Page 28 of Little Empty Promises

“If there is, I’ll find out.”

“I know you will.”

“I’m glad you told me about this,” I said.“Sometimes the smallest detail makes the biggest difference.”

“What are your plans with the case?”

“I’m meeting with Simone and Hunter to discuss it.Might be a good idea to have Hunter do a background check on the Westwoods.You never know when it might lead to something.”

“It’s the reason I thought you should know.”

“Cordelia was the type of person who kept to herself.I don’t see her getting into a lot of situations where she’d put a target on her back.Because of that, anyone who had interactions with her before she died is suspect to me, including her neighbors.”I stood, grabbing the bags we’d filled with clothes and walking them over to the door.“Is there anything else I can do for you before I go?”

She threw her arms around me and said, “The fact you took time out of your day to stop by and check on me is all I needed.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I want you to call me, any time, day or night.”

“You want me to grab your ice cream so you can take it with you?”

“Let’s leave it here.I’ll stop in tomorrow and see how you’re doing.Maybe by then you’ll have your appetite back, and we can enjoy a glass of wine and an entire pint.”

12

I was back at the office, sitting on a sofa with Simone and Hunter.Today, Simone was wearing a Pet Shop Boys T-shirt beneath a black blazer.Her curly, black hair was styled into box braids and pulled back into a bun on top of her head.Her look was a sharp contrast to Hunter’s long, red pigtails and bohemian-style wide-leg jumpsuit.

Hunter kicked off her moccasins and leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs in front of her.“It’s sad.The poor lady lived a long, happy life, save for the loss of her husband, only to have it end in murder.”

“I’ve been hoping we’d be able to get involved in her case,” Simone said.“What can you tell us about it?”

Not much.

“Cordelia was shot once in the chest, but once was all it took to kill her,” I said.“I found a gun on the ground not far from her body.It was registered to Cordelia, and it wasn’t the murder weapon.I’m thinking she knew someone was in the library with her, and she knew she was in danger.She may have been trying to defend herself, but she didn’t get the chance before she was shot.”

“Do the police have any suspects yet?”Simone asked.

“They don’t, and we’re still not sure what the motive was, but I believe it was a targeted attack.”

“Why?”

“There are a few things I should mention.Whitlock found a note on the floor the night Cordelia died.On it was a physical description—short curly hair, seventies, glasses—which is a perfect description of Cordelia.”

“Doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”

“I don’t think so either,” I said.

“The killer may have dropped the note and left it behind on accident.”

“It’s possible, and there’s one other thing about the note that I should mention.The note could have been referring to Cordelia, but the description on it also matches the woman who manages the library, Samantha Swan.Samantha was supposed to be closing the library the night of the murder, but Cordelia offered to stay in her place so Samantha could attend her granddaughter’s volleyball game.”

“Do you think the wrong person was murdered?”Simone asked.

“It’s one of the things we need to figure out.If the note is connected to the murder, it could also mean someone was hired to kill Cordelia.”

“Ooh, murder for hire.We haven’t dealt with that before.”

Hunter opened her notebook and began taking notes.

In our murder investigations, Simone and I chased down leads and interviewed people associated with the crime, and Hunter worked behind the scenes, gathering information at the office.She preferred it that way, remaining in the background, by herself, away from people.

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