Sluggs spoke. “The police department of Peachwood would like to formally announce that in the murder investigation of Crystal Darsey, Clementine Cooke has been named a person of interest.”
Oh crap.
Chapter 22
The next morning, I needed to drown my sorrows in chocolate. My guts were all twisted in a pretzel, and my mind was going at a thousand ticks per second.
I needed to get out. I needed fresh air and space. I went downtown, where the first thing I did was head straight to Benders.
Julie Bender came out from around the counter when she laid eyes on me. “Oh, Clem, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped me in a big hug. I felt myself buckle, but I forced the tears back.
Tuney Sluggs was not going to get the best of me. Still, I felt the tears come and pushed those suckers as far back as I could.
Julie pulled away and studied me. “How’re you holding up?”
I shook my head. “I’ll be okay.”
“You want to talk about it? It’s fine if you don’t.”
“No, I just need to get my head screwed on straight and get a little bit of fresh air. I don’t know if I should be here in town, but I didn’t want to stay at home all holed up.”
Julie squeezed my hand. “Come on. Let me get you some coffee and a treat. Hungry?”
I wasn’t but hated to turn down food. “Sure.”
So Julie made me a big mocha and sliced up a piece of chocolate cake with a raspberry ribbon running through it. She sat with me at the table while I picked at the food.
“Clem, no one’s going to believe that you had anything to do with what happened. I don’t, and I can’t imagine that anyone else will, either.”
“I don’t know.”
She shot me a pointed look. “Everyone knows that Sluggs is worthless as a chief. I’m telling you, no one is going to buy into the fact that you’re a murderer.”
I nodded, which was about all I could do. “I hope not.”
Julie rubbed my arm. “They won’t. And if you ever, and I mean ever need to talk, you just let me know. I’m here for you.”
I gave her a feeble smile. “Thank you.”
The door opened, and customers walked in—a couple with a baby in a stroller. Julie gave my arm another squeeze as she got up to help them.
The mother glanced at Julie and said a friendly hello. Then her gaze swept to me and she paused.
Uh-oh. It was already starting.
The woman stared at me for a beat longer and stiffened. When she and her husband reached the counter, they ordered and then sat a few tables away. From the corner of my eye, I saw her nudge him and then nod toward me.
I gazed over and saw him drop his gaze to his phone and start scrolling. A few seconds later he was showing her something (probably about me) and they were keeping pinned gazes on me as they took the coffees that Julie had made for them and then left, making sure to stay as far from my table as possible.
I sighed. So this was how it was going to be. Not wanting to cause Julie to lose any business, I rose and swiftly left when her back was turned.
Outside, people milled about. There were more folks on the street than there had been when I entered the store, and I swear all their eyes were on me. Gazes would lock on mine, and then the person would quickly realize who I was and they’d scurry away like a crab skittering along the beach. They ran like jackrabbits, as if my presumed guilt was somehow contagious. They scurried from me as if they would be found guilty by association.
This was not cool.
It was also soul crushing. I was suddenly a pariah. How would this affect my business? It would kill it if folks continued to believe that I had murdered Crystal. Okay, so I had to prove my innocence. This would only fuel me to make sure that I cleared my name and got Tuney Sluggs off my back.
I started to head to my truck when I bumped into someone.
