Free Murder Past Due by Miranda James Page B

alone.
    “How’d you get in the room?” Bates asked when I finished.
    “I had a key.”
    “And how’d you come by that?” Bates eyed me with suspicion.
    “Godfrey’s son gave it to me. Godfrey had given it to him earlier.” That much was true.
    Bates jotted something into his notebook, then he asked me to go through it all again, starting with why I came to check on Godfrey in the first place.
    I explained again about the party having been canceled and my worries that Godfrey was ill, because he would have never, as far as I knew, skipped an opportunity for a lot of attention.
    “I tried calling, but there was no answer.”
    “And you didn’t ask somebody here to check on him?” Bates watched me, his face blank.
    “No, I didn’t think of that,” I said. “My house isn’t that far away, so I just hopped in the car and came here.”
    Bates nodded, and I continued telling my story for the second time.
    During all this, I continued to worry about Justin. Surely Julia had arrived by now. She’d be upset at the news too, but the most important thing right now was looking after her son.
    Bates sat examining his notes, and I ventured a question.
    “Is Deputy Berry in charge of this investigation?”
    Bates nodded, his expression unreadable. “Acting Chief Deputy Berry,” he said. “Chief Deputy Dan Stout is out on medical leave right now.”
    “I see.” And I did. This case could be a big break for Kanesha if she managed to solve it quickly. She was the only African-American woman deputy in the department, and I knew her well enough to understand how ambitious she was.
    Justin and I both were probably in for a rough time. Kanesha wouldn’t put on kid gloves for us, even though I’d bet her mother would have a few things to say if she pushed us too hard.
    The door opened, and Bates rose to his feet. I turned in my chair.
    Kanesha stood a couple of paces inside the room. She held up a plastic bag with a cell phone inside. A purple cell phone.
    “Mr. Harris, did you lose this?”

NINE
    My eyes fixated on the cell phone in the plastic bag. “No, that’s not mine.” The land mines lay ahead, and I had to avoid them.
    “Do you know whose it is?” Kanesha lowered the bag but her gaze did not waver from my face.
    “I do not.” That much was true. I thought it was Justin’s, but I didn’t know for sure.
    “Do you know someone named Justin?”
    I did not reply for a moment. Kanesha ought to know very well that I had a boarder named Justin. She lived with her mother, and I couldn’t imagine that Azalea hadn’t mentioned Justin to her.
    “I do,” I finally said. “Justin Wardlaw. He boards with me.”
    “Where is he now?” she asked.
    “I don’t know.” That was the truth. Justin might still be waiting in the hotel restaurant, but it was likely that Julia had arrived and taken him away. “If you want to come by my house tonight or tomorrow, you’ll probably find him there.”
    Kanesha nodded. She moved closer to the desk and set the bag down. Deputy Bates vacated his chair, and Kanesha took his place. She held out a hand, and Bates gave her his notebook. She read through his notes, and I saw her frown a couple of times.
    When she finished, she pushed the notebook aside, and Bates retrieved it. Kanesha settled back in the chair and regarded me, her eyelids slightly hooded.
    I tried not to squirm in the chair.
    “I believe that’s all we need for the moment,” Kanesha said.
    What the heck? I thought. She can’t be serious .
    “I’ll have more questions for you and young Mr. Wardlaw later, but I know where you live.” The ghost of a smile played across her lips.
    It wasn’t a benevolent ghost.
    “Fine,” I said. “I’ll be at home tonight.” As I rose, I nodded at both deputies. I knew I’d eventually catch hell from Kanesha for not telling her I wasn’t alone when I discovered Godfrey’s corpse. But I don’t think I would have done anything differently. Justin needed time to