Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries Collection

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

"Duke, let's stop at the state attorney's office. I want to tell him about this. Also, I'm dying to hear if they found Spike's video camera."

"Sure, whatever."

It was impossible to get past Nick's secretary. She insisted that we needed an appointment and she wouldn't budge. I said 'no problem' and we walked away. But once we were in the hallway, I called Nick on his direct extension and said I had information for him. When he agreed to see me, I asked him to let his secretary know. It was déjà vu walking back to her desk again, except that this time she was scowling at us. Without a word, she ushered us in, then closed the door in a huff.

"You sure know how to make friends, Quinn, I'll say that for you. What's up?" Nick asked.

"Nick, this is Duke Broussard, he's a PI who's been helping me. Duke, please tell Nick what you found out this morning."

After Duke finished, Nick looked impressed.

"That's good work, but we still have a problem proving Marian did it. We can place her at the scene, but she told police she had arrived after the murder."

"What about the camera, did you find it?" I asked, literally on the edge of my seat.

Nick frowned. "Yes and no. The camera was there and it was recording, but it didn't capture the murder. They must've been out of range."

The three of us sat there, absorbing that information. And then something clicked in my brain.

"That's still good news," I said.

"What the heck, Jamie?" Duke muttered.

"How do you figure?" asked Nick.

"Marian doesn't know about the camera! If she did, she would've erased it or taken it down," I said.

"So what? Duke said.

I just smiled. "Watch and learn, boys." I took out my cell phone and called Marian. I still had her number in my phone from our Starbucks meeting. My call went straight to voicemail, like I hoped it would.

After the beep, I said: "This is Jamie Quinn, sorry to bother you, but I have a quick question. Adam told me Spike had a camera in the ceiling to record his lessons. Before I tell the police, I want to know if it's true. Could you let me know? Thanks."

I turned to Nick. "You need to send someone over to The Screaming Zombie because she's going over there to grab that camera."

Duke looked quizzical. "How do you know she'll listen to the message?"

"Because she's cautious," I said. "She needs to know if anyone's onto her, so, of course, she'll listen to her voicemail. Once she hears about the camera, she'll race over there to destroy it. She doesn't know there's nothing on it." I was feeling pretty smug, I must admit.

Nick leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Not bad, Quinn," he said. Then he picked up the phone on his desk and made some calls. When he was done, the trap had been set. We just had to wait for Marian to make her move.