“This is why you two need to leave detective work to the pros. The blood on the deck that you think belongs to Appleton isn’t human, and he killed himself with a bad injection of heroine, not a gunshot.”

“You’re telling us it was an accident? What about the note where he confessed to killing Shelia?” I asked.

“I didn’t say it was an accident. You didn’t hear it from me, not that it matters once the press finds out, but he overdosed on purpose.”

White got up from his chair, indicating he was done. “The only crime I see is when you entered his cabin, but I’ll let it go if you two promise to quit playing detective.”

***

Except for small talk about Bonnie not having to get her sister involved, we hardly spoke on the trip home until she had me pull over at the liquor store in Evergreen. I waited in my Jeep while she went in for cigarettes. She surprised me when she came out with a shopping bag.

I got out and opened her door. Any other time she would object to anyone holding a door for her, but it was either that, or she would have to put the bag down and open it herself.

“I didn’t want to drink alone, Jake, so I got you a six-pack of your favorite beer,” she said.

I took the bag until she got in. “Thanks for thinking of me, Bon, but you know I gave it up for Julie.”

She looked up at me, and I gave her the bag. “Trust me. After today, she won’t mind if you have a couple.”

I must admit it was tempting, but I simply smiled and shut her door.

She waited until we were back on the road before speaking again. “We just admitted to breaking and entering and got off with only a warning. I don’t know how you can celebrate without a little drink.”

“I’m afraid it’s not quite over, Bon. Did you forget about your manicure kit?”

“I don’t follow, Jake. You got it back from those kids so how could the police trace me now? You don’t think they still suspect me, do you?”

“Deputy White doesn’t because it’s not his case. Shelia wasn’t murdered in Park County, but you can bet your next Social Security check the Lakewood police haven’t forgotten about that nail file.”

“But they would have arrested me by now if it was my file. My name is on the handle.”

“Okay, you got me there. I was sure it was Appleton who killed Shelia and hid the evidence in the kids’ trash. But it couldn’t be your file, not if your name is on it.”

“How do you figure it was Appleton? I thought you said it was Craig?”

“That was before I found your manicure kit in the trash. Let’s suppose Appleton broke into her place looking for her copy of Tom Sawyer when she was doing her nails. She screams when she sees him, then he grabs the file out of her hand and stabs her in the neck. He gets blood all over his shirt from the wound, so he takes off his shirt, grabs the manicure kit and throws everything in the nearest trash can when he leaves.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “And what was Shelia doing with my manicure kit in the first place? And why would Appleton want to hide it anyway?”

“I don’t know. Maybe White is right and we need to leave it to the pros. None of it makes any sense to me. When the cops find Appleton’s prints on the file you’ll no longer be a suspect and the case will be closed.” I said as I pulled into her driveway.

Bonnie fiddled with her pack of cigarettes. It was obvious she couldn’t wait to get out of my Jeep and light up. “Good idea, Jake. Now go get Freddie and come back down so we can celebrate.”

***

Fred acted like I’d been gone a month. He was still trying to get me to play with him long after we’d left our cabin and walked down the path to Bonnie’s. I quit throwing Fred’s stick when we started up her deck stairs for fear he might jump off the deck to retrieve it, but it didn’t stop him from trying to put it in my hand.

Bonnie was sitting on her porch rocker staring at her drink as if hypnotized and didn’t look up when I spoke. “Are you okay, Bon?”

I had caught her rubbing her chest and her face looked like she was in pain, but she smiled when she saw Fred.

“It’s that damn sister of mine. She’s all ticked off because I went without her lawyer,” she answered reaching out to pet Fred. “You must be starving, Freddie. Would you like Aunt Bonnie to get you something?”

“Please don’t bother, Bon. I think you need to go inside and lie down. We can celebrate some other time.”

She got up and started to go inside. “Nonsense, it’s just a little heartburn. Now sit down while I get us something to eat.” She went back inside before I could beg off. Fred understood the word ‘eat’, for he quit trying to put the stick in my hand, and started wagging his tail.

I opened a soda she had left for me on the table, and tried to think of a nice way to tell her we wouldn’t be staying for dinner. She may no longer be a suspect in Shelia’s murder, but it didn’t get me any closer to finding Julie’s ring and copy of Tom Sawyer. I needed to go while there was still enough daylight for me to sneak back to Appleton’s cabin and retrieve my property.

Fred couldn’t care less about my plans and went to Bonnie’s screen door. At first I thought he must have smelled her cooking something good until he started barking at me. “What’s wrong, Freddie?”

He ran over to me, barked again, and then ran back to the screen door.

I knew Fred better than any human. “Bonnie, are you okay in there?” I asked, getting up from my chair.

“Oh my God! Bonnie!” I yelled when I saw her lying on the floor.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Margot and her son, Jonathan, were already at the hospital waiting room when I arrived. I had called Margot right after the ambulance left, and then rushed down the mountain leaving Fred home alone. They couldn’t  have beat me there by more than a few minutes, for I saw a young Hispanic man get up and offer his chair to Margot when I walked in. All the others were taken.

“Hello, Margot,” I said after walking over to her. Then I turned to Jonathan, but before I could do more than nod my head, Margot spoke.

“I suppose we should thank you for saving Bonnie’s life.” Her makeup was smeared from wiping her eyes with the handkerchief she had in her hand.

“Thank the 911 operator. She told me how to give Bonnie CPR until the ambulance arrived. It’s what kept her alive until the paramedics took over.”

Jonathan looked up from the cell phone he had been texting with, despite the signs asking visitors to turn off their electronic devices. “We wouldn’t have to thank anyone if you hadn’t gotten her so upset. What kind of neighbor are you? Walking in here like everything is fine and dandy. You didn’t even ask how she’s doing.”

My first instinct was to tell him where he could put his cell phone, but I didn’t want to make any more of a scene than necessary. Evidently, we had become better entertainment than the magazines that people near us were reading. They didn’t even bother to pretend they weren’t listening.

“I asked at the desk. They said she’s going to be okay.”

“Why wouldn’t you let me get my lawyer involved instead of making her face the police by herself?” Margot asked. “She’s nearly seventy years old, my God. I’m surprised she didn’t die during the interrogation.”

I felt a rage building inside of me that counting to a hundred wouldn’t quell. They had just accused me of giving Bonnie a heart attack. Now I knew why Cain had killed his brother. But when I looked down to tell Margot off, I couldn’t. After she had wiped off her smudged make-up, she looked just like Bonnie. The only difference between the twins was their hair color.

“I’m sorry, Margot. I had no idea she had a heart condition.”

Her eyes darted from me to someone at the receptionist’s desk. She was so obvious that both Jonathan and I turned to look. A uniformed police officer had been talking to the receptionist and turned to look our way at the same time we had turned to look in his direction. Jonathan quickly looked away.