Circe jumped up on the desk and meowed.
“Huh,” Angie said. “Maybe we have mice in there. We should watch for any signs of them in the kitchen.”
Circe let out another meow.
Courtney scratched the cat’s ears. “We’ll figure out if we have mice in there, little one. Don’t worry.”
They filed back into the family room to sit and finish their meals.
“We should talk about the murder. I feel like our ideas are going in circles.” Angie put her empty plate on the table.
“Let’s make a list of suspects.” Courtney got up and took a pen and some paper from the desk near the window. She returned to her seat. “There’s Mr. Finch.”
“It’s not Mr. Finch. He didn’t kill his brother.” Jenna shook her head.
“How do you know for sure?” Ellie asked.
Jenna said, “Well, for one thing, the cats like him.”
“True.” Courtney drew a pen line through Finch’s name. “That’s good enough for me. I crossed him off the list.”
“You’re going to cross him off the list on the basis of two cats’ reactions to him?” Ellie asked.
Her three sisters stared at her.
“Oh, okay.” Ellie gave in with a groan.
“Do we have any suspects?” Courtney looked around at her sisters. “No one?”
Angie said, “Well, what about the manager of the resort? He was seen in the candy store the evening Finch was murdered. Josh told me his name is Andrew Flynn. Mr. Adams said that Flynn was in the candy store when Finch told him he didn’t need to finish his shift and that he could go home for the night.”
“And you said that Josh told you that Flynn has been a problem. Disappearing when he’s supposed to be working,” Jenna said.
“I should talk to Josh. See if he knows if Flynn was supposed to be working the night of the murder.” Angie pulled out her phone and texted Josh to ask about Andrew Flynn.
“Any other suspects?” Courtney asked.
Jenna said, “What about Lindsay, the assistant manager from the Pirate’s Den. She told Angie that dead Finch was really mean to her when she worked for him a couple of years ago. He made nasty comments about her weight and accused her of stealing from the store. Maybe she took revenge on him.”
Angie pondered the possibility. “Good idea. I’d put her on the suspect list.”
Courtney wrote the name on the list and then tapped the pen on the arm of the sofa. “The problem is that no one knew Finch. He was never seen around town, didn’t take part in anything in town. He had no friends, wasn’t married. He worked and went home. That was it.”
Ellie said, “He collected art.”
“Let’s look him up on the internet. See if he belonged to any clubs or organizations.” Jenna pulled out her phone and tapped at it.
“I doubt that dead Finch belonged to anything. He wasn’t sociable at all.” Ellie started to clear away the dinner plates from the coffee table.
“We should talk to the Walsh sisters,” Courtney said.
“Why them?” Ellie asked.
“They worked part time at the candy store. They always worked the same shifts together. They split the paycheck between them. I guess when you’re in your late eighties you get to do what you want.”
Angie laughed. “Dead Finch got two employees for the price of one.”
Courtney nodded. “He needed employees and there aren’t many people around here who were willing to work for him, so he took what he could get.”
“Is that why he hired you?” Jenna teased.
Courtney scowled at her sister.
“I have to tease you when I get the chance. I need to get back at you for all the razzing you dish out over Tom.” Jenna tapped at her phone again. “Nothing comes up on the internet about dead Finch except information on the candy shop and his prizes and awards.”
“That figures. The man is a mystery.” Angie turned to Courtney. “Let’s go see the Walsh sisters tomorrow.”
“If nothing else,” Courtney said, “we’ll get all the town gossip. The Walsh’s know everything that’s
“Huh,” Angie said. “Maybe we have mice in there. We should watch for any signs of them in the kitchen.”
Circe let out another meow.
Courtney scratched the cat’s ears. “We’ll figure out if we have mice in there, little one. Don’t worry.”
They filed back into the family room to sit and finish their meals.
“We should talk about the murder. I feel like our ideas are going in circles.” Angie put her empty plate on the table.
“Let’s make a list of suspects.” Courtney got up and took a pen and some paper from the desk near the window. She returned to her seat. “There’s Mr. Finch.”
“It’s not Mr. Finch. He didn’t kill his brother.” Jenna shook her head.
“How do you know for sure?” Ellie asked.
Jenna said, “Well, for one thing, the cats like him.”
“True.” Courtney drew a pen line through Finch’s name. “That’s good enough for me. I crossed him off the list.”
“You’re going to cross him off the list on the basis of two cats’ reactions to him?” Ellie asked.
Her three sisters stared at her.
“Oh, okay.” Ellie gave in with a groan.
“Do we have any suspects?” Courtney looked around at her sisters. “No one?”
Angie said, “Well, what about the manager of the resort? He was seen in the candy store the evening Finch was murdered. Josh told me his name is Andrew Flynn. Mr. Adams said that Flynn was in the candy store when Finch told him he didn’t need to finish his shift and that he could go home for the night.”
“And you said that Josh told you that Flynn has been a problem. Disappearing when he’s supposed to be working,” Jenna said.
“I should talk to Josh. See if he knows if Flynn was supposed to be working the night of the murder.” Angie pulled out her phone and texted Josh to ask about Andrew Flynn.
“Any other suspects?” Courtney asked.
Jenna said, “What about Lindsay, the assistant manager from the Pirate’s Den. She told Angie that dead Finch was really mean to her when she worked for him a couple of years ago. He made nasty comments about her weight and accused her of stealing from the store. Maybe she took revenge on him.”
Angie pondered the possibility. “Good idea. I’d put her on the suspect list.”
Courtney wrote the name on the list and then tapped the pen on the arm of the sofa. “The problem is that no one knew Finch. He was never seen around town, didn’t take part in anything in town. He had no friends, wasn’t married. He worked and went home. That was it.”
Ellie said, “He collected art.”
“Let’s look him up on the internet. See if he belonged to any clubs or organizations.” Jenna pulled out her phone and tapped at it.
“I doubt that dead Finch belonged to anything. He wasn’t sociable at all.” Ellie started to clear away the dinner plates from the coffee table.
“We should talk to the Walsh sisters,” Courtney said.
“Why them?” Ellie asked.
“They worked part time at the candy store. They always worked the same shifts together. They split the paycheck between them. I guess when you’re in your late eighties you get to do what you want.”
Angie laughed. “Dead Finch got two employees for the price of one.”
Courtney nodded. “He needed employees and there aren’t many people around here who were willing to work for him, so he took what he could get.”
“Is that why he hired you?” Jenna teased.
Courtney scowled at her sister.
“I have to tease you when I get the chance. I need to get back at you for all the razzing you dish out over Tom.” Jenna tapped at her phone again. “Nothing comes up on the internet about dead Finch except information on the candy shop and his prizes and awards.”
“That figures. The man is a mystery.” Angie turned to Courtney. “Let’s go see the Walsh sisters tomorrow.”
“If nothing else,” Courtney said, “we’ll get all the town gossip. The Walsh’s know everything that’s
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