Read Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book One) for Free Online

this
a murder investigation?"
    "I honestly
don't know yet. Why?"
    Belinda turned to
look out at the property's edge. "Because I'll tell you right here, that
Jeff did not kill himself. He acted his share of crazy, and he was definitely
freaking out about something, but I know that he would not have asked to see me
that night only to jump off a cliff right afterward." Her voice was shaky
but convinced.
    Jonas nodded and
stood, stretching his long legs out. Belinda followed him around the house to
the driveway, looking for his car, but Jonas knocked the kickstand of a bike up
and peddled off.
    Belinda darted
back inside and called Kyle's cell. He answered, sounding a bit distracted.
"Got a minute?" she said, pacing around the kitchen island. "I
just had a big oops moment and I need to tell you."
    "Did you
take off with someone else's watermelon again?"
    Belinda narrowed
her eyes. "That happened once about five years ago. Honestly."
    "Okay, okay.
What was today's 'oops' moment?"
    "Not that
I'm in the mood to tell you now, but I talked to the police about Jeff."
    "So it was a
murder."
    "He didn't
say that, and as far as I could tell he was just sizing up the situation."
    "All right,
well go on. I'm sure that's not what you're ramping up to tell me."
    "I had to
tell him about my relationship, or lack thereof, with Jeff, and it kind of came
out that you used to sail with all of them."
    "Well, I
did."
    "I also
accidentally mentioned that you weren't there when the accident happened."
    Kyle paused.
"Well, I wasn't," he said flatly.
    "I know.
It's just...I don't know..."
    "Don't
worry, Bels. Jeff is dead and we did hang out a lot at one time. I'm sure
they'll want to talk to me at some point. It would've come out anyway. It's not
a secret."
    "What if
they ask—?"
    "Then I'll
answer. Stop worrying about it. I can take care of myself."
    Belinda stared at
a photo in the kitchen of the two of them on Mark's sailboat before the
accident. No matter what approach she took, the subject always remained taboo.
"Are you working?"
    "Yes."
    "Then I'll
let you go."
    "Bels—"
    "Yeah?"
    "Antelope
sheep."
    Belinda smiled.
"Pollywog rattlesnake." Belinda hung up, still stuck on the photo.
She'd had all these romantic notions of coming home, imagining that life would
be just the same as before. But it wasn't, and Jeff's death only magnified that
truth. Nothing would ever be the same.
     
     
    ~ * ~
     
     
    Jonas got on the
phone with Bennett immediately as he hugged the curvy beach road heading back
to the station. "Two things," he said, peddling over as a car passed.
"Fawn Eyes is not our killer."
    "If you even
need one." Bennett stowed his laptops away in his home office and locked
it up. "Last I checked, the reason for his death was undetermined."
    "Second,"
Jonas was not in the mood to argue about technicalities, "you need to cozy
up to her. This woman knows these people, their history. And given the right
circumstances, will share that wealth of knowledge."
    Bennett stared
into his empty fridge. "Then turn back around and go ask her
yourself."
    "I can't. I
don't have a legitimate reason to."
    "You're
investigating a potential homicide. I vaguely recall that counts as a
legitimate reason to question people."
    "Yes, but
you are not a police officer."
    Bennett paused,
hand frozen over his keys in claw formation.
    "Everyone is
on guard with the police, but she wouldn't have to be with you. You could just
talk and it's not official." Jonas congratulated himself for his brilliant
idea.
    "And how
would we do that?"
    "You bump
into each other, you say hi, then you say something else, then she replies,
then you ask a question, and so on and so forth. You know, it's called
conversation."
    Bennett rolled
his eyes. "I get that, thank you. But when would I bump into her? I've
never seen her before in my life."
    "It's like a
type of car. You never knew it existed until you buy one and all of the sudden
everyone you see owns that same car."
    "So