Free 06 Suspects and Surprises by Cindy Bell Page B

on the wine,” Mary requested as they walked into the kitchen.
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
     
    Early the next morning Suzie headed to the library to check on Louis. She made a few stops along the way for party supplies, since Mary was not with her. She was more than a little concerned about how Louis had behaved the day before. She knew that he was likely still taking Warren's death very hard. When she arrived at the library she was surprised to see that there was a police car in the parking lot. When she stepped inside the library she spotted Jason and his partner, Kirk, standing at the front desk with Louis. Louis was red in the face and obviously frustrated.
    “Look, I don't know who would have done it,” Louis said, clearly aggravated. “I think that you need to be out looking for the criminal who stole my most valuable possession, rather than wasting your time here asking me the same questions over and over again.”
    “Louis, I'm just trying to get as much information as possible so that I can solve the crime,” Jason said calmly.
    “What's going on?” Suzie asked as she walked up to them both.
    Jason cast a wary glance in her direction. “Louis had a break-in last night,” he explained.
    “A break-in?” Louis repeated. “Is that really what you're calling it? The most important thing in my life was ripped out of my home, and you call it a break-in?”
    “The book?” Suzie asked and narrowed her eyes.
    “Yes,” Louis said with exasperation. “First Warren was killed, and now this. I don't think I can take any more. If I don't get that book back, I'm going to lose it. I should have left it here, I never should have taken it home.”
    “Relax, Louis,” Suzie assured him. “Jason is a great police officer and he will take care of this for you.”
    “I can't, I just can't,” Louis said tearfully. He walked off towards the employee lounge of the library. Suzie stared after him sympathetically.
    “So, now I'm a great police officer?” Jason asked, reminding her that he was still there.
    “Jason, you know I didn't mean what I said,” Suzie said with a sigh. “But surely you can see that there is a case here now. Obviously, whoever killed Warren was also after the book.”
    “Obviously?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. “Is that an investigative term?”
    Suzie narrowed her eyes as she studied Jason. She had never seen him so snippy with her before.
    “Are you going to tell me that you don't think that there's a connection between the two crimes?” she asked incredulously.
    “I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that the evidence isn't there to support that connection,” Jason explained and shook his head. “We can't just make assumptions.”
    “Assumptions like I must be lying about the renovations I did on the house?” Suzie asked.
    “I never said you were lying,” Jason pointed out. “Sometimes things are overlooked.”
    “So, now I'm a liar, and I'm cheap,” Suzie said with disbelief. “It's good to know your real opinion of me, Jason.”
    “Suzie, you know that's not the case,” Jason said impatiently.
    “Maybe that's the problem,” Suzie said with a sigh. “I don't know. What I do know is that this was no accident. Are you going to investigate it as a murder, or not?” she asked.
    “I can't,” Jason said with a frown. “Not without some kind of evidence. But what I will do is keep an ear out and I will do some investigating and see if any new evidence comes to light. If anything comes up, I will let you know right away.”
    “Fine,” Suzie nodded. She had a million other things she wanted to say, but she didn't think it was appropriate library conversation.
    “Suzie,” Jason warned her as he met her eyes. “I want you to stay out of this. No conducting your own investigation. It could come back to hurt you, since the death took place on your property.”
    Suzie nodded and then walked away from him without saying anything more.
    “I mean it, Suzie,” Jason called