Raspberry Revenge by Jessica Beck

ordinarily be privy to.
    “Not yet, but why do you ask? I’ve been working on the assumption that the letter opener wound was fatal. Is there something you know that I don’t?”
    “Not about that,” I said. “I was just curious.”
    He frowned at me for a moment, and then he said, “Okay, now it’s your turn.”
    “Grace, Momma, and I are working on this case together,” I said, letting the words spill out. I wasn’t sure that he’d approve, so I wanted to get that out front immediately.
    “Excellent. It’s about time you three joined forces,” he said with the hint of a smile.
    “Excuse me? Does that mean that you approve?” I couldn’t believe his casual acceptance of the new circumstances.
    “There are a couple of reasons I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “Your mother has contacts in this town that you and I can only dream about, and besides, maybe she’ll be a calming influence on the two of you.”
    “Have you met my mother?” I asked him with a grin.
    “Point taken. It still makes sense, since Harley is more in your mother’s circle of acquaintances than yours.”
    “That’s exactly how it’s turning out,” I said. “Grace and I spoke with Amber North and Nathaniel Bloom, while Momma and I interviewed Curtis Daniels and Megan Grey.”
    “Hold on a second. Why are they all on your list of suspects? Curtis I understand, and even Nathaniel, but what about the women?”
    “Harley was dating Amber, and Megan was in love with him.”
    “Did he know that?” Jake asked.
    “He probably suspected it, but then yesterday she declared her undying love for him and confirmed it,” I said.
    “How did Harley react to that? Forget that. How about Amber?”
    “Harley laughed in Megan’s face, and Amber dismissed her as not being worthy of being considered a threat,” I said.
    “Wow, and here I thought everyone in town but the mayor loved Harley before this happened,” Jake replied.
    “We have more,” I said, afraid that he might take it as an affront that my team had done so much better than his had.
    “There are even more suspects than you’ve mentioned so far?” he asked incredulously.
    “No, but we also managed to get alibis out of each of them, for what they were worth.”
    “Let’s hear them,” Jake said as he got out the little notebook he always carried with him.
    I started talking, being sure to give him time to take notes. “Nathaniel claimed to be in his office all morning preparing for a meeting this afternoon. I’m not sure if it’s true, but Seth Lancaster came by while we were there and confirmed it, so it’s possible. Amber said that she was home alone watching television after nine thirty, which is what she was doing when Grace and I showed up on her doorstep this afternoon. Megan claimed that she was at work in Admissions at the hospital, but she could have easily slipped out while no one was looking. They have security cameras there, don’t they?”
    Jake nodded. “In the emergency room and at the front desk, but not anywhere near the Admin offices.”
    I frowned for a second. “How about the parking lot?”
    “Just the one that’s open to the public. I had reason to inquire last month over another matter. That’s why I know.”
    “What was it about?”
    “Sorry, I can’t talk about it,” Jake said. “I already know Curtis’s alibi, and his secretary’s, too.”
    “We didn’t even list Wendy as a suspect,” I admitted. “Do you think she might have done it?”
    “At this point, I’m still gathering information. Who knows? Maybe Harley hit on her and she fought back. They had proximity going for them, which is enough in and of itself sometimes if there was bad blood between them.”
    “Was there?”
    “I couldn’t say, since I’m still looking into it. Anyway, her alibi is that she was alone at the office all morning, while Curtis was out looking at some of their property assets he was considering liquidating.” Wendy’s name was going