case,” she told me insistently.
“Hey, it’s a free country. If I choose to speculate about what happened to my friend, nobody, not even you, can stop me.”
“Do you give your husband this hard a time when he’s in charge?” she asked me, showing a human side for once.
I decided to answer it in kind. “You shouldn’t take it personally. The same went for my stepfather when he was chief of police, too,” I said. “The difference is that my husband knows when to use me as a resource instead of shutting me out.”
If she got the hint, she clearly chose to ignore it. “Where is this note?”
“It’s inside,” I said as I led her to the counter where I’d left it. Thank goodness I’d had the presence of mind to hide the copies I’d made and remove the original from the copier. I had a feeling she’d want to confiscate everything if she had the opportunity.
I reached to get it when she put a hand on mine. “Leave it right where it is.” After putting on some disposable gloves, she picked up the envelope, read its message, flipped it over and examined the back, and then slid it into a plastic evidence bag.
“What do you think? Was I right to call you?” I asked her.
Before she could answer, we both heard a noise upstairs. Inspector Black didn’t even hesitate as she pulled her revolver from its holster and started for the stairs. “Stay right here.”
“Hold on a second. My friend Grace is up there,” I said.
Inspector Black scowled for a second as she reholstered her weapon. “I suppose she’s an executrix, too.”
“No, she’s just here helping out a friend.”
“Ms. Gauge, you need to come down here right now!” the inspector called out.
Instead of complying, my best friend asked me from above, “Suzanne, are you okay?” I heard footsteps approaching from upstairs, and then Grace came down with one hand behind her back.
“I’m fine. You remember Inspector Black,” I said.
Grace nodded. “I do. Hello.”
“Just out of curiosity, what are you holding behind your back?” the inspector asked her.
“In my defense, I didn’t know it was you,” Grace replied as she brought out a heavy wooden cane.
“What were you going to do with that?” Inspector Black asked her.
“If you were someone who wanted to hurt my friend, I was going to club you into unconsciousness with it,” Grace said matter-of-factly. She didn’t crack the slightest smile as she said it, and I was proud of her for coming to my defense when she thought I might be in trouble.
“Good to know,” the inspector said, and then she turned to me. “You two need to leave the premises immediately.”
She’d said it so nonchalantly that it caught me off guard. After a moment to collect myself, I asked, “Why should we do that? I have a legal right to be here, and I can choose to bring anyone with me that I want.” I felt as though I was on sound legal ground, but I might have to call Teresa Logan to be sure. I might not be the woman’s biggest fan, but I didn’t doubt that she was an adequate attorney, and that appeared to be what I needed at the moment.
“It’s simple. You’re going to leave because I’m resealing the crime scene,” she said with a hint of a smile. “Your discovery leads me to believe that there may be more clues here than we first thought. I’ll be sure to let you know when we’re finished.”
She tried to usher us out the front door, but I wasn’t about to move. “I’m not going anywhere until I call my attorney.”
“Fine. Do it from outside, though.”
Grace looked at her and said, “You should know that you’re going to have to arrest us to get us to move, and I can assure you, we won’t go peacefully. Once we’re booked, do you think for one second that we’re going to cower in a corner? What does it possibly gain you to bully us into leaving before Suzanne can make one phone call? She’ll be entitled to it from jail anyway, so why not save us all the
“Hey, it’s a free country. If I choose to speculate about what happened to my friend, nobody, not even you, can stop me.”
“Do you give your husband this hard a time when he’s in charge?” she asked me, showing a human side for once.
I decided to answer it in kind. “You shouldn’t take it personally. The same went for my stepfather when he was chief of police, too,” I said. “The difference is that my husband knows when to use me as a resource instead of shutting me out.”
If she got the hint, she clearly chose to ignore it. “Where is this note?”
“It’s inside,” I said as I led her to the counter where I’d left it. Thank goodness I’d had the presence of mind to hide the copies I’d made and remove the original from the copier. I had a feeling she’d want to confiscate everything if she had the opportunity.
I reached to get it when she put a hand on mine. “Leave it right where it is.” After putting on some disposable gloves, she picked up the envelope, read its message, flipped it over and examined the back, and then slid it into a plastic evidence bag.
“What do you think? Was I right to call you?” I asked her.
Before she could answer, we both heard a noise upstairs. Inspector Black didn’t even hesitate as she pulled her revolver from its holster and started for the stairs. “Stay right here.”
“Hold on a second. My friend Grace is up there,” I said.
Inspector Black scowled for a second as she reholstered her weapon. “I suppose she’s an executrix, too.”
“No, she’s just here helping out a friend.”
“Ms. Gauge, you need to come down here right now!” the inspector called out.
Instead of complying, my best friend asked me from above, “Suzanne, are you okay?” I heard footsteps approaching from upstairs, and then Grace came down with one hand behind her back.
“I’m fine. You remember Inspector Black,” I said.
Grace nodded. “I do. Hello.”
“Just out of curiosity, what are you holding behind your back?” the inspector asked her.
“In my defense, I didn’t know it was you,” Grace replied as she brought out a heavy wooden cane.
“What were you going to do with that?” Inspector Black asked her.
“If you were someone who wanted to hurt my friend, I was going to club you into unconsciousness with it,” Grace said matter-of-factly. She didn’t crack the slightest smile as she said it, and I was proud of her for coming to my defense when she thought I might be in trouble.
“Good to know,” the inspector said, and then she turned to me. “You two need to leave the premises immediately.”
She’d said it so nonchalantly that it caught me off guard. After a moment to collect myself, I asked, “Why should we do that? I have a legal right to be here, and I can choose to bring anyone with me that I want.” I felt as though I was on sound legal ground, but I might have to call Teresa Logan to be sure. I might not be the woman’s biggest fan, but I didn’t doubt that she was an adequate attorney, and that appeared to be what I needed at the moment.
“It’s simple. You’re going to leave because I’m resealing the crime scene,” she said with a hint of a smile. “Your discovery leads me to believe that there may be more clues here than we first thought. I’ll be sure to let you know when we’re finished.”
She tried to usher us out the front door, but I wasn’t about to move. “I’m not going anywhere until I call my attorney.”
“Fine. Do it from outside, though.”
Grace looked at her and said, “You should know that you’re going to have to arrest us to get us to move, and I can assure you, we won’t go peacefully. Once we’re booked, do you think for one second that we’re going to cower in a corner? What does it possibly gain you to bully us into leaving before Suzanne can make one phone call? She’ll be entitled to it from jail anyway, so why not save us all the
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