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

polo shirt. “We’re ending this investigation. Now. I’m sorry, Jo, but this is way too dangerous.”

“I agree.” She collapsed back against the sofa. She looked up at me with wounded coffee eyes. “Marvey, I’m so sorry I ever involved you in this.”

I held her gaze. “I chose to get involved. It was my decision then, and it’s my decision now.” I shifted my gaze to Spence. “I appreciate your concern. I really do, but I can’t stop now. Don’t you see? These incidents—the chair, the snake, the car—they must mean we’re on the right track.”

Spence straightened from the wall, dropping his arms. “These aren’t incidents, Marvey. They’re attacks. Whether they’re from someone who’s afraid you’re getting too close to identifying them is irrelevant.”

“I disagree.” I faced him from the other side of the sofa. Jo sat between us. “It’s not irrelevant. In fact, it’s very pertinent. The killer knows it’s just a matter of time before we identify them.”

Spence looked at me as though he was baffled. “This person is trying to hurt you. Tonight, they came too darn close to succeeding. What would’ve happened if Ms. Sharon hadn’t been there? We may not be so lucky next time.”

“And there will be a next time, Marvey.” Jo’s voice was heavy with pain. “You’ve got to stop. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

Her dark eyes implored me to listen to them. As much as I wanted to give her what she asked for, something inside me couldn’t give in, wouldn’t give in. I didn’t know what it was—our friendship, my quest for justice, my pigheadedness. All of the above. I knew I couldn’t walk away from this, knowing I must be just a thought away from identifying Fiona’s killer. My eyes were drawn to the kitchen as I pictured the bag of chocolate-covered peanuts stashed in the cabinet closest to the door.

I brought my attention back to my friends and steeled myself to disappoint them. “I promise to be careful.” It was the best I could do.

“Think about your family, Marvey.” Spence searched my eyes as though trying to read my mind. “What would they want you to do?”

Oh, unfair, particularly since none of them knew about my investigation. The motion-detecting lights had been my parents’ idea. Dre had gifted me with the Apple Watch. I suspected he’d programmed it to do more than exchange our activity updates. He may also be able to track my movements.

I sent Spence a look that I hoped expressed my displeasure. “My family knows I wouldn’t desert a friend in need. Neither would they.”

He threw up his hands. “Then give the deputies the information you have. That wouldn’t be deserting Jo, but it would be protecting yourself.”

Folding my arms, I wandered away from the sofa. “I’ve given them updates and they’ve discounted everything I’ve said.”

“All right.” Jo spread her hands. “I appreciate everything you’ve done and are doing to help me, Marvey. You’re a good friend, probably better than I deserve.”

I scowled over my shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

She continued. “But the situation has gotten way out of control.”

“I can’t–”

Jo interrupted me. “If you’re not going to listen to reason and stop putting yourself in danger, then I insist on helping you. I’m going everywhere you go. I’m doing everything you do. If that puts me in danger too, then so be it.”

She appeared determined to win her argument to get involved this time. But Spence looked as though he expected her ultimatum to convince me to stand down. He was wrong.

“All right. Here’s my plan for tomorrow morning.” I ignored Jo’s satisfied expression and Spence’s visible disappointment. “While I was waiting for you, I looked up the trash collection schedule for Bobby Hayes’s neighborhood.”

Spence frowned again. It seemed that was the expression he’d chosen to wear for the rest of our meeting. “How did you know where he lives?”

I shrugged. “Floyd told me. He really is a Peach Coast goldmine.” My description made Spence smile. I was glad he was regaining his good humor. “Okay, so tomorrow’s Bobby’s trash day.”

Jo brought us back to our plans. “Why is that significant?”

I gestured toward her. “Early tomorrow morning, you and I are going to jog to his house and steal his garbage.”

She looked from me to Spence and back. “And why would we do that?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Think about it. If Bobby killed Fiona, he would still have the murder weapon and his bloody clothes. Tomorrow would be the first chance he’d have to dispose of them.”

“But wouldn’t you be tampering with evidence?” Spence leaned back against the archway again. “If you take Bobby’s trash, you can’t then give it to the deputies. It wouldn’t be admissible in a trial, would it?”

“Actually, it would.” I was relieved to be able to answer this very relevant question. “I researched this in The Comprehensive Private Investigations Guidebook. In the state of Georgia, as long as the trash is on public property, it’s legal for us to examine it, and anything we find would be admissible in court.”

“Is that so?” Jo appeared impressed.

So did Spence, but he had more questions. “All right, assuming he’s the killer, he may already have disposed of the weapon and bloody clothes. He might’ve driven to the dumpster outside of town or even stuffed it into someone else’s trash can, someone who had an earlier trash collection.”

“I’d thought of that.” I pursed my lips. “Either one of those scenarios is possible, but the nearest dumpster outside of town has security cameras. I checked. And it would’ve been risky to put his trash in someone else’s bin. Suppose someone had seen him? He’d want to keep a low profile.”

Jo spread her arms. “Bobby or someone who’s helping him may have a fireplace. They could’ve burned his clothes as well as the evidence.”

Nodding, I gestured toward my friends. “That’s also possible. I also considered the killer could’ve packed everything into a bag and thrown it in the swamp. But they may not