craftfield 01 - secrets untold by brooklyn shivers Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t ring true. Her gut knotted at the thought of it only being a theft. Mom would’ve let the robber have whatever he wanted, wouldn’t she? If she could talk to her mom before all this happened, she’d have told her the money wasn’t worth her life.
    "Did Betty have anyone she didn't get along with?" Deputy Wells asked. “Anyone she argued with, or who gave her a hard time?”
    Finally, they were asking the right questions. She dotted her eyes with a handkerchief. “Yes, Mr. Griffin, who shares the wall with us, is always trying to get mom to sell. Was trying.” It felt so strange to speak of her mom in the past tense, and it was something she didn’t want to get used to either. “Oh, and Camie was supposed to come by and pick up half a dozen ice cream cakes for a party. When I left, she hadn’t arrived. Did she come in after me? Before Mom…”
    “We’ll look into that and let you know.” Garza placed his hand over hers.
    Deputy Wells coughed, and Garza removed his hand quickly. “Anyone else? Did she gamble or owe anyone money?”
    Lily shook her head. “No. We paid our bills on time and everyone loved my mom.” I loved her.
    The pen scratched across the paper as Wells wrote, then he looked up. “You mentioned your aunts to Deputy Garza, right?”
    “Yes.” She swallowed.
    “Do you want some water or coffee?” Garza asked, his voice smooth and full of concern. His hazel eyes were full of compassion and her heart fluttered.
    “No thanks, I’ll be all right.” She turned back to the elder man. “Yes, I’ve two aunts, my mom’s sisters. They are out of town. I’ve sent them messages, but they haven’t responded.” She bit her lip.
    “Do you know where they’re staying? We can contact the local authorities or hotel and get a message to them.” Deputy Garza smiled sympathetically.
    “The Bahamas. I don’t know where.”
    Both deputies exchanged a look.
    “It’s true.” She crossed her arms. “Every year about this time, they vanish into the tropics. I don’t know why. I’ve never been allowed to go with them - neither my mother either. They’re gone for months and come back by spring.”
    “What are their names? And we’ll need their contact information as well. Maybe we can track them down on our end.” Garza tapped his fingertips in a rhythmic pattern on the table.
    “Jessica and Martha Thomas.” She gave the deputy their phone numbers and address.
    Wells wrote furiously across the paper. “Thank you, I think we have enough to go on. We’ll interview this Mr. Griffin and Camie…”
    “Barnes.” Lily finished for him. She hoped they caught her mom’s killer. What if the person who’d murdered her mom came back? How was she going to continue? Would she even want to be in the same place where her mom had died? With all those memories and what she’d lost constantly bombarding her. She shuddered.
    “Thank you, we’ll be in touch.” Garza stood and held out his hand.
    She shook it and the warmth of it surprised her. Holding onto her hand a bit longer than expected, he cleared his throat and dropped his hand.
    “I’m sorry for your loss.” Deputy Garza handed her a card. “Here’s my contact information. If you think of anything at all, give me a call.”
    Wells straightened and closed the folder. “We’ll be in touch.”
    “Wait. What about my mom’s… body?” How did people deal with this? Not only did she have grief raking its claws down her insides, but she had to deal with the funeral, cops, and some murderer who may or may not return. She hoped they caught whoever killed her mom and threw them in jail forever. No, she wanted them to suffer like her mom had.
    “The forensic team should be done with her body in a few days.” Wells stood.
    “And we’ll let you know if we find anything and we’ll have your aunts call you as soon as we locate them. Garza gave her a slight smile. “Maybe they’re already on their way here now.”
    She followed them out