Murder in the Milk Case by Spyglass Lane Mysteries Page A

about bribery, I see. Are they all for me?”
    I nodded.
    She waved a pad in the air. “Couldn’t you have gotten notebooks that were a little more decorative?”
    I took it from her. “This is serious business. I didn’t want to show up at Detective Scott’s office with something that had pink and purple fairies on the cover.”
    She continued to bounce the egg in her hand. “Okay. Here’s the deal. I’ll help you if you promise to talk to Max within the next week.”
    “I want to. I’m trying.” I crossed my arms. “Why are you so insistent about this?”
    “I don’t want anything to happen to you guys. Remember my short marriage? My ex was keeping secrets.”
    “Yeah, but his secret was two women on the side. He betrayed you.”
    “Don’t you think Max will feel betrayed by something like this?”
    I raked my fingers through my hair. “Yes. Yes, he will. I know that. That’s what makes this hard. But if Russ is guilty, then my stepkids are going to hate me. And. . .I don’t know how Max will feel. I mean. . .” My throat closed up, and tears filled my eyes.
    “Oh, hon, I’m sorry.” Abbie hugged me. “I don’t think you’re giving everyone enough credit, but I don’t know for sure.”
    I sniffled into her shoulder for a minute until I got hold of myself.
    “Let’s get to work.” She motioned to the dining room table. “I can try to help you, but I have my doubts that you’ll be able to distract Eric.”
    Once again, I sensed the edge in her voice when she mentioned his name. Abbie’s ex-husband had been a police officer. As we sat down, a thought occurred to me. I glanced at her. “Is the reason you don’t like Detective Scott because he reminds you of your ex-husband?”
    Abbie raised her chin, and her eyes like flint. “Eric went to the academy with him. They were friends. He has a lot of nerve judging me when he and his wife split up, too.” She huffed. “I don’t want to discuss it, okay?”
    “Okay.” That was answer enough, and I knew better than to ask anything else. She’d tell me in her own good time.
    I opened a notebook and pulled a pen from my purse. “I think Jim Bob was a blackmailer. He was trying to blackmail me. And he tried to pull something on George.”
    “Well, most everyone agrees he wasn’t a nice guy.” The corner of Abbie’s mouth twitched. “Which could explain why Stefanie did what she did.”
    I eyed Abbie. “What did she do?”
    “Well, at the hairdresser yesterday, I heard whispers about her and Daryl.”
    I remembered Shirl’s comment about sneaky men. “You’re not saying that Daryl and Stefanie. . .”
    Abbie raised an eyebrow. “The Bible calls it adultery.”
    “That’s hard to believe.” I shuddered. “I mean, we’re talking about Daryl.”
    She shrugged. “If you didn’t know him like you do, you’d think he was quite good-looking.”
    The Dweeb? Good-looking? I couldn’t get past the gross little boy I’d known in grade school.
    “Right there are some mighty good motivations.” Abbie crossed her legs. “You’ve got lust and anger and greed.”
    “I get the lust and anger part, but greed?”
    “Sure. Maybe Stefanie thought Daryl could get a piece of his wife’s fortune.”
    If I’d been a cartoon character, there would be a lightbulb over my head. “Of course. She was looking for her next well-to-do guy. Or at least one with the potential.” There weren’t many in our area, really. Daryl, Max, although his family didn’t have as much as Daryl’s wife’s. . .oh. . .Max. I clenched my fists. “She’s been flirting with Max, trying to get into Jim Bob’s storage unit. Do you suppose she wants more than that?”
    “From what I’ve heard, I’d say that if Max succumbed she’d jump in with both feet.”
    I couldn’t speak.
    Abbie looked at me with a tiny grin. “Trish, close your mouth. You’ll catch flies.”
    I snapped my jaw shut and said nothing. Though some of my suspicions about Steffie were