First In Series Sampler, Volume 1

Chapter 6

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MORGAN WASN"T EVEN aware that she picked up the coffee cup and started to drink until the hot coffee scalded her lips. It seemed to be just what she needed to bring her out of her daze, and she looked across the table to see Jenny staring at her intently.

"Jenny, what"s going on?"

"That"s what we need to find out. Talk me through your day. What time did you get to the island, and what did you do when you got here?"

Morgan did as Jenny directed and quickly outlined what she had done all day. It didn"t take long because she hadn"t really done much. She had spent most of her time driving to get to the island. When she reached Pearl Island, she"d made a quick stop to fill up her gas tank, grab a drink, and then she had wandered down to the beach. After that, she waited her turn to cross over the one-lane bridge and then arrived at her aunt"s house.

"And it was after 2 o"clock that you went down to the beach and talk to your aunt?"

"Yeah, I"m positive. I looked at the clock before I walked down to the shore. It surprised me no one was here because I knew she was expecting me. Then I remembered how much my aunt loved to walk the beach, so I figured that"s where she went. And sure enough, that"s where I found her."

"Positive about that time?"

Morgan looked at the officer sitting across from her, wondering why the time was so important, and she nodded her head in affirmation.

"Okay, that seems pretty matter-of-fact. Do you think there"s anybody that could collaborate your story?"

"Well, yes, the cashier at the gas store. Wait a minute, I can do better than that. I have the receipt from the gas. I put it on my credit card. I bet that will say what time I purchased the gas."

"That"s great, Morgan. If you"ll hand it to me, I"ll keep it for evidence."

"Evidence? Why do you need evidence against me?"

"Because Sirena was adamant that she saw you kill your aunt. We need that receipt to disprove her claim and clear your name."

Morgan understood Jenny"s point and, reaching across the table, grabbed her purse that was sitting on the counter. Digging through her wallet, she pulled up the receipt and started to hand it to Jenny. She hesitated a moment and then grabbed her phone and took a quick picture of it. Then she looked at the officer apologetically.

"I"m sorry, it"s not that I don"t trust you. But I don"t know you, and I just got to this island and found my aunt murdered and somebody trying to pin it on me. This is for my protection."

Jenny looked at Morgan with respect. Meredith had always told her that her niece was smart as a whip, street-savvy. Morgan had just proved her aunt"s words to be true.

Before either woman could say another word, there was a knock on the door, and before they could answer, it was opened to reveal Jenny"s partner, Stanley. Behind him was another man, one that Morgan vaguely recognized from her past. But it wasn"t until he spoke that she remembered him.

"Morgan, I"m so sorry I wasn"t there for Meredith. But I"m here now to help you in any way I can."

It was hard not to see the anguish in the older man"s eyes. He was hard hit by Meredith"s death, and Morgan remembered that he and her aunt had been close, rarely apart from each other. She had often seen him when she visited her aunt, and the woman had often talked about Dylan, both in her letters and when they spoke on the phone. Suddenly Morgan felt like she had a friend in her corner. Without waiting for Morgan to answer, Dylan pulled a chair up next to her and reached over to grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. Then he looked over at Jenny and Stanley.

"What are you two doing about finding Meredith"s murderer?"

Stanley popped his chest out as if insulted and pointed his finger at Morgan.

"Well, according to an eyewitness, this here is our murderer. She was seen at the crime."

"Umm, Stanley, I think we have a problem with our timeline. Did you speak to the coroner before you left?"

Jenny stood up and faced her partner, trying to get him to shut up before he said anything more to make himself look foolish.

"Yeah, I spoke to him briefly. Why?"

"Did he give you an approximate time of Meredith"s death?"

Three sets of eyes turned to Stanley as they waited for his answer. Jenny had a good idea what he would say, but she needed him to say it out loud so the others could hear it.

"As near as he can figure it without examination, the coroner’s placing the death sometime early this morning. Approximately 6 AM."

"That"s what I thought too. Basing it just on the tides, there was no way Meredith"s body had been there any earlier without being pulled out to sea, as close as it was to the shore. Besides that, Morgan has proof that she arrived on the island this afternoon, not this morning."

"Then who did Sirena see? She insists she saw someone bent over the body, and when Morgan Seaver showed up at the beach, she was quick to identify her. Sirena would have no reason to lie," Stanley countered.

While Stanley had been talking, Dylan had been getting paler and paler by the minute. Morgan looked at him, wondering what was going on, but he gave a slight shake of his head. It didn"t take much for her to realize he didn"t want to talk in front of the two police officers, and she wondered what was bothering him.

Morgan turned her attention back to the two officers who were quietly talking amongst themselves. Something clicked; the timeline made little sense. There was no way she could have spoken to her aunt if the coroner placed the time of her death early in the morning. He had to be wrong. She started opening her mouth to dispute the coroner, but once again, Dylan caught her attention and mouthed the word "no." Morgan raised her eyebrows at him, but self-preservation kicked in, and she kept her mouth closed. Jenny might be on her side, but she felt like Stanley was opposed to her being in the clear. He wanted to believe Sirena over the facts. And if she were to believe the facts as well, then when she had spoken to her aunt after her death. How was this even possible?