Page 55 of Murder By the Millions

“What if something breaks? Like a water heater or the stoves or—”

“The place is in mint condition.”

“Or the roof falls in?”

“Patrick or one of his crew is perfectly capable of reroofing it. End of discussion.” She took another cookie and left the room.

Tegan sank onto a stool by the island. “Well, that went well. Not.”

I sat on the other stool, our knees nearly touching. “Can you imagine if I told Fern what to do? You have to honor your mom’s wishes. She’s a grown woman. She’s capable. She’s made this place into a destination spot. And she’s been a tad despondent ever since …” I paused.

“Ever since he-who-shall-not-be-named left the picture. Yeah, don’t remind me.” She grunted.

Not long ago Noeline dated a financial consultant and hoped he would become the next love of her life. She hadn’t fallen for anyone since Tegan’s father died. The consultant raised money for the hospital and seemed nice enough, but he turned out to be a rotter. He had never loved Noeline. He’d used her. Since their breakup, she had devoted herself to work and had vowed she would never date again. As a result, Tegan and Vanna had been highly protective of her.

“Too much idle time can mess with one’s mind,” I went on.

“‘Idle hands are the devil’s playground,’ Helga says.”

“So did Benjamin Franklin.” I peeked over my shoulder. “By the way, why is Patrick here so late?”

“He promised Mom he’d make his completion date come hell or high water.”

“A sense of responsibility. Good to hear.”

“Helga doesn’t like him.”

I grinned. “I know. She asked me to tell him to keep the noise to a minimum.”

“He is quite the whistler.”

“And ruggedly handsome.”

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “Might I remind you he and Jason went at it at the shop? Patrick worried Jason would trash up the place. Jason shot back with his own snipe, something about Patrick having a sketchy past. If Patrick is the kind of person to hold a grudge, he could be a killer.”

I gasped. She’d thought the same thing I had? “Yes, they fought, but they reconciled, and Jason hired Patrick to repair the back porch at the estate.”

“Says who?”

“Patrick. They bumped into each other at town hall and worked out their grievances.”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “And you believed him?”

“Well …” Did I? I hadn’t swung by town hall to investigate whether anyone had witnessed their ceasefire.

“Yeah, I knew it. You’re as curious as I am.” She squinted one eye. “He should definitely be on Zach’s suspect list.”

“But he couldn’t have killed Jason. This morning, when I brought him and his crew muffins, with no prompting, he told me he went caving last night.”

“Yeah?” Tegan sniggered. “He just happened to tell you his alibi?”

She was right. He could have been covering his tracks. “I noticed his shoes were muddy, and mentioned it. He said the caverns are always wet.”

“Hold on! You saw mud on his shoes? Meaning he might have been the one to track mud into Jason’s foyer?” She leaped off her stool. “Let’s ask him about it.” She purposefully strode down the hall.

I raced to catch up. “Don’t attack him.”

“Moi? Je ne l’accuserai pas.”She swatted the air.