Page 11 of Betting on Lizzie

“Yeah, so?” She seemed more irritated than guilty.

He raised his eyebrows. “You can see how that might look suspicious.”

“The only reason I increased the amount was because the insurance company told me I had to. They said it was underinsured and wouldn’t grant me coverage for my new place until I updated the policy for The Drop. I didn’t have a choice. You can call them and verify it.”

“Maybe upping the insurance is what gave you the idea to burn it down.” He wasn’t sure where the antagonistic attitude was coming from. Normally, he was professional above all else. This woman got under his skin, and he had no idea why. She glared her response. He took a breath and readjusted.

“I’ll check with them,” he said. That actually jibed with what the woman he’d talked to that morning had said. He’d call back and speak to the exact agent who handled Lizzie’s file. That person should know the details of how it went down. “What about trying to sell it?”

“What about it? That’s no secret. I’m opening another location and want to unload this one.”

“Would it put you in a bind to run both?”

“I won’t know that until they’re both running now, will I?”

“Your attitude isn’t scoring you any points,” he said. Her sassy smirk said she didn’t care diddly squat about points.

“This is ridiculous. I’m innocent.”

“Then you won’t mind if I take your phone?”

“What?” That finally got a reaction out of her. “Of course I mind. My whole life is on that thing.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out as a question. I’m taking your phone.”

“You can’t just take my stuff without reason. Don’t I have some rights?”

“I do have reason.” He reached into his attaché and pulled out a piece of paper. “And a warrant. For your phone and anything from the bar I deem as evidence.”

Her mouth opened and closed twice, but apparently, she had no smart comeback for his declaration. Shock and anger played across her face. Fiery blue eyes burned a hole in his. He waited patiently while she sipped her coffee and used the time to skim the warrant. Finally, she pulled her phone from her pocket. She held it up but made no move to hand it to him.

“Can I text my family to tell them what’s happening?”

In response, he reached over and grabbed the phone. She had a death grip on it, and he had to tug a few times before she reluctantly released it. He slipped it into a plastic evidence bag and then into his attaché.

“You’re wasting your time with me,” she said again.

“Nine times out of ten, business arson is the owner.”

“Well, I’m the exception.”

“Of course you are,” he muttered. “Look, if I can clear you, I’ll move on to other suspects. That will happen much faster if you give me the password for your phone. If I have to go through the phone company, it’ll take forever.”

She seemed to be thinking, and he wondered if she would pull the my-daddy’s-the-mayor card. It wouldn’t make a bit of difference to Ben, but it would tell him a little about her. He had to admit a touch of respect when she didn’t.

“We’re done here,” she said, standing. “Apparently, I need a lawyer. You can talk to him or her once I find one.”

He did his best not to stare as she walked away, but his best wasn’t good enough, and he watched as she stormed out, hips and long ponytail swinging.

Woo boy. Calm yourself, Mansfield. She’s a suspect, too young for you, and you have a daughter to worry about. He jotted down the gist of their conversation while it was still fresh in his mind. Then packed his things, ordered another coffee to go, and headed back to the station.

He called the insurance company again and asked to speak with the specific agent who had helped Lizzie. The man confirmed that they had insisted Lizzie would need to up the amount on The Drop in order to get the new policy. So, that part was true. Ben requested the agent put that information in writing and email it to him at his earliest convenience.

Not long after their meeting, Lizzie had emailed a list of employee names. After the list was a curt note saying that their phone numbers were in her phone and unavailable to her at the time. He found numbers for a few in their CAD system and started setting up interviews.

Lizzie’s phone sat in the evidence bag on the corner of his desk. He’d already called the phone company, knowing they were notorious for dragging their feet in these situations. Perhaps, once Lizzie hired an attorney, Ben could talk him or her into having Lizzie offer up the password. That way would be quicker and smoother, but Lizzie seemed pretty stubborn.

To get a feel for her personality, and maybe a glance at her character, he searched her social media sites. He didn’t expect posts detailing how she burned down her business, but he’d learned you could tell a lot about a person just by what they shared with the world.

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