Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Cindy Bell

her searching gaze.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. I don’t know.” Jo shook her head. “I just feel like someone is following us.”
    Eddy glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m pretty sure that I’d notice that.”
    Jo nodded, but continued to look out the window.
    “Here it is.” Eddy parked the car and looked through the window at the small house. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was quite tidy and clean. “Looks like someone has been weeding and mowing.”
    “Looks like it.” Jo popped her door open. She squinted as she looked up and down the street. “Quiet area.”
    “At least it looks quiet.” Eddy stepped up beside her. “Do you think Tony is home?”
    “No car in the driveway. There’s a good chance he isn’t.”
    “Pity, I guess we won’t get a chance to question him.”
    “No, but I can take a look around.”
    “If that’s what you want to do, I’ll keep a lookout.” Eddy nodded.
    Jo smiled. Eddy once disliked the idea of her breaking into places, he had certainly softened to the idea. She walked around the side of the house to find a good window to crawl through. She wasn’t the only one who had that idea, it seemed. She spotted two legs sticking out of one of the windows.
    “Oh Drew.” She sighed and shook her head. She knew that Eddy wasn’t going to let Drew slide. In fact, he might even implicate Drew in the murder. The person started edging his way down from the window. Jo grabbed one of the feet sticking out the window and tugged hard. There was a flurry of movement, then Jo found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. The man who held it was not Drew at all.
    “Roger! Or should I say Clem?” Jo scowled at him. “Put that gun down right this second!”
    “What are you doing here?” He stared at her with wide eyes. “Why are you here?”
    “I’m here to find out if your old friend, Tony, killed your wife, or perhaps it was you after all. You gave me a good sob story, but this doesn’t look like the actions of a grieving widower.”
    “You keep quiet, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “No? I know this is Tony’s house. Did he ask you to break in? Or was that just your way of being a good friend? Maybe make up for the fact that you bilked him out of all of the money he would have made on that necklace you stole together?”
    “Oh, you know far too much, don’t you?” He released the safety on his gun and pointed it more directly at her face. “I guess that you think you know everything. I don’t care why you are involved in this, but I don’t need some nosy neighbor getting in the middle of my business.”
    Jo thought of Eddy at the front of the house. As long as all was quiet out there she knew that he wouldn’t come looking for her. If she called out to him, Clem might kill her on the spot and then kill Eddy.
    “You know what I don’t understand, Clem?”
    “It’s Roger, call me Roger.”
    “Okay, Roger. You know what I don’t understand? Valda. She didn’t have to die. All of this was about the necklace, wasn’t it? So why did anyone have to die?”
    “Keep quiet.”
    “I mean it, Roger. Do you think of her? I mean, you must have loved her. Why else would you let her wear your most prized possession? You had to know that it was a risk for her to even know about it, let alone wear it.”
    “Of course I loved her, she was my wife! Why do you think I’m here?”
    “For the necklace.”
    “Yes.” He growled and started to lower the gun. “But not for the reasons that you think. I’m here because she loved that necklace. It took her from me, and I want her to go to her grave wearing it.”
    “I don’t believe you. You plan to put a priceless piece of jewelry into a coffin?”
    “Yes, I do. I will make sure that no more blood is shed over it.”
    “Did you find it?” Jo met his eyes. “Did Tony have it?”
    “No, I didn’t find it.” Roger lowered his eyes. “I heard your car and I thought you were Tony. I