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Ben and I had gotten
married, Lisa wouldn’t have inherited a single dime.”
    “Was there a lot to inherit in his
estate?” I asked.   Had Benjamin Port been
wealthy when he died?   If so, money could
be a strong motive for murder, and following the trail to see who inherited
from his death might be a path that led directly to the killer.
    Gabby waved a hand in the
air.   “I heard rumors that the family was
quite well off, but I could never get confirmation from a reliable source after
he passed away.”
    So that added one more suspect to
the list: the sister.   “Is there anyone
else you can think of who might have had a reason to want harm to come to
Benjamin?”
    Gabby looked around her deserted
shop before she answered.   Lowering her
voice despite the absence of anyone present who might be able to eavesdrop, she
said softly, “You should tell Jake to take a look at Judge Hurley.”
    She had to be kidding.   I’d known the judge for years, and there was
no way I could see him as a killer.   “Why
would the judge want to see Benjamin dead?”
    “I wish I could tell you, but I
honestly don’t know.   Ben wouldn’t say a
word about it to me.   All I can say is
that there was bad blood between the two men until the day Ben died.   Jake needs to investigate him if he’s digging
into this.”
    “But you can’t think of any reason
yourself.”
    “Suzanne, I never claimed to be an
investigator; your husband is supposed to be one, though.   You’ve certainly bragged around town enough
about his prowess at detection.   He’s going
to have to figure it out for himself.”
    “Sorry, I was just hoping for a
little something more that I could pass on to him,” I said.
    “Don’t you think I’ve given you
enough?” she asked.   “What do you want me
to do, make the arrest myself?”
    “No, you’ve been more than
helpful,” I said quickly.   Gabby was
getting snippy, so it was time to end the interview.   I knew that if I kept pushing her now, she
wouldn’t be of any use to me down the line, and I couldn’t burn that bridge
just yet.   “I know that it’s been painful
for you to talk about this, but we all greatly appreciate it.”
    “It’s nothing that I ever wanted
to share with anyone else, but I owed it to Ben.   Tell your husband something for me, would
you?”
    Was I about to get something else
juicy about the murder victim, one last tidbit that might help find his
killer?   “Of course.”
    Gabby looked as though she were
about to cry when she spoke again.   “Tell
him that I’m sorry.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Suzanne, I shouldn’t have
stonewalled him when he was here earlier.   The sheriff had every right to ask me about Ben, and I was a fool not to
share everything that I knew with him.   Sometimes my stubbornness seems to get in the way of doing the right
thing.   I should have treated your husband
better when we spoke earlier.”
    “Gabby, it had to have been a
shock learning that what you thought was an accident was in actuality murder.”
    “Maybe, but I’m still sorry for my
behavior.   Would you tell him that for
me?”
    I wasn’t entirely sure that he
would believe me, but I at least owed the attempt to her.   “I’ll tell him as soon as I see him.”
    “Thank you,” Gabby said, and then
she surprised me again by grabbing my hands in hers.   “Suzanne, I know that Jake is in charge of
things in April Springs now, but you need to help him in any way that you can.   Ben deserves the best that the entire town
has.”
    “I’m doing what I can, but I’m
mostly just staying out on the edges of the investigation,” I admitted.
    “In whatever way you can
contribute, I’d greatly appreciate it,” she said.
    As I left her shop, I marveled at
the twists and turns our conversation had taken.   I wished that I’d had the foresight to tape
it, if nothing else so I could replay Gabby’s apology to be sure that I hadn’t
heard it wrong, but as things