Free Murder Is Elementary by Diane Weiner Page B

Jackson.
    “She seemed to have a stake in Ryan’s well being. And she’s quite protective of Blaze,” said Lynette. Lynette couldn’t help remembering the information her mother had shared with her on Christmas Day. She hated when her mom’s snooping actually panned out. Certainly she didn’t want to encourage her.
    “It’s a bit of a long shot but we should look into this,” said Jackson.
    “Well, that will take some time,” said Lynette. “Right now we need to follow up on Javier. Let’s go. I’ll grab my purse.”
    “I can’t. I have a dentist appointment. I cracked a tooth this morning on a piece of stale bagel. She’s squeezing me in. We can go in the morning.”
    “Fine,” said Lynette. She couldn’t help being disappointed. She felt like they were close to a big break. She grabbed her coat and purse and went out to her car to go home. The sun was low in the sky and Lynette could feel the drop in temperature. She turned the key….nothing. It wouldn’t even start, not a whimper, not a sputter….nothing. She kicked the front tire. Now what? she thought. I’m so sick of this old car. Jason was teaching a class so she knew he couldn’t come to her rescue. I guess I’ll have to get mom to pick me up…again. She called and Susan was happy to help. Like always, her mom was there for her. She arrived a short time later.

Chapter 21

    “Hey, you and Jason really need to replace that heap,” said Susan, pointing to Lynette’s car. “Maybe you could look into one of those certified pre-owned ones. They’re much less expensive than new ones and they have a warranty. The lady who does my nails just bought one and she’s thrilled with it. It’s a cute, blue Camry. I saw it parked outside the salon. It looks brand new.”
    Lynette seemed distracted.
    “What else is wrong? I can tell your mood is about more than the car,” said Susan
    Lynette hesitated. “I really wanted to follow a lead we had but Jackson had to leave for a dentist appointment so it’ll have to wait till morning. We think we may know where Javier was headed.”
    “I’ll drive,” offered Susan. Lynette could swear that her Mom’s eyes brightened. She also detected a hint of excitement in her mom’s voice.
    “You know I can’t take you on official business,” said Lynette.
    “Well, couldn’t it be unofficial? Just a mom and her daughter taking a little ride through the country.”
    Lynette thought for a moment. If she didn’t have such a strong hunch about this she would have said no, but instead she said, “Okay, but we’ll just go look. Nothing official.”
    First, Lynette checked the location where they’d gotten a hit on Javier’s credit card. It was a Shell Station just off the highway, about an hour out of town.
    “We need to get on the Thruway,” said Lynette.
    “No problem.” Susan got on the Thruway.
    Bringing her mom along on police business was against Lynette’s better judgment, but she was too anxious to wait until tomorrow.
    “It’s the next exit,” said Lynette. “It’s coming up soon.”
    When they got to the gas station, they got out of the car and walked into the dilapidated Mini-Mart. Lynette pulled her scarf closer around her neck. When they went inside, Lynette noticed that the white tile floor was filthy and the donuts under the glass case looked as if they’d been there since the days of the dinosaurs. She walked over to the cashier and showed him Javier’s picture.
    “Do you remember seeing this man around Christmas Day?” asked Lynette.
    “I wasn’t working on Christmas,” said the cashier. “Let me get my manager. He’s always here.”
    Soon a young man wearing blue Dockers and a white button down shirt came out from behind the glass. “Can I help you?”
    “I’m from the Westbrook Police Department.” Lynette showed him Javier’s picture. “Do you remember seeing this man recently?”
    The manager looked at the picture. “I do. I only remember because he was the