Deadly Décor (A Caprice De Luca Mystery) by Karen Rose Smith Page B

plaques with Native American motifs. His desk, like Vince’s, was a laminate, but his wine-colored leather blotter complemented the chairs. The pencil holder on his desk was a nice piece of pottery hand-painted with images of wolves.
    Instead of going to the chair behind his desk, he sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and motioned to Caprice to do the same.
    When she did, Shasta rubbed up against his leg and plopped at his feet. Grant shook his head and gave Caprice an I-can’t-believe-you look. “You had a good reason for bringing your new stray dog to my office? Does she need a lawyer?”
    Shasta raised her head and looked up at him with adoring eyes. He reached down and scratched her behind her ears.
    Caprice already knew Grant was an animal lover. He just didn’t admit it. She wondered again how the two stray kittens—Creamsicle and Stripes—he’d helped place were doing with his divorced next-door neighbor. She decided not to ask.
    “I didn’t want to leave her alone. She’s still settling in, and she’s pregnant.”
    “Pregnant?”
    “It happens,” Caprice said with a shrug and a little smile.
    “I don’t have a lot of time, Caprice, so you’d better tell me why you’re here.”
    Yes, Grant was a get-to-the-point kind of guy. “I thought you might want to know what I found out about Bob, or rather his murder.”
    Grant’s lips thinned in disapproval that she was snooping. But instead of scolding her—because he apparently knew that wouldn’t do any good—he asked, “You have suspects already? I should have known you’d find alternatives to Bella and Joe.”
    “The important thing is that the police find an alternative. And, yes, I have. It turns out Bob has kept up his lady-killer ways. He was dating Jackie Fitz, who works at Connect Xpress.”
    “And how did you find this out?”
    “Nothing illegal. I stopped in to talk to Eliza, and Jackie was there watching a video that Connect Xpress had taped of Bob. She was really upset and crying. She had real feelings for him.”
    “That’s a big jump to being a suspect. You think she could have murdered him?”
    “It’s possible. If she found out he was having coffee dates with Bella.” She hurried on, knowing her time was limited. “Then there’s this teenager at the community center who had a fight with Bob. Danny was working on the murals with him at the center. He wouldn’t tell me what they fought about, but he was suspended for a while because he took a few swings at Bob.”
    “Motive?” Grant asked.
    “That I’m not sure about. One thing I discovered was that Bob took credit for Danny’s artwork.”
    “In less than twenty-four hours you’ve come up with two suspects. I wonder how well the police have done.”
    “If they focus just on Joe and Bella, they won’t be looking any further. You know Detective Jones.”
    Silence filled the small office until an awkwardness fell over her and Grant. He shifted in his chair, gave Shasta another pat, then cleared his throat. “Vince told me you and Seth Randolph officially are an item.”
    Official was an odd word to use. So was item . “He joined me for one of our family dinners, and we meet for coffee as much as we can. But you know a doctor’s schedule.”
    “Actually, I don’t.”
    “He’s on call a lot. Some days he might work a twelve-hour shift.”
    Grant just cocked his head and nodded, but she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. She and Grant had sort of become reacquainted friends during her last sleuthing adventure. Sometimes when they were together, she remembered the crush she’d had on him when Vince had brought him home on weekends from law school, and the way she’d buried it once Grant had gotten engaged and then married. When he’d moved to Kismet to join Vince in his law practice, he’d changed—had become guarded and distant—a different man than the more relaxed college guy she’d met when he’d been Vince’s roommate.
    Had he asked about