Page 23 of Exposure of Murder

“I’m suggesting that these are odd coincidences, and I don’t believe in those,” he said, staring at her intently. “A man just doesn’t end up dead in a pond for no reason. Do you own a gun?”

Jane gasped, then stood, removed his jacket, and handed it to him. “Thank you for your jacket. But this conversation is over. I don’t own a gun. I did not break the barn window, move anything around in the barn, write a threatening note to myself, or kill this man. I moved here to start over and to find some peace.”

Ethan took his jacket from her. “I’m not accusing you. But you have to admit, mysterious things are happening here.” He stood by the door. “If you think of anything else to add, give me a call.”

“Right.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and for a second, Ethan wanted to reach out and wipe it away. He’d come on a little strong with Jane, but things didn’t happen until she moved here. So either she was behind it or she brought trouble with her. Either way, he had a lot of investigating to do.

Fourteen

After Ethan left, Jane felt drained. Could this really be her life? She did everything right. She bought land, hired locals, made friends in town—what more could she do?

Sheriff McGrumpy struck again and accused her of killing a man. Well, not in so many words, but still. And he also accused her of bringing trouble to Beaver Creek. Really? How could he even think that?

Jane stood and walked over to her window. The serenity she hoped for was marred with yellow tape and people gathering evidence. The coroner’s wagon had just pulled away. She needed to gather her thoughts and clear her name. But how?

Jane closed her eyes and let her mind drift. Drift back to simpler days when she and Mike were first married. When all she had to worry about was writing that next novel and making love in their new home. Mike was her everything. Her parents loved him, her brother Rob and stepsister Grace loved him, and her friends did too.

What was she going to do? Her stomach clenched. Trying to focus on the positive wasn’t working. Maybe she’d crawl backinto bed and when she woke up, this would all seem like a nightmare.

Why would she kill David Thornton? And then dredge the killing ground? His threats weren’t the first she’d ever received. Did the sheriff think she was stupid?

Being a mystery writer and delving into the criminal’s mind, researching and interviewing some of the creeps, had given her a hard shell—but that shell was cracked.

Jane sighed. How could she fix this? The one thing she wouldn’t wait on was letting Ethan investigate on his own. She knew how that worked.

First, she got a pad of paper. Put Thornton’s name at the top. Then she wrote suspects.

Crap, the only suspect that came to mind was her.

Damn.

After leaving Jane’s house,Ethan walked back to the pond. The air that had been so fresh and crisp this morning smelled like death. He felt shitty. Accusing Jane of murdering Thornton wasn’t his best idea. But she could have been lying when she said she didn’t own a gun. He really didn’t think she had killed the man, but so far, she was the only one with the means, motive and opportunity. The question was, why? Jane won the bidding war. What was missing?

He decided to visit Tanner, ask him if he noticed anything weird going on at Jane’s farm. Ethan parked his truck and walked into the kitchen. Tanner was just coming in from outside.

“This is a surprise,” Tanner said. “I never see you during the day. So, what’s going on at Jane’s farm?”

“Ugh.” Ethan grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot Tanner had going most of the day. “Someone killed David Thornton, wrapped him in chains, and threw him into the pond. Hal was excavating and dug up his body.”

“No shit!” Tanner pulled out a chair and sat across from him. “Although I can believe it. Thornton was shady and a bully.”

“Regardless, he didn’t deserve to die,” Ethan replied. “I’ve got to make a list of suspects. So far, Jane is the only name.”

“Why Jane?” Tanner looked confused. “That makes no sense. She had no cause to kill him. Besides, she’s a small, slender woman.”

Ethan looked at his brother. “You’re preaching to the choir.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know where I’m even going to look. Maggie Thornton is back in town. Maybe she has some ideas.”

Silence.

Tanner took a gulp of coffee and slammed his mug down. “Damn. I guess you’ll find out eventually.”

“What are you talking about?” Ethan looked over at Tanner, who looked very guilty. “Please tell me you have had nothing to do with Thornton.”

“I wish.” Tanner took a deep breath and released it. “Just before Jane bought the farm, I was at the Harvest Moon when Thornton came in. I know you heard about Thornton’s grandfather claiming grandpa and ol’ man Jenkins promised to sell this land to him.”

Ethan nodded.

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