Free LOWCOUNTRY BOOK CLUB by Susan M. Boyer Page A

knew exactly how old she was.
    â€œ I’m every day of it, and feeling it lately.” She gave me a long, searching look. “ I have to tell you, if you’re thinking my husband was having an affair with Shelby, you’re barking up the wrong tree. That other detective, he just wouldn’t let go of that notion. It’s no wonder he never got anywhere.”
    â€œWe ’ve already eliminated that so-called lead.” This was mostly true.
    â€œ Really?” She tilted her head. “ Well, maybe you will find out what happened to Shelby. I tried to tell him Charles and Shelby were just friends. The three of us have known each other all our lives.”
    â€œ I’ve heard they had coffee a lot, Charles and Shelby. Anything in particular they needed to discuss? Were they working on some committee together?”
    â€œ No,” she said. “ Nothing like that. We had a few rough spots, Charles and me. He…Charles grew up with money. But we’ve had to work for everything we have. Neither his parents nor mine handed us a trust. We have a good life. But it eats at Charles that some of our friends have homes South of Broad and we don’t. Shelby was a good friend to both of us. She spent extra time with him, tried to make him see how unimportant material things were.”
    â€œ So you never thought there was anything going on between them?” Aside from ruling Charles completely out, I needed to vet Jane.
    â€œ She was my best friend since childhood. It’s just not possible she would ever betray me like that.”
    I nodded, held her gaze. I didn’t know her well enough to know how good a liar she was, but I was inclined to believe her. “This is purely a formality, you understand. For my files. Goodness gracious—all this paperwork. I have to check everyone off. Where were you the night Shelby was killed, at around nine o’clock?”
    Jane flushed. Her hand fluttered up to her chest. “Now…now…you can’t possibly think—”
    â€œOh, of course not. Why, everyone knows you were her very best friend. I just have to document it. For the files.”
    â€œWell, I was at home. With the children. We have a twelve-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl.”
    â€œAnd Charles was in London. What a shame he had to travel over the weekend, right there between Christmas and New Years. Is that typical?”
    â€œCharles works all the time. We were lucky he was home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.”
    â€œWhat does he do?” Of course I knew the answer. But I wanted to hear how she would characterize his job.
    â€œHe’s a photojournalist. He does freelance work for newspapers, magazines…all like that.”
    â€œI bet he does have crazy hours.” His photo credits suggested paparazzi might be a more accurate term than photojournalist. The shot he’d taken of one of the Kardashians the night of Shelby’s murder was date and time stamped. It was his alibi—unless he’d had an accomplice. I wanted to believe the Kinlochs were innocent. But until we uncovered the truth, everything was a possibility.
    â€œ What about Sonny Ravenel?” I asked.
    Jane stilled. “ What about him?”
    â€œ How well did Shelby know him?”
    â€œ They were friends. Shelby met him at One80Place. ”
    The waitress placed our iced teas in front of us.
    â€œ Did she talk about him a lot?”
    Jane lifted a shoulder. “ She mentioned him sometimes.”
    â€œ Were Shelby and Clint happily married?”
    â€œ Very. They were devoted to each other.”
    â€œ Do you think it’s possible Shelby was having an affair, not with Charles, but with anyone? And before you answer, remember that Clint’s very life depends on us getting to the truth. We’re way past protecting reputations here.”
    Jane sipped her tea. She set the glass down and smoothed the edges of the napkin under