Secrets to Die For by Linda Hope Lee

Author:Linda Hope Lee [Lee, Linda Hope]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Amateur Sleuth; Romance; Cozy; Heroine in Jeopardy; Librarians; Past Secrets; Retirement Communities; Small Town; Traditiona
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2019-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“Please have a seat, Kimmie.” Nina shut her office door and pointed to several straight-backed chairs reserved for visitors.

Kimmie sat, positioning her backpack on the floor beside her chair.

Nina unlocked her bottom desk drawer and dug inside her purse for the fabric pouch containing the bee bracelet and also the matching earring from the boathouse. Instead of sitting at the desk, she pulled up a chair beside Kimmie. Opening the pouch, she pulled out the bracelet.

“Wow!” Kimmie stared. “The bee bracelet.”

“You’re familiar with the bracelet, then?” The girl’s reaction didn’t surprise Nina.

“I, uh, Ellie told me about it. Actually, she showed me the bracelet. Oh, this is so cool. I love it.” She clapped her hands. “Ellie told me the stones are real diamonds.”

“Then the bracelet is quite valuable. Here, put it on.” Nina held out the jewelry, hoping Kimmie appreciated Ellie’s generous gesture. Under the office’s fluorescent lights, the bees’ diamond eyes winked and sparkled.

Kimmie took the bracelet, wound it around her wrist, and snapped the clasp.

Nina helped her attach the safety chain.

The girl fingered the jewelry. “I’ve never had anything like this before.”

“What about the matching earrings?” Nina kept her tone casual.

Kimmie jerked up her head, her eyes narrowed. “What earrings?”

“I know Ellie already gave you the bracelet’s matching earrings.”

She stuck out her chin. “How do you know?”

“Because I found one of the pair.”

“You did?” Her voice rose a notch.

“Caught in a sleeping bag.” Nina drew the earring from the pouch and placed it in her palm.

Kimmie stared, but then she drew back and folded her arms.

Nina kept her gaze on Kimmie. “The sleeping bag was stuffed into a rowboat in the boathouse at Lake Mead.”

Her mouth set in a stubborn line, Kimmie remained silent.

Nina leaned forward. “I know you and your, ah, friend use the boathouse. I saw you enter there last night.”

Kimmie gasped. “You spied on us.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that,” she mumbled through her fingers.

“You might call my observation spying, but invading your privacy wasn’t what I intended.” Nina explained her trip to the kitchen to give her the bracelet and then following her to the boathouse. “As you know, I want to find out what happened to Ellie. But I’m concerned about you, too.”

Kimmie shifted in her chair. “You don’t think we killed her, do you?” She shook her head. “We had nothing to do with her death.”

“No, I don’t think you would harm Ellie. But who is your friend?”

“I can’t tell you.” Kimmie looked away.

Nina leaned closer. “Are you in some kind of trouble? Is your friend in trouble?”

The girl hugged her arms and turned sideways. “Quit bugging me. My life’s none of your business.”

Surely, a person needed the patience of Job when dealing with teens. Nina searched for a diplomatic way to handle the situation. “Maybe your being in the boathouse is not my business, as you say, but I do care, and I’m worried you might be in trouble. Were you at the lake the night of Ellie’s death?”

“We didn’t see anything.

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