Charlotte Adams Mysteries 4 - Closet Confidential by Mary Jane Maffini

Author:Mary Jane Maffini
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: PENGUIN group
Published: 2010-05-16T14:00:00+00:00

13

Hang all jackets—even suit jackets—together in color order. Do the same with pants, skirts, and shirts. Discover new combinations and new outfits without spending a cent.

I left the hospital after Margaret arrived to spell me off. To my surprise, Tierney showed up at almost the same moment, keen to talk to me.

“We’ve found your car. Abandoned in a downtown lot.”

“Great. Was Nick—?”

“Nope. No sign of him anywhere. Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

“So is my car here?”

“We’ll need to keep it until forensics has a go at it. We need to know who was in it. If it was Nick, there will be traces. Someone else, same thing.”

“But—”

“Sorry. That’s the way it goes. I don’t imagine they’ll keep it all that long. This is a serious case, though, and we’re not taking any chances. Maybe you can borrow one or rent one for a couple of days. I’ll take you home now.”

He gave me a minute alone with Margaret. Margaret is the least demonstrative person I know, but even she managed to produce a hug. “I’m glad to come in and stay with Pepper. I couldn’t sleep anyway. Frank is off with every other cop in town trying to find Nick,” she said in the hallway as I prepared to leave. “They’re all badly shaken by this.”

Officer DeJong gave us a look that said he didn’t trust either one of us as far as he could throw a gurney.

“I’m not surprised. One cop’s been attacked and another one is missing. In a small force like this, they must be reeling.”

“No one will be booking time off until they find him.”

“Fingers crossed, Margaret. Take care of Pepper. I don’t think she realizes how bad this looks for Nick.”

She nodded. “I sure hope he didn’t do it.”

I wasn’t under any illusions that Tierney’s offer to drive me home was romantic in any way. He wanted something. I figured I knew what. As we drove, I tried a preemptive strike. “She doesn’t remember anything. She got very angry at the suggestion that Nick might have hit her.”

“I heard.”

“You heard how? Oh. I knew that Officer DeJong was a spy. I believe that she doesn’t remember. And I also believe that Nick wouldn’t hit her. So the point is, who did?”

Tierney kept his icy blue eyes on the road ahead. “You may be surprised to hear that we, the police that is, are asking ourselves the same thing. And we are also wondering if a man who supposedly never hit his wife tried to kill her, would she find that too traumatizing to remember?”

I fought back tears. What the hell? Pepper and Nick’s marriage was strange at the best of times. Why was I feeling this way?

“Want a tissue?” Tierney said.

“I do not need a tissue.” I sniffed. “I am fine. A bit tired. And worried.”

“Probably hungry, too. Do you want me to order you a pizza or something else?”

“No thanks. I have stuff in my freezer.” I didn’t mention it was all variations on the ice cream theme.

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