Sedona Law 5 by Dave Daren (romantic novels in english .TXT) 📕

“Do you think he meant it in a flippant manner?” Vicki asked.

“Of course, Jerry could be dramatic,” she shrugged, “but it’s weird considering how it ended up.”

At that moment, we heard the front door open.

“Who’s the Beamer in the driveway?” Ken’s voice called out.

“Hey, Ken,” Allison greeted him.

Ken walked in carrying a paper sack from Earth Market.

“You remember Vicki and Henry, don’t you?” she asked him.

“Ah, yes,” he said. “From the play.”

“How do you do, Ken,” I said as I rose and offered my hand.

“Hi,” he greeted both of us and shook our hands.

“They’re lawyers investigating Jerry’s death,” Allison told him.

“Ah,” Ken nodded and set down the Earth Market bag, “I brought groceries. I figured you could use some after, you know.”

“Thank you.” Allison smiled and then turned to us. “Ken’s been such a help these last few days. He’s really been there for me.”

Ken smiled self consciously and unloaded vegetables from the bag onto the counter. “Do they have any leads?” he asked.

“We have some,” I replied with a nod. “Right now, we know Allison knew him well, and we wanted to know if she had any fresh perspective.”

“What did you tell them?” Ken asked her with a furrowed brow.

“I just talked to them about how Alfred and Jerry had been fighting all night,” Allison answered.

“Dude,” Ken shook his head, “that guy is creepy. He needs to go to jail big time. I don’t know what he keeps in that cape, but I would steer clear of him if I were you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Alfred is our client.”

Ken snorted. “Sucks for you.”

“So, your opinion is he’s guilty, huh?” I asked as I eased onto a barstool.

“No doubt in my mind,” he said. “No doubt. I don’t want to say--”

“Then don’t, Ken,” Allison interrupted him. “There’s no need to spread rumors about the man. They’re lawyers. They just want to know the facts, evidence.”

“He’s asking me my opinion,” Ken protested before he turned back to me. “Look, I don’t have any hard evidence, or proof. But, from what I know about him, I think he’s one of those guys who needs to be locked up for his own good.”

Ken’s opinion was turning into a rant, so I skimmed my phone and only half listened.

“He’s a nice guy,” Allison argued. “A little kooky, but nice.”

“I don’t know about that,” Ken muttered.

“Hey,” Allison changed topics with a strained smile, “I was going to make dinner. Would you guys like to stay?”

“You know,” I said, “I think we’ve got all we need.”

“Are you sure?” Vicki asked.

“I’m sure,” I told her with a nod.

“Then I’ll show you to the door,” Allison said as she rose. “And I apologize about earlier. This has all been so hard on me.”

“I understand,” Vicki said. “Take care of yourself and we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“Thank you,” Allison replied with a smile.

In the silence of the evening, Vicki and I walked out to the car.

“Okay,” Vicki said once we were inside the vehicle, “I know that exit and that face. You caught them in a lie.”

I snickered because she was right. I pulled out of the driveway and tossed her my phone.

“What are you showing me?” she asked.

“Look at those photos,” I instructed her as I wound back through the neighborhood.

“Okay,” she said. “Some mail. So what.”

“No,” I replied, “look in the background. Enhance it.”

A moment of silence passed as Vicki tapped at the phone. “Some prescriptions bottles in Allison’s name,” she said. “So what?”

“Metaformin,” I clarified, “and insulin. She’s diabetic.”

“Okay,” Vicki responded, but she looked skeptical when I glanced over at her.

“Read about what happens when diabetics get shit faced,” I told her.

Another moment of silence passed as Vicki did her research.

“They can get red faced and have an allergic type reaction,” she finally read.

“So, Allison was faking it,” I explained. “Did you notice how quickly she sobered up and how lucid she was?”

“Why was she faking it then?” Vicki asked with a frown.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “we’ve got a whole bushel full of liars here. I think they all deserve each other, honestly.”

“Shoot,” Vicki muttered suddenly. “I forgot my phone.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as I braked. We were only one street away from the house.

“I’m pretty sure,” she groaned as she flipped on the interior lights. Then she called it on my phone, and we didn’t hear it in the car.

“Let’s turn back around,” I sighed. “I can’t believe you forgot your phone.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I must have set it down when I went upstairs.”

We arrived back at Allison’s house, and there were roommates in the driveway. Vicki jumped out, talked to someone briefly, and then one of them took her inside while I waited. A minute later, she came out with her phone in her hand and got back in the car.

“Well,” she said, “that was worth it.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Allison and Ken were in the heat of the moment on the kitchen counter,” she muttered and blushed. “They didn’t even see me.”

“Are you kidding me?” I gasped. “With all of these people around?”

She shrugged. “You know how they are at this age.”

“I do know that,” I chuckled dryly. “It’s hook up central.”

“And you were never like that?” she teased.

“Me? Heavens no,” I joked. “I spent every night in, studying law books, and waiting for you to come along.”

“Okay,” she laughed, “now you just sound sad.”

“But Ken and Allison, huh?” I mused. “And Jerry and Allison.”

“And a dead body,” Vicki added.

“Uh-huh,” I said as my mind started to turn. “I’m starting to see some puzzle pieces