A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander

Author:Ellie Alexander [Alexander, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Dr. Caldwell’s phone dinged. “I need to return to the station, but let’s keep communication open. This has been quite insightful. I hope it has been for you as well.” She gathered her things. “In case it comes up again, you should know that Heather will remain in custody for the short term. I’m not sure why she’s attempting to post bail. I was very clear with her about the reasons for detaining her.”

“Thanks for letting me get a glimpse behind the scenes. I’ll keep thinking on theories and I’ll let you know if I hear anything. The festival is good to go for the remainder of the day?”

“Yes.” She hoisted her satchel over her shoulder. “We’ve given the green light to the theater to open as soon as the crime scene cleaners have finished. We preserved as much as possible of the site layout. As you know, we had to make sure the area was preserved down to the tiniest detail in order to compile a rigorous accounting of evidence. Now that that is complete, the area will need to be cleaned, but then the event can proceed as planned.”

“Right.” I followed her downstairs.

She gave the officer on duty further instructions. I checked my watch. I didn’t need to be at the Secret Bookcase for another thirty minutes. Plenty of time to stop into Cryptic for a coffee. I left the theater and took my time walking along Cedar Avenue, intentionally stopping to smell blooming clumps of wisteria and to pet a shaggy Goldendoodle on its way to the park. It was good to see people out and about enjoying the dreamy weather. This was the Redwood Grove I knew and loved. Couples strolled hand in hand, peering in shop windows and pausing to admire window displays.

Many of the shops and restaurants in town had gotten in the spirit of the festival weekend, decking out their storefronts. The grocer featured movie night essentials with popcorn tubs and themed snacks like nuts, cheeses, imported chocolates, and cocktail mixing sets. Artifacts, one of my favorite local boutiques, had embraced Hitchcock classics. Caroline, the owner, procured a collection of shower curtains printed with dainty floral designs for Psycho, bird jewelry, art, and scarves for The Birds, and assorted binoculars for Rear Window. It was a clever way to pay homage to the filmmaker.

Seeing the kind of time and effort the small business community had put into making the weekend a success only fueled me more to want to bring Martin’s killer to justice.

The line was short at Cryptic. Pri deftly kept it moving. She chatted easily with customers while pulling creamy shots of espresso and steaming oat milk. The high school student running the cash register and pastry case struggled to keep up with her pace.

“I was hoping you might stop by,” she said when it was my turn to place my order. She held a large spoon over the edge of the steaming pitcher to keep the foam back. “Did you see who’s here?”

I glanced around the coffee shop.

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