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“The medical examiner confirmed cyanide poisoning as the cause of death. He places time of death between five and seven on the morning we discovered him, which puts Jessica totally in the clear.”
“Any clue about the location of the victim’s cell phone?”
“Nada. We’ve pinged it several times and got nothing. My guess is it’s been destroyed or at the very least had the battery pulled out. But there is good news: the tech guys are working away on the ledger and other documents you sent them. They should have a list of names to go with those house numbers by tomorrow at the latest. And we found some fingerprints at the scene. They were a little fuzzy, but we were able to clean them up. Unfortunately, they’re not in the system.”
“Well, we can’t have everything. Tell the guys in tech that I have two of Thompson’s victims who are willing to help so maybe they can shed some light on what was going on.”
“We also finally got the CCTV downloaded and cleaned up. The weather in Maine plays all kinds of havoc on electronics.”
“Anything on there?” Thorn asked only half listening as he maneuvered the Range Rover into place.
“Would I have mentioned it if there wasn’t? No face, but they confirm a smaller person. The shape indicates a woman lurking around the bed and breakfast and then the crime scene immediately before the murder. Right before Thompson shows up, and we can confirm his identification, the woman goes and unlocks the French doors.”
“And no one could think it was Jessica? I know we confirmed her alibi…”
“I get it, and no way it was Jessica. Far too small and slight.”
“Thanks, Kenny. When do you guys think you’ll be done?”
“I just spoke to Chief Mills. He told me, and I quote, ‘hang around and look busy’ until I get the all clear from you.”
“Thanks; I appreciate it.”
“For the record? We all like your girl. Seems like a really nice lady.”
“Thanks, and she is.”
He ended the call and then headed to the back entrance. Just as he was about to raise the garage door, it opened, seemingly of its own accord. Thorn pulled his weapon and prepared to fire. He quickly put the gun away when he was confronted by two startled faces—Selma and Barbie—and one amused one, Jessica.
“I thought it would be helpful if we were waiting for you,” she said.
“It is. Thanks.” He opened the back door of the Range Rover, stowing Selma and Barbie’s bags before laying down the back seats. Taking the inflatable cushion he’d found there, he plugged in the inflating device and had the cushion ready to go in no time. He arranged it in the back. “Ladies, I need Selma and Barbie to stretch out. We’ll cover you with these blankets and then head over to Jessica’s.”
“Your friend, Rafferty, contacted me about groceries. I put him in contact with Sudie. They’ll have them with them.”
Barbie hesitated before getting in. “Thank you, Jessica, for doing this. I know it’s part of his job, but for you to just step into the breach, well, it’s really admirable.”
“It’s not a problem, Barbie. That’s what most of us in Badger’s Drift do; we look out for one another.”
Barbie gave Jessica a weak smile and then crawled into the SUV. Once he had the covers arranged to his liking, Thorn closed up the back, and helped Jessica into the passenger seat.
“I knew that wasn’t going to last,” she quipped.
“It’s not what you think. I just don’t want to take any chances and I know the way back to your house. If somebody comes after us, I’m the one trained in pursuit driving.”
“Good point. It might be fun when this is all over to take the roadster and turn you loose on the road.”
He grinned. “It’s a date.”
CHAPTER 16
JESSICA
It seemed they’d made it out safe and sound. Thorn took the scenic, or as he called it, the circuitous route to her home, trying to ensure no one was following them. Jessica had to admit she was a bit surprised by the change in Selma’s attitude and the fact that neither Barbie nor Selma had complained when Thorn explained why it was taking longer than they might have expected.
Once they pulled into Jessica’s garage, Thorn helped everyone out, picked up the bags and walked swiftly up to the house, ensuring that Tracer was out of the way and the path was clear. Once inside, he checked and armed the security system before making a thorough inspection of the house. He then texted Rafferty that they were secure.
Sudie had prepared all of the guest rooms and already had dinner ready to go as well as pots of thick soup—chicken noodle and a ham and corn chowder.
