“They’ve all got alibis,” Holt said, almost defensively. “They were caught on camera at Starbucks buying coffee at the time of her death.”
“Very convenient. Almost as though they knew it was gonna go down.”
Holt didn’t respond, but Simon didn’t need him to. They were both thinking the same thing. The Off the Books Task Force had been tipped off beforehand and had gone to that coffeeshop to ensure they were captured away from the crime scene.
“You mentioned Travis and Max are friends.”
Holt’s lips twitched. “I’m not sure they’re friends, per se, but they know each other.”
“And what? Max sicced his henchman on Juliet as a favor to Travis?”
“It’s logical.”
Yeah. It was. But he still didn’t see how Meredith Prescott tied into any of it.
“I think it’s worth talking to Brantley and Reese,” Holt repeated. “They know things.”
“And you think those things might help piece together this puzzle?”
“It definitely couldn’t hurt.”
Simon figured Holt was right. But until he met with Travis Walker, he wouldn’t do anything. He needed to be certain that investigating this wouldn’t do more harm than good.
Chapter Five
Friday, September 9, 2022
Violet didn’t make a habit of eatingout.
Certainly not by herself.
Since her meal prep was limited to what she could make in her own kitchen without spending a significant amount of time there, more often than not, she sought sustenance at the best place in town: the diner. Most of the time, she had Elana and/or Spencer to keep her company. Unfortunately, Elana was babysitting her brother’s kids, and Spencer was at some real estate conference in San Antonio until tomorrow.
So tonight, it was just her.
It wasn’t such a bad deal since she was a sucker for the diner’s current Friday night special—Texas chili. It wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill ground beef and beans. Oh, no. Texas chili was a culinary masterpiece of smoked chuck roast, cornbreaddumplings, and rich, savory spices. And there was only one person capable of making it right: Myrna Talbott. Then again, everything Myrna cooked was amazing. The woman was the queen of a home-cooked meal.
Which was why Violet made a point to come in one night every couple of months for a to-go order of whatever special struck her fancy. And, okay, fine, maybe she came in a bit more often when Texas chili was on the menu. Plus, it worked to stretch her budget because what she didn’t eat tonight, she would savor for the next couple of days. Granted, she was starving, so she wasn’t sure there’d be much left over.
Rachel Talbott, the owner’s daughter and one of the waitresses at the diner, came out from the kitchen as Violet approached the take-out area.
“Hey, Rach,” she called, waving her hand to get the waitress’s attention.
Rachel flashed a smile and plucked the credit card from Violet’s hand as she pivoted and returned the way she’d come. A minute later, she barreled back through the door, passing over Violet’s card.
“She was already workin’ on it. It’s comin’ right up,” Rachel told her before hurrying off in another direction.
Tucking her hands in her pockets, Violet tried to keep out of the way while not looking like she was eavesdropping on the people sitting at the tables around her. The take-out area wasn’t exactly a dedicated spot, so keeping out of everyone’s business required finesse.
Of which she had none.
“Hey, Violet.”
She stopped moving. She didn’t even need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. Despite her better judgment, she’d been dreaming about that voice for the past week. More so since their electrically charged conversation in Holt’s apartment on Monday. And when she wasn’t dreaming, she was listening to it, eager to get caught up on Simon’s latest podcast series so she would be ready for the next one.
“Uh … hey,” she said, steeling herself to see him again.
Sure enough, as soon as her eyes raked over the handsome man, she felt that strange tingle warm her insides. For the past few days, she’d been telling herself that was heartburn. The excuse wasn’t working this time since she hadn’t eaten anything since her cheese and cracker Lunchables at noon.
