“You’re probably right.”
“In fact, we’ve hit a wall of sorts. We didn’t get any DNA input from the lipstick, and I was really hoping for something. We found no prints or trace DNA on the arrow either. And it’s a common arrow. There are literally a million of them around the country, around the world. That’s a dead end. So, we’re at a standstill. The number of viable leads has been reduced to one.”
I looked at him, and he shrugged.
“You’re talking about me,” I said. “I’m your only lead.”
“Up till now, I’ve steered people away from you. After all, all we have is that one altercation, and that doesn’t amount to much. But that’s going to change. The spotlight will move to you. I know that doesn’t bother you too much, as you’re innocent. But I wanted to give you a heads up.”
“I appreciate it. And, while I know you asked me not to investigate on my own, I have managed to drum up a couple of viable suspects.”
“Oh? Who?”
“Jennifer, of course. She had multiple motives to do away with her husband. First, there is the insurance payoff. It’s substantial, more than enough to kill for. Two, I think that either she or Thomas was having a serious affair. Either way, it was a motive to kill him. After all, a woman scorned is—”
“A dangerous thing.”
“Yes, and a woman who can cash in on her husband’s death might be even more dangerous. Jennifer has some love letters that talk about a future where divorce will allow him to marry.”
“I hear you. And I’ll put Jennifer under a microscope. Who knows, maybe, she’ll slip up, make that telltale mistake. But we can’t depend on that. You know, as well as I do, that relying on a criminal to make a mistake is not a good strategy. You said more than one suspect?”
“Eric, who works at the flower shop.”
“Eric? He didn’t have a relationship with Thomas, did he?”
“Do you know what Eric is?”
“He’s not a ghost. I can tell you that.”
I laughed. Jacob was referring to his high school days, when his ability to see ghosts scared him to death.
“No, no, not a ghost. He’s a fey spirit, a Cupid.”
“A cupid?”
“Yes, and as a Cupid, he does what Cupids do. He puts people together. Well, since he frequents NOBODY’S INN, he was in a position to put Thomas with a number of women. Thomas was a flirt, so it wasn’t exactly difficult. In any case, Eric was unhappy that Thomas never followed through on the infatuations Eric created. For Eric, it was terribly frustrating. Now, was that enough to kill Thomas? I don’t know, but as a Cupid, he is familiar with bows and arrows. I’m certain he has the wherewithal to put an arrow in the middle of Thomas’ chest.”
“That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered that angle. Of course, a Cupid would be a suspect, simply because of the arrow angle. I’ll place his name right under Jennifer. But I’m wondering just how I might arrest a Cupid.”
“Don’t ask me,” I said. “I’m guessing that if you tried, he would transform into a spirit and leave, never to be seen again.”
“I was afraid of that. So, tell me, ever hear of a Cupid killing someone?”
“A non-spirit? In fact, I’ve never heard of it. But I’m betting it’s happened. Spirits are not saints. Well, not all of them.”
He laughed. “That’s what I like about you, Helga, you manage to instill a bit of humor into almost everything.”
“If you can’t laugh, you’re in a world of hurt,” I said.
“Well, I can tell you that I’m going to continue to turn the search away from you.”
“Why don’t you just let me work with you?”
“Nothing I would enjoy more, but you’re a suspect. I can’t allow you to have access to clues or close-held information. You understand. You’ll just have to rely upon me and the other police to find the killer.”
“I do trust you, Jacob, but it’s my business and my life here. I get arrested, and everything goes to hell in a hand basket.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
We had walked around the block, past a bunch of shops and bars, and I was certain more than a few people noted the police’s ace detective strolling along with one of the suspects in Thomas’ murder. I hoped those people thought Jacob was giving me a gentle interrogation, getting information from me in a non-threatening location.
I hoped.
I was afraid they would think we were colluding.
We stopped at my SUV.
“Look,” Jacob said. “I’m in your corner. I know it wasn’t you. You’re not an archer, are you?”
I punched his arm. “You know I’m not, but I can hit.”
“Ow. Hey, you can’t attack a police officer. That’s some kind of crime.”
“Arrest me, Dudley Doright.”
“I just might do that.”
He waved as he walked away and I hopped into my vehicle. The interior smelled marvelous, and I had Eric to thank for that. Of course, he might have been nothing more than a killer with a nose for aromas.
By the time I reached the shop, I thought I needed a break from the jasmine. I was pretty sure the store was large enough to dissipate the odor. And, if the smell was too much, I would simply reduce the number of plants. My house could use a smell makeover too.
I found Penelope behind the counter, which surprised me.
“Gwen had an appointment,” Penelope said as explanation.
“I’m guessing you do too,” I said.
“I have ten minutes, which is plenty of time. Besides, it’s just old lady Hutchins. If I’m ten minutes late, she won’t even notice.”
“Well, get going. She might decide a late hair stylist doesn’t deserve a tip.”
“I’m going. And it’s not as if you really need someone here. There have been exactly two lookers since I took over. You need some better publicity, Helga.”
“I’m doing the best I can. So, to that end, talk up the place.”
“I do, I do. It doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Then, make up some lies.”
Penelope laughed. “I do that too. You wouldn’t believe how many people think you’re a real wit. I tell them they’re half right.”
“Ha, ha,” I said. “You should have your own comedy show.”
With a wave, Penelope was out the door. I looked around the store. It was empty. I shook my head.
And Roxanne SCREAMED.
Chapter 10
I marched to the door and locked it, adding the CLOSED sign. Behind me, Roxanne wailed. That was more than I could take. If I was going to solve the murder, I needed time to think and consider. I couldn’t do that with Roxanne crying and carrying on. I had tried to talk her out of her tears more than once, so that route was clearly not going to lead to the solution I needed. So, if I couldn’t reason with her, I would enlist her help. Was that going to work? I wasn’t hopeful, but it was worth a try.
Walking to the back of the store, I wondered just how observant the ghosts were. I was hoping they had kept their eyes and ears open. Many people who thought they were alone never realized that there were ghosts who were listening. In New Orleans, someone might never be truly alone.