his comment. There was a time when I would have been proud to be compared to my father, but not anymore. I bit back my nasty reply. I figured it wouldn’t get me anywhere to piss Hale off.
I turned to Tony, figuring I might get more information from him. “Did you guys look at that evidence I sent in? You’re starting to think this wasn’t just an accident, right?”
“We really can’t say. But you might be onto something.” Tony glanced at Hale as if asking permission to continue further.
Hale rolled his eyes. “I’m going to go inside. Don’t tell her too much. She shouldn’t be butting into this case. There could be more going on than she’s aware of.” Hale looked directly at me. “I suggest you take my advice and find something else to work on. You could be playing with fire.”
He turned on his heel and we watched him walk away. His play on words wasn’t lost on me, but I almost got the feeling that he really didn’t want me to get burned.
“Is he always so dramatic?” Lexy asked.
Tony laughed. “Hale’s not that bad.” His face turned grim and he zeroed in on me. “But he’s right. There could be more to this. I didn’t realize you were still investigating it. Are you?”
I shrugged. “Not really, but Evangeline came to me and told me she suspected Nathan was the killer. I feel responsible and guilty that I didn't take her seriously. I figured the least I could do was come to her wake. But I would appreciate knowing that justice is being served.”
Tony nodded. “I can understand that. We have been looking into it. I can’t get into the details, but let’s just say there are a few things that are a little suspicious. But the CSIs didn’t come up with much because the whole crime scene was incinerated. And we talked to almost all the neighbors, none of whom saw anything.”
“Almost all the neighbors?”
“There was one neighbor who wasn’t home when we canvassed the area. George Grindley. He’s an avid fisherman. In fact, he was out on the lake fishing when we went to talk to him. His wife said he goes out real early in the morning. She’s usually sleep and she couldn’t remember, but he might have been on the lake the night the boat burned.”
I made a mental note to talk to George Grindley. If he was on the lake, he might have seen something.
I decided to give Tony another clue. Maybe the cops would do some of the legwork for me. “I just talked to David and he says Nathan wasn’t at the cabin that night.”
Tony looked surprised. “Really? How would he know that?”
“David said the neighbor was checking out her door quite frequently. Apparently, she was expecting a delivery.”
Tony’s brow furrowed. “I thought Hale followed up with the neighbor. He didn’t mention anything about that.”
“That’s odd.” Was Hale lying? It seemed like he hadn’t wanted to investigate in the first place and I wondered if he had a reason for that other than sheer laziness. Maybe there really was more going on here.
“I’ll have to double check on that.” Tony glanced over at the funeral parlor. “I need to get going inside, but I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
He leaned toward me conspiratorially and my left brow ticked up. What the heck was he getting at? “Oh?”
“Hale mentioned that he thought you were looking into your mom’s death. That you weren’t satisfied with the investigation.” Tony paused as if he was feeling me out.
“Yeah…”
“Well, I know he wasn’t forthcoming with information, but I stumbled across something that might interest you.”
My eyes narrowed. “And why would you give me police evidence? I’m sure Hale wouldn’t like it if he knew. Why be so nice?”
Tony looked away, his eyes clouding. “My mom was murdered, too. I know how it feels.”
My suspicions melted into sympathies. His mom had met a similar fate? Was it related? I didn’t know much about my own mother’s death. I’d started to investigate
I turned to Tony, figuring I might get more information from him. “Did you guys look at that evidence I sent in? You’re starting to think this wasn’t just an accident, right?”
“We really can’t say. But you might be onto something.” Tony glanced at Hale as if asking permission to continue further.
Hale rolled his eyes. “I’m going to go inside. Don’t tell her too much. She shouldn’t be butting into this case. There could be more going on than she’s aware of.” Hale looked directly at me. “I suggest you take my advice and find something else to work on. You could be playing with fire.”
He turned on his heel and we watched him walk away. His play on words wasn’t lost on me, but I almost got the feeling that he really didn’t want me to get burned.
“Is he always so dramatic?” Lexy asked.
Tony laughed. “Hale’s not that bad.” His face turned grim and he zeroed in on me. “But he’s right. There could be more to this. I didn’t realize you were still investigating it. Are you?”
I shrugged. “Not really, but Evangeline came to me and told me she suspected Nathan was the killer. I feel responsible and guilty that I didn't take her seriously. I figured the least I could do was come to her wake. But I would appreciate knowing that justice is being served.”
Tony nodded. “I can understand that. We have been looking into it. I can’t get into the details, but let’s just say there are a few things that are a little suspicious. But the CSIs didn’t come up with much because the whole crime scene was incinerated. And we talked to almost all the neighbors, none of whom saw anything.”
“Almost all the neighbors?”
“There was one neighbor who wasn’t home when we canvassed the area. George Grindley. He’s an avid fisherman. In fact, he was out on the lake fishing when we went to talk to him. His wife said he goes out real early in the morning. She’s usually sleep and she couldn’t remember, but he might have been on the lake the night the boat burned.”
I made a mental note to talk to George Grindley. If he was on the lake, he might have seen something.
I decided to give Tony another clue. Maybe the cops would do some of the legwork for me. “I just talked to David and he says Nathan wasn’t at the cabin that night.”
Tony looked surprised. “Really? How would he know that?”
“David said the neighbor was checking out her door quite frequently. Apparently, she was expecting a delivery.”
Tony’s brow furrowed. “I thought Hale followed up with the neighbor. He didn’t mention anything about that.”
“That’s odd.” Was Hale lying? It seemed like he hadn’t wanted to investigate in the first place and I wondered if he had a reason for that other than sheer laziness. Maybe there really was more going on here.
“I’ll have to double check on that.” Tony glanced over at the funeral parlor. “I need to get going inside, but I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
He leaned toward me conspiratorially and my left brow ticked up. What the heck was he getting at? “Oh?”
“Hale mentioned that he thought you were looking into your mom’s death. That you weren’t satisfied with the investigation.” Tony paused as if he was feeling me out.
“Yeah…”
“Well, I know he wasn’t forthcoming with information, but I stumbled across something that might interest you.”
My eyes narrowed. “And why would you give me police evidence? I’m sure Hale wouldn’t like it if he knew. Why be so nice?”
Tony looked away, his eyes clouding. “My mom was murdered, too. I know how it feels.”
My suspicions melted into sympathies. His mom had met a similar fate? Was it related? I didn’t know much about my own mother’s death. I’d started to investigate
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