Free Corpse in the Crystal Ball by Kari Lee Townsend Page B

relationship was like with your sister?”
    “Well, I loved my sister and we were twins, but we were very different people. We had our parents, but we didn’t have much else growing up. That always bothered Isabel. She was so smart. She received a full academic scholarship to NYU and earned her business degree. We were all so proud of her.” Selena smiled, looking off in the distance as though lost in a fond memory.
    Finally, her smile faded and she continued. “I have never been that smart, but that’s okay. I’m happy being a waitress and an aspiring actress, although these days I mostly waitress. It’s hard to make a living sometimes, but I get by. I’m good with people. They like me. I get a part or two here and there, but it’s enough. I’m happy.”
    “Can you tell me when the last time you saw Isabel was?”
    “Two weeks ago, right before she left for Divinity. Like I said, Isabel was always restless. Never content. But even I was surprised when she packed up her stuff and took off.I didn’t even get to say good-bye. She called me on her way here, saying she wanted to start over, but first she had unfinished business.”
    “You mean her relationship with Detective Stone?”
    Selena blinked, looking surprised and apparently speechless.
    “What unfinished business did she have with Mit—I mean, the detective?” I asked.
    My heart started beating and I wondered if I was about to find out why Mitch hadn’t proposed. What that phone call had been about on the night he’d had a ring in his pocket. What could have possibly made Isabel scar his face like that?
    Selena glanced at my pen poised above my handy-dandy notebook, ready to take down every word. “Mitch is a very private person. You should probably ask him that question.”
    “Oh, right. I’ll be sure to do that.” Disappointment surged through me like a vision, filling my senses to the core. He’d sooner pull out his eyelashes one by one than tell me the answer to that question. Ugh. I forced myself to focus. “Can you tell me about the last phone call Isabel made to you on the night she died?”
    “Well, it was a bit strange. She called me out of the blue. Said she had no one else to turn to. That Mitch wasn’t an option anymore. She said she made a huge mistake, and that she was in danger. Someone was following her. Then she screamed, and her phone went dead. I called back all night, but she never answered. That’s when I packed a bag and took the bus to Divinity.”
    “You still here?” Mitch asked, strolling out of hisbedroom and filling the doorway, fully dressed in NYPD sweats and a black T-shirt, thank goodness.
    “I need to ask you some questions,” I answered.
    “If you guys don’t mind, I’m exhausted and need some time alone. I’m going to retreat to my room. I have a funeral to plan. It was nice seeing you, Sunny.” Selena waved at me and then smiled gratefully at Mitch. “Thank you so much, Mitchie. I’ll never forget this.”
    He hugged her tight. “Let me know if you need anything, Lena. Anything at all.”
    “I will.” She picked up her half-eaten plate of food, walked away quietly, and disappeared as if she’d never been there.
    And suddenly we were alone.
    Mitch grabbed a container of food and a paper plate from the kitchen and then sat on the couch beside me. He crossed his bare feet at the ankles, plopping them on his coffee table. A whiff of his soap and aftershave traveled through my nose and warmed my insides. He just stared at me until I squirmed and pulled my legs back, sitting pretzel-style.
    “Mitchie?” I asked, laughing to diffuse the tension between us.
    His lips twitched once, but he tried to hide it on a shrug, of course. “Selena’s a sweetheart. She shouldn’t have to go through something like this.”
    I set my pen down, all traces of humor gone from my face. “Neither should you, Mitch. I know you didn’t kill Isabel.”
    “Good.” His face hardened. “Then you know I should also