Free Money Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Cindy Bell

there in person to make sure that he would evaluate the photograph that Samantha had taken. He parked in the public lot and walked up to the police station. He noticed a few looks from officers and staff that recognized him, but he didn't stop to talk. Instead he just kept walking towards the lab. He knew that at any moment someone might stop him as he was entering a private area, but he didn't care. If he was questioned then he would explain himself, otherwise he would just keep going. As he reached the lab Chris was just stepping inside. He paused when he saw Eddy.
    “Eddy!” He smiled from ear to ear. “It's so good to see you.”
    “And you.” Eddy smiled in return. “I'm sorry I haven't dropped in much lately.”
    “Hey, that's all right. What can I help you with?” Chris lifted an eyebrow. “I know that you're not here just for a visit.”
    “Actually, I have a picture of someone. I was hoping that you could run it through the facial recognition program, if it's not too much trouble.”
    “No trouble at all.” Chris glanced around as if he was looking for someone in particular, then he gestured to the door of the lab. “Go ahead. We'll upload the picture and get the program started.”
    “Great.” Eddy stepped into the lab. He noticed that Chris looked around again before shutting the door. The door did not provide much privacy as the lab was mostly windows.
    Not long after Eddy uploaded the photograph to Chris' computer there was a swift, sharp knock on the door of the lab. Chris looked up fearfully. Eddy followed his gaze to the face in the window of the door.
    “Oops, looks like I've been spotted,” Eddy muttered as Detective Brunner opened the door to the lab.
    “What's going on in here?” Detective Brunner asked. His annoyance was clearly depicted by the crease in his forehead and the curl of his upper lip.
    “Nothing of interest.” Eddy met the detective's eyes without hesitation.
    “You don't have clearance to be in the lab.” Detective Brunner gestured to the door. “Leave please!”
    Eddy gritted his teeth, but he did not argue. He didn't want to do anything that would put Chris' job in jeopardy. Once he was out in the hallway, Detective Brunner followed after him.
    “Look, Chris is a friend, I was just visiting.” Eddy frowned.
    “I don't believe that at all.” Detective Brunner narrowed his eyes. “I think you're poking your nose into things.”
    “Shouldn't I?” Eddy raised an eyebrow. “I don't see you doing the job properly.”
    “Excuse me?” Detective Brunner shook his head. “We have a suspect in custody.”
    “Wrong, you have an innocent man in custody.” Eddy tried to stay calm as he didn’t want to antagonize Detective Brunner unnecessarily. “When the truth comes out you're going to have a scandal on your hands.” Eddy eyed him grimly.
    “And you know this, how?” Detective Brunner asked.
    “I think you need to do a more thorough investigation.” He fixed Detective Brunner with a hard gaze. “I don’t think this murder is as simple as it seems. You need to stop rushing it and look into it further.”
    “Or maybe you need to remember that you are retired.” He pointed to the exit. “Now leave, before you get arrested.”
    Eddy stared at him with disbelief. He felt an extreme urge to get into a scuffle with the man, but he forced himself to resist. He would never sully the sanctity of a police station with violent behavior.
    “I'll leave, just remember what I said.” Eddy sneered with disgust. As he walked out of the police station he felt a pang of regret. He missed belonging to the police force, he missed the detectives he had once known and worked with, who would have turned every rock to make sure the murder was adequately investigated and solved. He felt as if so much had changed since he wore the badge. Despite the fact that he was no longer a detective, the obligation he felt to seek justice still weighed on him just as heavily as it always