Page 55 of Gumbo, Ghosts, and Deadly Deception
“What? Tell me what you mean. I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
"If Delia really was talking to someone who was a murderer in the past, and that someone killed her, then you need to understand how dangerous this is. They’re desperate and willing to do anything."
The implication hung in the air between us. If the killer thought I knew what Delia knew…
"I should probably get some more security cameras," I said weakly, going for a little humor.
Hollis didn’t laugh. He didn’t even crack a smile.
"You should probably consider staying somewhere else until we catch this guy."
Before I could respond, my phone rang. Maggie's name flashed on the screen.
“You can answer that.”
“I’ll call her back.”
“It’s fine. We’re done here. I’ll make sure Abigail gets to the airport okay.”
He was driving Abigail to the airport? That seemed beyond the call of duty. “I should drive Abigail to the airport. It’s the least I can do.”
My phone stopped ringing.
Hollis stood up and eyed me. “I’ve got it.” Then he dumped his coffee in the sink and washed the mug using a sponge I stored in a steel basket.
I appreciated the wash up but not his continued interest in Abigail. I could tell myself it was because I wanted to make sure that Midnight House was painted in a positive life, but that wasn’t really the whole of it.
“But I’m the hostess here.”
“It’s not a good idea. I’ll drive her.”
We stared at each other. Were we really having some kind of stand off over Abigail Hart?
I decided to back down when Maggie texted me.
Call me.
I picked up my phone and walked into the parlor to call her back.
"Hey," I said by way of greeting. "Please tell me you have some good news."
"I have interesting news. Can you meet me at the studio? There's something you need to hear."
What I was hearing was Hollis going upstairs to Room Three to help Abigail.
“I’ll leave now.”
I drove to Maggie's studio in the Bywater. She was waiting for me with her laptop open and a grim expression on her face.
"Remember that audio file you sent yourself from Delia's phone?" she said.
I felt heat creep up my neck. "Of course."
"Did you tell Hollis about it?"
“Yes, he knows about it. I’m surprised he didn’t arrest me for tampering with evidence. Which he probably should. It was very impulsive on my part. He didn’t tell me much about it though."
"Well, you need to hear what I found." She pulled up an audio program on her laptop. "The recording was longer than you realized. There's stuff about ten minutes in."
