Page 47 of Forever Dead

Meg sighed. “That answer came very quickly.”

“I’m sitting in a motel room. I’ve barely left it in five weeks.”

“That wasn’t what I asked, Selena.”

Selena rubbed her thumb along the notebook’s edge. “There’s been a murder in town.”

Meg’s tone changed. “Who?”

“My old teacher. Eleanor Marsh. A great woman.”

“Oh, Selena. I’m sorry.”

“She was seventy-nine. Somebody broke into her house and snapped her neck with their bare hands.”

“Damn.” The line buzzed for a moment on Meg’s end and then settled down.

Selena stared at Eleanor’s photograph on the bed. “One of Connor’s deputies asked me to look over some notes and crime-scene photos. That’s all I’m doing.”

“Oh, really?” Meg said.

“I’m sitting in a motel room with paperwork.”

“Then keep it that way. You’re not cleared for duty, Selena.”

“I know.”

“Good. Tell me the theory.”

Selena gazed at Eleanor’s photograph lying beside Arnold’s interview notes. “Miss Marsh was loved by almost everybody. The scene suggests anger. Whoever did it cut her phone line, went into the house, and then broke her rocking chair over her after she was dead. Nothing obvious was stolen.”

“You think it was personal.”

“Very. An ex-student, maybe. Or a colleague. Former students give us the larger pool. Tanya could start with alumni directories and cross-reference names against available criminal records.”

Meg was silent for a moment.

“I can ask Tanya to do a limited cross-reference,” she said eventually. “Available criminal and court records, open-source material, anything we can legitimately pull without turning this into an FBI case.”

“That’s all I need.”

Selena smiled despite herself. “Thanks, Meg.”

“I’ll get Tanya to email whatever she finds.”

“You’re wonderful.”

“I’m putting that in writing.”

“Don’t get carried away.”

Meg laughed softly. “Take care of yourself. And do the rehab.”

“I’m doing it.”

“Properly?”

“Goodbye, Meg.”