Page 107 of Hell Hath No Fury

Emma hadn’t spoken to Matthias since they left Fran’s house. He knew from the look she’d given him that she believed he’d been too heavy-handed.

As they neared Washington, he decided she’d had enough time to fume. “Are you ever going to talk to me again?”

She kept her head turned toward the passenger window. “You treated her like a real suspect.”

“Yeah. I did. Because for now she is.”

Emma pivoted to face him. “Who do you think she killed? Sonny? Or Winslow?”

There was a sharp challenge in her tone. One that Matthias didn’t want to contend with. “Didyoubelieve her when she claimed to have no idea about Winslow’s relationship with Jones?”

Emma’s mouth pressed into a tight frown. “No. I didn’t.”

“Okay then.”

“But I don’t—can’t—believe she’s capable of committing murder. Not once. Definitely not twice.”

“Why not?”

Emma took a few seconds to reply. “Because she helped me get in to see Eric. She could’ve lost her job over that, yet she risked everything to sneak me into the ER. And if she’d killed and buried Sonny, why on earth would she pretend to find him when we were standing right there?”

Matthias had to admit, her last question had him stumped. He didn’t peg Fran as stupid. “You don’t find it the least bit odd that, of all that property, she chose to metal detect at that one spot?”

“No, I don’t. She wasn’t detecting at ‘that one spot.’ She told us she’d been all over the site.”

He realized she had indeed said that when she’d found the bull’s nose ring. Up until then, it had been the most interesting thing she’d found.

Then she’d unearthed Jones.

“I’ll grant you that much,” Matthias said before asking, “What’s your take on how she reacted to the engraved band?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Emma rested her fingertips on her lips. “I admit it was strange. The way she reacted… the ring almost seemed… personal.”

Exactly what he’d thought. “You don’t suppose it was hers, do you?”

He expected Emma to argue with him. Instead she fell silent for several long moments. “I don’t know, but I’m positive it was more than just another piece of bling from a metal detecting session. It meant something to her.”

“Could Fran and Jones have been an item?”

“I hate to say it, but I’ve been wondering the same thing. I can’t picture the two of them together, but Sonny could be charming. And Fran was lonely…”

In other words, Matthias thought,yes.

He dug his phone from his pocket. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he thumbed the device and pulled up Fergusson’s number.

“What is it, Honeywell?” The trooper sounded more tired than miffed.

“I may have a lead for you. Where can we meet?”

“A lead on which case?”

“Both.”

After a brief silence, during which Matthias heard the sound of shuffling papers, the trooper replied, “It’s almost five. Meet you at the Pub on Main in a half hour.”

* * *

Emma’s argument to join Matthias for his meeting with Fergusson went nowhere. She’d known it wouldn’t, but still, she wanted to be part of it. Matthias pointed out that she should visit her sister, and he was right.