Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews (read aloud txt) 📗

Jo and I had visited Spence’s home. The spotless black, white, and silver space was a culinary artist’s dream.

“It shouldn’t be enough to get Jo on the suspects list, but that didn’t stop the deputies from putting her there.” My fingers itched to dive back into my bag of chocolate-covered peanuts. “I’m not confident they’re experienced enough to handle this case. The town’s last homicide occurred less than two years ago. Do you remember it? A tourist was strangled in his hotel room. The murder’s never been solved.”

“I do remember that case.” He probably recalled details from his newspaper’s coverage. “How do you know about it?”

“We researched murders in Peach Coast.” I dismissed Spence’s question. We needed to stay on topic. “The point is the sheriff’s office won’t want to rack up another cold case. To save face, they’re going to have to close this one and quickly, which is the reason they’re rushing to identify suspects. They put Jo on that list despite their inability to link a motive or an opportunity to her. They don’t even have the murder weapon. Does that seem reasonable to you?”

“I agree it’s not a promising start to their investigation.” Spence was beginning to sound concerned. The hushed voices in the background abruptly went silent.

I shrugged a shoulder. “Based on the true crime novels I’ve read, it seems like they’re being irrational.”

“But what can we do?” Spence asked. “The deputies may not have much experience with murder investigations, but we don’t have any.”

“You’re right.” I gripped my pendant as I searched for the words to change Spence’s mind. “But this is a big story for Peach Coast. Wouldn’t you like to dig into it?”

“I’d rather give the deputies room to do their job.” Spence’s words floated up from my cell phone on the dining table. “They have resources we don’t have access to. We also risk aggravating them, and they might take their frustration out on Jo.”

Jo’s eyes widened with additional fear. “I didn’t think about that.”

I bulldozed over both objections. “This is a small town. Everyone will know the deputies are investigating Jo. The negative attention will do serious damage to her, personally and professionally.”

Jo appeared to be persuaded back to our original course of action. “I need your help, Spence.”

“All right. What can I do?”

I exhaled a breath of relief. “We need to identify a motive someone would have for killing Fiona. Jo and I spent a couple of hours this morning searching the internet for information about Fiona. There’s little to nothing to go on.”

Jo chimed in. “It barely gives her name, birthplace, and residence. She’s either really private or really boring.”

“A third possibility is she was too smart to put personal details on the internet.” Spence’s tone was wry. “More people should follow her example.”

He had a point. Fiona had been cautious about what she’d shared on her social media pages. Was it possible some of the information on her profile wasn’t even accurate? Swallowing a sigh, I set that fear aside to deal with later, if necessary. “We need to talk with people who could give us personal information on Fiona. The librarians seem to know a lot of the residents.”

“They’re well-liked in town.” Spence was contemplative.

Jo’s eyes brightened. “We’re hoping they’ll have information that could help us.”

“But why do you need me?” Spence asked. “They’ll speak with you.”

Jo chuckled without humor and her hand returned to hover near her mouth. “I’m not so sure about that.”

I lowered her arm to keep her from biting her nails. “Although I work with them, I think they still see me as an outsider. I don’t think they’re ready to share any insider information with me yet. That’s where you come in.”

“I didn’t know Fiona well.” Spence’s response was hesitant. “And what I do know is sketchy at best.”

“I get that.” I nodded although he couldn’t see me. “But if we add your sketchy information with information from the librarians, we may be able to better identify where to start our investigation.”

“So you want to set up some kind of emergency meeting?” Spence still sounded puzzled.

“Not a meeting.” Jo leaned closer to the cell phone. “We want you to host one of your dinner parties and invite us, Corrinne, Viv, Floyd, and Adrian.”

“I can do that. When?”

“Monday,” I said.

There was a pause. “As in tomorrow?”

I looked to Jo. “Yes, tomorrow evening.”

A longer pause. “I can’t do that.”

“Spence, we’ve got to do this tomorrow. Time is of the essence. The killer could be destroying evidence as we speak, if they haven’t already.” The deadline clock was ticking in my head.

“This isn’t New York, Marvey.” Spence’s tone struck a balance between amusement and incredulity. “I can’t pull together a dinner party in a day.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

His sigh whispered down the phone line. “For one thing, I don’t have supplies.”

Jo gave me a pleading look.

I squared my shoulders and mentally rolled up my sleeves. “If we start now, we’ll have more than twenty-four hours to prepare. Not counting the hours we’ll be at work tomorrow. And I’ll help.”

“I’ll help too.” Jo sounded determined.

I shook my head. “Jo, it would be best if you skipped the dinner party. People will speak more freely if you’re not there.”

“I have to miss Spence’s dinner party?” Jo looked crestfallen. “But they’re one of the biggest social events in this town.”

Did I look as disbelieving as I felt? “Are you serious right now? You’re serious. Jo, I really need you to focus. This won’t be a social event. It’s an investigation to clear you as a suspect in a murder. I promise to update you right after the dinner.”

Spence sounded amused. “Jo, once your name is cleared, I’ll host a special dinner party in your honor.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She practically sang her response. Waves of excitement rolled off her. I couldn’t believe it.

Was I the only one still focused on the murder part of this murder investigation? “If we’re done here, Spence, when can I pick