I thought of Jude running after Luella when she left the office this morning. My cheeks flushed as I remembered our passionate kiss, and I tossed my head to shake away that recollection. “Sean, you might want to look closely at Jude. I think there was something going on between him and Luella. And I know of another possible suspect.”
“You do, do you? Why don’t you leave the investigating to the professionals, Lila?” Exasperation was evident in Sean’s voice. Hoping I wasn’t ruining my chances with him, I forged ahead.
“Iris, from the Red Fox Co-op. She came into town with Trey today and disappeared for a while. When she returned, Trey said she was acting weird.”
“Pretty, waiflike Iris?” Sean sounded incredulous. “Why would she want to harm Luella?”
“She was truly upset about what happened to Marlette. Angry, too. And if she discovered that Luella was his killer, she might have confronted her. ‘Pretty’ Iris is also quite strong. She might be wiry, but my son swears she can wield a heavy ax as though it were a Wiffle ball bat.” Even as I said all this, I found it difficult to envision Iris partaking of the violent act that produced the results I witnessed earlier today. Still, I never would have expected Luella to be capable of killing Marlette, either.
“Okay, I’ll look into it. I have to go, but I’ll meet you at the agency. When I see you, I’d also like your input on something we found at Luella’s house.”
So he did value my opinion! “Okay, I’ll be at my desk,” I answered, deciding I’d do my utmost to avoid my coworkers.
“And Lila?”
Hoping he would say something that would indicate our connection was still a possibility, I replied quickly. “Yes?”
“Don’t talk about this case to anyone.”
RETURNING TO THE office was less stressful than I expected since all the agents were working behind closed doors. I quietly snuck into my own office, shutting the door without alerting anyone, and didn’t budge from my chair until the police arrived. Only then did I step into the reception area.
Sean smiled ruefully when he saw me. Glancing around the room, he said, “I’m sorry about all of this, Lila. Not what you signed up for when you took this job, is it?”
Finding it difficult to come up with a response, I showed the techs to the staff kitchen so they could set up their fingerprint equipment. Then I led Sean to Bentley’s door.
“You get printed first,” he told me. “After that, Officer Burke will take your statement in your office while I interview the others. When you’re done, wait for me. I need to show you something.”
“Lila, is that you?” Bentley called in response to Sean’s knock.
We stepped in. “This is Officer Griffiths,” I said. “He’s here to talk to you about Luella’s murder. Sean—I mean, Officer Griffiths—this is Ms. Bentley Burlington-Duke, my boss.” I hustled out of the line of fire and headed for the break room to be fingerprinted.
Back at my desk, Officer Burke with the honey-colored eyes thankfully kept me distracted enough so that I couldn’t hear what was happening around the rest of the office. I didn’t relish repeating everything I’d already told Sean, and I found it especially difficult to describe my experience in Luella’s house. Still, the process kept me occupied, and Officer Burke was polite and efficient, taking notes as I spoke into a recording device positioned on my desk.
When I finished, I did my best to smile. “And that’s all I have to say.” I felt drained of all energy like a deflated balloon hanging limp on a string.
Officer Burke closed her notebook and stood. “Thank you, Ms. Wilkins. I’ll type this up, and then you can come into the station and sign it.”
I walked her to the door. “I’ll stop by first thing tomorrow,” I said, closing it tiredly behind her.
Returning to my chair, I rested my chin in my hands and stared at the pile of query letters and proposals on the desk. I was far behind in my work but felt no inclination to read any of them. I wondered what happened to Calliope and how long she’d waited before giving up on Luella. Briefly, I ruminated over who would handle Luella’s long list of clients.
Feeling agitated, I went to my window and stared at the street. My yellow scooter sat by the curb, and I smiled, remembering my mother’s reference to it as Sponge Bob. I longed to hop on it again, fly through town to my mother’s, and cook dinner for Trey. How irate would Sean be if I just left?
I decided to settle for a cup of decaf instead, but before I could venture past my desk, there was a knock on the door and Sean entered.
“Officer Burke said you were very thorough with your statement, Lila. Well done.”
“Thank you,” I said as I lowered myself into my chair. “What do you have to show me? I’m exhausted and dying to go home.”
“Of course you are. You’ve had quite a day.” Sympathy shone out of his blue eyes, and he smiled slightly. Opening his black leather folder, he pulled out a pink sheet of paper sealed in a plastic evidence bag. “What do you make of this? We found it at Luella’s.” He handed the bag to me. The page contained a list, written in Luella’s handwriting:
Birdhouses in kids’ park.
Birdhouses (barns) on market fence.
Loose brick in bookstore wall.
Hollow in live oak.