“I agree,” Mickey said. “So, we’re here on behalf of Nancy Eldridge’s mother, Belinda. Nancy was the woman who was recently murdered. She’d arrived home around seven and was never seen again. We are looking into all kinds of avenues, but we’re curious if you happened to notice if Owen Sturgess was home the evening of the murder.”
Aggie thought for a moment. “What day was it again?”
Mickey told her the exact date, and added, “It was a Thursday.”
Aggie stared out the window at Owen’s house and then smiled and turned back to face them.
“So, I’m not a fan of his. I don’t much care for his funny business while he was married. I’m glad Claire is divorcing him. But he was definitely home that night. He left a little after five and was back less than an hour later with that young woman he’s dating. She had a suitcase with her. They didn’t leave the house the rest of the night. I think he must have picked her up at the bus station.”
“You’re sure it was that day?” Emma asked.
Aggie nodded. “It was definitely a Thursday because I was watching my show. That Bobby Flay chef show, it’s on every Thursday at six. It was just starting when they got home.”
Mickey closed his notepad.
“I think that’s all we need, then. Thank you so much for your time.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure. Stay and relax a bit. Have another cookie or two.”
Mickey didn’t need to be asked twice. He reached for another cookie and Emma did the same. They stayed and chatted with Aggie for another twenty minutes or so and then headed back to the office.
As soon as they got in the car, Mickey spoke. “Well, that clears Owen then. Too bad, I wouldn’t have minded if it was him.”
Emma laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”
As they were driving back to the office, Emma’s cell phone rang, and she was surprised to see that it was Tess. She didn’t usually hear from her during the day.
“Hey, Tess, what’s up?”
“So, I’m at work and this is kind of weird. I just checked Brady in for a workout and glanced at his recent check ins. He came to the gym the day that Nancy was murdered. I thought you’d said he was out of town?”
“I thought that’s what he said, too. That he was away then.”
“Well, not according to the computer. It looks like he came Sunday morning and then not again until Thursday. So he probably got home the night before.”
“Thanks, Tess. We’ll look into this. I could have sworn he said he didn’t get home until the next day.”
“Right. It just kind of jumped out at me and I thought you should know. Hopefully, there’s nothing to it. Keep me posted.”
“I will. Thanks, Tess.”
Chapter 19
When Emma got home, she noticed Brady’s car was there. It had been gone for the last few days, and she assumed he was away for business. It was only a quarter past five and she was starting to get hungry. There was also nothing in her house that she wanted to eat. She needed to go grocery shopping and didn’t particularly feel like doing that either at the moment.
A loud meow got her attention, and she saw Oscar sitting on her deck waiting for her to let him in. She opened the door, went to the kitchen and put some food in a bowl for him. He pounced on it and she gave him a quick scratch behind the ears before pouring herself a glass of water and stepping outside on the deck.
Even though it was late in the day, the beach was crowded with people walking, swimming and chatting in small groups. A group of teenagers were building a bonfire. Emma glanced over at Brady’s house and thought about what Tess said. There had to be a good explanation for why Brady hadn’t mentioned that he was in town the day Nancy died.
Her stomach growled as she sipped her water and debated what to do. Brady stepped out onto his deck, saw her and waved. She took a deep breath and made a decision.
“Hey Brady. I’m thinking about going to Leena’s Kitchen for dinner tonight. Any interest in joining me?”
He looked delighted by the invitation. A slow grin lit up his face.
“Sure. I love Leena’s Kitchen. I’m ready when you are.”
“Okay, give me five minutes and we can head out.”
Emma freshened up and added a swipe of lipstick before stepping outside. She was going to walk to Brady’s and knock on his door, but she didn’t have to. She took one step in his direction and his front door opened.
“I can drive, unless you’d rather?” he said when he reached her.
“I don’t mind driving.” She preferred it actually, as she felt more in control and only planned to have one glass of wine, if that. She could sip it slowly so that Brady might be encouraged to have a few drinks, and when he was good and relaxed, she could slide some questions in.
“Leena’s is one of my mother’s favorite places. Mine too, actually,” Brady said as they got into Emma’s car. They chatted about nothing in particular as Emma drove, and fifteen minutes later, she turned into the parking lot of the strip mall where Leena’s Kitchen was located.
They were there early, and it wasn’t too crowded yet. The host led them to a cozy table in a corner. A moment later, a server came by to take their drinks order and tell them the specials.
“Do you want to split a bottle of wine?” Brady suggested. “I usually drink beer but I like wine with Italian food and they have some good ones here.”
“Sure. I was planning on getting wine.”
“Have you had the J Vineyards? My mother and I had that last time we were here, and it was good.”
Emma smiled. “I love that one. That’s what I usually get here too, and it’s funny as I don’t normally drink Pinot Noir.”
Their server returned with the wine, opened the bottle, and poured a small sip for Brady to taste. He tossed it back and smiled. “Delicious, thank you.”
The server filled Emma’s glass and then Brady’s. They put their order in—Emma went with the lobster gnocchi and Brady got one of the specials, a braised lamb shank. They both got Caesar salads to start, which came out just a few minutes later with a hot and crusty small loaf of bread.
“This is the best Caesar in Plymouth,” Emma said as she took her first bite. The croutons were like little pillows of French toast, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
“I would have to agree with that,” Brady said as he reached for a slice of bread and spread a thick layer of butter on it. Emma dipped hers in the dish of seasoned olive oil.
“So, how was your week? Where did you fly off to this time?” Emma asked.
“San Francisco. For one of my tech clients in Silicon Valley.”
“I visited San Francisco when I lived in L.A. Went for a long weekend with one of my girlfriends. We rented a car and drove to wine country, toured a few of the vineyards. I wouldn’t mind going back there and spending more time exploring. I liked the whole vibe of San Francisco. It’s very different from L.A.”
“It is. I’ve been to L.A. a few times and am not really a fan. San Francisco is awesome, though. So many great restaurants there. I get out that way once or twice a quarter as I have a few clients on the West Coast.”
The wine was so good that Emma had to remind herself to sip it slowly. When their meals came, her glass was still mostly full and Brady’s was almost empty. She picked up the wine bottle and refilled his glass almost to the brim and then added a small splash to hers.
“Thanks!”
Their meals were excellent, as usual, and Brady kept her entertained with funny stories about some of his clients. When they were done, Emma packed up her leftovers and Brady had eaten every last crumb.
“You know, Leena’s has the best tiramisu on the South Shore. Any interest in sharing a slice?” Emma asked.
“Sure, why not?”
Once again, Emma topped off his glass, which was almost empty and added the smallest of splashes to hers.
“So, how was your week?” Brady asked when the server returned with their
dessert and two forks.
Emma picked up a fork, took a bite, and then answered the question.
“It was good, but frustrating. We’re really no closer to finding out what happened to Nancy. We keep going back over everything.”
“The police aren’t getting any closer either?” Brady asked.
Emma shook her head. “Not really. They are looking in a few different directions but don’t have anything solid yet.”
“Wish I could do something to help. Still can’t believe she’s gone.”
“Looking back, does anything else come to mind? You guys used to work out together a few times a week. Did you see her that week at all?”
“No, not that week. I had a tough travel schedule. I was gone Sunday and home Wednesday night, then flew back out for an overnight trip Thursday night. I did go to the gym on Thursday, but I didn’t even call Nancy as I had such a tight window. I went to the gym, showered, changed and left from there straight to the airport for a two o’clock flight to New York.”
Emma relaxed a little. If what Brady said was true, that meant he wasn’t around when Nancy disappeared. That was good news. She liked Brady and couldn’t picture him being involved in Nancy’s disappearance.
When the check came, Brady tried to pay, but Emma insisted that they split it.
“That’s very nice of you, but I can pay my own way. That’s what friends do.”
Brady smiled. “Sometimes friends just want to treat too, though.”
Emma laughed. “Another time, maybe.”
They finished up and Emma felt very full and relaxed as she drove home. She knew she’d probably fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Pasta often had that effect on her.
When they reached their cottages, Brady walked her to her door.
“I’m glad you suggested dinner tonight, Emma. That was fun. We should make a habit of it.”
She smiled. “I agree.” And as she closed and locked the door behind her, she felt a sense of relief that she didn’t have to worry about Brady anymore. She’d never really thought he was involved and the more she got to know him, the more she enjoyed his company.
The next morning, over coffee in the office, Emma filled her mother and Mickey in on her conversation with Brady. They didn’t share her enthusiasm.
“I don’t like that you went off alone with him in a car,” Mickey said.
“I don’t either. Did you have to go to dinner with him? You couldn’t have just had a conversation—ideally with each of you on your own decks?” Her mother said.
Emma looked at both of them in frustration. “I’m not sure if you both heard me. Brady’s in the clear. He wasn’t here.”
“So he says,” Mickey said.
Her mother nodded. “You don’t know that he’s telling the truth, honey. He might just be trying to cover something up. Or he might be perfectly fine, but right now you just have his word.”
Emma agreed that they did have a point. “So, how do we go about verifying his flight information?”
“Well, short of asking him for copies of his boarding passes, you can’t,” Mickey said. “But the police can. They can access flight and passenger records and could confirm if what he’s saying is true.”
“I’ll call Rich.” Emma’s mother went to get her phone and made a quick call before rejoining them.
“He said he’ll look into it. He said they never considered Brady a suspect, but it’s still an open investigation so they are eager to pursue every lead.”
“Nothing new on the law firm shenanigans?” Mickey asked.
“He said no, not yet. He also said that even if they prove there was some kind of fraud or criminal activity within the firm, that doesn’t necessarily prove a connection to Nancy’s death.”
“No. But it seems like the best place to dig around,” Emma said.
“That’s true,” Mickey said.
“On a different note, I heard from Claire Sturgess on my way in today. She said to thank you both. What you uncovered on Owen helped her case quite a bit. She still has to pay him alimony, but it’s not as bad as she’d feared initially.”
“Oh, that is good news,” Emma said.
Her mother checked her notebook before updating them. “We have a new case you can start on today too. A Bryan Filmore suspects that his wife is cheating on him. Interestingly, she’s a junior attorney at of all places, the law firm Nancy worked at.”
“He thinks she’s cheating on him? We don’t see that too often,” Mickey said.
“What’s her name?” Emma asked.
“Ashley. She mostly focuses on real estate law.”
Emma tried to picture who Ashley was. When she covered for Alyssa, the receptionist, she saw most of the people that worked in the firm as they went in and out for lunch. Finally, it came to her. Ashley was very pretty, petite and had a trendy blond bob. Emma guessed her age to be late twenties.
“We can head over there around eleven thirty and see where she goes off to for lunch,” Mickey suggested.
They spent the rest of the morning doing some computer work on a skip-tracing case. At eleven thirty sharp, Emma and Mickey stepped out the front door. Mickey had parked his car on Main Street, right across the street by the bank, Rockland Trust. He explained that when he’d arrived, the parking lot in the back of the building had been full.
Traffic on Main Street was busy, as usual, so they had to wait a few minutes before they could cross. Emma noticed the car in front of Mickey’s looked familiar. It was a gorgeous older model silver Mercedes. Where had she recently seen a car like that?
It came to her at the same time she saw Sheila from the law office and a handsome, dark-haired man walking toward them. They were both holding pizza takeout boxes from The Artisan Pig, the new pizza hotspot that was a quick walk from the office. Sheila stopped short when she reached them and Emma knew they were waiting for the traffic to clear so they could cross the street too, as it was her car parked in front of Mickey’s.
“Emma, what a surprise seeing you here.” Sheila glanced at the door to their office and the sign that said Court Street Investigations and then back to Emma and Mickey. “A surprise seeing you both, actually.”
Chapter 20
Emma swallowed nervously and thought hard, and finally an idea came to her. She smiled big. “Sheila, great to see you! You remember Mickey? He came in to visit when I covered the reception desk. We got to chatting and he let me know about an opening here. I just started as the new office manager!”
Sheila smiled back and seemed happy for her. “Oh, that’s great! You did such a good job for us, I was actually going to request you again, but of course you want a full-time job.” She glanced at the man standing next to her. “This is my boyfriend, George Montgomery. Today is our one-year anniversary, so we decided to take a long lunch and get some pizza to eat down by the waterfront.”
“Happy Anniversary.”
“Nice to see you again, Sheila,” Mickey said.
“Well, we’re off. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Sheila and George headed to their car, and Mickey and Emma watched as they pulled out and took a left to head down to the waterfront.
“The Artisan Pig’s pizza really is good,” Emma said wistfully.
“We don’t have time to get pizza. But Betty packed tuna subs and chips for us,” Mickey said as he pulled onto the street, turned around in the church parking lot and headed the opposite way, to Resnik Road and the law firm.
At a quarter to twelve, they pulled into the law firm parking lot and parked far enough away that they wouldn’t be noticed but where they would still have a view of the door and people coming and going. Emma opened the two bottled waters that she’d brought and handed one to Mickey. He opened his lunch bag and handed her a sub and a small bag of sour cream and onion potato chips.
They munched happily as they kept an eye on the door.
“It’s funny, I don’t remember Sheila mentioning that she had a boyfriend. But, maybe she did. They
looked cute together. She seemed excited about their one-year anniversary,” Emma said.
“When did she get divorced? Didn’t think it was all that long ago,” Mickey said.
Emma thought for a moment. “I think it was a little over a year. I remember Sheila said it dragged on for almost that long before it was final too.”
“I’m glad I never had to go through that. Betty and I will be celebrating fifty-five years together in December.”
“Wow. That’s wonderful.” Emma couldn’t imagine being with someone that long. It sounded amazing to be happily married for so long, though.
“Yep, I knew she was the one on our third date. We both ordered the same flavor of ice-cream, black raspberry. I knew she was a keeper. Told my mother when I got home from my date that I’d found the girl for me. We got engaged six months later.”
“That’s so special, Mickey.”
“She was twenty-three and a dance instructor, taught ballet. I’d just graduated from the police academy and started at the Plymouth Police Department. Those were the days. We were active members of the Plymouth Yacht Club. I had a little motorboat we used to tool around the harbor in. And we’d go to all the events and dances. My wife is still a fabulous dancer.” He smiled, remembering. “We don’t cut the rug as often as we used to. But I still have the moves, as you young people say.”
Emma chuckled. “I bet you do. That sounds really fun.”
They were just finishing up their subs when the front door opened. It was twelve o’clock sharp and the first employees began streaming out. Alyssa the receptionist was first, followed by an attorney that Emma didn’t recognize. A moment later, though, two familiar faces walked out together–Ashley, the young attorney they were waiting for, and Justin Powell himself. Emma assumed it was a coincidence that they happened to walk out at the same time, but she was then surprised to see them both walk to Justin’s black Mercedes sedan. Ashley climbed into the passenger side and a moment later, Justin backed the car out of the spot and onto the Main Street.
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