Derek sat back in his chair. “He’ll be able to tell us who did it when he’s awake and talking again.”
“Maybe.” But I frowned. It had been pitch-black out there on the hill, so I was doubtful that Garrity even saw who had attacked him. With Trudy’s memory not yet recovered, we were still completely in the dark.
The ambulance had arrived in record time, followed by the local police. Within minutes, Garrity had been rushed to the hospital. The police had stayed around and cordoned off the area behind the bushes where we’d found Garrity unconscious. I figured we would see the sheriff’s detectives sometime tomorrow.
“This is really disturbing,” I said, continuing to pace. “Since we talked to Jackson and decided that Elizabeth is in the clear, I had Garrity pegged for the most likely suspect. Not so much for the murder of Amelia but most definitely for the theft of that Renoir.”
“Yes,” Derek said, nodding. “He was certainly the most likely candidate.”
“So who is it we’re not suspecting that we should be suspecting?” Gabriel and Derek looked at each other, then at me.
I sighed and pulled my notepad out of my purse. “I guess we’d better go back over the list.”
*
The next morning, I stopped at Trudy’s to see how she was doing. Gabriel answered the door, grinning like the devil as he let me into the house.
Trudy sat on the couch and waved a small handheld computer tablet over her head. “Look at this, Brooklyn. I can open and lock my front door from my tablet.”
“What if I decided to break in?”
She smiled broadly. “I have an app for that. It’s a panic button.”
I looked at Gabriel. “She has an app for that?”
Gabriel chuckled. He was having fun while looking hot at the same time. Go figure.
I was thrilled and grateful that Gabriel had set up this elaborate security system and had taught Trudy how to operate it directly from her tablet. So she could work the sophisticated, computerized system, but she still couldn’t remember who had tried to shoot her.
I was also grateful that Elizabeth wasn’t a suspect anymore, but now I felt guilty for putting her at the top of my list. I knew I’d get over it and maybe we’d laugh about it someday, but right now, I watched her surreptitiously as she cleaned the breakfast dishes off the dining room table. I knew she was beautiful, but I’d never noticed her almond-shaped eyes. I’d thought her exotic looks were from her Italian father, but now I realized it was entirely possible that she was Israeli. Of course, I’d seen Israelis with blond hair, so what did I know?
She glanced up and saw me watching her and smiled. I knew then that Jackson must’ve told her what he’d said to us the other night. She had to know I’d suspected her of killing Amelia, but she didn’t look angry and I appreciated that. I guessed the next step was mine if I wanted to repair our fledgling friendship.
As I’d made a habit of doing, I gently quizzed Trudy again, asking if she remembered the surprise she wanted to show me.
“No, Brooklyn. I’m so sorry. I wish I could.”
“You will,” I said, keeping my tone upbeat and positive. “Do you mind if I keep asking you?”
“Not at all! I want to remember.”
“You will,” I repeated. “In the meantime, I hope I’ll see everyone at the Pre-Harvest celebration on Saturday.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Elizabeth said.
Trudy beamed. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I believed her, just as I believed she would get her memory back. I wanted her to believe it, too. I just wished it would happen now.
Somewhere inside her mind, she was holding some vital, dangerous information, and for that reason, even though Gabriel and Elizabeth were here with her every day, I was determined to visit as often as I could. Trudy needed all the protection she could get.
Chapter Sixteen