Her eyebrows shot up, and she had to admit—even though it was ghoulish and wrong of her—that she was definitely curious as to what was going on. “I am too. I’ll have to follow up on that garden design bid. And of course, I’m sorry for whoever it is,” she said, “but don’t keep me in suspense. Who was it, and what’s going on?”
“Well, that’s what I came to ask you about.”
She stared at him in surprise. “Okay, now I’m confused.”
“It might be somebody you know.”
“Someone I know?” she asked incredulously. “Oh, dear, I hope not.”
He pulled out his phone and slowly flicked through the photos there.
“So this is a delay tactic,” she said, “and I admit you’re scaring me.”
“No, it’s not that,” he said, “but circumstances require that I ask you a couple questions.” He proceeded to ask where she’d been an hour ago, where she’d been four hours ago, and if she had an alibi.
She sat back and stared at him in shock. “Seriously, Mack?” she said. “I woke up about an hour ago. I was home alone all night. Why? Who is dead?” Suddenly she leaned forward. “Is it one of the bad guys?”
“Well, maybe,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people would say it definitely was a bad guy, but a lot of people wouldn’t.”
“Stop now,” she said, raising both hands in frustration. “Just tell me who it is.”
Then he held out his phone.
She looked at it and stared in shock.
“That’s the thing,” he said. “This is our dead body. So where were you last night? And where were you early this morning?”
She stared at the picture of Robin, her former divorce lawyer. Her very dead former lawyer. “What on earth?” Doreen raised her gaze slowly to stare at him.
“And I’m sorry, but I have to ask,” he said. “Did you murder her in the marigolds?”
Chapter 1
Saturday Morning …
Doreen’s mouth was wide open, as she caught sight of Arnold and Chester, fidgeting where they stood behind Mack. “Are you arresting me?” she asked in a hushed whisper, her gaze zipping to Mack.
Immediately Mack shook his head. “Of course not,” he said, yet he pulled out an official-looking document from the inside pocket of his jacket.
She looked over at Chester and Arnold to see them still standing there, afraid. They obviously couldn’t hear what she had said, but they knew something was up with her. She shook her head. “That’s just unbelievable.”
“I know,” he said, “but you also must understand that we have to check it out.”
Her gaze slowly slid back to Mack. Inside, what she felt was almost anger, yet, at the same time, betrayal. “You know I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Of course I do,” he said instantly.
Her shoulders slowly sagged, out of relief or despair she wasn’t sure which. “I never thought I’d be in this situation,” she muttered.
“Well, it’s to be expected, if you keep interfering in these kinds of cases.”
At that, her eyes opened wide, and she stared at him. “But I didn’t do anything, and nothing in my cases was involved.” Then her eyes opened wider yet again. “But your brother was.”
He nodded.
“And you’re right. The lawsuit obviously involved me.” She frowned, her hand automatically stroking Mugs, who had come over for comfort. “What is it you need to know?” she asked quietly.
He rattled off a series of questions, but she couldn’t give him any help with any of them.
“I went to bed around nine-thirty p.m.,” she said. “Yes, I went to bed alone. Except for the animals, of course. Yes, I armed the security, but, no, I have no recording to say it was set and to confirm that I didn’t leave. Nothing like that is available—as you well know, since you put in the system.”
“We need to upgrade that apparently.”
“Well, considering I was attacked inside the house several times, maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she muttered.
He nodded and made a note. That made her smile and regain a little bit of faith in her world. He wrote it on a small notepad off to the side, not on his official documents, as if it were a note for himself personally.
She sighed. “You know what the town will do when they hear.”
“Some will laugh. Some will cry. Some won’t believe it, and a whole lot won’t care.”
She studied the other two cops, who had seemed to relax now that she was easily talking to Mack, and she said, “As long as you know I had nothing to do with it.” She slid a sideways glance at him, checking his reaction. Seeing the truth in his gaze, she relaxed further.
“I know that,” he said. “We just have to make sure.”
She nodded. “She really is dead?” she asked. How impossible that seemed.
“She really is,” he said quietly.
She looked at him. “What about my ex? Did you check on his whereabouts?”
“Well, we’re looking for him too,” he muttered.
“Because he’d make a much better suspect, you know?” she said.
“The thought has crossed my mind,” he replied. “Don’t you worry.”
“Well, of course I will worry,” she said. “My ex’s girlfriend, who also happened to be my unscrupulous divorce lawyer, has been murdered. We always know that the scorned partner is the suspect.”
“Well, that’s certainly true,” he said. “We are looking at everyone with close ties to the victim. Especially if hard feelings or financial motives exist.”
“Well, that’s a pretty harsh thing to say,” she said quietly. He just looked at her, and she shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Do you think any of your neighbors saw you last night?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t even talk to Nan last night. I still haven’t been feeling all that well, so I just went to bed.”
He leaned forward. “You’re still not feeling well?”
Her hand instinctively went up to her shoulder. “No,” she said, “I’m not. I was doing well for several days, then suddenly I was worn out. Maybe I just need a few more days to rest.”
“Have you had that shoulder
