Page 24 of Dead Man's Alibi

They wouldn’t have access to the kind of crime scene tools that a police department would.They wouldn’t be able to prove anything with prints or DNA, but that didn’t mean there weren’t avenues that might lead them to results.

“Jake gave us an alibi window, so we know about when she was killed, but one of the things the police haven’t released ishowshe was killed.Which means we don’t know what kind of weapon we might be looking for,” Sam told them.

“We also don’t know where she was found,” Nate added.“Which would give us an idea of where to look for someone being in a place they shouldn’t be.”

“I did some poking around on that this afternoon.Because surely if it was in Marietta, we would have heard about it,” Cal said.“Got nowhere.”

“Her house with Michael was in Livingston,” Nate supplied.“She was staying with a friend in Bozeman last I heard.There wouldn’t be much reason for her to be in Marietta except to go to Honor’s Edge, as far as I know.”

“And if Jake is investigating, the murder or the body had to be in Marietta.Which also might be why he’s stuck on Nate as a suspect.Just proximity,” Cal said this with a kind of casual shrug that earned him a glare from Sam.

“You’d think in a town as small as Marietta someone would have witnessed a crime scene,” Landon grumbled.

“You’d think.But it was overnight, and therearesome more isolated parts of Marietta.Still, without a how or where, I think our best bet is to try to focus on the why,” Sam said.“I mean, if someone can get it out of Jake how and where she was killed, I’m all ears, but I think he’s going to be pretty careful around anyone connected to Nate.”

“Unless Jill takes him up on his offer.”

Jill blinked at Cal.He said it socasually.But it was pointed in a weird way.Thecasualin his tone almost made her feel like she was being accused of something.It made her uncomfortable andirritatedthat he’d use what she’d said this morning.Not that he was using it against her, exactly, it just felt… weird.

And she didn’t like it.Especially since everyone was staring at her right now, including Grandma.

“He didn’tofferanything, except to help me with my book.”She looked right back at Cal.“Just likeyou’redoing.”Because screw him for saying that stuff about not being too old and then throwing Jake in her face.

“Well, if he ever does offer, see what you can get.I think you’re our best shot.”Sam said it so offhandedly, she certainly didn’tcareabout Jake potentially flirting with Jill.

She didn’tcareabout Jake at all.

Which made Jill feel a bit silly thinking Jake being interested in younger women was somehow a character flaw.Maybe she was just… naïve.Too many years up on Grandma’s mountain.

But none ofthatmattered, because they were focused on a mystery.Maybe she usually dealt with fictional ones, but she also read alotabout real ones.

“Nate, you said her husband was happy with this new girlfriend,” Jill said.“But what if the new girlfriend wasn’t happy?Money makes people do weird things, and if her new boyfriend was going to owe his ex-wife a lot of money, maybe she wasn’t too happy about that.Do you know anything about her?”

Nate seemed to think this over.“I know a little.Not enough to know her feelings on Mrs.Hyatt or money, but… enough we could maybe try to figure it out.”

Cal got out of his chair and went to a bag by the door.He pulled out a laptop.Opened it and typed a few things, then handed it to Nate.“Put everything you know about her in this Word document, and we’ll go from there.”

“Nate, you said you didn’t feel like Mrs.Hyatt’s interest in you was personal,” Aly was clearly a little uncomfortable, but intrigued and eager to help if she could.“It was more she just wanted to get back at her husband.So doesn’t that mean there could have been other men she, well, was trying to use that way?”

“Good angle, Aly,” Sam said.“So, anyone she might have employed, that could have been her MO.Or what about this friend she was staying with?Male?Female?Someone around the place to hit on?”

“The cops will have covered all these bases, wouldn’t they have?”Landon asked, always the voice of reason… and potentially doom.

Though Jill supposed reason and doom had a place in the Bennets’ lives.

“The cops would have, yes.But we might see something they don’t,” Cal said.

“They’ll overlook things.Especially if they want it to be Nate,” Sam muttered.“Which theydo.”

“It’s a good start,” Cal said.“The husband, the girlfriend, and anyone Jules might have employed or stayed with.For now, we’ll just split up our people of interest and do a little light internet stalking, huh?”

*

Cal assigned everyonea person to search.Nate and Sam could look into Michael Hyatt and the girlfriend since they already had that information and anything they found could be claimed as part of the case Nate had already investigated.Cal would handle trying to find anyone Jules might have employed, and he’d given Jill the name of the woman Jules had been staying with.

Landon and Aly weren’t going to be of much help at this juncture, neither particularly internet savvy nor people who left their ranch much, but Cal knew they’d jump into help wherever they could.

It felt like progress, and Cal was revved.