Page 116 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

“You’re biased.”

“No, I’m not.”

In my short time here, Pops had given me the freedom to do my job. He was always there as a resource, but he didn’t micromanage the station or demand to know what was happening with certain cases.

I was sure that Frank had given Pops an earful about Briggs Eden, but Pops hadn’t waded into the fray. He trusted me to do my job and make the right decision.

“Can I talk to you about something confidential? While you’re still my boss?”

“I’m all ears.”

“It’s about Lily Green. And Harmony Hardt.”

I told him about the wallet and the purse. About how I’d found them at Briggs Eden’s cabin and everything he’d told me when I’d brought him into the station last month.

It was all information I hadn’t wanted to burden him with after his heart attack. That and nothing else had come from my investigation. There were no more leads to follow, no more questions to ask. Gossip about Briggs had mostly faded away too.

“There were no fingerprints besides those belonging to Briggs,” I told him. “Not even the girls’ prints. Which leads me to believe that someone put them up there for Briggs to find.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure.” It had been bothering me for a month, but as I turned it around in my head, over and over, nothing made sense. I’d even called Cole in Bozeman to get my former partner’s opinion on the case.

Cole had been as stuck as I was.

And without evidence, I was stuck.

“Maybe someone is trying to set Briggs up,” I said. “To tie him to both Lily and Harmony. That purse might just be a replica of Harmony’s. Maybe it was Lily’s.”

Without fingerprints, I wasn’t sure. I’d tried to hunt down a recent purchase on Lily’s credit card statements but there was nothing that had shown her buying a leather purse. I’d even stopped by some shops downtown to see if they sold it and no one had recognized it.

“If the purse was Lily’s, it would explain why it was in such good shape,” I said. “Maybe she bought it and never showed it to her mother.” And it would explain why it had been with the wallet. “She might have dumped both before . . .”

“Poor kid.” Pops shook his head.

“There’s one more option. Briggs might have been there the nights they died, and he took Harmony’s purse and Lily’s wallet.”

“And then left his trophies on a bookshelf for you to see?” Pops blew out a long breath. “It’s a stretch.”

“Maybe he doesn’t remember where he found them. Maybe he wasn’t lucid.”

“For Lily, it’s probable. From everything you’ve told me, he’s slipping. But Harmony Hardt died years ago. I don’t think Briggs has been experiencing severe symptoms for long. Let me play devil’s advocate. What if he was there? What if he had something to do with it?”

“I have no evidence.” Speculation, however, I had in abundance. “Someone could be setting him up. Someone who wanted me to think that he might have had a hand in their deaths.”

“Who?”

I shrugged. “The only person I’ve ever heard talk badly about him is Frank.”

“And that’s all old drama.” Pops waved it off. “Frank’s a good friend, but between me and you, he’s always had a bone of contention with the Edens. It’s jealousy. Plain and simple. So take whatever he’s told you with a grain of salt.”

“I have.” I sighed. “I just . . . I feel like I’ve let these girls down.”

“You want answers.”

“Very much.” For their families. “I’m missing a piece. Had Lily left a suicide note or had there been a sign she was struggling, I might not feel like this. But as it stands, I can’t let it go.”

“You need to.” Pops put his hand on my forearm. “I’m saying this as your boss. You’ve done everything you can to make sense of their deaths. But, Winnie, people go through dark times. You know this.”