Alibis and Amethysts by Sharon Pape Page A

categorizing. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have enjoyed wandering through
     the gallery, but given her limited lunch hour and the reason for her visit, she was
     nearly out of patience by the time Adam Grayson finally emerged from the back.
    He sauntered in with the easy grace of the self-confident. He was close to six feet
     tall and slender, with silver hair that hadn’t receded despite the fact that he had
     to be hovering on the cusp of fifty.
    “Welcome to the Grayson,” he said in a cultured tone as he crossed the floor to a
     sleek mahogany desk on the far side of the gallery.
    “You have a beautiful collection,” Jaye said, trying to sound equally smooth and refined
     but certain she’d fallen miserably short. Stress was a dandy poise killer. Who was
     she kidding? On her best day she couldn’t pull off acting like a silver spoon–fed
     aristocrat. If Sierra had been there, she would have enjoyed a good laugh at Jaye’s
     expense.
    “Any piece calling to you in particular?” Adam inquired, leaning against the front
     of the desk.
    “It would be hard to choose just one,” Jaye said, “so I guess it’s a good thing I
     can’t afford any of them.” Much better to get that out in the open right away. Now
     she could concentrate on the real reason she was there.
    “I like honesty,” he said with a laugh. “You look familiar—are you from around here?”
    She walked over to him and held out her hand. “Jaye Saylor. I moved here six months
     ago. I have a little shop near Tlaquepaque. Maybe you’ve seen it—Crystal Clear?”
    “Ahh, then you’re the proprietor of what I’m afraid I called ‘yet another crystal
     shop.’”
    “Ouch.”
    “No offense.”
    “Almost none taken.”
    “I’m just not one of the believers. I am, however, a big fan of the tourists who come
     to check out the vortex and learn about crystals, since many of them also feel the
     need to take some of our artwork home with them.”
    Jaye was surprised to find that behind the poise and elegance Adam Grayson could be
     open and funny. “Someday, if my ‘yet another crystal shop’ does well enough, I might
     just relieve you of a painting or two.”
    “Our doors are open from ten to seven, six days a week.”
    Finally, the opportunity Jaye had been waiting for. She dropped her voice to a stage
     whisper even though they were alone in the gallery. “Speaking of which, do you ever
     worry about who might walk through those doors? It’s been on my mind a lot since that
     poor woman was murdered. I mean, there might be a killer on the loose in our town.”
     She ad-libbed a little frisson for effect and watched Adam’s face for any signs of
     guilt. Of course, she didn’t know what guilt might look like on him, but she hoped
     she’d be perceptive enough to spot it. So far nothing. He didn’t pale. He didn’t avert
     his eyes from hers. He didn’t start tapping his foot or fussing with things on his
     desk out of nervous energy.
    “You can’t live in fear,” he said with a shrug. “There are a million things that can
     kill you at any given moment, yet look at how many people make it to ninety or even
     a hundred these days.”
    “I hate to disagree,” Jaye said with a self-deprecating smile, “but I’m absolute proof
     that you
can
live in fear. In fact, I’m doing quite a good job of it, thank you. I’m constantly
     looking over my shoulder and checking to make sure I’ve double-locked the doors at
     night. I’m even thinking of buying a guard dog. I’ll feel a whole lot better after
     they catch the creep who killed Peggy.”
    Still no reaction from Adam. If he was the killer, he had the best poker face Jaye
     had ever seen. Of course, if he was the killer, he didn’t have to worry at all about
     being the next victim. Time was running out, and she was getting nowhere. She’d have
     to say something more pointed and risk being thrown out of the gallery. “Oh, I am
     so sorry,” she said,