Murder with a Twist by Allyson K Abbott Page B

matter.
    â€œGet over yourself,” Cindy snapped at Will. Then she shifted her glare back to Theo. “I should have known you couldn’t be trusted.”
    Duncan walked over, opened the apartment door, and ushered the uniformed cop and Jimmy inside. “Place all three of them under arrest,” he said.
    â€œI want a lawyer,” Cindy said. Now her flame guttered, like a lit candle caught in a crosswind.
    â€œFine,” Duncan said. “Take them down to the station and book them. If they don’t want to talk, they can sit in jail and stew for a while.”
    Theo, who looked utterly petrified, said, “I’ll tell you anything you want. I didn’t kill Dan and I didn’t take the money. Cindy did it. She told me she went over to Dan’s late last night, doped up his drinks with some Xanax she had, and when he passed out, she sat on his chest and held that rope that was around his neck until he quit breathing. She’s the one who killed him. She’s the one who typed up that suicide note. And she’s the one who’s been stealing the money. She called me around four this morning after it was all done to come over to Dan’s place and help her string him up because she wasn’t strong enough to do it herself. She said she’d share the money with me if I helped her.” Theo’s voice was sweet, cool cream again and I believed every word he said.
    â€œYou’re still an accessory,” Duncan said. “However, if you’re willing to talk, maybe you can work out a deal.”
    Cindy, who was being cuffed by the officer, shot a look of pure venom at Theo. “Shut your damned mouth, you cretin,” she hissed. “If you don’t, I swear I’ll make you pay.” She then looked at Duncan before fixing her glare on me. “I’ll make you all pay. Every one of you . . . you bastards!” Her flame was at a roar again, and fire-licked bits, like drops of lit gasoline, fell to the ground.
    The look on her face made me step back, away from her. I believed her threat of revenge and, knowing what I did about her now, it scared me. The fact that she was handcuffed and being hauled away to jail did little to lessen my fear.
    Jimmy and Duncan helped cuff the boys and then escorted them down to the cars. Theo and Will were placed together in Jimmy’s car and I could only imagine what their conversation would be on the way to the police station. I knew it would be interesting and almost wished I could ride along and listen in.
    Despite my lingering fears regarding Cindy’s threat, I felt good that the case had been solved so quickly, and that I’d had some small part in it. As I watched the cop cars drive away, I thought that, all in all, it had been a very satisfying day.
    Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

Chapter 11
    T he bar was still crowded when we got back—a good thing for my bottom line, though it again made me feel guilty that I hadn’t been there to help. As usual, my very capable staff had things well under control, and the crime group was in their regular spot with several tables pushed together.
    One of the things I had done with my inheritance was expand my staffing to handle the booming business so I’d have the option of not working all the time. At first, I’d thought it was a dumb move, one that didn’t make a lot of fiscal sense. But I discovered that using that time to schmooze with my customers and to oversee the operations to make sure things ran smoothly was much smarter than being a part of the everyday workforce. I still tended bar quite often; it was something I loved to do. And occasionally I’d take a turn in the kitchen and experiment with some new food items that I would then try out on some of my customers. So far, things had gone as well as could be expected.
    Duncan and I headed over to the Capone table where Carter, Sam, Alicia, Holly, Tad, and Cora were seated. Cora