Page 83 of Hell Hath No Fury

“For the most part. I thinkIshould go. You need to stay here.”

He opened his mouth to argue.

Emma flashed a palm at him. “First off, you just got out of jailandthe hospital. You look like hell and need to rest. Second, you might be cleared of murder charges for the moment, but someone still wants to frame you with that shovel. It won’t look good to Trooper Fergusson if you take off again.”

Eric mulled over her words. “I have to confess, I am exhausted.”

“I know. You look like you’ve been through a meat grinder and then run over by a bus.”

He snorted. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse.” She looked at the Prius’s currently dark instrument panel. “Maybe Matthias will loan me his Jeep.”

“Loan? He should drive you. You talk about me just getting out of the hospital. What about you?”

“I want Matthias to stay here and make sure Trooper Fergusson doesn’t take you back into custody.”

Eric scowled at the thought. “Okay. Maybe you’re right. And yes, he’ll need his car.” He held her gaze. “If you’re absolutely sure you’re okay to drive…” He said it as a question.

“I am.” Emma was notabsolutelysure, but she was glad her voice held more conviction than she felt.

“Then you take this one.”

“I don’t know if I can drive it.”

Eric blew a raspberry. “You know how to start it. You know how to turn it off. You’ll do fine.”

Emma wasn’t so sure about that either.

ChapterTwenty-Five

Matthias arrived at Eric’s house, glad to see him and Emma waiting in the car outside. He parked his Jeep at the curb, grabbed a pair of nitrile gloves he kept in the center console, and leaped out. Emma met him on the lawn.

“Are you okay?” Matthias asked.

“We’re fine.” She didn’t sound fine. “I left the garage door open. The shovel is right there, leaning against the wall.”

“Did either of you touch it?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Good. Stay here. I’ll go in and clear the house.”

He started down the driveway when she called out, “Wait.”

He turned to find her striding toward him.

“You need the security code. The door between the garage and the basement has a keypad.”

Matthias recalled the first time they’d arrived at Eric’s front door. The hidden key. Emma said a burglar might find that key but wouldn’t know the code. “What about the garage door itself?”

“You only need the opener to get in. It’s not connected to the alarm, but the door between the garage and the basement is.”

“Whoever planted the shovel must’ve had Eric’s remote,” Matthias said, thinking out loud. But he didn’t say his next thought.Whoever planted the shovel had already broken into Eric’s car to plant the murder weapon.

Eric struggled out of his car, an arm protecting his ribs. “Or they knew the code for the keypad on the outside.”

“Let me guess,” Matthias said. “You use the same number for both the garage door and the alarm system.”