They both shook their heads.
“Today. Possibly,” Angesaid.
“So, several days after Jake died. And my aunt. Let’s not forget that. First, everybody thinks it’s a natural death. Then, once it seems clear that it wasn’t, the one person who conveniently can’t defend herself is the main suspect.”
For the first time since we started, I felt positive. The killer wouldn’t have needed to find a scapegoat unless we were close. “Who did you hear from about a fight between my aunt and Jake?” I asked Reina. “And try to remember every single thing.”
Reina frowned. “I think it was at the grocery store. Or the bakery. Two of the older ladies were mentioning something.”
“I heard it from a member of the bowling team. The Badger Belles.” Ange scratched her head.
“That means Louisa,” I said. “Who also took me to the garden. She was going to tell the police about the plants.”
Ange stopped. “The timeline is wrong. Because I’m positive I heard a few whispers before I saw —”
“The acquaintance,” I interrupted her. “He must have a name. Simply tell me the name.”
“It’s Trey, Detective Trey Stone.”
I made a mental note. “Before Trey received the phone call.”
My head began to ache. I rubbed my temples.
“Let me get you an aspirin,” Reina said. “It’s all a bit much to take in.”
I swallowed the pill before I reached for the notepad that was still sitting there from the night before. I tore out three pages and handed one to Reina and one to Ange.
“OK. Please try to remember and write down exactly what you heard and when you heard it. And then we will compare our notes.”
I scribbled my notes as fast as I could while at the same time working on an explanation of why I knew about the masked person in Jake's house.
As much as I loved sticking to the truth—especially when it came to my friends—stating bluntly that the cat had told me would probably not go down well. Even if they did believe in witchcraft.
I paused. My fingers cramped—I’d held on so tightly to the pen that they had gone white.
"Bex, you're looking peaky," Ange said. "There's a greenish tinge to your face, which actually goes quite well with your blue hair. Except it's not Halloween. Yet."
I rubbed my stomach. "I think my body is reacting to all that stress."
"You need tea," Ange declared. "I have an awesome mix in my purse that clears up stomach aches, menopause symptoms, stress—the whole modern-world shebang." She produced a metal tin.
"Yes, please," I said. "We could all do with a cup of that. Can I help with anything?"
"No, that's fine." Reina put down her sheet of paper. "I'm finished anyway."
"So am I,” I said.
All three of us put our papers in the middle of the table.
"Does anyone here know how to do a proper spreadsheet?" Ange asked. "It would be easiest to compare notes."
"I’ll do it," Harper said.
I hadn't even heard her come up. Reina greeted her with a kiss.
"I can’t stay long. It's getting busy downstairs, and we could do with the business." Harper twinkled at me. "And the gossip." She pounced on our notes and read through them while we all took a break to sip our tea.
Reina had put a teeny spoonful of honey in it.
