Free Murder by the Book by Melanie Jackson

into?” Alex asked.
    “Nothing, just keep searching.”
    A more detailed search went into public records on the two parties. It appeared that Eddie lived in a fashionable apartment right here in the town of Hope Falls. Cyrus Knox lived just outside Seattle. Alex retrieved addresses and phone numbers for both men. Eddie had an exemplary credit history. Cyrus Knox had a recent history of unpaid bills. Eddie Springer’s real name was Eddie Rankles and he was indeed the son of Mr. Randolph Rankles.
    The deeper we dug, the more we uncovered. Eddie had a long criminal record, starting with several juvenile offences recorded in a file which should have been sealed. Mr. Knox’s criminal record began recently and involved several disputes in and around a construction site in Seattle. It seemed that Cyrus had once been a foreman for Rankles and Edwards Construction until he began publicly decrying some of the construction materials and practices at the Seattle site. No recent activity had been recorded in Knox’s file. Both men were the owners of handguns.
    “So, did you find out what you need to know?” Alex asked.
    “Things are starting to make sense. I’m only missing one vital piece of information.”
    “What’s that?”
    “The identity of the murderer.”

 
 

Chapter 11

 
    The day of the wedding the sun arose bright and crisp. I knew that it would warm up later in the afternoon, just in time for the wedding, but wore a sweatshirt against the early morning cold. I was to meet Agatha at noon at a downtown hair stylist’s shop named the Sassy Lady to have my hair and makeup done beside the bride. In the meantime, I couldn’t wait to hear her voice, so I grabbed my cellphone and gave her a call.
    “Hello, Agatha? This is Chloe. I’m calling to see how you slept.”
    “I had a bit of a restless night because of Lawrence.”
    I couldn’t help but notice this probably meant they were already sleeping together.
    “So, Lawrence is still nervous about the wedding.”
    “He’s all worked up about something he says he can’t tell me about.”
    “I’ll talk to Alex and see if there’s anything he can do.”
    “Actually, Alex and Lawrence have plans for this morning. It’s something the two of them cooked up. It may be what’s making Lawrence so upset. He said that my presence at the event was mandatory.”
    “Funny, Alex didn’t mention anything to me. When are you leaving?”
    “As soon as Alex calls. He said he would pick us up.”
    I heard bare feet padding across the floor into the kitchen.
    “Hold on, Agatha. I think I hear Alex coming.”
    “Who’s that on the phone?” Alex asked.
    “It’s Agatha, telling me about a special outing you have planned for this morning to which I’m not invited.”
    “Oh, that. I was going to tell you about that.”
    “Before or after the event in question,” I teased.
    “Before. Besides, I was assuming you’d be coming. Your presence as the bridesmaid is mandatory.”
    “Are you sure you want me there?”
    “You have to be there.”
    “Agatha?” I said into the phone. “It looks like I’ll be coming along after all. We’ll pick you up as soon as we get dressed. Maybe we can have breakfast together.”
    “That would be wonderful. See you soon, dear.”
    Agatha ended the call.
    “You’ll want to hold off on breakfast until after we’re done,” Alex suggested.
    “That’s an ominous warning,” I concluded.
    “It’s just that the event is time specific. We have about an hour. And by the way, dress appropriately.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “I was hoping you would explain it to me,” he said obscurely.
    After we dressed, we dropped Blue off at my dad’s place to roam the fenced-in side yard in our absence. I made sure she had plenty of water and even gave her a bone I’d thought to bring along. As we pulled out of the driveway, I was happy to see my dog lying in the sun on the grass blissfully absorbed in bone chewing. It was going to be a