Page 57 of Hell Hath No Fury
“Hold on a minute.” Matthias turned again to Emma. “I have to take this.”
She managed a nod.
He stepped out of the Jeep and walked a few yards away before speaking in a low voice. “We tracked her to a grocery storewhere she bought a bottle of wine, then to the Highlander Club where she made a drug buy. But the trail’s gone cold. Has she contacted you?”
Eric sounded as weepy as Emma. “No.” He cleared his throat. “Matthias, I need your help.”
The request startled him. “What do you need me to do?”
“Talk to the people at the Pine Gables again. Or the funeral home. Or both. I need that alibi.” Eric choked. “I’ve been arrested for Sonny’s murder.”
ChapterSeventeen
Cassie immediately answered Matthias’s call with a snippy, “I haven’t heard back yet. Give me some time, will you?”
“Time,” he said, “is an issue.” He caught her up on Nell running away, the failed search for her, and on Eric’s arrest.
Cassie swore. “How’s Emma holding up?”
Standing on the sidewalk in front of his car, Matthias glanced at the Jeep. Through the windshield, he could see she hadn’t moved and still rested her head on the passenger window. “Not well. I haven’t told her the latest about Eric yet.”
“What? How come you know and she doesn’t?”
“He called me instead of her. They had a… difference of opinion.”
“About what?”
“He told Emma that Nell was too fragile to deal with her right now.”
“And big sister Emma ignored him.”
“Right. Now, he blames her for Nell running away.” And if Nell overdosed, as Matthias feared she might, Emma would never forgive herself.
“Matthias, you stay close to her,” Cassie said. “She needs you right now.”
“Yes, Mom,” he said with only a touch of sarcasm. “That’s why I could use your help. If I can’t do anything more to find Nell, I need to at least make sure Eric doesn’t go to trial for Jones’s homicide.”
“I’ll do what I can, but you might want to take a different route.”
“Such as?”
“Come on, Matthias. Use your head. Investigate the crime. If I can’t get my guy to track down a solid alibi for Eric, go find therealkiller.”
“That’s Fergusson’s job.”
“Okay. One, Fergusson’s an ass. And two, when has that ever stopped you?”
Matthias again looked toward Emma. This time, she was watching him. “Point taken.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.”
The line went dead. Matthias pocketed his phone as he walked back to the Jeep.
“What’s going on?” Emma asked.
He blew out a breath. “Eric called. He’s been arrested.”
Her lips parted into an O as she processed the news. “Don’t they need probable cause to do that?”
