One Red Cent (Miranda Vaughn Mysteries) by Ellie Ashe

Author:Ellie Ashe [Ashe, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark & Stormy Books
Published: 2021-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

5

If Eddie Lucas was ever going to learn how to lay low, he’d first have to give up his cherished lime green and black-striped muscle car. It couldn’t have stood out more—even at night, even on a semi-crowded, four-lane boulevard. Burton had no trouble keeping the car in view.

“You spoke with Eddie early in the investigation, right?” I asked, sitting up straight in the passenger seat to keep Eddie’s obnoxious car in view. “What did he say to you?”

I’d read Burton’s notes from the interview, but I wanted to hear his impressions. Notes can only convey words. Burton could read more than that from the tone of a person’s voice, or how they held themselves. Like how at that moment, I was perched on the edge of my seat, as if I’d have to jump out and chase Eddie on foot.

At that thought, I reached into my large tote-bag of a purse and took out the flats. Eddie wasn’t going to escape because of my choice in footwear this time.

“He kept it short, said he didn’t want to get involved because of his pending insurance claim. He said he’d tell me just what he told the police investigator—he didn’t know anything.”

Burton’s tone told me he didn’t believe that.

“You couldn’t prove otherwise?”

He shook his head. “No.”

The curt answer said a lot, too. Burton didn’t like being wrong. Or being lied to.

“He’s not on the prosecutor’s witness list,” I said.

“Guess they don’t think they need his testimony to convict Leo,” Burton said.

That was probably true. Between Leo’s own statement and the state’s arson expert, it did look like a pretty strong case. But I just couldn’t believe that Leo would burn down his restaurant. And I wanted to believe that if Leo were lying, I’d have picked up on his deception.

“Eddie’s married,” I said, slipping on the more comfortable ballet flats and putting the heels in my bag. Then I took out the subpoena and set it in the center console in front of the gear shift.

“Yes. Been married to Carla for twenty-two years. Three kids. House in the suburbs.”

“But he’s having an affair with Rita, who owns the lingerie shop,” I said.

Burton glanced my way, and I saw the surprise cross his face. I tried to keep the satisfied smile off my face, but it was hard. I didn’t get the chance to beat Burton at his own game too often.

“How do you know this?”

“Miranda and I saw him meet up with Rita at her shop. He left in her car. And now she’s moving Red Silk Ribbon into the building where Leo’s restaurant had been,” I said.

“And that adds up to an affair?”

“It adds up to something shady.”

Eddie turned onto Chalk Quarry Boulevard and my pulse quickened. We were about a half-mile from the site of Leo’s former restaurant.

“Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to testify. He’s afraid that his affair will be revealed,” I said.

“Or maybe he knows more about the fire than he says,” Burton said.

We passed a

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