Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) by Karen Chester Page B

Sean
McCluskey was honest. More honest than her ex-boyfriend or her ex-business
partner. She liked to think she was better at spotting a liar these days, and
her gut instinct told her that Sean was telling the truth.
    “Well, okay, then.” She nodded. “I believe
you.”
    He breathed out a sigh. “That means a lot
to me.”
    “I’ll drop you off at home and you can
catch up on your sleep,” she said.
    “Thanks.”
    “What’s your address, by the way?”
    He gave her the information, and she
steered the car back onto the road.
    After a few moments, he said, “Emma? I’m
sorry about…that.” He waved his fingers to indicate his little burst of temper
a few moments ago. “Sometimes it’s hard holding it all together.”
    “I understand.”
    In her experience Sean’s outbursts were
always brief and harmless, and she’d never once felt remotely threatened by his
short temper, but a character flaw like that could be exploited by a wily
prosecutor and twisted to show Sean as a man who could be capable of murder.
    “So you’re going to prove I’m innocent?”
Sean asked with a touch of admiration as they reached the outskirts of
Greenville. “You always were the smart one. If anyone can do it, you can,
Emma.”
    “You understand I can’t promise anything,”
she warned. “I’m not a trained investigator, and I don’t have any authority.
All I can do is ask around, but if people don’t want to talk to me, I can’t
force them.”
    He nodded. “Anything I can do?”
    “Just…get some rest and try to stay calm.”
    She had hoped that Sean would be the best
person to prove his innocence, but in his current state of mind, he was more of
a hindrance. The most sensible thing he could do now was go home and recover
his equilibrium.
    Sean’s home was a large, cream-and-green
clapboard on a big block of land in a quiet street. The well maintained garden
featured stands of mature trees, while tall, trimmed box hedges separated his
property from his neighbors. It was a surprisingly beautiful and tranquil home
that highlighted just how far Sean had come, but in this case its private
setting was a disadvantage. The driveway curved around the side of the house,
so once he had driven in, no one from the street would know he was home. Little
wonder he didn’t have an alibi for the time of the murder. If only he’d spent
the night at a bar or with Madison.
    “Don’t worry,” she called after him as he
trudged toward his front door, his shoulders once more slumped. “We’re going to
sort this out, and you and Madison will get married.”
    He nodded and smiled, but it was a tired
smile, as if he couldn’t quite believe her.
    ***
    The cell phone
buzzed again like an annoying mosquito, dragging Emma from her sleep.
     “A Perfect Party,” she mumbled into the
phone, reluctantly extricating herself from her dreams of a warm beach
vacation. “This is Emma Cassidy speaking.”
    “H-hello?” The woman on the other end of
the call sniffed. “Emma? I know it’s early to be calling, b-but I was wondering
if we could meet soon.” The effort of holding back tears masked her voice,
though it sounded vaguely familiar.
    “Of course we can.” Emma sleepily
suppressed a yawn. “May I ask who’s calling?”
    “It’s Jordan. Jordan Kozlowki.”
    Ohhhh .
Jordan Kozlowski, Tony Burnet’s girlfriend. Suddenly wide awake, Emma
jackknifed up in bed and cleared her throat.
    “Oh, Jordan, I’m so sorry about Tony.”
    Loud sobbing burst out, forcing Emma to
lift the phone half an inch away from her ear. Jordan sounded really cut up.
    “I c-can’t believe he’s g-gone! My poor
T-Tony. Who would do such a thing to him?”
    Poor Tony? Emma murmured something appropriate while Jordan sputtered on. Maybe it was
cynical of her to think so, but Emma was surprised by the depth of Jordan’s
sorrow. She hadn’t noticed much warmth between the two, but maybe in private
they were different? And love could be so