“Why did she change her outfit?”
I explained how the shop’s raven had left a present on her shoulder. “She must’ve been looking for something in particular, but she never asked for help. We only spoke for a few moments.”
Sergeant Wilson added several notes on her pad. “You speak as if her behavior was strange.”
“Ashley’s not a sociology buff. In fact, she’s not really into books or learning at all. This is the last place I’d expect to see her.”
“Do you think she came here to talk to you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think so. She seemed surprised to see me.”
“And where would you expect to see her around the village, if not in the bookshop?”
In a dark cave, sharpening her claws.“I don’t know. At home with her mum, at the pub, or heading down to London for shopping or a gig. Ashley never liked ___field much. It’s not her scene.”
“So you have no idea what made her return to the bookshop this evening?”
I shook my head. “The bookshop wasn’t even open. The door would normally be locked. It was only open because Morrie left it unlocked for my visit. We’re building a website for the shop.”
“So you didn’t invite her back to the bookshop?”
I shook my head “No.”
“And you have no idea what she was doing downstairs after hours?”
“I already said that! There weren’t even any lights on. Qu— Morrie turned them on when he came down the stairs.”
“Ashley wasn’t looking for you? Perhaps she wanted to discuss what you were fighting about.”
“I doubt it. As far as Ashley was concerned, she hadn’t done anything wrong.Iwas the one being over-dramatic. Why are you asking me about my fight with Ashley? That’s not going to help you find her killer.”
“One more thing.” Sergeant Wilson held up a plastic bag containing a plain ring – a small diamond on a narrow gold band. “This ring was found in the victim’s pocket. Do you recognise it?”
I shook my head. “Ashley would never be caught dead in something like that. It’s not even close to her style.”
Sergeant Wilson snapped her pad shut and stood up. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mina. That’s all we need for now. However, we may ask you to come down to the station for further questioning, so don’t leave the county, got it?”
“Hey, guv?” one of the officers called out. “I found something.”
I watched the sergeant walk away, my mind reeling. Further questioning? Don’t leave the county?
Are they making me a suspect?
The uniformed officer crouched beside the wingback chair under the window. He held up a book. Bright illustrated cats danced across the dust jacket.The homeless man’s book. “I found this shoved under that chair,” he said. “There’s a bit of a stink over here, too, like a cat puked up.”
“That’s the book the homeless man was reading earlier,” I said. “But it shouldn’t be under the chair. I put it away on the shelf.”
“Homeless man?” Wilson narrowed her eyes at me. “You didn’t mention this.”
“His name is Earl,” Heathcliff called out. “Long beard, tatty coat. I let him come in sometimes when the shop’s quiet an’ read.”
“That’ll be Earl Larson, then?” The officer asked. Heathcliff nodded. “We’re aware of him. I’ve done him a few times for loitering ‘n causing a disturbance down the pub, but he’s a good sort. Mostly harmless.”
“He was in earlier today,” I said. “He sat in that chair reading for about an hour. But I swear I put that book away.” Wilson made a gesture to the officer, who slid a paper evidence envelope from the open packet on the table and inserted the book inside. Tonight I’d learned that evidence bags should always be paper, not clear plastic like they were on TV.
“If the door was open, maybe he came back. He might’ve wanted shelter from the storm.”
“That’s what we thought when we heard the noise. There was a thump, and the sound of the door slamming.”
