Keeping Secrets
Page 14
Chapter Thirty-Two
Three days later...
Holy Spirits was crowded for a Monday night. Sam and Jo sat at the bar and ordered the usual.
"Here's to a job well done." Sam tipped his beer bottle toward Jo's, and they clanked the rims together.
Sam had managed to complete the investigation in a way that proved it was a suicide. He had the vultures to thank for that. They'd damaged the body in such a way that any of the usual indications that it was suicide, such as angle of entry and powder on the hands, were inconclusive. Since Sam's investigation hadn't turned up anyone that had means, motive, and opportunity, no one argued when the case was closed as a suicide.
Margie had died the day before, and Sam doubted anyone would have even believed she could have made it out to the cabin, much less shot her husband, even if he'd tried to bring a case against her.
"It's all working out for the best." Jo nodded toward the table in the corner where Tommy was hesitantly approaching Melody and Brian. There was a short, awkward conversation, and then Melody stood and pulled Tommy into a hug, Brian stood and shook his hand, then the three of them sat down at the table.
"They lost two parents so close, but they gained a brother," Sam said.
Kevin slid into a chair next to Sam. He was also watching the Donnelly table. "Isn't that the kid that Mike Donnelly was giving money to sitting with his other kids?"
"Yep," Sam said.
"How did they know about him? I thought you weren't going to say anything," Kevin said.
"Didn't have to." Sam took a sip of beer and swung back around to face the bar. "Turns out Melody already knew about him. She'd seen the china at the antique store and knew her father was up to something. She followed him and saw him meeting Tommy. She knew who Tommy was. She was fifteen when Mike had the affair with Judy, and that was plenty old enough to know what was going on."
"Huh." Kevin looked over his shoulder, and Sam followed his gaze. The three of them were laughing, and the sight warmed Sam's heart.
Kevin frowned. "Wait a minute. Then she might have had a good reason to kill her father. And we know she lied about being at the pharmacy..."
"True," Sam said. He and Jo had burned Margie's confession letter after they'd left the Donnellys' that day. Neither of them had any intention of telling anyone else about it. "But it turns out she had an alibi. She was the one that was knocking on Brian's door the night Mike was shot. She'd just figured out what was going on with Tommy and went to Brian's to tell him. Turns out one of the nosey neighbors saw her and can verify."
"That's why she acted so funny when we asked about their whereabouts and Brian lied about being home. She knew he wasn't there because she'd been knocking on his door. She had no idea about the AA meeting, so she made up the story about seeing him from the pharmacy to protect him," Jo added.
"Wow, I guess sometimes family really does stick together." Kevin finished his beer and stood. "Well, gotta get home. See you guys tomorrow."
The sound of rustling paper came from Jo's direction as Sam watched Kevin walk away. He turned to see her staring at some kind of pamphlet. "What is that?"
She held the front up to reveal a black-and-white picture of a rectangular fish tank. "Finn's getting a little cramped in his fish bowl, and the guy at the pet store said that a regular tank with a filter would be much healthier for him, so I bought him this tank a few days ago. Gotta figure out how to set it up. Maybe I can even get him a few friends."
"So Finn's putting down roots. Gonna be staying a while?" Sam looked at Jo carefully. Though she'd been here for four years, he'd always sensed that she might pick up and leave at any time. The thought made him feel empty, and he realized for the first time how important she'd become to him. And not just at work, either.
"Yeah, well, if I can figure this out. There's a lot to it, with gravel and filters and some kind of water cycling thing you have to do." Jo flipped through the pages. The pamphlet was thick with instructions.
"Maybe I could come over and help you out. I could bring Lucy and introduce her to Finn." Sam said it casually, even though his pulse was racing. He and Jo didn't usually hang out at each other's houses. Their social activities were usually confined to having a beer after work at Holy Spirits. He sensed that going over to her house to help her set up the tank would be a step in another direction. Or was he making too much of it? It was just setting up a fish tank, for crying out loud.
Jo kept staring at the pamphlet. Was she avoiding eye contact?
"That would be great," she said.
She looked over the top of the pamphlet at the Donnelly table. The three of them were laughing and enjoying themselves. Jo smiled. "Sometimes something good can come from something bad."
Sam glanced over. "Yeah..." Something beyond the table caught Sam's eye. Someone walking into the bar with an arrogant swagger. Someone he didn't want to see. Thorne. "Oh shit."
"What?" Jo's eyes narrowed, then she made a face when she saw Thorne. "Oh."
Thorne came straight to the bar and pushed his way in between them, facing Sam and with his back to Jo. Sam imagined Jo was probably relieved not to have to talk to him. He was standing too close for comfort, and Sam could smell sickly spicy aftershave.
"I have something you might want to see, Mason," Thorne said in a low voice as he leaned even closer and pulled a plastic bag out of his front pocket.
Sam's eyes fell on the bag that Thorne was dangling in front of him. A jolt of shock nearly knocked him off his chair as the bar lighting glinted off the stainless-steel pocketknife. He recognized it as Mick's knife, one he'd lost a long time ago. But how had Thorne ended up with it, and what was that dark stain on the side?
His eyes flicked up to Thorne's. Dark and beady with a smug hint of superiority. Thorne had been shielding the knife from view of anyone else. "That's right. You recognize that, don't you? That's the knife you and your friend used years ago. The knife that might reopen a murder investigation. So, if I were you, I'd think twice about harassing me, and back off on Dupont while you're at it. He and I have big plans for this town."
Thorne shoved the knife back into his pocket, spun, and walked out just as quickly as he'd come in, leaving Sam staring out into the bar with a sinking sensation in his stomach.
"What was that about?" Jo asked.
"Nothing, just Thorne and his usual hot air. Nothing to worry about." Sam faked a smile but avoided Jo's eyes. He was afraid that if he looked at her, she'd know he was lying. Because despite his dismissive words, deep down inside, Sam was very, very worried.
********************
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Also by L. A. Dobbs
Sam Mason Mysteries
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Telling Lies (Book 1)
Keeping Secrets (book 2)
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L. A. Dobbs also writes light and humorous cozy mysteries as Leighann Dobbs:
Silver Hollow
Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series
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A Spell of Trouble (Book 1)
Spell Disaster (Book 2)
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Mystic Notch
Cat Cozy Mystery Series
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Ghostly Paws
A Spirited Tail
A Mew To A Kill
Paws and Effect
Probable Paws
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Blackmoore Sisters
Cozy Mystery Series
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Dead Wrong
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br /> Dead & Buried
Dead Tide
Buried Secrets
Deadly Intentions
A Grave Mistake
Spell Found
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Mooseamuck Island Cozy Mystery Series
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A Zen For Murder
A Crabby Killer
A Treacherous Treasure
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Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series
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Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Boxed Set Vol 1 (Books 1-4)
Or buy the books separately:
Killer Cupcakes
Dying For Danish
Murder, Money and Marzipan
3 Bodies and a Biscotti
Brownies, Bodies & Bad Guys
Bake, Battle & Roll
Wedded Blintz
Scones, Skulls & Scams
Ice Cream Murder
Mummified Meringues
Brutal Brulee (Novella)
No Scone Unturned
About the Author
L. A. Dobbs also writes light mysteries as USA Today Bestselling author Leighann Dobbs. Lee has had a passion for reading since she was old enough to hold a book, but she didn’t put pen to paper until much later in life. After a twenty-year career as a software engineer, she realized you can’t make a living reading books, so she tried her hand at writing them and discovered she had a passion for that, too! She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix, Mojo, and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty.
Her book "Dead Wrong" won the "Best Mystery Romance" award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.
Her book "Ghostly Paws" was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.
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This is a work of fiction.
None of it is real. All names, places, and events are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real names, places, or events are purely coincidental, and should not be construed as being real.
KEEPING SECRETS
Copyright © 2017
Leighann Dobbs Publishing
http://www.leighanndobbs.com
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner, except as allowable under “fair use,” without the express written permission of the author.