Page 55 of Murder on the Page

He didn’t respond.

“A Contact page is open on Marigold’s computer, with you listed as the point person for a company named Due Diligence. We’re trying to figure out if and why she reached out to you. You were scheduled to have lunch with her.”

He remained silent for a long time. Tegan gestured, urging me to squeeze him for an answer.

“Oly? Are you there?”

After a long moment, he said, “She wanted to hire me.”

“To do what? To make a private batch of beer?” I couldn’t imagine Marigold ordering suds for the theater foundation event, but odder things had happened. Personally, she preferred champagne or wine.

“To look into something for her. I investigate things occasionally,” he said obliquely.

“I see,” I murmured. “That explains the company name. Due Diligence is a detective agency.”

“Ja.Years ago, my uncle brought me into the business. He said it would keep me out of trouble when I wasn’t brewing. I was a hellion as a teenager.”

“Did Marigold give you a hint of what she wanted you to investigate?”

“She asked if I had readPride and Prejudice.”

Hmm. That was odd. “Have you?”

“Indeed. With my girls. When they were in high school. Their mother and I both did. I don’t understand the fascination. Marigold said she had a case of pride that needed to be handled. But that was our last phone call. She was going to send me an email explaining, but she didn’t. Sorry I cannot be of more help.”

I thanked him, ended the call, and slung my arm over the back of the desk chair. “A case of pride? What the heck? Why was your aunt so enthralled with the darned book?”

“Pride could be a code word,” Tegan said.

“True, but it doesn’t give a hint as to whom she wanted Oly to look into.”

“It’s time to call Zach. Tell him everything. He’ll be open to our thoughts.” She jutted a hand.

I tapped in his number. When he answered, I said, “It’s me, Allie.”

“I’ve got eyes.” He chuckled.

If my name came up on his screen, it meant he’d added me to his contacts. That pleased me. I told him about Marigold’s search history being erased and about the phone call to Oly, who happened to be a part-time PI, and about the mission she’d planned to assign him—something that might have to do withPride and Prejudice—but Marigold didn’t follow through.

He sucked in air but didn’t say a word.

Then I plunged into the rest, ending with the hundred thousand dollars that Marigold took from the bank.“I think she put the bank’s envelope into the ‘Private and Confidential’ one.”

“That’s conjecture,” he said. “However, if she did, it supports my theory that her death was a result of a robbery gone wrong.”

CHAPTER13

She was convinced that she could have been happy with him,when it was no longer likely they should meet.

—Jane Austen,Pride and Prejudice

When the shop cleared of customers, another thought occurred to me. I joined Tegan. “Your aunt was going to have lunch with Evelyn Evers on Monday. But what if after she withdrew the money from the bank on Friday, she put the bank envelope into the other envelope and met with Evelyn that evening? She could’ve kept the ‘Private and Confidential’ envelope to recycle.”

“Meaning nothing was stolen.”

“Yes.” That would only solve one question about the crime scene, but any little bit helped, right?

Tegan moved to the primary computer and opened the Contacts app. She found the theater foundation’s telephone number and punched it into the store’s telephone keypad. When someone answered, she gave her name and asked if Evelyn was in. She covered the mouthpiece. “The receptionist is getting her.”

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