A Dead End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Keeley Bates Page B

Peregrine said bitterly.
    “You don’t think it’s odd that the minute we discover Ernie’s body, you decide to move across the country?” Romeo asked.
    “I can’t help where my sister lives,” Peregrine replied. Although her body was rigid, Kit knew she couldn’t read anything into it. Rigid was Peregrine’s natural state.
    “But you can help when you decide to join her there,” Romeo countered.
    Peregrine set down her glass and met Romeo’s assessing gaze. “What is your real question, Detective? Shall I call my lawyer?”
    “No, no. No need to spend five hundred bucks. Save it for your new place. I’m just here to have a conversation,” Romeo assured her. “That’s all.”
    “All right then. Can I offer you any macaroons?”
    “Ooh, from Biscuits?” Kit asked hopefully.
    “Have you been there since you moved home?” Peregrine asked, standing to retrieve the signature duck egg blue box.
    “No, thank you for reminding me they exist.” Kit accepted a macaroon. Turned out that gardening was thirsty and hungry work.
    Romeo waved off the macaroons. “I know it was a long time ago, but can you recall anything unusual around the time Ernie disappeared?” he asked.
    “We’ve had this conversation already,” Peregrine pointed out.
    “I asked you to think about it,” Romeo retorted. “Were there any strangers prowling around? Was Ernie behaving oddly?”
    Peregrine looked thoughtful, although Kit doubted very much that Peregrine knew Ernie well enough to judge whether his actions had been out of character. Peregrine had more likely given her neighbor a wide berth.
    “There was an unfamiliar car one day,” she remarked. “Not long before Ernie went missing.”
    Romeo flipped open his notepad. “Can you describe the car?”
    “White with an orange stripe on the side.” She pursed her lips. “It wasn’t a Westdale car.”
    “That you recognized,” Romeo clarified.
    “No, I mean it was not a Westdale car,” she insisted. “No one here would dream of owning a car like that.” Her lips curled and Romeo got the message. No muscle cars in Westdale.
    “Any chance you caught the license plate number?” he asked.
    “No, I’m afraid not.”
    “Did you get a look at the driver?”
    “A man,” she said. “He didn’t even stop, that I noticed. He just drove slowly down the street and idled for a moment in front of Ernie’s house.”
    “Are you a member of the Pilgrim Society?” Romeo asked, shifting gears.
    Kit wasn’t sure why society membership was relevant to the investigation.
    “I was, once upon a time,” Peregrine said.
    “Not now?” Romeo prodded.
    She gave a crisp shake of her head. “They seem to let in anyone these days.”
    Kit wasn’t sure who ‘anyone’ was. It seemed to her that the restrictive membership policy was still firmly in place.
    “How so?” Romeo asked.
    “Well, they’re not even requiring background checks on members. They may as well include descendants of the springer spaniel,” she complained bitterly.
    “There was a springer spaniel on board the ship,” Kit explained softly.
    “Ms. Monroe, when do you intend to join your sister in Sedona?” Romeo asked.
    “I was planning to leave tomorrow,” she said. “I’m waiting to list the house until the investigation is over.”
    “Well, I’d like to ask you to stick around,” Romeo said. “Maybe reschedule your flight until the investigation is over, too.”
    Peregrine inhaled sharply. Clearly, she was not expecting this news. “But my sister’s expecting me.”
    “I think it’s best if you postpone,” Romeo said. “In case we have more questions.”
    “But I’ve told you everything I know,” Peregrine complained.
    “I’m sorry, Ms. Monroe,” Romeo said and Kit was impressed that he truly did look sorry. “It’s standard procedure.”
    “For criminals,” she objected. “I’m not a criminal.”
    Romeo offered her a sympathetic smile. “Even so, we’d like you to follow the