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“I suppose so,” Josie said, although I could tell from the dubious note in her voice that she wasn’t very confident in our police chief’s ability to track down the murderer.
Well, I had to admit I wasn’t exactly sanguine, either, but since it seemed clear that he didn’t suspect Chloe of the crime, it appeared the best thing to do was wait all this out.
“Anyhow,” Josie went on briskly, “I just wanted to check to see how you were doing. I have a zoning meeting I need to get to. Just drop me a note if you need anything.”
I assured her I would, and she headed out, moving briskly past the shop’s picture window in the direction of City Hall. Once she was out of eyeshot, though, I allowed myself a sigh. While there was no need for me to get involved in this whole mess…well, other than providing Chloe all the support and reassurance she required…I also wasn’t sure whether Henry was going to make much headway with this one. How could he, when it seemed as if there was absolutely no evidence pointing toward the killer?
Because my sister came into the shop only a moment or two after Josie had departed, I did my best to keep any doubts I harbored from revealing themselves in my expression. Instead, I asked her how everything went, and she just shrugged.
“It was fine. Actually, it felt good to walk. And now the car’s parked out back, so I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She paused there and sent me an inquiring glance. “Are you sure you’re okay with me staying at your place? Because I really can go back to the Airbnb — I’ll just burn some sage and light some white candles to cleanse the place, maybe do a salt ritual.”
That was pretty much the same thing I would have done in her situation, even though I hadn’t detected any trace of Jack Speros’s spirit lingering in the space. Some people might have thought that was all a bunch of woo-woo. However, because I’d interacted with several spirits after their murders, I knew I was fully capable of performing such a feat…as long as the spirits in question were ready to talk.
But it felt to me as though Jack’s soul was long gone, and it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to banish any negative energies that might want to hang around the Airbnb. Even if it wasn’t haunted, it could still use a decent cleansing.
“Let’s see how you feel about everything tomorrow,” I said. “Right now, I still think it’s better if you’re with family.”
Chloe’s face brightened at my comment, telling me she was happy to hear that I already considered her to be part of my family even if we’d never met before this week. “Sounds like a plan.”
She’d barely finished speaking before Henry entered the store, looking grim. Dispensing with any greetings, he looked over at Chloe and said, “Why’d you move your car?”
Her eyes widened a little at his brusque tone. “Selena and I thought it would be better for me to have the car on hand while I was staying at her house. Is there a problem?”
The tight set of his jaw didn’t change. “There shouldn’t be…as long as you’re okay with me checking the trunk.”
A nervous glance in my direction, and I gave my sister a very small nod. While I supposed we could have protested and asked for a warrant, I didn’t see the point in making trouble. Most likely, Henry had decided an inspection of Chloe’s car was necessary, even though he could have had his deputies handle that task the night before.
Maybe he’d spent all morning stewing over the complete lack of evidence in the case and had realized the one place he hadn’t looked was inside her vehicle.
“It’s out back,” she said. “Let me show you.”
And while I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I should leave the front of the shop unattended, I decided it was better to be with Chloe right now. If someone wanted to waltz in and help themselves to a couple of Tarot decks or a few pocket crystals, I wouldn’t lose much sleep over it.
Instead, I followed the police chief and my younger sister out to the parking lot at the rear of the building. I didn’t see Victoria’s red Mercedes SUV and recalled that she’d told me she’d be in Phoenix for most of the day, visiting suppliers and collecting samples from some tile and stone showrooms.
But there was Chloe’s dark gray VW Beetle, now starting to get dusty after sitting outside for the past couple of nights, and a few spaces away was my Jeep Renegade.
Henry didn’t spare a glance for the Renegade and instead went straight for the VW.
“Unlock it, please,” he said.
She pulled the fob out of her jean jacket pocket — I guessed she had stowed it there after she dropped the car off back here — and touched the button to click the lock. Henry stepped forward, pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, and then opened the door and stuck his head inside.
Once again, Chloe sent me a questioning look, but all I could do was shrug and hope she knew the best thing to do was stand back and let Henry continue with his inspection.
Luckily, it was a pleasant day, the sun out but definitely not hot, the breeze cool without being uncomfortable. Under other circumstances, I wouldn’t have minded standing out there while he worked, but after a couple of minutes, my feet started to remind me that I was supposed to be sitting down as much as possible these days, not hanging around in a parking lot while the local police chief conducted what I knew was an entirely futile investigation.
After looking through the glove compartment and under the front and back seats, he backed his way out of the car, eyes narrowed in annoyance. However, his voice sounded even enough as he said, “Pop the trunk.”
Once again, Chloe clicked the key fob, and the trunk unlatched and opened a few inches. Henry made his way over there and began rummaging around…and then went very still. Mouth tightening, he reached into the trunk and pulled out a thin piece of wire with a wooden handle dangling at each end.
“Want to tell me what this is?”
Chapter 7
FLYING BY WIRE
“It’s not mine!” Chloe protested. “I’ve never seen that thing before in my life!”
