Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Breathless, she told him, “Same to you, officer detective.”
“Don’t forget inspector. But I prefer sweet pea.” He gave her another kiss, and then he was gone.
To stealthily check Emma for weapons, Conrad would be “accidentally” bumping into her before she entered the bedroom to make the payment. He would also be asking her if she’d seen a missing Jane, making it clear he wasn’t hiding in wait, ready to overhear a confession, as soon as she discovered the true identify of her blackmailer.
Jane had to admit she loved the drama of it all.
Smiling, she shut herself in the cavernous bathroom with gold and crystal fixtures, steam shower and floor to ceiling mirrors. Trick and Isaac took up posts inside the closet.
“I’m sending the message,” she told Conrad and Beau through the microphone. Her hand trembled as she withdrew the burner from her pocket and typed: YOU HAVE 3 MINUTES BRING THE MONEY TO TIFF’S PERSONAL BATHROOM. CLOCK STARTS NOW.
“And…send,” she rasped. Gah! This was really happening.
Only a split second afterward, Beau announced, “Emma just saw the message. She’s pale as a ghost and racing back into the pool house… now she’s racing out with the case in hand.”
It was working! Perspiration dotted Jane’s palms.
Rocking her weight from one foot to the other, she waited. Moments later, hinges sounded, followed by rushing footsteps. Then Emma burst into the bathroom. She stopped short when she spotted Jane, a myriad of emotions contorting her face. Surprise. Worry. Resentment.
“You,” the nurse spat.
“Yes. Me.” Jane easily slipped into character. Greedy wench with a taste for the highlife.
“I knew you weren’t the sweetheart you pretended to be.”
Okay, now that might have stung a bit. “Where’s my money?”
“You already got it,” was the screeched reply. “I’m not paying you twice.”
Jane scowled at her. “I didn’t tell you to pay me twice. I told you to pay me now. Give me my money, and we go our separate ways. I’ll forget I even have such an incriminating photo of you.”
“Liar! You texted and told me there’d been a change of plans, and I was to leave the case in a locker. Which I did.” Emma tore open the briefcase. “As you can see, it’s empty. The money is gone.”
Jane blinked at her. “I never told you to leave the case in a locker.”
“You did! And I obeyed.” The nurse tossed the case at Jane’s feet. “I’ve followed each instruction to the letter. Why is everyone always trying to screw me over? First Tony, now you.”
Finally! Her chance to coax a confession. “Please! You brought this on yourself. You didn’t have to kill Tony, but you did.”
“Of course I did! He did everything in his power to ruin my life, and Reggie’s temper didn’t do the job. All I wanted was to start a new life with Freddie in peace.”
Freddie. As in Dr. Frederick Price? So they were dating.
“Tony stole drugs from the hospital, planning to frame me and get me fired. He bragged about it,” Emma sneered. “What was I supposed to do? Let him?”
Well. That explained a lot. “You think that excuses your actions? You could have gone to Sheriff Moore, explained what was going on. He would have helped you handle things legally.”
The other woman scrunched her face up tight. “Maybe I would have. But the night of your party, Tony noticed the way I looked at Freddie and threatened to blame him for the stolen drugs. I told him we’d talk in the Valley of Dolls. Then I spotted the bag of gold and…reacted.”
“Maybe you seized upon the weapon, but you planned everything else. After you hit him and injected him with the opioid, making sure he died, you planted a burner phone in his pocket,” Jane said. I got it right, didn’t I? “What I want to know is why you hired me.”
Emma jerked back. “Why else? You were supposed to do your thing, suspecting everyone of everything, throwing around your wild theories and generally confusing things.”
Another stinger. Though, perhaps, a tad bit accurate. “Why mess with my car, then? I love that hearse.”
“I didn’t touch your car, so don’t even think about blaming me. I won’t be paying for damages. Now, you’re going to delete that photo while I watch, Jane, or I swear you’ll suffer the same fate as Tony. I’ll make sure your boyfriend is blamed. Only takes a little planning and misdirection.”
Um, did that count as a full-on confession? It must not, otherwise Conrad would’ve burst into the bathroom with handcuffs at the ready. “First of all, I won’t go down as easily as Tony. Second, you’re not bluffing your way out of paying me.” She pinched her features into her fiercest expression. “Give me. My money. Now!”
“You think Tony went down easy?” Snorting, Emma took a step closer. “I had to hit him and hit him and hit him. Now you delete that photo—”