “But blood tests and the like still take some time, right?”
Madge nods as she straightens. “Here’s the most interesting thing, though.” She swivels her head to be sure no locals can hear. Ignoring the tourists milling around, she whispers, “The doc says Tina’s death was no accident. Says he needs to wait for toxicology reports to call it for sure. That means poison, right?”
“Probably.” I weave my arm through Madge’s and tug her toward my shop so she can sit down for a second. After I wave to Nan, who’s straightening books on the other side of the store, I get Madge settled on a sofa beside Cooper. “Did you find out any more about the faulty electrical outlet at the community center?”
“Oh, yeah. Big news there.” Madge’s hand pets Cooper as her eyes drift toward the kitchen area. “This is my lunch break, though, so I might have to tell you after I grab a bite. Unless there are any croissants left?”
“Sure.” I jog over to the counter and grab two chocolate croissants and a cup of vanilla dream coffee. I hand them over. “You were saying about the electrical?”
Madge stuffs her mouth full like she hasn’t eaten in a month, making me wait even longer to hear her “big news.” Another of her dramatic pauses.
Finally, Madge wipes her chin. “We got the full written report today. There were exposed wires, but not that anyone could touch. They were under the cover, just not properly taken care of underneath. The report said the outlet worked. It just wasn’t wired up to code. The mayor told Dylan he’d repaired it himself last week.”
I flop onto the couch on the other side of my dog and pet Cooper too as I think out loud. “And my dad’s trick checked out too, right? So, electrocution is probably not the cause of Tina’s death.”
“Right.” Madge takes a long drink from her coffee cup. “I checked all the computer file notes—Dylan hates when I do that, so keep that part zipped please—and a few people backstage noticed Tina had been drinking iced tea with lemon in a clear to-go cup from the diner. Dylan confirmed that was true.”
While I think eating the greasy food at the diner could kill a person over time, I don’t think anyone there would literally try to kill someone. It’d be bad for business. “Who served her the tea?”
“A high school kid who works there part-time. No apparent connection to Tina, according to Dylan’s notes.”
Madge being able to access those notes comes in handy. But now I have to ask the tough question that Dylan brought up a bit ago. “Was there any mention of someone handing Tina a pink rose?” I hold my breath and hope it wasn’t my dad. But it’d totally be something he’d do even for a friend. He’d probably bow while he was doing it too for dramatic effect.
Madge, her mouth filled with chocolate flakiness, shakes her head.
That’s a relief. And one step closer to getting my dad out of the suspect pool. Not that I think he did anything wrong, but Dylan has his precious rules to follow.
Madge washes down the last of her croissant. “Gotta run. Talk soon.” She hops up and is out the door before I can even say goodbye.
I lean back and cuddle Cooper. If the electrical outlet wasn’t the culprit, then what was? And would my uncle really kill someone he was planning to run off with? He did ask Tina to break ties with my dad. Why do that if he didn’t expect to be with her long-term? I can only think of one plausible cause. Could Uncle Frank have had real feelings for Tina? Enough that he’d risk his fortune?
Nan appears before me. “Couldn’t help but overhear. You should
