Page 77 of Hell Hath No Fury
Matthias ignored the comment. “He didn’t wear gloves. If he had, there would’ve been no need to bleach the part of the glass he held.”
“Eric doesn’t have any cuts. Or at least he didn’t until he got beat up in jail.”
Matthias continued to muse out loud. “Jones’s homicide was not premeditated. The glass was a weapon of opportunity. The killer didn’t have a plan. He was making it up as he went.”
“You keep saying ‘he.’ You believe it was a man.”
“Not necessarily.” Although he very much wanted to speak with the missing foreman. “But now I definitely want another look at the Powell farm construction site.”
“To look for Winslow?”
“Building materials,” Matthias said. “Specifically, something made of plate glass.”
Emma settled back in her seat. “Are we going there next?”
He shifted the Jeep into drive. “No. Let’s stick with our original plan. North Star Developing and Tina Neidermeyer first. What we do after that depends on what we find out.”
Besides, he wanted his visit to the construction site to be under the cover of darkness.
ChapterTwenty-Three
They hadn’t made it halfway to the office of North Star Developing before Emma’s phone buzzed. Matthias glanced over at her.
“It’s Eric,” she said, a note of trepidation adding a tremor to her voice. “Or at least it’s his number. But I thought his phone was being held as evidence.”
Matthias slowed to a stop at a traffic light as she answered.
“Eric?” she asked. After a beat, her face brightened. “That’s great.”
Matthias could make out Eric’s muffled voice, but not his words.
“Okay. Sure. I can do that.” Emma shot a look at Matthias that he also couldn’t make out. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“What’s going on?” he asked when she pocketed the phone.
She faced him, her eyes bright. “The judge threw out the charges. Eric’s been released.”
Matthias was only slightly surprised. The case against him was flimsy at best.
“He needs a ride.”
“Is he at the jail?”
“Yeah. His car is at the evidence garage, which is too far away for him to walk in his condition.”
“They’re releasing his car, too?” This surprised Matthias more than the dropped charges. “I thought they’d hold onto it.”
Emma shrugged. “I’m just telling you what Eric told me.”
The light turned green, and Matthias turned right instead of left. “Is he able to drive in his condition?”
“I don’t know, but I’d feel better if I drove him home.”
Matthias shot a questioning look her way. “You haven’t been cleared to drive.”
“I haven’t had a headache since I chased Nell down the road.”
“Wow,” he said sarcastically. “That’s been… what? Thirty-six hours?”
