“We changed plans a bit…” Margo picked up from Willa. “We couldn’t go to Captain Morrison. Then he would’ve known we’d reopened the case from ten years ago.”
“A case that he just let Nigel Frost shut down,” Willa continued. “No explanation and we all knew that Nigel wasn’t being honest with us.”
“Yes, he was the one who had believed there was far more to what had happened to his mother, and then all the incidents that followed once Gilbert came to town,” Margo told them. “After the fire… the fire at Gilbert’s cabin, Nigel was even more convinced something was amiss. He told me that he didn’t believe that Gilbert was the one who started that fire. He thought that Gilbert was the main target of the fire.”
“There was a spare key that had been found near Gilbert’s cabin,” Willa picked up the story again. “A key that at first Nigel said was the key to Gilbert’s cabin.”
“But suddenly it was just a key,” Rad stepped in. “I checked in the evidence locker, and it was gone. In fact, there was not much in the evidence box but a pair of sneakers and some other things they’d found in Gilbert’s rental car.”
“No phone, or laptop, or any type of recording equipment,” Willa told them. “That in itself was strange considering Gilbert was supposedly making content for his show.”
“Judy…” Margo cleared her throat as three pairs of eyes landed on her. “Uh…. Judy, when we asked her, said that she’d looked and couldn’t find her brother’s equipment anywhere. She’d even gone to his apartment. There were no signs of his recording equipment.”
“Maybe he had a studio?” June offered.
“We checked,” Rad answered. “Nothing listed under his name.”
“What about under JJ Collins?” June asked.
“Oh, you know about that too?” Ace said, looking sheepish. “That was me. It’s a great-grandparent's name I used. We got permission from Judy to continue Gilbert’s channel.”
“Wait, what?” June and Holt said in unison. “It’s been the three or four of you all along?”
“Yes, and then Rad joined,” Margo told them. “About a week after he arrived here.”
“Yes, Lacey suggested we ask him as he had access to the police station and files we couldn’t get,” Willa said with a nod.
“Hold on,” Holt stepped in. “You’re all going on at a mile a minute.” He held up his hand. “How are Lacey and Judy involved in this?”
“They’ve been feeding us content from the places they were visiting,” Ace replied.
“But they’ve never hosted any of the programs?” Holt asked.
“They did in the beginning,” Margo told them. “But it’s mainly been us.”
“We’ve tried to make it out as if it’s more than just us,” Ace told them. “Especially because of the content we’ve been creating. We reckoned if we remained incognito, it would be less dangerous for us.”
“How is that working out for any of you?” Holt asked, not amused.
“Do Lacey and Judy know what you’re investigating now?” June asked.
“Yes,” all four answered in unison.
“Are they helping with the investigation?” Holt asked.
“Yes,” all four answered in unison again.
“I’m only going to ask this once,” Holt warned them. “And if any of you are lying to me…”
They all stared at him, nodding. “Did any of you know about a cat burglar that used to operate in the Sandpiper Shores area over forty years ago?”
“No!” A chorus echoed through the kitchen.
“A cat burglar?” Willa repeated her eyes wide. “Seriously. There was a cat burglar? Here in Sandpiper Shores?”
“Yes,” Holt said with a nod.
“Thats kinda cool,” Ace piped up, then stopped, his eyes widening. “Wait a moment…” he raised his hands, and his eyes narrowed, then widened again in realization once more. “The bracelet…” He snapped his fingers. “Was that part of some sort of jewelry theft?”
