Free Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 3) by Jennifer L. Jennings Page A

me his iPhone. “It's a receipt for Joe's Cafe, in Orlando. Look at the date and time. March fifteenth at eleven-thirty-five a.m. There's no way she could have left West Palm Beach Airport at ten-thirty and be in Orlando by eleven-thirty. It's at least a two-hour drive with no traffic.”
    I plopped down on the bed and let out a sigh. “Well, this only proves that she didn't physically pick up the money. Maybe Angela had a partner or a friend to go to the airport for her.”
    “ It's possible, but does Angela seem like the kind of person to trust someone with that kind of money? She nearly killed me when she saw me going through her stuff.”
    I shrugged. “You have a point.”
    “ Besides,” Carter said. “After looking through all her receipts, I didn't find any large ticket items. I would have expected her to at least go out for an expensive dinner, or buy a nice pair of shoes. Some kind of small indulgence, but there was nothing in those receipts. Unless she's being extremely careful.”
    “ So what do we do now? Give up on Angela and start looking for new suspects?”
    “ Well, there's another idea I had.” Carter leafed through some papers on his desk then handed one to me. “I was able to get a few shots of her daytimer that was on her desk. Angela keeps a pretty regular schedule. Every Tuesday at seven, Thursday's at six and Saturdays at ten a.m she has a standing appointment at the Delray Beach Community Center. When I checked out their website, those times coincide with a grief support group. Angela must still be having a rough time dealing with her mother's death, even after a year.
    “ I'll admit. Three support group meetings a week is overkill.”
    “ Exactly,” Carter said. “So I did more digging and found out that Angela is actually involved in a volunteer group run by a woman named Glenda White. She's a nurse, and also does work with hospice.
    “ Wow,” I said, giving Carter a well-deserved look of respect. “You think we should call this Glenda person? She if she'll talk to us about Angela?”
    “ It sure looks like Angela spends a great deal of time with her. I'll see if I can get an appointment with her. But my hunch is that Angela is not the person we should be focusing on. I think it's time to get Brook to tell us the truth about who her lover is.”
    “ I agree with you, but she won't budge on that. She's afraid of getting him in trouble.”
    “ Well.” Carter crossed his arms over his chest. “Then she never should've gotten you involved. If she wants our help, she needs to fess up. If you don't want to confront her on this, then I'll be happy to.”
    “ You're right,” I said. “I'll call and see if she can see us as soon as possible. I'll tell her about Angela's receipts and the fact that she's probably not the blackmailer.”
    When I called Brook, she agreed to meet with us at five.
    “ I hope Max won't mind having dinner a little later,” I said, remembering his note this morning.
    Carter waved a dismissive hand. “Hey, if you and Max have plans, I can meet with Brook alone.”
    I thought about it. “No. Max will understand.” I glanced at my watch. 4:43. “He should be getting out of work soon. Maybe I'll head up to our room and explain in person before we go see Brook.”
    “ Whatever,” he said.
    I pushed myself up from the bed and headed to the door. “I'll meet you up at the penthouse just before five, okay?”
    “ No problem.”

Chapter 13
     
     
     
    Max was in the bathroom when I got back to our room. I could hear him whistling over the sound of running water. The smell of soap and shaving cream filled the air.
    I sensed that Max was in a good mood, getting ready for our night out. There was an opened bottle of red wine on the table, and two glasses set out.
    He waltzed into the kitchen where I was standing, wearing only a towel around his waist. The smile on his face was contagious. “Hey gorgeous,” he said to me brightly. “I have great news.