Page 148 of A Dead End Wedding

CAR PAINTING/ACID

ROCK IN MY HEAD

SINUS STALKER CALL

MURDER AT MUSEUM

SHOOTING LAST NIGHT

We could figure Gina for the shooting, but she'd been in rehab for the car painting and the rock throwing. Plus, the sinus stalker phone call had come from a man. And there was no way I believed she had anything to do with Richard Dack's murder. It didn't make sense.

"She could have talked somebody into making that call," Max said.

I shook my head. "Yeah, but it doesn't add up. She may be crazy, but this level of escalation doesn't sound right for a 'you talked to my boyfriend' issue."

"Crazy people do crazy things," she said.

"We're not getting anywhere this way," I said. Let's see what Jake's friend, Lieutenant Connors, turns up. He seemed pretty competent."

"Well, I gotta go," Mr. Ellison said, brushing crumbs off his lap onto the floor and standing up. "We ain't figuring outnothing like this, and I promised to help down to the Seniors for the big bingo party."

I looked up. "This has nothing to do with anything, but do you know my Aunt Celia?"

He stared down at me. "Know her? I woulda married her, if that rotten Nathan Judson hadn't cut me out of the picture." He bent down to pick Daisy up, then stomped out of my office.

I stared at Max, my mouth hanging open. "No way. No way was Mr. Ellison almost my uncle," I said, shuddering.

Her eyes bugged out. "Talk about a narrow escape. We havegotto get her to tell us about that."

"No way. I never, ever want to hear a conversation that has the words Celia, dating, and Henry all in the same breath. I'm getting the creepy-crawlies just thinking about it."

She stood up. "I guess we'd better get to work. I'm assuming he's taking Daisy home tonight?"

I sighed. "Looks like it. I guess I'll get her tomorrow. You'd better give me his address so we can do the puppy handoff."

As Max walked back down the hall, my gaze strayed to our lists again. None of this made sense to me at all. What could possibly be behind these threats and attacks?

Nobody ever shot at me when I did corporate work.

Max and I spent the rest of the afternoon deep in the Deaver case, and I barely looked up from Faith's medical records when she stopped by to tell me she was leaving. "Sure, have a great weekend," I said.

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