Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries)

entryway while he sat down in his recliner and flipped on the T.V. Nick walked around, past crumpled beer cans and empty pizza boxes, looking at family photographs and other things lying around. I’d never been in an investment banker’s home, but I couldn’t imagine that most of them looked like this one on the inside. I stayed back at the door out of Robbie’s sight in hopes it would make him a little more cooperative.
    “Can you tell me your whereabouts for yesterday morning between ten and eleven o’clock in the morning?” Nick finally asked.
    “I was here,” Robbie said, his eyes never leaving the T.V. “I haven’t been out of the house since the funeral.”
    “Huh, that’s strange because someone has been leaving photographs of Ms. Holmes here taped to her door and she’s been getting some threatening phone calls. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
    “Nope. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    He was either a really good poker player or he was telling the truth. Then I noticed his white knuckled grip on the T.V. remote.
    “So it’s just a coincidence that one of her neighbors saw you in the building late at night twice this past week.”
    This was the first I’d heard of this. I guess Nick had meant it when he said he’d take care of things.
    Robbie finally turned his head and looked at Nick. “If she’s getting photographs and phone calls it ’s probably because she deserves them. It wasn’t me. Do I need to call my lawyer?”
    “Only if you think you need to,” Nick answered. “You see, Robbie, I have enough on suspicion to bring you in for formal questioning. We have neighbors who can describe you, and you don’t have an alibi during the time of a murder. It all seems pretty suspicious to me.”
    “What the hell are you talking about?” Robbie asked. “What murder?” He finally turned off the television and gave Nick his full attention.
    “Let me tell you what I think, Robbie.” Nick’s voice was as soft and smooth as ever. It reminded me of the first time we’d met, when he’d questioned me in the same patient way. “I think you’re fixated on Ms. Holmes. I don’t know why and I don’t care, but stalking can be a felony in the state of Georgia. I think you’ve been following her and photographing her, and yesterday you followed her to the Catholic church where your brother’s funeral was held and took some pictures of Ms. Holmes doing some very private things in the crypt. Were you planning on blackmailing her?” Nick didn’t give Robbie a chance to answer, but instead went in for the kill. “And then do you know what I think, Robbie? I think you stumbled across someone who caught you in the act, and you shot him in cold blood. How does that sound to you? Pretty accurate?”
    Robbie whirled around and faced me, a look of absolute horror on his face. “ You were having sex in a church?” he asked.
    “I was not having sex!” I yelled. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me? And besides, I wasn’t in the church. I was in the crypt.”
    Robbie crossed himself. “I’ll never understand what Bernie saw in you. He loved you, and you flaunted yourself in front of other men. It drove him crazy the way men always flocked to you.”
    “Are you sure you’re talking about me?” I asked. “Because I think I’d remember if men were flocking. Usually the men in my life flock to other women. It seems to be a theme.”
    “It’s not funny. He’s dead because of you. You lured him to that place and someone killed him. Probably another of your jealous boyfriends.” Robbie was openly crying now, and I felt a little sorry for him.
    “I’m sorry. I don’t know where you got the impression that Mr. Butler and I were anything more than acquaintances, but that’s really all we were. It was as big a surprise to see him at The Foxy Lady as it was for him to see me.”
    “I don’t believe you.” Robbie crumpled to a heap in his chair and sobbed. “It was all in his diary. He had details of all the things you did sexually. He had dozens and dozens of pictures of you. How could you say you weren’t close? He was in love with you.”
    Nick took over at that point because I was trying to deal with the fact that my principal had been stalking me for months and I’d never caught on. How could I be that clueless?
    “And so you found your brother’s diary and the pictures of Ms. Holmes and you sent them to her because you blamed her for