stared at her.
Tempest studied him for a moment, then sheathed her weapon. ‘‘I was so afraid—’’
He nodded. ‘‘We both had good reason to kill Oliver. But we didn’t.’’
‘‘No,’’ she said.
‘‘I think we’d better call in our crime team and find Mitzy,’’ he said. ‘‘She knew about Oliver and Peggy. She’s known for several weeks.’’
‘‘But she couldn’t have done this by herself,’’ Tempest said, glancing again at Oliver’s body.
‘‘No,’’ Jack agreed. ‘‘She would need help.’’ Nor would it be easy to prove. If he knew Mitzy, she would have covered her tracks well.
CHAPTER TEN
M ITZY DIDN’T seem surprised to see Jack. In fact, she jumped up from the couch and rushed toward him, stopping just short, her gaze searching his face.
‘‘Oh, Jack,’’ she said, her hand on her heart, tears filling her eyes. ‘‘It’s about Oliver, isn’t it? I just knew it. I’ve been so worried. When he left here—he was talking so crazy! I called Randall and we tried to find him....’’
Jack looked past her to Randall Garrison, Oliver’s attorney. It was clear what Mitzy would see in the guy. She’d look good on his arm and Mitzy had always cared about appearances.
‘‘Please, Jack, tell me Oliver’s not...’’
‘‘Oliver’s dead,’’ Jack said.
She burst into tears and turned to Randall. He put his arm around her and tried to console her.
‘‘He was murdered,’’ Jack said.
Mitzy stopped crying and jerked her head up in surprise.
Jack began to read them their rights. ‘‘...for the murders of Peggy Kane and Oliver Sanders,’’ he finished.
Mitzy shook her head in disbelief. ‘‘Jack, you know me! You can’t really believe that I killed my own husband.’’
‘‘Yes, I do know you, Mitzy. That’s why I should have figured it out a lot sooner. The bellhop thought he saw Oliver going up the elevator not long after Peggy because of the cologne Oliver wore, but it was Randall. They wear the same brand, dress alike.’’ He smiled at Mitzy. ‘‘I’m sure that was your doing. And Randall and Oliver looked enough like each other even if the bellhop had seen him, he’d have sworn it was Oliver.’’
‘‘Don’t say anything,’’ Randall warned her.
‘‘We know you bought the chocolate,’’ Jack continued as if the attorney hadn’t spoken. Jack remembered on the way here that he’d seen Randall Garrison’s name on the list of people who purchased the heart-shaped Valentine’s Day boxes, but hadn’t thought anything about it at the time.
‘‘We know you bought two boxes. One, obviously to poison, and the other box...’’ he motioned to the coffee table finding it hard to believe what he was seeing ‘‘...to celebrate your victory.’’ Mitzy did love to flaunt her successes.
There on the glass coffee table was a big heart-shaped box of chocolates identical to the one that had killed Peggy Kane just the day before—open and partially empty.
Jack shook his head, remembering what Oliver had said about never eating chocolate again. But Mitzy had no reason to fear a few chocolate creams—other than what they’d do to her hips.
‘‘I can see how you manipulated Oliver to make him look guilty and make his suicide almost convincing,’’ Jack said. ‘‘I have to hand it to you, Mitzy, you’re good. But how did you get Peggy to eat the chocolates?’’ he asked conversationally.
‘‘Mitzy—’’ her lawyer/lover tried to warn, but she waved him off.
She smiled at Jack, no doubt figuring it would be his word against hers. ‘‘That was the easy part, Jack. I knew her weakness. I knew once those chocolates were opened and one was missing, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. That’s what killed her. Not her weakness for chocolates so much as her weakness for my chocolates.’’
‘‘And what was Oliver’s weakness?’’ Jack asked.
‘‘Shut up,’’ Randall hissed at her. ‘‘You’ve already
Tempest studied him for a moment, then sheathed her weapon. ‘‘I was so afraid—’’
He nodded. ‘‘We both had good reason to kill Oliver. But we didn’t.’’
‘‘No,’’ she said.
‘‘I think we’d better call in our crime team and find Mitzy,’’ he said. ‘‘She knew about Oliver and Peggy. She’s known for several weeks.’’
‘‘But she couldn’t have done this by herself,’’ Tempest said, glancing again at Oliver’s body.
‘‘No,’’ Jack agreed. ‘‘She would need help.’’ Nor would it be easy to prove. If he knew Mitzy, she would have covered her tracks well.
CHAPTER TEN
M ITZY DIDN’T seem surprised to see Jack. In fact, she jumped up from the couch and rushed toward him, stopping just short, her gaze searching his face.
‘‘Oh, Jack,’’ she said, her hand on her heart, tears filling her eyes. ‘‘It’s about Oliver, isn’t it? I just knew it. I’ve been so worried. When he left here—he was talking so crazy! I called Randall and we tried to find him....’’
Jack looked past her to Randall Garrison, Oliver’s attorney. It was clear what Mitzy would see in the guy. She’d look good on his arm and Mitzy had always cared about appearances.
‘‘Please, Jack, tell me Oliver’s not...’’
‘‘Oliver’s dead,’’ Jack said.
She burst into tears and turned to Randall. He put his arm around her and tried to console her.
‘‘He was murdered,’’ Jack said.
Mitzy stopped crying and jerked her head up in surprise.
Jack began to read them their rights. ‘‘...for the murders of Peggy Kane and Oliver Sanders,’’ he finished.
Mitzy shook her head in disbelief. ‘‘Jack, you know me! You can’t really believe that I killed my own husband.’’
‘‘Yes, I do know you, Mitzy. That’s why I should have figured it out a lot sooner. The bellhop thought he saw Oliver going up the elevator not long after Peggy because of the cologne Oliver wore, but it was Randall. They wear the same brand, dress alike.’’ He smiled at Mitzy. ‘‘I’m sure that was your doing. And Randall and Oliver looked enough like each other even if the bellhop had seen him, he’d have sworn it was Oliver.’’
‘‘Don’t say anything,’’ Randall warned her.
‘‘We know you bought the chocolate,’’ Jack continued as if the attorney hadn’t spoken. Jack remembered on the way here that he’d seen Randall Garrison’s name on the list of people who purchased the heart-shaped Valentine’s Day boxes, but hadn’t thought anything about it at the time.
‘‘We know you bought two boxes. One, obviously to poison, and the other box...’’ he motioned to the coffee table finding it hard to believe what he was seeing ‘‘...to celebrate your victory.’’ Mitzy did love to flaunt her successes.
There on the glass coffee table was a big heart-shaped box of chocolates identical to the one that had killed Peggy Kane just the day before—open and partially empty.
Jack shook his head, remembering what Oliver had said about never eating chocolate again. But Mitzy had no reason to fear a few chocolate creams—other than what they’d do to her hips.
‘‘I can see how you manipulated Oliver to make him look guilty and make his suicide almost convincing,’’ Jack said. ‘‘I have to hand it to you, Mitzy, you’re good. But how did you get Peggy to eat the chocolates?’’ he asked conversationally.
‘‘Mitzy—’’ her lawyer/lover tried to warn, but she waved him off.
She smiled at Jack, no doubt figuring it would be his word against hers. ‘‘That was the easy part, Jack. I knew her weakness. I knew once those chocolates were opened and one was missing, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. That’s what killed her. Not her weakness for chocolates so much as her weakness for my chocolates.’’
‘‘And what was Oliver’s weakness?’’ Jack asked.
‘‘Shut up,’’ Randall hissed at her. ‘‘You’ve already
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