Flea Market Fatal by Brianna Bates Read Free Book Online Page A

old photographs and several awards for something called Moot Court. Missy didn't know what that was.
    "Oh wow, very cool."
    Florence nodded. "It's nice to go through this old stuff. But I've been trying to find a good graphic or symbol. Of course all I can think of are the scales of justice, but that's so cliche, and one thing I am not is cliche."
    Missy kept her thoughts to herself. Florence wore designer power suits, always had a new Gucci bag, and tried her damnedest to look like the Kardashian sisters. If anything she was too petite to pull off their look. She could have used some of Missy's cushioning. Missy would have been glad to give her some.
    "Lady Justice?" Missy asked, not sure she was even using the right term.
    "My second thought, but again, cliche."
    "You could set up the background to look like a court room, right? Maybe a judge's bench or the jury box?"
    "Oh, now that's an idea," Florence said, but Missy could tell she was just being polite.
    "Hey, while I have your ear--"
    "You want to know about the Switzer divorce, yes?"
    Missy was taken aback, though she shouldn't have been. Florence always seemed to know what everybody was thinking. "Well, yes."
    "From what I've heard you're the prime suspect," Florence said, and when Missy gave her a look, she quickly added: "I'm not a criminal attorney, but I could certainly recommend one to you at our firm."
    "I don't need a lawyer. I didn't kill Switzer."
    "Missy." Florence laughed incredulously. "I know you didn't. But what does that have to do with anything? If the police think you did or they think they can close the case by pinning it on you, they will. Cops don't like open murders on their books, especially in a small town like this. The mayor will apply a lot of pressure to get this resolved quickly. It's not an election year, but like they say, it's always an election year. And the police will move quickly. You should really think about retaining an attorney now. The sooner is always the better in these situations."
    "Thanks," Missy said. Political pressure or no, she couldn't believe that Tyler would arrest her if he truly didn't think she was the killer. He was an honest man. At least, he had been when they’d dated. Maybe the job in Philly had changed him. Maybe he was now like the police that Florence had mentioned: he didn't want any unsolved cases on the books. It would reflect poorly on him.
    And the more she thought about it, the more Tyler  had to suspect her. If he didn't think of her as prime suspect, people would say it was because of their prior history. His credibility as a police officer would be shot. He almost had to come after her to stay above reproach.
    Missy shuddered. It was times like these she almost wished she was back in high school. Things weren't necessarily easier back then, but they were simpler.
    Florence was staring at her.
    "Do you know anything about their divorce?" Missy asked.
    "Well..." Florence lowered her voice. "I'm on good terms with Loretta's new beau. I've worked with and against him on several real estate transactions. He's a stone cold killer..."
    "What?"
    Florence bobbed her head. "I meant in the courtroom and behind closed doors. That man always goes for the jugular in every negotiation. He's one of those people that won't let anything go and would rather cut off his nose to spite his face. When he first started practicing very few people took him seriously."
    Missy was intrigued. "Why?"
    "He used to be a bodybuilder. Everyone wrote him off, figuring his biceps were more powerful than his brains. But I guess he got the last laugh. He opened his own firm about twenty years ago."
    "Hmmm."
    "What is it?" Florence asked.
    "Oh, nothing." It was probably just a coincidence that the man had started his own business right around the time that her father and Albert had almost started theirs. "So what can you share about the divorce?"
    “Nothing juicy, I’m afraid."
    Missy felt let down. She had been