pockets, searching for a flash drive, but no luck. âAntoinette Chloe, did you happen to find a little flash drive in Lizâs purse?â
âNo, but Iâll look again. Why do you ask?â
âLooks like she was working on something called Buff and Bing quite a lot. They might be important.â
âI wonder what it means,â she said. âBuff . . . as in no clothes?â
âI didnât know Liz very well, but I doubt if she meant
buff
as in no clothes. I donât have a clue what it stands for. But maybe Bing means Bing Crosby and âWhite Christmas.ââ
She brought over the mugs and set them down. âIâll go through her purse again.â
Dumping everything on the table, she turned the lining inside out and felt the cloth, then the leather. âNothing here.â
The two of us searched everything. Then I sat back and took a sip of tea. âMaybe itâs in her house. Or it could be in her office at the church.â
âWeâre going to have to look in both places, Trixie.â
âIn case you havenât noticed, I canât get around all that great.â
âIâll help you.â
âAnd I canât run,â I said. âNot that I ever really could.â
âThen Iâll roll you.â
I tried not to laugh. My ribs were still hurting, and I hated to open my mouth due to my missing front tooth. Speaking of which . . .
âAntoinette Chloe, I wanted to remind you that I need a ride to the dentistâs office tomorrow. Hopefully he can glue something on temporarily so I donât look like a Halloween pumpkin.â
We both heard a shuffling on the porch outside the kitchen.
âItâs Ty!â ACB said jumping up. âHeâs back with Blondie.â
I pulled the sleeve of her magnolia muumuu to get her to sit back down. âToss everything back into Lizâs purse. Hurry!â
While she did that, I put Lizâs laptop back into the case and put it under the table.
When Ty walked in, all he saw were two friends having a cup of tea.
After he got done wiping Blondieâs paws with a towel that I keep by the door, he looked up. âYou both look guilty. What are you two cooking up?â
âWhy, nothing, Ty,â ACB batted her eyelashes, feigning innocence. Ty didnât buy it.
âI know guilty looks when I see them. Spill,â he said.
âYouâre mistaking guilt for sadness. We were talking about Lizâs murder.â I wasnât lying. We
were
doing that in a roundabout way.
âAnd I was reminding Antoinette Chloe that I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. Sheâs going to take me.â
He turned to ACB. âI can drive Trixie if you canât.â
âNo, Iâm free. Itâll be my pleasure. Would you like some tea, Ty?â
âNo, thanks. Iâd better get home. Itâs been a long day,and tomorrow will be even longer,â he said. âI have to find Lizâs next of kin.â
âPastor Fritz should know. Or his wife, Darlene,â ACB said.
âThey donât seem to. They said that Liz was kind of quiet and never spoke about any family members.â
âMaybe thereâs a will in her papers,â ACB suggested.
âIf we can find one. Or if someone steps forward,â Ty said. âSpeaking of that, whereâs Lizâs purse?â
âHere you go.â ACB lifted it up and handed it to him. It was a little more lumpy and sloppy than when weâd gotten it from the church. He narrowed his eyes but didnât say anything.
âIs there anything in the purse that might help me with finding Lizâs next of kin?â
âMy goodness, Deputy Ty Brisco. How on this snowy earth would we know?â ACB put a hand on her throat and looked appalled. âDo you think weâd purposely dig through a womanâs purse?â
âIn a New York minute!â he