Free Murder at Barclay Meadow by Wendy Sand Eckel Page A

glance.
    â€œJust someone,” I said.
    â€œCome on,” Tony said. “Who are you two talking about?”
    â€œIf you must know, Rosalie found a dead body,” Glenn said.
    â€œNo kidding?” Tony said. “Where?”
    â€œMegan was in my marsh grasses.” I glanced at Glenn. “I really don’t think we should—”
    â€œWe’re looking into how she died,” Glenn said. “There is a professor at the college who is a suspect.”
    Sue placed her pen on the desk in a slow, deliberate movement. Her head was statue still.
    â€œMaybe I could help,” Tony said. “I’ve been living on my sailboat while my ex-wife is cozied up in our very expensive house in Wilmington. When I’m not working, I’m bored out of my gourd. Other than you guys, I know a total of three people. Count ’em.” He held up his hand and popped up his index finger. “The pizza delivery boy…” Another finger. “The liquor store owner, and three, the gal who takes my checks at the marina.” Tony looked over at Sue. “Well, Susie Q? I know you’re listening. You in?”
    Sue turned to face us and tucked her shiny black hair behind an ear. “Do you have any other suspects?”
    â€œYeah,” Tony said. “What do you know so far? And I want to hear more about this research. Sounds like he’s going to study you.”
    â€œEveryone slow down,” I said. “This is just something I’m doing and Glenn offered to help. I don’t even know if she was murdered. It’s just a hunch.”
    â€œThe police closed the investigation,” Glenn said. “Megan’s father asked them to.”
    â€œWhy would he do that?” Sue said.
    â€œWe’re trying to find out,” Glenn said. “But it certainly is suspicious.”
    â€œI agree.” Sue leaned forward. “I think we should learn as much about this girl as possible. I can get us onto her Facebook page.” Her cheeks had flushed a rosy pink. “Did you know that after the Virginia Tech shootings, people posted messages on the dead students’ Facebook pages? It was a way to mourn. I would bet people are still posting on her wall. They do that now—keep people’s Facebook pages up after they’re deceased.”
    â€œSue,” I said. “Back up. Are you saying you can look at her entire page without being her friend? I thought that was private.”
    â€œIt is.” Sue shrugged. “But I have my ways. I can hack onto her page and figure out how to log on as Megan. If we need to, that is. And we might at some point. I really think the more we know about her, the better chance we have of discovering who killed her.”
    â€œ If someone killed her,” I interjected.
    â€œHang on,” Tony said. “Sue, how the heck can you get on her Facebook page?”
    Sue’s hair slipped from behind her ear. She gathered it up and dropped it behind her back. “I can’t really say.”
    â€œWhat’s important is that you can do it,” Glenn said. “There should be a wealth of information. For all we know the killer could have written on her wall.”
    Their eagerness was dizzying. I felt like Dorothy when her three new friends signed up to find the wizard. And like Dorothy, I needed to let them know there was a witch on my tail. “Slow down, everyone. I haven’t told you about the sheriff.”
    â€œWhat about the sheriff?” Glenn said.
    â€œHe’s scary,” I said. “And he doesn’t like me. In fact, I’m certain he despises me.”
    â€œHe agreed to close the case very quickly,” Glenn said. “Possibly prematurely. Perhaps he is a suspect, too.”
    Jillian strolled in, sat at her desk, and fished her cell phone out of her hobo bag.
    â€œSue,” Glenn said. “I think you made a good point. We need to know our victim inside and