“Elle was released this morning,” Kenwood said.

  Sadie looked at him and frowned. “Why? Kenwood, she’s the main suspect in this murder. Palmer found her hair knotted up with the tights that killed Emma. And, like I mentioned last night, Elle has been acting too strange. How could you let her go so easily? You should have at least given me a chance to come down here to talk to her before letting her go.”

  Palmer showed up and peeked into the office. “What’s this about letting someone go? Who was let go?”

  “Elle,” Sadie said as she turned to him. “Good morning, Palmer.”

  “Good morning,” he said curtly, quickly turning a questioning glare to Kenwood. “You let Elle go? Did you even bother to take a close look at the case? I’m the one who looked at the evidence. Elle’s DNA is all over the murder scene. Did you really just come back from the big city this morning and decide to let a murderer go free?”

  Kenwood nodded as he returned behind his desk but remained standing.

  “Why?”

  Sadie stood between Kenwood who remained behind his desk and Palmer who remained in the doorway. Looking back and forth between the two, she tried to make sense of what was going on.

  “Because we have nothing on her,” Kenwood said. “Elle didn’t kill her sister.”

  “Nothing? What do you mean we have nothing?” Palmer said, clearly upset. “Her DNA was on the murder weapon. All over the scene. You weren’t there. How could you know anything about the case?”

  “You’re talking about the few hairs that you found knotted up in the tights that were tied around Emma’s neck, right.”

  “Yes.”

  “What else?”

  “What do you mean, what else? Emma’s tights were covered with Elle’s hair. Elle was upset that Emma was going to get married and move away from her. I mean, the rest of the DNA that we found around the kitchen is hardly proof of any wrongdoing considering the fact that Elle also worked at the tea shop. It’s only normal that some of her DNA be here and there.”

  “Kenwood,” Sadie said as she turned to look at him. “What are you saying? Why don’t you think that Elle’s DNA on Emma’s tights is sufficient to at least take a closer look at Elle? It is stranger that Elle’s hair would be on Emma’s tights... don’t you think?”

  “No.”

  “Then why? Why isn’t it enough?” Sadie pressed.

  “Because Elle has a solid alibi that we’ve been able to confirm,” Kenwood said.

  Palmer’s eyes narrowed. “And what alibi is that?”

  “Elle had an appointment with her doctor that afternoon.”

  “She could have made it back to the tea shop in time to commit the murder.”

  “No,” Kenwood said firmly. “I personally spoke to Dr. Gina Oswald. Elle was in Dr. Oswald’s office from ten minutes to two until almost two-thirty. As I’m sure you already know, Emma was found hanging in the kitchen at fifteen after two. The paramedics arrived at the tea shop at eighteen after two. The ambulance arrived at the hospital at twenty-one after two and Emma was pronounced dead at two-thirty-nine.” He looked up at Sadie. “And you confirmed that you saw Emma, alive and well about ten to fifteen minutes before you heard the scream. Which would put Emma’s attack and subsequent murder at about five after two.”

  Impressed, Sadie looked at Kenwood and nodded. “You’ve barely been back in town twenty-four hours, and you’ve already got all that.”

  Kenwood looked at her and smiled, causing Palmer to groan. “I have been at this for a little while, Sadie. I know better than to jump to conclusions too fast.”

  Palmer bristled and breathed loudly but said nothing as his cheeks turned bright red.

  “It’s not just a matter of finding any culprit just to fulfill some desire to solve the case,” Kenwood said. “We have to be sure that we have the right person. We have to do everything that we can to ensure that we have the guilty party and that we have the proof to lock them up.”

  “So,” Palmer said, his tone hard and frustrated. “If Elle didn’t kill Emma, who did?”

  Kenwood sat in his chair, leaned back and looked up at Palmer then at Sadie. “I’m surprised that neither of you have asked why Elle was at the doctor’s office that day. Aren’t you curious?”

  Sadie cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t think it was relevant. I assumed it was just a routine check-up.”

  “Same here,” Palmer said. “What does the reason for going to the doctor have to do with Emma’s death?”

  Kenwood glared at him, then turned his warm eyes to Sadie. “Am I right to assume that neither of you know what kind of doctor Dr. Oswald is?”

  Palmer shrugged. “Sorry if I’m not up on my local doctors.”

  “I don’t know either, Kenwood,” Sadie offered.

  “Dr. Oswald is an OBGYN.”

  “What the hell is that?” Palmer said.

  “Oh, my God,” Sadie whispered. She reached for the chair that faced Kenwood’s desk and sat down. “Oh, my God.”

  “What?” Palmer said. “What the hell is an OBBYN?”

  “An OBGYN,” Kenwood said slowly. “Obstetrician/Gynecologist.”

  “Oh,” Palmer let out with a shrug.

  Sadie glanced up at Palmer who still didn’t understand the meaning of this doctor’s visit, then she looked at Kenwood.

  He looked at her then at Palmer. “Are either of you aware that Elle is one month pregnant?”

  Sadie looked back at Palmer who stared, red-faced at Kenwood.

  “Okay,” Palmer said after a moment of thought. “So, Elle is pregnant. Does that really change anything in this scenario?”

  Kenwood pressed his lips tightly together and stood. His brow furrowed. “It changes everything.”

  Chapter 9

  After her meeting with Kenwood rather abruptly, she had decided to go to the tea shop to talk to Elle herself.

  “Want me to come with you?” Palmer had offered.

  “I don’t think so, Palmer,” Sadie had said. “I need to do this on my own.”

  The disappointment on his face had been unmistakable. It was understandable. The meeting with Kenwood had not been very flattering to Palmer and the pain of it was evident. Kenwood had stopped short of calling Palmer incompetent.

  After announcing that Elle was pregnant, Kenwood had said nothing else about the case. Simply that he had a few more things to check on before he confirm his suspicions.

  Now, standing at the counter of the Grandy Tea Shop, Sadie played idly with her cute little porcelain tea cup as she tried to understand Elle’s actions. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant?”

  Elle shrugged and glanced around the shop. Several customers were enjoying their steaming cups of tea as they watched the flurry of leaves outside.

  “Emma loved autumn,” Elle said softly, ignoring Sadie’s question. “She even loved winter, if you can believe it. She enjoyed the biting cold on her skin, the big fluffy snowflakes and the still silence of the forest on a sunny day.”

  Sadie smiled and simply allowed Elle to reminisce.

  Elle chuckled. “The only thing she hated about the fall were those who refused to pull out a rake to gather up the leaves, but who opted to use a leaf blower instead.”

  “But no one uses a leaf blower in Fortune Falls,” Sadie argued. “We have a municipal by-law that prohibits the use with only a few exceptions... like large commercial facilities.”

  Elle smiled as she looked directly into Sadie’s eyes. “Yeah,” she said with pride. “That’s Emma. She’s the one who had that by-law implemented. She argued that it was far too invasive in its way of disrupting the peace of virtually anyone within a half-mile radius of the running leaf blower.”

  Sadie smiled. “I had no idea,” she said with a slight shake of her head.

  “Yeah,” Elle said. “Emma was a fighter. When something didn’t suit her, when it didn’t seem right, when she saw that there was a better way... she went for it.” Elle gestured with her hand at the shop around her. “Look at this place. This is her.”

  “This is the first time you’ve spoken about her since... well...”

  “I still can’t accept that she’s gone,” Elle said. She gently ran her hand over her belly that still showed no signs of her pregnancy. “And with everything else that’s going on... well.”

  “Which brings me back to my original question,” Sadie said. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant?”

  “It’s complicated, Sadie.” Elle looked at her with a strange blend of sad happiness. “You know me. I don’t like to keep secrets. But this is just one of those times when I needed to keep this to myself. At least for now. It’s been so impossible making sense of everything. I get good news one day, then bad news the next, then good news again, only to have devastating news after that.”

  Sadie nodded her understanding.

  Elle looked over Sadie’s shoulder as a customer walked in. “I know that everyone wants to show their support by coming over for a nice cup of tea, but without Emma, dealing with the influx of customers is proving to be more than I can handle. I’ll be right back.”

  Sadie took a sip of her tea and watched Elle greet the two older women who’d just walked in. She guided them to a vacant table by the window, took their orders then headed to the kitchen. Moments later, she emerged with a round tray laden with a small, bright green teapot adorned with tiny pink flowers and matching teacups and saucers. Smiling, she went to the women’s table and chatted a bit as she set the teapot down along with the small and delicate teacups.

  “Sorry about that,” Elle said when she returned to Sadie. “Like I was saying, all these customers are hard to keep up with. And that sympathy look... I can’t stand it anymore. Everyone looks at me, expecting me to crumble. They want to talk about Emma, and I know that their intentions are good, but...”

  “I wish I could help,” Sadie said as she put her hand over Elle’s for a brief moment. “I wish I could give you a hand around here. Truth is, I’m having trouble keeping up with my own responsibilities lately.”

  Elle smiled. Her gaze darted to the door for the briefest moment, then returned to Sadie. “Emma was always so good with the customers. She had a way of chatting with them, explaining the various teas... you know, where they came from, how they were harvested... things like that.” She waved her hands around as she spoke. “Me. I don’t know. I like the creative aspect of it all. And then there are the toffees that I really enjoy making. I was hoping to veer off and make a go at making them and... now...”

  “You’re rambling, Elle,” Sadie said as she reached out to calm Elle’s hands. She also noted the numerous times that Elle’s gaze had gone to the door. “Are you sure you’re all right? You seem so... on edge... nervous.” She looked over her shoulder at the door. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “No. Of course not. I mean, other than our next customer.”

  “What about Adam?” Sadie said softly.

  “What about him?” The question was open and honest.

  “Are you expecting him to drop by?”

  “Not particularly,” Elle said with a shrug. “I know that he’s having a hard time with all this as well. We’ve been leaning on each other a bit... but... no. I don’t expect him to stop by. I reminded him of Emma, that’s why he had been so friendly with me, but now, he’s really missing her, like I do.”

  Sadie looked into Elle’s eyes, trying to read her.

  “Uh oh,” Elle muttered, her eyes on the door.

  “What is it?” Sadie turned and saw Kenwood getting out of his car.

  “What now?” Elle said. “I couldn’t believe it when they arrested me, and then I was relieved when they released me. And now, are they coming to arrest me again? I don’t know if I can stand this anymore.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure that he’s just coming by to...” Sadie’s statement ended there as she watched Kenwood come to the door and immediately make his way over to them.

  There was something stern and determined in his eyes. His lips were pressed into a straight line... not the slightest glimpse of a smile.

  “Hello, ladies,” Kenwood said. He nodded at Sadie, then looked to Elle.

  “Hi, Kenwood,” Sadie said softly.

  Elle fidgeted nervously with the edge of her sleeve. She remained silent as she waited for Kenwood to say more.

  “Mind if we go in the back to talk?” he said.

  Elle looked at Sadie, her eyes suddenly filled with fear and concern. “Why?” she said, her voice soft and weak.

  Sadie could sense that she was at the end of her rope. This was all too much.

  “Please,” Kenwood said.

  “It’ll be all right,” Sadie felt obliged to say, even though she had no idea what Kenwood wanted to say to her. “I’m sure it’ll be all right, Elle.”

  “You can come, too,” Kenwood told Sadie.

  “Good,” Sadie said. “Thank you.”

  Elle led the way to the kitchen, repeatedly glancing behind her as Kenwood and Sadie followed her. Wiping her hands repeatedly on the little black apron that she wore over her starched red dress, she turned to face Kenwood as if she were turning to face her executioner.

  “I don’t mean to make this more dramatic than it has to be, but I didn’t want to have to discuss this out there with everyone around you,” Kenwood said.

  “Okay,” Elle said. “What do you have to say?”

  “I think you’re going to need to come with me,” Kenwood said.

  “Kenwood! Why?” Sadie blurted out. “What do you have on her? You can’t do this.”

  Kenwood glanced at her, then returned his gaze to Elle. “I’m not arresting you, Elle. I’m bringing you into protective custody. This is for your safety.” He glanced down at her belly. “And for the safety of your child.”

  Elle’s lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out. She brought the hem of her apron up in front of her and crumpled up the fabric over and over again.

  “What are you talking about, Kenwood?” Sadie said, sensing that Elle was about to lose her wits. “Protect her from what? From who?”

  Kenwood inhaled deeply and looked at Elle. “We have to put you in the Witness Protection Program.”

  “The what?” Sadie called out. “Kenwood. This is nonsense.”

  But Kenwood kept his eyes on Elle. “You’ll go away, get a new identity and start over.”

  Docile and quiet, Elle seemed resigned to the fact. She nodded as she gripped the edge of the counter behind her.

  “You’ll come with me, Elle,” Kenwood went on. “We’ll go down to the police station. From there, we’ll get you out the back door and into another car where you’ll be taken out of town. At a predetermined location, you’ll be transferred into yet another car, and from there you’ll be taken to an undisclosed location.”

  “Kenwood,” Sadie said as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “You’re asking her to leave Fortune Falls? What possible reason could you have for doing that? You’re asking her to give up her life here.”

  Kenwood turned to her. “Your friend Palmer really made a mess of this case, Sadie. He jumped to conclusions far too fast and missed a big part of the puzzle.”

  “Which is...?”

  “The murderer in this case wasn’t out to kill Emma. He was out to kill Elle.”

  Sadie gasped with shock but was surprised by Elle’s passive reaction. Running her hand idly over the counter, Elle seemed to have been expecting that bit of news.

  “You were involved with Richard Player, weren’t you?” Kenwood asked Elle.

  She nodded and brought her other hand over her belly.

  “Richard Player,” Sadie said softly, almost to herself. “I’ve heard that name before. He’s...” She sought the identity of this man. She was certain that she’d read the name somewhere... perhaps a news article or... “Oh, yeah. He’s the playboy son of that billionaire Maxwell Player.

  Elle let out a quiet sob. Silent tears streaked her face as she hand repeatedly ran over her belly.

  “You’re pregnant with Richard Player’s child?” Sadie said.

  Nodding, Elle broke down and cried, now sobbing loudly. “Everything was like a fairy tale. Richard was such a romantic. He was caring and fun and adventurous and... He was everything. He and I loved each other. We were so good together. We had so many plans and dreams. Our future together...” Her voice cracked and she closed her eyes for a moment. “When he found out that I was pregnant... Oh, I was so afraid to tell him. I was so afraid of how he would react. We’re both so young and I wasn’t sure if we were ready for such a huge responsibility... such a lifelong commitment. But he was happy. Oh, my God, he was so happy. He was thrilled by the idea of having a child... with me.” Sobbing uncontrollably, Elle put her hand over her chest and gripped the top of her dress as if trying to soothe her aching heart.

  Sadie’s heart broke as she watched Elle break down in front of her.

  “Then, overnight,” Elle went on through her sobs, “everything turned into a nightmare.”

  Sadie suddenly remembered hearing about the violent death of the young billionaire. “He was killed in a mob hit, right?” she said flatly as she glanced at Kenwood.

  He nodded as Elle continued to sob. “We couldn’t confirm who made the hit, but we had our suspicions. DNA found on Emma matched the DNA of the man we suspected, a man named Dylan Murphy.”

  “You mean that Emma was killed by the same man who’d killed Richard Player?” Sadie said.

  “Yep,” Kenwood said.

  Sadie looked at Elle’s belly. “And that’s why Emma was stabbed so low in the abdomen. He wanted to be sure he’d killed the baby as well.” She once again had a vision of Emma hanging from the ceiling light and had to shake the vision from her mind. She turned to Kenwood. “And I suppose he hung her to make it appear like a suicide.”

  Kenwood nodded again. “It was a clumsy attempt that didn’t convince anyone.”

  Elle looked at Sadie, her eyes red and her cheeks streaked. “I was supposed to work that day. It was my shift that afternoon. But I went to see Dr. Oswald and...”