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“The sheriff has probable cause to believe that you’ve obtained an autopsy report without a court order, and since the judge granted a seal on all records on this case, I would hate to tell him he needs to pursue that matter.”

  Liza pulled her phone out of her purse. “I’ll send you a copy of the interview.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t work. If it’s going to be used as evidence, I need it collected by the sheriff’s crime techs to show that it hasn’t been altered.” The look he gave her was hard as steel. I’d never seen that look on his face. It was scary, but I kind of liked it.

  “But it’s my interview!” Liza argued.

  “And I’m sure the sheriff will be more than happy to give it back to you after this case goes to trial.”

  “Trial? But he may not solve it for months! And a trial will take longer than that!” Liza’s hands were wrapped tightly around her phone. She didn’t want to give it up. The interview had to be a good one, and I wished I’d asked to see it. I’d been so focused on the autopsy report, I didn’t even think about why she’d gone to Dallas in the first place.

  Cade held out his hand. “Would you rather we discuss the autopsy report with the sheriff?”

  “Of course not.” Liza huffed.

  “We’ll let you keep the report, but there are certain things that cannot go public. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Such as?”

  “Everything outside of Maddie being under the influence and drowning.”

  “But…but then it looks like an accident or a suicide. You’re telling me I can’t release the manner of death being a homicide, and that Maddie had been beaten and shot?”

  Cade nodded. “Not yet.”

  “When?” Liza demanded.

  “When the time is right, we’ll let you know.” Cade ignored Liza’s huff as she stood up to leave. He held out his hand. “I’ll need your unlock code as well.”

  Liza’s expression became defiant. “What if I refuse to give it to you?”

  “Then I’m afraid I’ll be asking some questions that make both of us very uncomfortable.”

  Steam rolled off Liza like an old locomotive crossing the prairie, and I suddenly realized that Cade was getting payback for me. His methods were subtle, but he was dealing with the bully who had hurt my business in a manner that hurt hers as well. It was the ultimate payback. He was being my hero without anyone even knowing he was doing it.

  “I expect to see you at the television station for that interview tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock. My access code is 5-4-9-2. L-i-z-a. Plain and simple.” She tapped the unlock code into her phone and handed it to Cade.

  “Nothing about you is plain and simple, Liza.”

  Liza wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I wasn’t either, but I suspected it may have just been a statement of the facts. Plain and simple.

  Chapter 13

  “You blackmailed her into giving you that video,” I said to Cade.

  “I’d call it negotiating terms for my television interview.”

  I laughed. “You threatened her with jail.”

  “That’s something that never leaves this room.”

  Mateo walked in, his gaze traveling back and forth between Cade and me. “What’s never to leave this room?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Dios mio. Have the two of you lost your minds? This was supposed to be about getting the autopsy report back, so the media didn’t spread the cause of death out there to the public and ruin the case.”

  “But it became so much more,” Cade said. Mateo joined us and took Liza’s spot on the couch. When Cade handed Liza’s phone to Mateo with the video up and ready to play, I got up and made Mateo move to the middle of the couch.

  “Liza wanted you to have this,” Cade said.

  “Why didn’t she give it to me?”

  “You know Liza. She doesn’t want people to think she would put justice before a story.”

  Mateo didn’t believe that for a minute. He scrunched his eyes closed and rubbed his brow before opening them once again and pushing play on the video.

  “This is Liza Twaine with ABN News. I’m in Dallas today with best-selling author—”

  “When did he become a best-selling author?” I asked.

  “He’s not yet. Liza is projecting that he will become one because of the dramatic uptick in his sales since the story hit the news.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s sick on so many levels.”

  “Welcome to my world,” Mateo said.

  Cade pushed play on the interview again. Liza and Nathan were sitting at a picnic table in what appeared to be a campground. How she located him there was beyond my comprehension. Liza went on with her introduction and talked about Nathan Daniels’s background as a traveling handyman and part-time PI. For the viewers, Nathan Daniels would be an interesting character. For me, I understood why Leila found him creepy.

  It wasn’t that he was a bad-looking guy, it was that he lacked a connection when he talked to Liza. He could have been talking to the picnic table or the trees. He established eye contact with her, but his attention was elsewhere. He had shaggy brown hair with a matching beard and brown eyes. In his mid to late thirties, he had the lean build of one of those survivalists living in the woods. He wore a T-shirt and jeans and a pair of grubby tennis shoes. He obviously didn’t dress up for the interview that was taking place in an RV park. He personified a drifter who didn’t become invested in people.

  He spoke of no family, no friends, no home base. Not even a phone. After all, who would he call? He lived minimally in his trailer that he pulled behind his truck. His one tie to society was his laptop. Yet somehow Sugar had drawn his attention, and he’d liked what he saw while he was in Hazel Rock so much, she became the lead character in his book.

  Liza finally asked the question that was bothering me, “How do you keep in contact with your publisher?”

  “I check in once a week from a cafe or a library.”

  “I call bull on that one. How did he learn about the murder so quickly? How did Liza find him in less than twenty-four hours? He’s more connected than he wants anyone to believe. What kind of truck does he drive?” I asked.

  “He’s got a two thousand five Explorer Sport Trac he bought two years ago. It’s registered out of Nevada.” Mateo’s answer told more than his facial expression. I couldn’t tell if he had investigated Nathan Daniels when he first heard about his obsession with Sugar, or if he started looking at him as a person of interest for Maddie’s murder. Either way, I was comforted by his investigation.

  Cade shushed us and rewound the movie to Liza’s next question. “Tell us about your latest book, Woman Scorned. Where did you get the inspiration for it?”

  Nathan chuckled. “Why Liza Twaine, I think you know very well where I got my inspiration for the book.”

  Liza jumped on his response. “You admit that you based your characters in your book on the people of Hazel Rock, Texas?”

  “Some of the more interesting ones, yes.”

  I snorted. I didn’t even have an honorable mention in the book.

  Cade and Mateo looked at me, and I was pretty sure they got a kick out of my response to Nathan’s answer, and I felt the sudden urge to defend my outburst.

  “I have an armadillo for a pet, and I live in a book barn. That makes me pretty darn interesting.”

  Mateo patted my knee and squeezed it. It would have meant nothing if he’d pulled his hand away. But he didn’t. It was a defining moment between the three of us. I caught Cade looking out of the corner of his eyes at Mateo’s hand. He didn’t say anything. Neither did I.

  I put my hand over Mateo’s and held it in place. The triangle we’d been dancing around for so long was broken in one small gesture.

  Liza’s next question brought our full attention back to th
e video. “Do you have a psychic gift, Mr. Daniels?” Liza asked.

  Nathan chuckled. Again. It was becoming annoying. Almost like one of those teenage girls who find everything a cute boy says as funny. It wasn’t a funny question. “Are you asking if I have the gift of precognition or are you asking if I’m a prophet?”

  “Aren’t they one in the same?”

  Nathan became serious, as if he knew a lot about the subject and was going to clue the rest of the mere mortals in on how his gift worked. Again, it all felt like hogwash, but Cade and Mateo were completely engrossed. They listened to every word like Nathan was giving them a lesson in spirituality. I was pretty sure I could get a better lesson from my grandfather, not that I was going to go in search of one.

  The camera panned back to Liza. “If you are so gifted, Mr. Daniels can you tell us who the killer is in the real-life murder mystery that is happening right now in Hazel Rock, Texas?”

  The camera zoomed in on Nathan’s face, and it was as if he was telling the whole world, one individual at a time, who killed Maddie MacAlister. “That’s quite simple. It’s the person with the most to gain.”

  Liza capitalized on his response. “Wouldn’t that be you, Mr. Daniels?”

  Nathan stared into the camera with a blank expression on his face then he threw back his head and laughed. He laughed so long it became uncomfortable. When he was finally able to control his mirth, he responded, “Wouldn’t that make a great mystery?”

  Liza then thanked him for joining her for the interview and the video ended.

  “Are there any more videos?” Mateo asked.

  Cade scrolled through the camera. “No. Just the one.”

  Cade told Mateo the access code to the phone and handed it to Mateo as he stood up.

  “I appreciate you getting this information. I will make sure Detective Youngblood gets it and has Liza in for a statement first thing in the morning. Now I suggest we call it a night.”

  Cade agreed, and I walked them to the door.

  “Where’s Princess?” Cade asked.

  “She’s been staying out late because of her new boyfriend.”

  “He’s a bad influence. I would expect you to nip that in the bud,” Mateo said.

  “Do you have any suggestions how I’m supposed to do that, short of locking her in her room?”

  “This conversation has gone from weird to ridiculous. You’re right, Princess. You and Princess II deserved an honorable mention in Nathan’s book.” Cade turned and walked out the door.

  “I’d give you more than an honorable mention. You’d be the star,” Mateo whispered as he leaned in and kissed my cheek.

  “If you’re writing a mystery, can you leave me out? I’d rather not play a victim or a suspect.”

  “How about lead investigator?”

  “I could do that.”

  “I thought so. Thank you, Charli. I appreciate everything you did tonight.” He was about to say something more when he got a call on his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and put it to his ear. “Sheriff Espinoza.”

  I could hear a dispatcher on the other end, but I couldn’t tell what she was saying.

  “Where’s he at now?” Mateo asked. He nodded as she spoke. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He disconnected from the call.

  “What was that?”

  “There’s someone waiting for me at the station.”

  “Now? You’re going back to the office now?”

  “That’s what I signed up for when I ran for sheriff.”

  “But it’s late. You need your sleep.” I’d also thought that he might stay.

  “Crime and the needs of the citizens don’t sleep.”

  “Surely this person could wait until tomorrow to talk to you.”

  “I made the decision to go in on this one. It’s important.”

  “What could possibly be that important? You don’t have another murder or a fatality accident, do you?”

  “No. Just trust me. This is important.” He gave me a quick peck that was less romantic than the kiss on the cheek he’d given me a few moments earlier, then he walked out the door.

  “Lock up,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

  Mateo waited to see that I locked the door, winked at me through the glass, and left.

  * * * *

  I woke up to the sounds of something scratching at my door. I squinted at my clock and groaned. It was ten o’clock, and I needed to be at the store in an hour for our Classic Shoes book art class.

  I was going to be decorating an old pair of combat boots with a torn-up version of Helen MacInnes’s WWII espionage novel The Unconquerable. My mom had read the book to me as a young girl, and I’d dreamt of becoming a spy like Sheila Matthews. Not that her life was glamorous, but it had purpose. The version I was using on my boots had the original cover of a fist clasped around a Polish war medal. I wasn’t Polish. I just like the way the gold cross and the red ribbon looked with my black boots. The version my mom had read to me had a newer cover and was in my personal library in my apartment—untouched by Princess’s claws or teeth.

  Scarlet was going to be doing a pair of high heels with none other than Gone with the Wind. Sugar had planned to decorate a pair of little boy’s boots with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

  I slid on my slippers and made my way to the front door to let Princess inside. She had yellow pollen covering her shell.

  “Sit,” I said.

  She listened as if she knew she was in trouble for staying out all night again.

  “This has got to stop. There are all kinds of dangers out there for you at night. There are coyotes, dogs, bobcats, wild pigs, cars… I could go on and on about all the bad things that go bump in the night. My point is…I’m worried about you.”

  Princess blinked and bowed her head.

  If I was a fool, I would take that as an apology, like, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.

  I rolled my eyes and shuffled to the kitchen in my slippers to get the tubs for her bath. I returned with them full of warm water and soap in one, just the way she liked it. I put a towel on the floor and positioned the tubs just so. She was pretty picky about them being the right temperature and the correct number of steps apart so she could go from the soapy one to the rinse tub without cooling off too much in between. As soon as I had them in position, Princess was in the washtub rolling and splashing all over the place. It was like watching my kid come in from playing out in the Texas dirt. Princess brought a simple joy to my life no one else could.

  I spent a few minutes drying her off and rubbing her belly after her bath was over. When she still wanted more, I scratched behind her ears and chin, but then I had to go. I was running late. I took my shower and dressed in my “I Found Mr. Darcy at the Book Barn Princess” T-shirt and some capri jeans. Fifteen minutes later I was down at the bookstore preparing for our class with Princess at my feet. It felt good to have her back, and by the wiggle of her tail, I was pretty sure she was happy to be back.

  Scarlet, looking like a million bucks in a coral summer dress, was the first one in. I’d learned a long time ago not to compare myself to her. If I did, my curly hair would have straightening solution weighing it down, and my wardrobe wouldn’t be near as comfortable. She was the yin to my yang, and we liked it that way.

  “Did I see Cade leaving your apartment early this morning?” she asked.

  “If you mean late last night, then yes.”

  Scarlet waved her index finger back and forth in my face while making tsk, tsk, tsk noises.

  “It wasn’t like that. Mateo left right after him.”

  Scarlet lifted one eyebrow and gave me a sly smile.

  “You have been reading too many romance novels. Let me introduce you to some classics.”

  “A girl can dream that her best friend will find the love
of her life, can’t she?”

  I grabbed the basket I’d filled with Mod Podge, scissors, paint brushes, and sponge brushes and headed for the loft. “We’re not looking for the love of our lives, are we Princess?”

  Princess huffed and then hopped up the steps in front of me one at a time. Hopefully, that didn’t mean she’d already found hers.

  “You can fool yourselves, but I know better.”

  I ignored her comment. “Do you have the shoes that Sugar was going to decoupage for Scotty? I was thinking about doing them for her.”

  The front doors opened and announced our first arrival. I looked over the railing and nearly dropped everything. Her wet blond hair was falling across her shoulders as if she’d just gotten out of the shower and headed to the Book Barn. She wore no makeup, but she never really needed any. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in a month, but I was pretty sure it had only been days. She looked exhausted, and relieved that part of her nightmare was over.

  “Sugar!” I set everything on the tables and ran down and hugged her tight. She returned the embrace as Scarlet joined in. It was one of those rare girl moments when there was no drama, no outside stresses. Just the three of us happy to be together…and free.

  Freedom can never be overrated.

  Princess pawed at Sugar’s leg as if she wanted to get in on the moment, and Sugar obliged with a laugh as she picked her up. Princess snuggled under her hair and made Sugar laugh even more when she tickled Sugar by sticking her nose in Sugar’s ear. I wasn’t sure how she knew it, but Princess recognized how precious it was to have Sugar back in our store.

  “Did Cade get you out?” I asked.

  Sugar shook her head and continued to hug on Princess. “He was there to give us a ride home, but Mateo released us on new evidence they obtained last night.”

  I thought about the autopsy report and the interview Liza had with Nathan Daniels. Was Mateo focusing on the author? Was there more evidence I didn’t know about that pointed the guilty finger in his direction?

  “Was it the autopsy or the interview?”

  Sugar and Scarlet gave me a look that told me I’d opened Mateo’s evidence bag too soon. They didn’t know. Fuzz Buckets.