Free Cinnamon Crunch Murder by Susan Gillard Page A

guess.” Heather patted Dave, then shifted him to one side and rose from her seat. “Did she say anything about Tara?”
    “Not a thing. And there’s nothing placing her at the crime scene. Her father’s given an alibi in the form of a surveillance recording from Paradise Villas which shows Goldie arriving at the building at the time of the murder.”
    “So, it’s not her,” Heather replied, and her shoulders sagged. She couldn’t solve this one. Her main suspect was totally in the clear when it came to the murder.
    “Nope, it’s not her.” Ryan’s phone rang and he slipped it out of his pocket.
    “I’m stumped,” Heather said and massaged her neck.
    “I’ve got to take this, love, I’ll be right back, and we can talk about it,” Ryan said, then hurried down the hall toward the kitchen.
    Heather strode back into the living room and folded her arms, staring out at the street through the living room window. So, this was it. Goldie was definitely innocent. Foster had an alibi. That left who? Ethan Gold. He had absolutely no motive to kill Tara Davidson.
    Unless there was another suspect in the mix. A suspect she hadn’t placed her finger on yet, who had a reason she hadn’t considered. Who else hadn’t liked Tara?
    A realization struck Heather in the gut, and she turned to the door to call Ryan, but he was already standing there.
    “What’s wrong?” She asked.
    Ryan tucked the phone back into his pocket and braced his arm against the doorjamb. He hung his head and sighed. “Lilly Jones has gone missing.”
    “What? How? From where? I thought she was in foster care?”
    “Yeah, she was. But the mom of the family Lilly was with woke up and found her bed empty. She spotted her getting into the back of a car outside the house.”
    “A car? What type of car?” Heather asked. Her pulse skyrocketed, and she sucked in short gasps of air to feed her lungs and mind.
    “A Sedan,” Ryan said. “Why do you ask?”
    Heather swiped sweat off her brow. “We have to go, now. Like right, this second.”
    “What are you talking about?” Ryan asked, dropping his arm to his side. He glanced out at the street and the rising sun. “They’re already out searching for her, and the car.”
    “Because Lilly’s with Tara’s murderer.”
    “How could you possibly know that?” Ryan asked, tilting his head to the side. Dave copied the motion, blinking up at Heather for an explanation for this madness.
    “Larry Jones drives a Sedan. I know because Dave peed all over it. And Larry was also the one who lodged the complaint against Tara for making a noise. He complained about her to Amy and me, as well.”
    “He’s unhinged. That’s why Lilly wanted to get away from him,” Ryan said and snatched the car keys off the entrance hall table. He ran for the front door, and Heather followed, snatching up her Taser along the way.
    Dave barked behind them, but Heather couldn’t risk taking him with on this one. She’d call Amy on the way and ask her to take care of the dog for the day.
    Heather got into the passenger’s seat of the car and looked over at her husband. “Paradise Villas.”
    “Let’s hope Lilly’s there.”
    The evidence didn’t matter anymore, none of it mattered, as long as Lilly was safe.
    Ryan started the engine, then reversed out of the drive, fingers tip-tapping on the wheel.

Chapter 19
    Ryan flashed his badge at the super, and they had the keys for Larry’s upstairs apartment in seconds. It was like magic. One disagreement, one protest, the badge flashed and the objections cut off at once.
    Heather rushed up the stairs behind her husband, heart pounding inside her chest. The sedan wasn’t outside, which meant Larry Jones had made a run for it.
    “There’s got to be a clue, right? Something that will tell us where they’re going?” Heather asked.
    “We’re about to find out,” Ryan said. He inserted the keys into the dingy, blue-painted door, then opened it and stepped into the gloom.