“Besides Fred, there’s Walter, James, and Cecelia.”
He took out his phone and opened the notes app. “Okay, let’s start with Cecelia.”
“Okay. Cecelia Wentworth plays the violin. She’s not very nice, but she’s not violent or anything.”
“What would her motive be?”
I took another bite of taco. “No idea. In fact, I’m not even sure if she knows him. It’s possible, since he’s originally from here, but I don’t think they interacted at all yesterday.”
He took another bite of taco. “How about Walter?” parents
“Well, Walter is a Bramwell, his parents run in all the same circles as my mother. He’s nice enough, if a bit stuck up. We went on one date but it was unremarkable.” I cringed inwardly.Why did I volunteer that last bit of information?
Neto grunted. “I bet it was him. What’s his motive?”
I pursed my lips. “Nothing I can think of.”
“And the other guy?”
“James Yoon, he’s our percussionist. He’s smart, quiet, and doesn’t seem to make a lot of drama. I don’t know what his motive could be. Jealousy, maybe, because he can’t sing and Paolo can.”
Neto leaned back in his chair. “Do we know when the murder was committed?”
I bit my lip, trying to remember all the details from the afternoon. “Paolo left the rehearsal room around 1:15, and I found him a little before 1:30.”
“Good to know.” Neto picked up another taco. “Do we know where anyone was during the murder?”
I thought back to that day. “Fred and Walter headed to the stage for their sound check, and Cecelia stayed in the commonarea. Paolo had gone to a practice room to warm up, and I joined him there. James was rehearsing in the room next to us.”
“Were you in the room with Paolo for long?”
“No, only a minute or two. He left to find Fred and I stayed behind. A few minutes later I went to find Paolo and discovered the body on the stage with a knife sticking out of his back.” I swallowed, pushing away the image that came to my mind.
Neto’s eyes tracked the movement of my throat bobbing, and his expression softened. “I’m so sorry. We’ll find out who did this.”
“We will,” I agreed.
“When you left the practice room, was James still next door?”
“Yes.”
“And did you see anyone on your way to the stage?”
“No.”
Neto pursed his lips. “Then James is the only one with an alibi. I wish Fred had one. He told me he went to the bathroom after Walter’s mic check, but there’s nobody who can confirm that.”
I sighed through my nose. “I wish I had seen him so we could easily clear him. But I guess we’ll just have to find whoever actually did it. What’s our next step?”
“Find out more about the suspects and hopefully figure out a motive.”
“Well, there’s one surefire place to get all the gossip in Austen Heights. If anyone has secrets, Mrs. Bennet knows them. She’s the owner of Cupid’s Confections.”
Neto grinned. “Yes, I remember her. Her bakery was my favorite when I was a kid. Can I come with you?”
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing him again so soon, but I tried to play it cool. “Of course. Let’s meet at Cupid’s Confections at 10:00 and we can see what Mrs. Bennet knows.”
The rest of the meal was delicious, and we talked outside in the warm, balmy air until José flicked the lights off and on. “I’m closing in five minutes,” he called.
