Jamie Quinn Cozy Mysteries Collection

Chapter 6

"Can you please tell me what"s going on?" I asked.

please My aunt and I were sitting at the table, not talking, despite my best efforts. Adam was still in the corner, shutting out the world just like he did when he was a kid--before intensive therapy and an obsession with music helped him learn to cope. He would come around when he was ready. Until then, it was best to leave him alone. Poor Aunt Peg looked so haggard; it was as if twenty-two years of safeguarding Adam had finally done her in. Not even when she and Dave were divorcing, their marriage collapsing under the strain of caring for Adam, had she looked this defeated. She was only forty-two, but she looked sixty-two at that moment, with bags under her eyes and deep wrinkles on her forehead. I watched her pick up a paper clip from the table, twisting and untwisting it until it finally broke. She looked up at me.

"Jamie, I want to wake up from this nightmare, but I can"t! It all started this morning…I dropped Adam off at his music lesson, like I always do. He"s been taking drum lessons at the music store on Harrison Street. When I went to pick him up an hour later, there were police cars and an ambulance blocking the road. I almost crashed the car I was so terrified--I thought something had happened to Adam! Any mother would’ve panicked, but it was worse for me because of Adam. He doesn"t see trouble coming. He"s too trusting, even after what happened with those horrible kids…"

She started crying again and I dug a tissue out of my purse. Divorce lawyers always have tissues handy.

"Then what happened, Aunt Peg?" I couldn"t imagine where this story was going.

"I stopped a policeman--it was more like I grabbed him--and demanded to know what was going on. He said there had been a homicide! I started crying and screaming for Adam and then…he…he said…Adam wasn"t hurt, but they were taking him into custody!"

She was on the verge of hysteria, so she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. I"d seen Adam use this calming technique before.

I waited a minute and then gently prodded her, "Aunt Peg?"

She continued as if she were in a trance. "I followed the police car back to the station. At first, they weren"t going to let me in here because Adam is over eighteen but, when they saw him like this, they changed their minds." She stopped and looked at Adam with tears in her eyes.

"Margaret Muller, look at me!" I snapped.

"What, Jamie?"

"Will you tell me who died already?"

"I"m sorry, I thought I told you--it was Adam"s music teacher, Spike. One of the other teachers heard a scream and ran into the room. He saw Adam standing over Spike"s body. And he had blood on his hands… "

I jumped up from my chair. "Oh my God, that"s terrible! But Adam must"ve found him like that, right?"

"That"s what I said, but they arrested him anyway!" She buried her face in her hands.

I felt the room closing in on me. The air was so stifling I thought I would pass out. This was way worse than anything I could"ve imagined. Think, Jamie, think! Whenever I have a crisis, I try to put things in perspective by asking myself: If I screw this up, is anybody going to die? Usually, the answer is no…

Think, Jamie, think! If I screw this up, is anybody going to die?Grace would be able to fix this, I was sure of it, but I needed more information. I started pacing back and forth, wearing a path in the new carpeting.

"Aunt Peg, we"re going to get through this, okay?" I put my arm around her shoulders, it was only a half-hug, but it seemed to do the trick. She nodded.

"Tell me what happened since you got here, has Adam said anything?"

"Not a word."

"Has anyone come in to talk to you?"

"Yes, a Detective Hernandez and a young man in a suit. I told them our attorney was on her way. I"m supposed to tell them when you get here."

I decided it was a good time to take out my phone and read the information Grace had sent. Talk about your crash course in criminal law! I was so far out of my comfort zone I didn"t think I"d ever find my way back. I remembered the statute I had in my briefcase (it was the only thing in there, aside from a legal pad) and took it out. I told my aunt to stay put, I was going to find Detective Hernandez.

"One more thing," I said, "and this is really important. Pretend we are not related. It"s better if they don"t think I have a stake in this, okay?"

"Alright, but what should I call you? Miss Quinn?"

"Actually, I prefer "your highness" or "my royal lady," but you can call me Jamie. Just for today." I laughed and kissed her on the cheek. In return, she squeezed my hand and gave me a weak smile. It seemed like a fair trade.