The Armstrong Assignment (A Janet Markham Bennett Cozy Thriller Book 1) by Diana Xarissa (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

watching everyone, or, rather, I was watching everyone that I could see. Based on that, I can tentatively eliminate Tony and Dixie from the list of suspects.”

Janet frowned. “I really thought Tony was behind it all. I don’t like him. He has cold eyes.”

Edward nodded. “But he wasn’t anywhere near Bobby when he fell into the road.”

“Fell? Does that mean you didn’t believe Bobby when he said he was pushed?”

“I’m not certain what to believe. Mr. Harrison was standing right next to Bobby and didn’t see anyone push him, but it’s possible that whoever did it managed to stay out of Mr. Harrison’s line of sight. He’s admitted that he was watching the traffic and a group of pedestrians who were coming towards him rather than watching Bobby.”

“And you were too far behind to see exactly what happened.”

“We were surrounded by people coming from every direction. I’d already warned Bobby about going out in crowds, but he didn’t want to listen to me.”

Janet could hear the frustration in Edward’s voice. “Bobby doesn’t seem to be taking any of this very seriously.”

“Yes and no. On the one hand, he won’t listen to my advice about staying safe. On the other hand, even when travelling with the people that he claims to trust completely, he chose to sleep in a bulletproof vest.”

“So he must suspect someone in his entourage, no matter what he claims to the contrary.”

“I believe so. I believe he suspected someone in his inner circle from the very beginning, which is why he’s tried so hard to cover up everything that’s happening. Either he wants to protect someone or he simply would prefer to deal with the matter himself rather than involve law enforcement.”

“We should talk about the suspects,” Janet suggested, glancing at her watch. They still had just over an hour.

Edward nodded. “Where would you like to start?”

“I don’t know what to think of Lucy. How old is she?”

“She’s forty-one. Her parents fought a bitter custody battle over her that lasted for years. At one point, her mother took her to North Dakota and hid with her for six months. After that, Bobby was awarded sole custody.”

“Why would the mother do that? Did she claim that Bobby had been abusive?”

“She did not. She simply said that she wanted her daughter all to herself. A short time after Lucy was returned to her father, her mother checked herself into a mental health treatment facility. Apparently, Bobby paid the bills for her and she stayed there for over a year. When she was released, she remained in North Dakota. She didn’t see Lucy again until Lucy turned eighteen and decided to visit.”

“Does she see much of Lucy now?”

“According to my sources in North Dakota, Lucy visits her mother every year for her mother’s birthday. The woman has been married four more times, but she’s never had any additional children.”

“Four more times?”

Edward nodded. “Her most recent husband, a man named Randy Washburn, has a criminal record. He also travels a great deal, and has made several trips to Texas in the past year.”

“What’s he been doing in Texas?”

“Visiting family. He has an aunt and some cousins in the Dallas area, so it’s possible he’s just been visiting them, but Bobby’s private detective was convinced that Randy had also been stalking Bobby.”

“Even if he was, there’s a vast difference between stalking and attempted murder.”

“And before the attack on the plane, Bobby’s detective suspected that Randy was behind everything that had happened to Bobby in the past two months.”

“But now he’s been ruled out,” Janet argued.

“Maybe. He can’t have been responsible for the stabbing on the plane or today’s incident. Randy doesn’t even have a passport, and Bobby’s detective is keeping a close eye on him, anyway. That doesn’t mean that he wasn’t responsible for some of the earlier attempts, but we know he wasn’t in New York the night of the fire, either.”

Janet opened her mouth to reply, but Edward held up a hand.

“Before you say anything, I’ve just given you the argument that I’m getting from Bobby’s detective. I still believe that all of the attempts have been made by a single person, one of the men or women here in Paris with Bobby.”

“I’m not certain that I agree,” Janet replied. “What about the environmental group that Bobby mentioned?”

“Bobby’s detective spent a lot of time and effort infiltrating the group, but he hasn’t provided any evidence that anyone associated with the group has had a part in the things that have happened to Bobby. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve been ruled out.”

Janet nodded. “Where were we? We were meant to be talking about Lucy.”

“She’s been engaged dozens of times, but she’s never made it to the altar,” Edward told her. “Her longest engagement lasted three months, and she and Tony have been engaged for two and a half, so if I were him, I’d be getting nervous.”

“Nervous enough to step up attempts to murder her father?”

“Maybe. Tony was at the top of my list until today. As I said earlier, I was watching him as we walked to lunch, and he wasn’t anywhere near Bobby when Bobby fell.”

“Anything else about Lucy?” Janet asked.

“I’ve not really had a chance to speak to her, not yet, anyway. I’m hoping we’ll all get drinks in the bar tonight after dinner and that I’ll have a chance to speak to each person individually, at least for a few minutes.”

“That sounds good. I’d quite like a chance to speak to everyone myself.”

Edward frowned. “You know I’m happy that you’re here, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not worried about involving you in the case. Promise me that you’ll be careful when you speak to any or all of the suspects.”

“Of