Deadly Focus by Jenna St. James

Author:Jenna St. James [St. James, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-23T23:00:00+00:00

13

Helen Witchborne was sitting on her front porch in a rocker, snapping beans, when Alex parked in her driveway. She remained seated and snapped as we approached her.

“Sheriff. Shayla. Oh, and Needles. I didn’t see you there. What can I do for you?”

“We know about Nico Necroman and your daughter, Sabrina,” I said. “Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”

Helen stopped rocking and set her bowl of beans aside. “Oh, I figured you’d get around to it eventually. So now I suppose you’re here to arrest me? You just automatically assume I killed the man who killed my daughter?”

I sighed. “Work with us here, Helen. We aren’t coming here to arrest you, we just want—”

“What?” she demanded. “To hear my side? Why does it matter? It’s not like this is going to bring back my Sabrina. I grieve her every day, but I’ve learned to let go of the bitterness and hatred. It was eating me and my family alive.”

“Why did you do business with Nico?” I asked. “That just looks…strange.”

Helen let out a bark of laughter. “I honestly didn’t know who Nico was at first. I met Lorenzo handing out flyers in front of Enchanted Grocery two months ago.”

“Let’s stop right there,” Alex said. “When you saw Lorenzo, did you two talk about what happened to Sabrina? We understand he was dating your daughter.”

“Believe it or not, I didn’t recognize him,” she said. “I met him once when he and Sabrina were dating in college, and then I saw him often at the trial, of course. But he’s a man now. When I knew him, he was just a boy of twenty. Twelve years can change a person, Sheriff.”

“He didn’t introduce himself?” I asked.

Helen shook her head. “No. Although, I’ve often wondered if Lorenzo knew who I was when he handed me the flyer. He knew Sabrina was from Enchanted Island, but like I said, twelve years is a long time. The grief has aged me.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, it wouldn’t matter. I only knew him back then as Lenny. Not Lorenzo. It wasn’t until I went to the shop with my grandson and youngest daughter that I put two and two together.”

“That’s a little convenient,” Needles said from my shoulder.

I glanced surreptitiously at Alex before focusing on Helen. “Helen? Tell me straight. Do you think your daughter or son-in-law could’ve killed Nico?”

Helen shook her head. “No. You can check, but you’ll see they weren’t even on the island. They left last Wednesday for vacation. They’re visiting my son-in-law’s family in Salem, Massachusetts.”

I nodded. “Okay. How did Nico Necroman react when you confronted him at his shop?”

Helen grunted and rolled her eyes. “How do you think he reacted? He was defensive and angry. As was I. It took a long time for me to get over the fact that man killed my daughter and only served one year in a human prison.”

“And yet you did business with him?” Alex mused.

“Yes. I let him do the photo shoot of my grandson.

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