Page 38 of Only One More Lie

Then Andi carefully picked up the snowman ornament. “Do you remember this?”

Juniper’s face went pale. “Where did you get that?”

“It was on the tree last night,” Andi explained. “But I don’t remember it being there earlier.”

“Put it down.”

Andi blinked, confused by her response. “What?”

“Put it down. I don’t want to see it.”

Andi set it on the table, still confused. “You recognize the ornament, don’t you?”

“It belonged to my parents. My dad whittled it himself. After they were killed, I put it in the attic. I never wanted to see it again.”

Then the truth hit Andi. What if the person who’d broken into Juniper’s house yesterday had been in the attic? What if he’d grabbed this ornament?

Was someone playing some kind of twisted game? That was how it seemed.

Shivers raced up and down her spine.

Duke shifted in his seat. “Is there anything you want to tell us, Juniper?”

“Someone is determined to make my life miserable,” she blurted. “To take away the people I care about. To ruin any good memories I have of them. There’s nothing else to tell.”

“Sweetie . . .” Andi stepped closer, tapping into her inner Simmy.

But Juniper scooted away. “I’m sorry. I don’t like to get emotional. I . . . I just don’t understand.”

“We’re trying to get to the bottom of things,” Ranger assured her. “That’s all.”

“I know, and I appreciate that.” She took another step back and swallowed hard. “Listen, I have a lot to do, so I’ll let you guys eat. But I’ll be in touch later.”

They barely had a chance to thank her before she hurried from the cabin.

What was with that reaction? Duke wondered. Juniper knew more than she was letting on, didn’t she?

Right now, he and Andi needed to talk to Tim. He hoped they might be able to see Pepper’s place as well.

The countdown for murder was on, and they had to concentrate on stopping a killer. That was their first priority.

CHAPTER 17

Andi and Duke met with Tim Burrows. He sat across the kitchen table from them inside Juniper’s place. Juniper had insisted they’d have the most privacy there.

Juniper wasn’t with them. She had some paperwork to do, she’d said, and she’d gone back to her office in the lodge.

Andi studied the man a moment. Fortysomething Tim had a thick blond and gray beard, a nearly balding head, and red cheeks. He was on the heavier side with a rounded belly and hooded eyes.

Before they even started, Tim volunteered, “I appreciate the fact you’re here looking for answers about my brother and his wife’s murders. But I’m not sure what exactly you’re expecting to find out by being here.”

“As you know, if this killer continues to follow his pattern, another murder is imminent.” Duke remained undeterred in the stiff, wooden chair. “We’re trying to do whatever we can to prevent that from happening.”

“You guys really think you can do something the police haven’t?” Tim squinted, not bothering to hide his doubt. “Sounds arrogant to me, like you all have an inflated view of yourselves.”

This guy was blunt. Andi wasn’t sure if she admired that quality or despised it.

“We’re trying to dosomething.” Andi let her statement hang for a moment.

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