Page 10 of Deadly Sins: Envy

Blunt opened her mouth to speak, and Murphy looked at her and shook his head. To my surprise, her mouth shut.

I cut in, hoping to ease the tension.

“How’s Dean Watson doing?” I asked.

“He made it through surgery,” Murphy said. “The surgeon believes he’s been through the worst of it and expects he’ll continue to improve.”

Good.

Another person to add to the list of people to question.

“I’d like to see him,” Coop said.

“I’m sure you would, but he’s been through a lot,” Murphy said. “Let’s hold off for now. The other reason I stopped by is to ask for a list of Willow’s friends.”

“Dale’s wife Linda should be able to provide you with one,” Coop said.

Murphy nodded. “Dale’s talking with her now.”

“Where is she?” I asked.

“She hasn’t left her room since we found out Willow was missing,” Coop said.

“Have you talked to the other members of Willow’s band?” I asked.

“There’s just one other member,” Murphy said. “She’s hanging out at the festival grounds on the tour bus. I told her to stay put.”

Blunt looked at her watch and tapped an impatient foot on the ground. “Time’s wasting, Herb.”

Murphy sighed. “I know, I know.”

A man entered the living room holding a piece of folded paper in his hand. I assumed he was Dale, Coop’s brother. Coop was right. They looked a lot alike, right down to their crooked noses. But their style was a lot different. While Coop dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, Dale wore a white polo shirt with the collar cuffed up, pressed black trousers with a creased line down the center, and had spiked hair that reminded me of Billy Idol. Unlike Coop, Dale’s face was almost devoid of wrinkles and had a stretched, unnatural look, making it obvious he’d had some work done to retain his fountain of youth.

Dale gave the paper to Murphy and said, “The names and phone numbers are there along with how Willow is acquainted with the person. My wife said to tell you she’d always had a good relationship with her daughter, but with the tour and all, there’s no way for us to knowallof Willow’s friends.”

Murphy held the paper up and said, “This is a great start. I hope it will all be over with tonight, and there won’t be a need to question everyone on this list.”

“Anything we can do to help in the meantime?” Coop asked.

Murphy grabbed half the sandwich, took a bite, and looked at me. “Great sandwich. I’m impressed. Thank your grandmother for me. Wish I could eat the rest of it, but Blunt is right. We should go. There’s a lot to prepare before tonight.”

I reached for Murphy’s plate. “I’ll wrap this up, and you can take it with you.”

He smiled and handed it to me. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Blunt and Murphy left a couple minutes later.

Dale leaned against the wall and hung his head. “The last thing we need is a bunch of cops showing up tonight messing things up.”

“I plan to be the one to take the money to Willow’s abductor,” Coop said.

“Why can’t I hand the money over myself?” Dale asked. “Hell, I’d even be willing to throw in a little extra tip to ensure we get Willow back.”

“You’re too much of a hothead to deal with this yourself,” Coop said.

“She’smydaughter,” Dale said. “Any decisions made about the ways things are handled tonight should be mine.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Coop said.

---