Murder, Plain and Simple by Isabella Alan Page B

help you with something?” The lawyer didn’t act eager to talk about Elijah, but I wasn’t going to let him off that easy.
    “What was he doing here?” I moved up one step.
    He frowned.
    “Was he here about Joseph’s death?”
    He removed a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. “Now, Angela, I’m sure you know, since I’m an attorney-at-law, that I can’t share my conversations with my clients with others.”
    I did know that. Ryan crammed it down my throat when we were together whenever I would ask him about his cases. He never appreciated my curious nature. That should have been another warning sign. It was funny how all the warning signs against him were finally coming to light when he was hundreds of miles away.
    Harvey pointed at Oliver half-hidden behind the potted plant. “Is that your dog?”
    I slapped my thigh. “Oliver, come.”
    The Frenchie wiggled out of his hiding place and looked around. Seeing no Amish men or renegade birds, he galloped up the stairs and sat on the step next to my feet.
    The lawyer pursed his lip. “Animals aren’t supposed to be in the building.”
    I gave him a
you’re kidding me, right?
look. “You have a groomer in the downstairs office.”
    “I know. That’s why I don’t allow it.”
    Oliver gave the attorney his best poor-me face.
    The lawyer shoved the handkerchief back into the pocket of his polyester pants. “I suppose I can make an exception in Oliver’s case. He seems well behaved, if a little excitable. Are you here to see me?”
    “Yes.” I nodded.
    He rested his hand on his office’s doorknob. “What can I do for you?”
    “I think I need a lawyer.”
    He nodded as if he’d been expecting this. “Step into my office.”
    Oliver and I walked up the final two steps and followed Harvey through a doorway. It opened into an attractive waiting room decorated in what my mother would call Victorian chic. It had been one of her many design phases between ranch elegant and modern country. I couldn’t remember what style my mother was currently showing off in her Dallas home. It may have even changed twice since I moved. It was hard to keep track.
    “My secretary’s not here today. She only works three days a week.” He nodded at the empty receptionist’s desk. He opened the white door behind the receptionist’s desk. It opened into a spacious office, which was also decorated in Victorian style. “Please sit.”
    I perched on the edge of a red velvet chair. If I had such a chair in my house, it would be covered with dog hair in seconds. I could see why Harvey didn’t want any animals in his office.
    Oliver eyed the matching chair eagerly.
    I pointed to the floor. “Oliver, down.”
    He lay down with an annoyed snuffle that said, “You never let me have any fun.”
    “Why do you think you need a lawyer?” Harvey walked around his ornately carved desk.
    “I assume you heard about what happened to Joseph by now.”
    He nodded.
    I shifted in my seat. “That’s why Elijah was here, wasn’t it?”
    He pursed his lip. “Angela, I said I would not answer questions about Mr. Knepp, and I haven’t changed my mind in the last three minutes.”
    It had been worth a shot.
    “I found the body,” I blurted out.
    His eyes widened. “I knew he’d been found in your shop, but I didn’t know you’d made the gruesome discovery. Are you all right?”
    I closed my eyes, trying to put the image of Joseph far back in my mind.
Am I all right? Nope.
“It was a shock.” I took a breath. “The sheriff didn’t come right out and say it, but he thinks I did it. This is why I need a lawyer. I need help.”
    “Mitchell is a good man. He would never think that of you.”
    What was it with this town and thinking the sheriff was the end-all and be-all? Sure, he seemed nice enough, but if he had a viable suspect, I guessed he would arrest him or
her
just like any other cop. Then again, he did let me go this morning. That’s probably because he