Dead Giveaway by Leann Sweeney

place is yours, son. She owned about two acres. Lots of renovations done, I noticed. 'Course, my last visit before this week was a long time ago. The place probably needed them. I'm guessing that house and land are worth a pretty penny.''
      Will turned and stared at me. ''What do I with a house, Abby? The only thing I know about houses is that the trim needs painting every five years, and when you're as tall as I am, it's your job. The only other thing I know how to do is cut the lawn.''
      ''You can hire someone for those chores,'' Burl said with a laugh. ''See, that's another reason I asked you to come. She had money, too.''
      ''Money? No one said anything about money.'' Will looked at me. ''This is so frickin' weird. I didn't even know that lady.''
      ''She thought she knew you well enough to give you about two hundred grand,'' Burl said.
      Will looked stunned, and maybe I did, too, since I became aware of a beautiful mahogany clock on top of the bookcase. I only noticed because the room grew so quiet you could hear it tick-tick-ticking above us.
      Will finally broke the silence. ''This isn't like winning the lottery. You know what I'm saying? The lottery makes you think about cars and vacations and stuff like that. This? This I don't like.''
      I patted Will's shoulder. ''Don't stress until we know more. We'll figure it out, okay?''
      Will blinked several times, lips tight, then said, ''Okay. Sure.'' He didn't look all that sure, though.
      I faced Burl. ''Does Sergeant Kline know about this money?''
      ''Yes, ma'am. I just finished talking to him before you two got here. I mean, that's enough cash to kill for. And I'm not talkin' about you, son,'' Burl said to Will. ''Someone might have thought they were due an inheritance and hurried Verna Mae to her grave to get their hands on it.''
      ''Friends or relatives or what?'' I asked.
      ''Far as I can tell she had nobody, but maybe Jasper had relatives and those folks thought they'd be Verna Mae's logical choice to inherit.''
      ''Jasper? Why does that name sound familiar?'' Will asked.
      ''Verna Mae's late husband,'' I answered.
      ''Oh. Right. She talked about him the other day.'' Will was trying to maintain his calm, but his flushed cheeks and clenched fists told me different.
      ''Jasper was a mean one,'' Burl said, shaking his head. ''My wife would have my hide if she heard me speaking ill of the dead, but he's gone and his ornery spirit is gone with him. What matters is the man was a plumber. Self-employed and by no means rich. Where the heck did Verna Mae get all that money? Far as I know, she never worked outside the home.''
      ''Maybe all her relatives died and left everything to her,'' I said.
      ''Possible,'' Burl said. ''Anyway, your guy Kline is on it. Said he'd be checking her bank records.''
      ''My guy?'' I said, failing to filter my thoughts before they spilled from my mouth.
      This brought a smile from Will for the first time since he'd shaken hands with Burl. ''How'd you figure out they're into each other, Chief?''
      ''You think I came in on a load of turnips, son?'' He laughed, and so did Will.
      ''Could we move on?'' I was definitely feeling uncomfortable.
      ''Sure. What else do you need?'' Burl asked.
      ''That break-in at the CPS office?'' I'd filled Will in on Molly Roth on the drive here, so he was aware of the lost paperwork.
      ''Oh, yeah,'' Burl said. ''County's sheriff's office people are digging through their old cases. They were the investigating agency on that one. Lucky I got friends over there, 'cause even with connections, it might take awhile for them to come up with anything.''
      ''Thanks. Did you want to ask Burl any questions, Will?'' I know I would have if I was him, considering Will once spent the night in the man's house.
      Will hesitated, pursed his lips a few times before speaking. ''What happened that night, Chief? I mean, when you came and got me?''
      Burl leaned