Lifting the Veil by Kate Allenton

she accused.
    He shook his head and turned toward her. “No. I didn’t. They questioned the lady at Mystic. She
    had my card and your credit card information. She told the investigators that she saw us talking to her outside the shop.”
    Oh crap. How was she going to explain this to her brother without telling him the rest of what was going on?
    “Max is going to kill me.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t tell him everything. He won’t believe me.”
    “Sophie, it’s worse than that. The other girl that was with her is missing too. I’m sure they don’t think we’re involved, but they’re going to want your alibi, and they’ll want to know what you talked to her about.”
    Sophie nodded, letting the information sink into her fuzzy mind.
    “Stick to the truth, Soph. You wanted to look into the case, so we did it on our lunch break. You
    don’t have to tell them about our conversation over drinks. Hell, you’ve already asked your brother about the case. He knows you were interested in it.”
    Sophie sipped her coffee, letting the information sink in. “Jack…” She turned toward him. “What if he was watching them? What if he saw us? Does this mean we’re in danger?”
    Jack rubbed his neck. “I don’t know, Soph. Let’s concentrate on one problem at a time.” He started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. He glanced at her. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Sophie. You’re my partner, and we stick together.”
    Sophie swallowed around the lump in her throat. She was awake now. They rode in silence to the
    precinct. She clasped her hands together to keep from fidgeting. Jack walked her into the office, his hand on the small of her back. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by her or anyone who was working. A few tilted heads and raised brows were all they received as they passed by the others to enter Max’s office. Jack shut the door and they both sat.
    “It’s about time,” Max said, leaning back.
    “I’m sorry I’m late, Chief. I overslept,” Sophie said in greeting.
    “And why is that, Soph?”
    “I had a beer with Love last night.”
    Max frowned, seemingly disappointed in her answer. “Is that so?”
    Jack nodded. “If I’m going to be working with her awhile, I figured we should get to know each
    other. Is that so unusual?”
    Her brother leaned forward and crossed his arms on his desk. “Soph, why were you at Mystic
    yesterday?”
    Max held up his hand, motioning for Jack to remain silent.
    “I talked Jack into taking me. I wanted to find out what the white bark looking stuff was in the
    picture, and Mystic was the only clue we had to go on.” She gave a small smile, unable to hide the triumph at what she’d figured out. She leaned forward. “It’s sage by the way. The stuff around her body was sage.” Her eyes opened wide. “Oh…and did you know that she came into some money, a possible
    inheritance? That would be motive for murder, right?”
    He leaned back in his chair. The air in the room was thick. “And Beatrice, how did you know her?”
    She shrugged. “I didn’t. She was wearing the same type of dress as the woman in the file, so I asked about it.”
    He nodded. “Let me make myself clear so there are no doubts. Love isn’t working this case, and
    neither are you.”
    She laced her fingers in her lap. “Max, I’m sorry. We were just trying to help. I talked Jack into going along with my stupid idea. I’m sorry.”
    He nodded. “I know, Soph. You need to remember this isn’t a game. You aren’t qualified for this
    type of work.” He released a long breath. “And I know you can be persuasive when you want to be. Now get your butts into the freezer and get to work.”
    They both rose and left Max’s office. They walked into the cold case room and Jack shut the door.
    They both let out a sigh of relief. “That wasn’t so bad.”
    Jack laughed. “No, not bad.” He gestured to the computers. “Maybe we should keep a low