Free Murder at Castle Rock by Anne Marie Stoddard

we left half an hour ago." It was Tim who answered. "We gave our statements and then headed to the Waffle House down the street for a cup o' joe. Who knew that WaHo would be so busy at two-thirty on a Tuesday morning? Dozens of people were there grabbing post-concert grub. We actually had to wait in line twenty minutes just for two cups of coffee." He held up his Styrofoam cup with the yellow and black Waffle House block logo etched across it. "If it had been any other night, we would have passed back by here at least ten minutes ago."
    "We saw their van pull in to park," Tony cut in, grinning. "Figured you could probably use a hand running them off." I met his gaze, feeling my cheeks burn hotter.
    Tim put a fatherly hand on my shoulder. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Amelia. You've had quite an awful night."
    A chill spread through me as the weariness and grief began to take over again. "Thanks," I said tearfully. "I'm sorry you guys got roped into giving statements." Tim had been backstage at the time of Parker's fall, so the police held him behind for questioning along with the rest of the crew.
    "It certainly wasn't how I saw my evening going," Tim admitted. "I'm used to being the one asking the questions, not answering them."
    I glanced at Tony. "Did they question you too, then?"
    "Yeah." He rubbed his hand over his face and stifled a yawn. "I packed up our equipment once Tim was through recording sound-bytes. All I had to do was wait until the crowd came out after the show and then stand out by the van and pass out some station stickers and T-shirts. I had a little bit of downtime before the show was over, so I came inside and caught a couple of tunes from Bobby's set. Then I went down the hall to take a leak. When I came out, I saw your friend Kat and that bouncer guy running down the hallway. I headed back to the van to lock up. Then the police showed up and started herding people out. One officer came up and said the bouncer had seen me in the hallway, so he asked where I'd been all night. So I told him." He shrugged.
    "At least I got some great clips of tonight's show," Tim said. "And the promise of an interview with Bobby this week—assuming you'll still be going on with the other two shows." He said that last part as more of a question than a statement.
    "Are you going to have to cancel the shows or move them to another venue?" Tony asked.
    A weary sigh slipped from me. "High Court is sealed off as part of the investigation, but the police sergeant agreed to let us keep the Dungeon open. I'll have to make all of the necessary arrangements tomorrow and start spreading the word, but we should be good to go for Show Two downstairs on Wednesday night."
    Tim clapped his hands. "Great! I'll be back on Wednesday for my interview with Bobby, then." A little guiltily he added, "I mean, it's good that you're able to make the best of the situation." He glanced at his watch. "We should really get going, Tony. It's late, and we still have to get the van back to the station and unpack the equipment." He turned back to me, and his hand moved to his shirt pocket. "In the meantime, if there is any way I can be of service, please call." He pulled one of his Tune Talks business cards from the pocket and pressed it into my palm before walking back to the van.
    Tony grinned and snatched the card out of my hand. "Wait, I may need that!" I protested, reaching out to snatch it back from him.
    He playfully dodged my flailing arms and fished in his pocket to retrieve a pen. Tony scribbled something on the back of the card. "That's my number—you know, just in case you need more rescuing. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ame." His grey eyes twinkled in the moonlight as he slid the card into my hand, letting his fingers linger just a moment. This time when I shivered it wasn't from the cold.
    Tony turned and trotted to the van. He jumped into the driver's seat and waved as they pulled out of the parking lot. Realizing I was alone in the