Sedona Law 6 by Dave Daren (best non fiction books of all time .TXT) 📗

“I wrote the screenplay based on Harmony’s case. But it’s its own story now.”

“I’m just teasing,” Landon winked. “You guys are good people.”

“Now you’re just lying,” I retorted.

Landon laughed and it was then I noticed the flowers on AJ’s desk.

“Well,” he rubbed his hands together. “Leila and Phoenix are meeting about the company in about an hour. They invited me to join them. Are you coming?”

AJ looked perplexed. “We’re in the middle of…”

“Go ahead,” I said. “Go to the meeting. You’re still making me money.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag. Her face was aglow in a way I hadn’t seen before. She and Landon left and as they walked out the door, she started to tell him about the screenplay.

“So, the character that was based on me, right, I changed it to this super bad ass rocker dude that’s like a trust fund kid with a Peter Pan complex.”

“No one will ever guess that one,” he laughed.

“That’s the thing,” she said. “if you disguise your characters enough, people that know you won't be able to tell. Plus, the characters themselves would have different reactions to the plot and the other characters, making it a new story.”

Landon stroked his beard as they walked out the door.

“They’re so cute together,” Vicki said and she leaned into me as we watched them through the window.

“I can’t believe he came home to work on the studio,” I said. “Poor Phoenix. He’s going to be booted out of his RV.”

“Probably not,” Vicki said. “They’ll figure it out. You know how those young guys are. Couch surfing bachelors.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I do know about that.”

“Besides,” she said. “Living on top of each other might be just want they need to get this project off the ground.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Because all I asked for was a formal proposal and I’ve seen nothing. I’m not writing a check until I do.”

“With AJ and Landon in the mix,” she said. “It will get done.”

“Alright,” I said. “I want to work on some of these loose ends. See if we can figure out some answers.”

Vicki and I went back to work, and I started in on those files I had been organizing. It was then I ran across something else Kelsi had inadvertently given me. The coroner report from James’ death.

I skimmed it, and I was shocked at what I read.

“Vic,” I said. “Come look at this.”

“What?” she crossed the room and looked over the paper.

“Are you kidding me?” she replied. “All of this time, and no one has noticed this.”

“The doctor’s report said it was a heart arrhythmia,” I said. “But this says something entirely different.”

We stared at each other in disbelief.

James Matthews was poisoned to death.

Chapter 13

“This changes everything,” I said.

“Do the police know this?” Vicki asked. “Does Kelsi?”

“Kelsi brought us the report in the first place,” I replied.

“But, she brought it by accident,” Vicki clarified. “She’s such a basketcase she may not have even read it.”

“But wouldn’t someone have told her?” I wondered aloud. “Wouldn’t this have been reported to the police?”

“Not if the doctor’s diagnosis seemed plausible enough,” I said. “Then they wouldn’t have questioned it. The coroner’s report would seem irrelevant.”

“Right,” she said. “And Kelsi never read it.”

“If she felt like it would be too upsetting to read a redundant report,” I said. “Then she wouldn’t have.”

“I find it hard to believe that this many people would have laid down on the job. I find it easier to believe Kelsi somehow squashed an investigation.”

“Why would she do that?” Vicki asked.

“Insurance for one,” I said. “Or if she’s truly guilty for another.”

“You think she killed him?” Vicki asked.

“I wouldn’t put that past her,” I said.

“Can she do that?” Vicki asked. “Squash an investigation?”

“If she knew the right people,” I said. “And everyone in this town does.”

“You want to call her?” I said. “You’re softer with these things.”

She sighed and took the page and dialed from my desk phone and popped it on speaker.

“Hello?” Kelsi answered. She sounded like she’d been asleep.

“Kelsi,” she said. “This is Vicki Park from Sedona Legal. How are you doing this morning?”

“Eh, well,” she said. “Today’s a hard day.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Vicki said. “I’m calling about a report you mistakenly dropped off in our office.”

“Oohh,” Kelsi groaned. “There was so much paperwork. Honestly, I don’t know anymore. I can’t make heads or tails of all this stuff.”

“Yeah,” she said. “This one is different. We found in our office the coroner’s report from James’ death.”

“Okay,” she said flatly.

“Well,” Vicki continued. “The reason I am calling about it is... have you read it?”

“No,” she said. “They just e-mailed it to me, and I printed it out and then I lost it. I don’t know what happened to it.”

“You gave it to us by mistake,” Vicki explained.

“No,” Kelsi said. “I had one last week. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I said. “‘It’s in your e-mail, you said?”

“Yeah,” she repeated.

“I’d suggest you take a look at it,” Vicki said. “Because the doctor’s report and the coroner’s report state different causes of death.”

“What?” the annoyance was thick in her voice. “James died of a heart arrhythmia. Can you people just leave me be? Let me grieve in peace?”

“I know it’s hard--” Vicki started.

“How can you say that?” Kelsi screamed. “Huh? Have you ever lost a husband? I don’t think so with your boulder of an engagement ring, and your designer suits. What do you know about what I’m going through?”

I reached out to end the call, and Vicki waved me away.

“You’re right, Kelsi,” she said. “I don’t know. But,