“Don’t say that.” I patted the chair next to me. “Come over here, I need to tell you something. Then we need to call Greg.”
I quietly explained what I actually knew about Kacey’s death, which was almost less than nothing, then dialed Greg’s number when I finished. Sadie looked pale, so I poured her more coffee as the phone rang.
“Hey, I’m in a meeting. Can I call you later?” Greg’s voice filled my ear.
“I think you need to come talk to Sadie. She found something on her doorstep this morning.” I pushed a brownie toward my friend, but she just stared at the temptation.
The pause at the end of the line worried me. “I was planning on stopping by later anyway.”
That didn’t sound good. Don’t jump to conclusions, Jill. I knew she was watching me, so I put on my best service smile and nodded. “Sooner would be better. I’ll wait here for you.”
“Please tell me it’s nothing incriminating.” Greg sighed and I could hear him rustling papers on his desk.
“You just need to see this.” I hung up, not wanting to explain more about the mysterious notebook that at the very least made Sadie look guilty for trashing the food truck. Not that I thought she’d do a thing like that, but maybe someone else had. Nick had been home last weekend. Would he have taken steps to protect his mom?
“Greg will be right here.” I tried to sound soothing, but Sadie didn’t respond. She stood and began to finish the batch of brownies she’d started when I’d arrived. I took a bite of the chocolate heaven and sipped on my coffee. There was a new dead body in town, and of course, I was already knee-deep in the investigation. Something that Greg hated, but this time, it wasn’t really my fault. All I’d done was visit a friend.
Keep telling yourself that.
By the time Greg arrived, Sadie was putting the last batch of brownies in the oven and a large pan sat on the counter, waiting to cool. And she still hadn’t said anything.
I excused myself, telling Sadie I’d be at home later if she wanted to talk, but I wasn’t sure she even noticed me leaving. Greg took me aside.
“You okay?” He brushed a brownie crumb off my lip. “You’re not too sugared up to drive, are you?”
I wiped my hand over my mouth. “I’m not driving. I’m walking.” I looked back at my friend, who now slumped in the chair I’d vacated. “Be gentle with her. I think her heart is still tender from the breakup.”
“I’m not insensitive,” Greg responded. “I’ll stop by the house later.”
I knew better than to ask if he’d catch me up, but I knew at least he’d tell me what happened with his discussion with Sadie. There was just no way she was involved with any part of Kacey’s murder or the break-in at the food truck. I paused one more time. “Do you think she needs a lawyer?”
This time, Greg was the one to pause, which worried me. “You may want to see if one of your old coworkers is available.” He held up his hand as I moved to go back into the garage-turned-bakery. “I’m not going to arrest her, at least not today. Today, I just need to know what she found and what she knows.”
As I walked home, I thought about the law firm where I’d spent ten years and wondered who owed me a favor and could take on Sadie’s case if she was arrested. I dialed the number from memory and left a message for Matt Clauson, the lawyer who had handled Aunt Jackie’s legal issues to call me back.
Walking by Esmeralda’s, I admired her green lawn. Due to the drought, we’d been put on a watering ban for our landscaping. February and my lawn was still a dull brown; waiting, hopefully, to come out of its dormant season. My neighbor’s lawn looked like it was out of a landscape painting. I’d have to confront the woman about her watering, even with the ban. It was my civic duty. Besides, her failure to comply was making me look like I didn’t care about my little house. I thought about walking back into town to catch her at her job as the police dispatcher, but I didn’t want to run into Greg. At least not yet. His comments about Sadie needing a lawyer were bothering me. He couldn’t believe she would break into the food truck, not Sadie. And what about the murder?
I unlocked my house and ran upstairs to change into my running clothes. I didn’t want to even consider the possibility, and running would help me clear my mind of these crazy thoughts. With Emma leashed, we headed down to the beach.