Free Lie Catchers by Rolynn Anderson Page B

into the dark living room of the B&B, surprised to hear someone was up at such a late hour. “Dad? What happened to your early-to-bed plan?”
    “He’s a gentleman, your father is,” came a woman’s voice.
    “Jenny? Couldn’t sleep?” Parker’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. Jenny and his father were seated close to the fireplace, its embers gently lighting their faces.
    Chet said, “We started a roaring fire that lit up the room. Thought we better hang around to make sure it died down.”
    “Truth is, your father indulged an old woman. I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut these days.”
    Parker sat on the slate bench fronting the fireplace, facing Jenny and his father. In the waning light, Chet and Jenny’s complexions appeared smooth, and their hair took on a golden glow, more blonde than white. Parker had the unsettling experience of viewing a youthful version of his father and the ghostly figure of his mother. “You look….uh…” he stammered, overcome by emotion. God, he missed his mother. “You seem comfortable here by the fire. Solve any world problems?”
    “Actually we focused on solving yours.”
    “Mine?” Parker asked, surprised by the notion.
    “Jenny worries about Petersburg throwing curves as you try to investigate Everett Olson’s murder.”
    “Alleged murder, Dad.”
    Chet waved away the technicality and said, “Plus the Liv Hanson issue.”
    “What?”
    “She’s your puzzle,” Jenny said. “Liv has always marched to her own tunes.”
    With a tsk, directed Jenny’s way, Chet added, “You’d think with three older sisters, my son would have learned how to talk to a woman.”
    “Uh, Dad. I’m in the room. I don’t have any problems with Liv Hanson.”
    “You walked her home at eleven o’clock and here you are fifteen minutes later,” Chet said.
    “How did you—?”
    “Mallen reported in. She left Lito’s after you,” Jenny said.
    Parker shook his head. “Damn. You’d think in a town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, I could find a murderer.”
    “Alleged,” Chet said.
    “Alleged.” Parker sighed, elbows on his knees and chin resting in his hands. “Lots of secrets in Petersburg.” Parker glanced at Jenny. “You think we’ve got a killer under our noses?”
    “Liv,” Jenny said, hurriedly. “Let’s finish with Liv. Are you worried about her relationship with Tuck?”
    “After, tonight, I’m not. But don’t ask me to explain why.”
    “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Chet asked. “We wouldn’t want Liv mixed up with a prime suspect.”
    “I have no idea who the ‘prime’ suspect is and I can’t cross Liv off the list yet.”
    Jenny leaned over to Parker and patted his knee. “You’ll have to be patient. Read her articles so you get a better picture of her talent. Ask about her projects for the same reason.”
    “She won’t tell me her pseudonym.”
    With a laugh, Jenny said, “You don’t need permission from her to find it. I know what it is.”
    “You do?”
    “My body might be decrepit, but my brain’s fairly agile. Took me about an hour to Google her name and find out she writes under TJ Hawk. I’ve taken the liberty of passing her alias around town.”
    “She wrote an article about cops some time ago.”
    Jenny smiled. “Might hit a little too close to home, but it’s funny. Read it for the humor.” Her expression grew grave. “I’m worried about her newspaper series. I think she wrote the Sing Lee column out of desperation, a need to be seen as a serious writer.” Shaking her head in agitation, Jenny began to pick at the blanket on her lap.
    Chet laid his hand on her wrist and said, “She interviewed you about the Sing Lee murder, didn’t she?”
    She nodded slowly. “I wish she hadn’t. But how could I refuse when the project is so important to her?”
    Parker saw the glint of tears in her eyes and reached over to pat her on the knee. “So her intentions are good but she’s misjudging the effect of