Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 by Tamra Baumann (best historical fiction books of all time txt) 📗

peek at the papers. Yellow highlights grab my attention. Seems Dylan asked John to highlight all the times my uncle played golf in the last few months. Dylan and I weren’t looking at the same data after all. I’d love to know what Dylan thinks he has on my uncle.

Checking the time, I see I have another forty-five minutes before I’ll check on Brittany again. Plenty of time to call and see if Nat is still at The Blue Hippo. I find the number on my phone and call, but get a voice mail. They must be busy, so I leave a message for Nat to call me and then head for the police station. Maybe Madge can figure out what Dylan thinks he has on my father.

And my uncle, for that matter.

After dropping my car and Cooper back home so he can eat, I head out on foot for the police station. With Dylan’s papers in hand, I make my way up the municipal building steps and toward the police station. I’m tempted to stick my head inside my uncle’s office and ask Woo-Woo Beth when he’s returning. But then, the less time I spend with her, the better, so I keep walking down the corridor.

I tug on the door to the station and am instantly hit with the busy clatter of keyboards, phone conversations, and ringing phones. Seems Dylan has everyone working on Tina’s case.

I head straight for Madge’s desk and plop the papers on top of it. Madge is on the phone, as usual, so I drop into her guest chair and wait. I don’t see my dad or Meg anywhere, and they weren’t at home. It would have been tough to miss them on my walk over here. Unless they’re still in Dylan’s office. His door is closed.

Madge hangs up and leans close. “What’s all this?”

“Pages for Dylan from John at the golf course. Dylan went there yesterday. But he was looking for the scoop on my uncle.” I point to the page highlights. “See here?”

Madge flips through the pages. “I wonder if Dylan is trying to establish a timeline of your uncle’s actions? He spends a fair amount of time at the golf course.”

“I don’t know. But I have some candidates for Pattie’s mystery man.” I pull out my phone and show her. “I called Nat to see if she’d take a look at them. Haven’t heard back.”

Madge’s brows jump. “All three are married. Good work, Sherlock. Have you heard from Brittany yet?”

“No.” I draw a deep breath and blow it out. “I’m trying to remain calm and not jump to conclusions. It’s not working so great.”

“Hopefully, she’ll call soon.” Madge pats my hand. “The mayor got back about an hour ago. Have you heard anything from him?”

“Gage was going to talk to him first. I’m sure he’ll want to gloat in person, so I’ll see him soon. Are Meg and my dad still here?”

“Yes.” Madge’s lips compress. “A deputy was just sent to search your father’s room at your house and his car. He gave them his permission and the keys.”

It would have been nice if someone had asked me. It’s my house. Well, for now anyway, until my uncle takes it away. “What were they looking for?”

Madge whispers, “Dylan got a new lab report back. I saw a fleeting glimpse of a note on his desk. I can’t be sure, but I think the poison starts with a B. Or that could have referred to blood.”

“Well, that’s definitive.”

Madge waves a hand. “I know. Not much help. But hey, Dylan is really doing his best to keep things under wraps this time. And I can’t be sure if it was test results from Tina’s cup or from her autopsy.”

Even less help, then. That B could have referred to many things. “Okay. At least they haven’t arrested Dad yet.” I shove the stack of pages closer to Madge. “It’d be great if Dylan didn’t know it was me who dropped these off, but don’t lie if he asks. I want everything on the up-and-up this time.”

“Okay.” Madge glances over her shoulder before leaning close again. “Listen, you have to play dirty with dirty players. Maybe you tell your uncle that you know about his affair? Would that keep him in a more charitable state when it comes to your trust?”

Man, that’s tempting. But wrong. “I’m not in the mood to face blackmailing charges. But if it were you, would you want to know your hubs was cheating on you?”

“Heck, yeah.” Madge’s eyes burn with fierceness. “Because then I would have a chance to get my ducks in order before he knew I knew. And you can bet your sweet behind I’d make the man pay!”

And Aunt Carol deserves all she can get after putting up with my mean uncle all these years. “Then maybe I should tell my aunt so she can stay a step ahead of Frank. After my uncle gets my share, he’ll be far wealthier. I just hate to hurt her feelings.”

Madge rolls her eyes. “You think Frank has never hurt her feelings in all these years? Come on, Sawyer. Don’t be naïve. She’s as quiet as a church mouse around him for a good reason. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she knows nothing about him suing you either. He’s probably planning to tell her about Tina before she finds out about you, so he can keep your half out of the divorce. Remember what Pattie overheard? That he said he’d tell Carol if she’d break up with your dad? Tina broke up with Max right after that.”

That’s right. And if my uncle divorced my aunt before our trust issues were settled, he wouldn’t lose nearly as much because she’d only get three-quarters of what she knows about. My half would easily make up for that loss. Finding out about Brittany’s adoption might have been the break he’d been looking for while seeing Tina on the side. Maybe