Love Can Be Murder

Deke's office and was startled to see Steve sitting behind Deke's desk with his back to them, the telephone to his ear, his feet propped on the credenza running along the wall. His position struck her as irreverent, considering the fact that his boss had just been offed.
    "I'll let you know if I hear from her," he said. "Later." When he turned to hang up the phone, he caught sight of them and jerked upright, dropped his feet to the floor, and sprang up. "Penny." His voice was squeaky and thin. "I, um, was just changing all the messages on voice mail and canceling appointments. What are you doing here?"
    "We just came to ask you a couple of questions," she said, "about this morning." She introduced B.J.
    "We're trying to figure out if the shooting incident this morning was deliberate," B.J. said. "Do you remember seeing anyone or anything out of the ordinary?"
    Steve's face went blank. "No—just Penny running out into the road. I nearly ran over her."
    "Where do you live?" B.J. asked.
    "About a mile from Hairpin Hill, just inside the city limits."
    "Do you own a gun?"
    Steve squinted, then crossed his arms. "I'm sorry—tell me again how you're connected to this situation." He looked back and forth between them.
    "I'm an investigator," B.J. said casually. "Just trying to eliminate the obvious scenarios."
    Steve wet his lips. "No, I don't own a gun." He reached down to pick up a stack of file folders. "Now, if you don't mind, I really need to call the courthouse and have Deke's cases postponed."
    Penny exchanged a glance with B.J., then looked back to Steve. "Thanks again for your help this morning. And for answering our questions. We'll let ourselves out."
    On the way through the lobby, Penny stopped by Steve's desk and hit the Recall button on the phone. She pursed her mouth, then looked at B.J. and jerked her head toward the front door. Once they were outside, he said, "What?"
    "I pulled up the phone number of the person Steve was talking to when we walked in."
    "Did you recognize the number?"
    "It was city hall—to be more specific, the mayor's office."

Chapter Eighteen

    Blood makes a nice colorant...

    "IT COULD HAVE BEEN an innocent phone call," Penny admitted as they climbed into B.J.'s smelly car. "It would make sense that Mona would be calling Deke's office and keeping tabs on me... if I was the 'her' Steve mentioned he'd be keeping an eye out for."
    B.J. grunted. "Steve Chasen didn't seem to be that torn up about losing his boss... or his job."
    "I noticed."
    "Would he stand to gain anything from your ex's death?"
    She lifted her shoulder in a slow shrug. "Not that I know of. He didn't have ownership in the practice, and he's not an attorney, so it's not as if he can take over Deke's clients."
    "Is that BMW his?" he asked, pointing to the gleaming white car parked nearby.
    "Yeah."
    "Pretty snazzy ride on a paralegal salary." B.J. put his own not-so-snazzy car in gear. "Okay, let's see if we can find Diane Davidson."
    Penny called directory assistance, but the number and address were unlisted. "I think we have it at the shop," she said, then dialed. After several rings, Marie answered breathlessly.
    "Charm Farm, this is Marie."
    "Marie, it's Penny."
    "Penny! Thank goodness it's you," Marie whispered. "People have been coming in all morning and leaving voodoo dolls. We have trash bags full! And some detective has been tromping around in the garden, and now he's asking questions."
    Penny swallowed hard. "Is his name Maynard?"
    "Yeah, that's it," Marie said.
    "What kinds of questions?"
    "About the garden, about the party, about the voodoo doll. He's talking to Guy now."
    "Don't worry," Penny said on an exhale. "Just be truthful."
    Marie made a fretting noise. "I don't want to get you into trouble."
    Panic darted through Penny's chest. How much had she complained to Marie about Deke? Had she said things that could be misconstrued? "Just be honest," she said carefully. "Marie, you know I didn't kill Deke."
    Marie's silence wasn't comforting.
    "Marie? Don't you?"
    "Well, of course...but I'd understand if... I mean, I'm not saying you would, but if I were in your shoes, I might."
    Heat flooded Penny's chest and face. Good grief, if even Marie thought she'd killed Deke, she was sunk. She turned toward the window, angling her body away from B.J. and lowering her voice. "I didn't kill him, Marie, you have to know that."
    "Okay," Marie breathed. "Should I tell him about my friend Melissa and Deke?"
    "Yes," Penny