Page 7 of Murder in the Lighthouse

Birk sent her a skeptical look. “Do you really want to go in there on the off chance you could find another body?”

A mortified Jade shook her head. “I guess not. I’ll pass.”

“We’ll do it,” Beckett stated. “I’ll walk back up to the lantern room and get the key from Woodsong.”

“I’ll ask him for the key,” Lucien stated as he angled toward the lighthouse again. “You start marking up the grid for the woods.”

Beckett bobbed his head and removed a map from his jacket pocket. “Let’s get this done while Theo’s busy with the body. The less interference we have, the better.”

2

Lucien found the keeper’s cottage smelling like a combination of chrysanthemums and cinnamon, leftover from someone’s baby shower. The house appeared as tidy as a church and without a dead body inside. The search in the woods took them four hours and yielded nothing connecting Sam or Bethany to it. Not even the dogs could turn up a scent or a clue.

By mid-afternoon, Lucien sensed that it was a good thing Brent Cody was out of town. News about Sam Heywood’s demise inside the lighthouse spread fast. And it didn’t put the new guy, Theo Woodsong, in the best light. He was taking heat for only looking halfway to the top.

As they packed up to head home, Lucien felt terrible for the guy. “He did find the lighthouse locked up tight. That’s gotta be significant. Why search all the way to the top when the place waslocked with no other way inside? He assumed no one had gotten in there.”

“Maybe not assume,” Brogan advocated, offering a different take on the situation because she had questions. “You have to wonder if it was locked, how did Sam and the killer get inside? How did they gain entry? And did they enter at the same time? Did the killer lure Sam into the lighthouse? Did the killer have a set of keys? How many keys are there floating around town anyway? The lock looked like it worked fine to me, so that rules out anyone tampering with the door.”

“That’s the mystery,” Lucien admitted as he watched Beckett and Birk load up the dogs. “I couldn’t even tell from the body if Sam had been stabbed or shot.”

Brogan made a face. “That could take a couple of days. May I make a suggestion?” she prompted as she spotted Theo walking out of the lighthouse.

“Sure.”

“I think Theo could use a friend right now. Why don’t you be that person?” She glanced down at her phone to check the time. “Why don’t you invite him over to the house tonight for dinner? I’ll make tamales with rice and beans. But I need to leave now to make it happen.”

“Are you suggesting I should be the one to make the offer?”

“I think that would be the most appropriate approach; guy to guy is better.”

“Do you know how to make tamales?”

“No, but I can look it up on the internet, which is why I need to leave now,” she explained, rounding the hood of her Range Rover, keys in hand. “Don’t forget to give him our address. I’ll see you at the house.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. He’s parked right next door to your truck. Catch him before he gets to his vehicle. Let me know if dinner is on.”

Lucien watched her SUV back out of the lot and leaned against his pickup, pondering the best way to approach Theo. He shoved off his Ford truck and walked toward the cruiser, intercepting Theo before he could open his door. “I know you’re probably busy, but Brogan thought you needed a homecooked meal after such a horrible day. She wanted me to invite you over for supper. She’s hoping you like Mexican food. Tamales.”

No one looked more surprised than the new cop at the invitation. The expression on his face changed. His eyes lit up in sheer delight at being asked.

“Tonight? Sure. I have some paperwork to finish. Would seven o’clock be okay?”

“Perfect. It’ll give Brogan a chance to…get everything ready.” He almost said she needed time to find a tamale recipe, shop for the ingredients, and throw it all together into an edible meal within a three-hour window. Instead of full discovery with the cop, Lucien went with a partial moment of truth. “I hope you realize this new recipe means we’ll be Brogan’s guinea pigs. But don’t worry. I have Longboard Pizza on speed dial for backup.”

Theo’s face split into a grin for the first time all day. It changed his whole face. “As long as there’s backup, I’m okay with being a test subject.”

“Good. See you at seven.” Lucien waved Theo off and climbed behind the wheel of his pickup, where he texted Brogan.Theo’s on for seven. Will that give you enough time?

Let’s hope so. I found a simple recipe online, but I’m not sure if I can find all the ingredients. I’m pulling up to Murphy’s now. Will meet you at the house in thirty. Remember to let the dogs out.

Lucien shrugged and started the engine. If she didn’t seem worried about throwing dinner together, then he wouldn’t either. But it would help their cause if they could feed Theo with a decent meal and pry some information out of him.

As she parkedthe car, prying details from Theo was the farthest thing on Brogan’s mind. She focused on preparing the best meal she could. After gathering her bag and phone with her grocery list, she strolled through the double doors on a mission. She could always count on Murphy’s Market, the town hub, to carry a variety of specialty cuisine. This afternoon should be no different.

Hoping to gather the authentic ingredients required, she grabbed a cart and wasted no time heading for the International food aisle. She picked out the best brand of refried beans and two packages of rice in case she didn’t have enough on hand in the pantry at home. She found dried corn husks in eight-ounce packages and tossed two in the cart for good measure. She hunted down a bag of masa and a thirty-two-ounce carton of chicken stock. There wasn’t time to slow-cook pork overnight, so she opted to use a whole rotisserie chicken already packaged from the meat department to make the filling. That way, she could shred whatever she needed and season it with salsa verde, the spicy tomatillo green sauce that made the filling pop. She perused the salsa aisle until she found a brand she recognized. Next came the produce aisle, where she decided on pre-made guacamole to save time.

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