Lemons 02 A Touch of Danger by Grant Fieldgrove Page A

was taken from the kitchen.”
    “So, are you thinking that if she went to kill her, why would she not bring her own weapon? Why chance it by trying to find one in the home?”
    “Yeah, kind of, but that’s not even the main thing. That can be dismissed for any number of reasons. That bothered me before we went to the house and before we met Ms. Ricks, now I’ve moved on to something else.
    “Anderson said they had definite proof that she was on the property the night of the murder, not only from the eyewitness but from foot prints found near the house. They knew the footprints were fresh because that same morning, the gardening crew came and raked everything, even the dirt around the bushes in the front yard, near the windows. They pulled two solid footprints that matched Ms. Rick’s shoes absolutely. So, her fresh footprints from the scene of the crime on the day of the crime all but closed the case for her, especially adding in all the threats and restraining order. It was an open and shut case, apparently.”
    “But?”
    “But! There were no other footprints or marks anywhere else around the house. Everything was still perfectly landscaped from earlier in the day.”
    “Okay…?”
    “Did you see her hands today?”
    “Yes, they were damaged badly.”
    “Yeah, from arthritis which she has had for years, long before the murder.”
    “But she said they already proved she could hold the knife and commit the murder.”
    “Yes, they did. But her shitty defense overlooked one glaringly obvious problem.”
    “And what is that?”
    “How did she get in to the backyard in the first place?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean this, E. They have footprints out front, right? Whoopty-fuckin-do. We know she was there spying, so throw that evidence out. Where does that leave us now? With nothing.”
    “The eyewitness.”
    “I’ll get to her later. Right now, we need to figure out how Emma Ricks pulled herself up over that big block wall that surrounds the entire back portion of the property. There is no way, with her disgusting freak hands, she could have pulled her body weight up over the wall. No way. And it’s not like a wooden fence where she could have used cross pieces to help. Its solid block. And there were no other markings around the property. So even in the unlikely event she would have the foresight to bring a ladder, there were no depression marks found anywhere near the wall. And really, why go through the hassle to bring a ladder when she could have just as easily broken a front window to get in?”
    “Holy crap. What about a gate?”
    “There is only one gate door but it is solid, and right by the housekeepers house out back. She would have the same problem getting over it and the gardeners are positive they locked it when they left, according to the police report. Besides, why take the risk of the housekeeper seeing you, going in so close to her living area? It makes no sense, and, like I said, my proof is not rock solid, but it’s good enough for me for right now.”
    “Me too.”
    “Ms. Ricks said Brad was hanging out with a buddy one night when him and his wife got into a fight of some sort and she stormed out. This same guy shows up at court and gives Emma a smirk. I don’t like him.”
    “You don’t like anyone.”
    “True. But, I REALLY don’t like this guy. We need to find him.”
    “And how do we do that?”
    “Courtroom photos and video. He’ll be in the crowd. Someone will have to know who he is.”
    “Let’s get on that, then. Call Detectives Anderson and Enzite and tell them what you told me.”
    “Will do. After that, I think we need to keep a close eye on Mr. Hunky Vampire. You down for a little sneakiness tonight?”
    “I’m always down.”
    ***
    That evening, after hanging up the phone from the Pismo Police Department and so easily getting the name of the man who appears to be obsessed with him, Brad Jackson began flipping through the phone book and calling every