At the Scent of the Crime: Wicked Wick Mysteries, Book 1 by McFadden Melrose

Author:McFadden, Melrose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“I didn’t know you and Butler were close,” Paloma said, trying to draw the man out. He was watching Leigh and Butler and didn’t seem to be paying attention to her.

“What?” Parker turned his focus back to Paloma. He was short and thin, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. His matching beige trousers and beige sweater vest over a tan long-sleeved shirt gave him an overall vibe of someone attempting to disappear into the background.

“You and Butler,” Paloma prodded. “You’re close?”

“I wouldn’t say close,” he said. “She comes to City Hall quite a bit for real estate stuff. We’ve had some conversations. She’s smart. And… tenacious.”

Paloma followed his gaze to Leigh and Butler, who were peering at Butler’s camera screen as they flipped through photos.

“This is going to sound strange, but I’m just going to ask,” Paloma said. “I spoke to Mayor McGill, and he said you were helping him this morning with setting things up for the 5K?”

“Yeah, that’s right. So what?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Paloma felt her heart beating harder. She did not like confrontation, and that’s where this felt like it was headed. “I was just wondering, because he was the first one on the scene of the… accident… but you weren’t there. I’m just trying to figure out if anyone saw anything suspicious, that’s all.”

He smirked. “Well, if you must know, I was handling everything on the race course from half a mile to 3.1 miles. The Mayor covered the first half-mile. You know what I mean?” He gave Paloma a knowing look.

“Oh, like because it’s too… ”

“Far,” he confirmed. “He did half a mile, and I did the rest. It’s a fitness thing. Does that answer your question?” He checked his watch and gave her a look as if to say, “Are we done?”

Paloma sighed. Leigh was so much better at the nonchalant interrogation chit-chatting part. But she had to finish what she started. She knew something was off with the Mayor and Parker, and she was determined to find out what it was. “Yeah. I guess so. It just seemed like something at the gazebo was just… off. Almost staged? So, I’m just asking around to see if anyone else noticed or felt that way.”

Parker stared at her. “Staged is a strange word to use. Like someone put him there?”

Paloma shook her head, flustered. Maybe she shouldn’t have said staged out loud like that. It felt too direct. “So, you didn’t hear or see anything suspicious?” Paloma continued, breezing over his question.

“No, not at all. I came as soon as Mike called me. I was at the farthest point on the loop, and not in my running shoes, so it took a little while. But when I got back, Leigh and the EMTs were already there.” Parker looked at his watch again. “I need to get going. I have a lot to deal with today.” He turned on his heel and walked away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.