Framed For Murder (An Anna Nolan Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

scene. And your car, since Mr. Nolan’s body was moved.”
    I raised my eyebrows but swallowed back my response, which was to tell him to get a search warrant. How could the police seriously believe that I had killed Jack? What about a motive and an adequate amount of time to have murdered him? But I reconsidered, deciding that I’d gain more from the police by co-operating.
    “Sure, that’s no problem. They can do it anytime – tomorrow, if you like. I know from the mystery novels I’ve read that it’s almost impossible to destroy traces of blood from porous surfaces.”
    Steve rolled his eyes. “Mystery novels. Things don’t get solved as neatly as they do in books, you know.”
    I rolled my eyes right back. “I know that. I live in the real world, Steve. I even know that crimes don’t always get solved.” Steve nodded.
    “What about motives, Steve? Have you thought about who had the strongest motive for killing Jack?” His eyes darted to me and flicked away again. “No – me? You’re kidding. What reason could I possibly have had for wanting to kill Jack after all these years?”
    Steve said, “Anna, it was no secret how you felt about your ex-husband. I remember overhearing Erna Dombrosky tell you last fall that she’d seen Mr. Nolan on TV. You made it pretty clear then that your ex was a jerk and that you were glad to be rid of him.”  
    “Yes, I remember that conversation, but so what? Lots of people think their exes are jerks.”
    “Okay, Anna, but let’s look at it from a police perspective.” Steve stood up and began to pace around my little eight-foot wide porch. “Jack Nolan was found dead out on Wistler Road and you’re the only known connection he had to Crane. What was he doing in Crane that night, Anna? Was he trying to see you again – or maybe Ben? Did he think that Ben was still living with you? You keep saying that you hadn’t talked to him since your divorce.”
    The last thing I wanted was for Ben to get dragged into the investigation. I almost asked Steve if he had checked on Amy Bright’s whereabouts that night, but I didn’t want him to think that I was trying to deflect suspicion from Ben and me by accusing Amy. Instead, I leaned back on the bench and crossed my legs, trying to look nonchalant. “I think you’re on a bit of a fishing expedition there, officer,” I said.
    Steve gave me a hard look. “Alright, Anna, here’s another possibility. Maybe you arranged for someone else to kill him.”
    I snorted and straightened up. “You mean, like a hit man?”
    Steve stopped pacing and sat back on the bench beside me. “Don’t laugh, Anna. It’s a genuine possibility. You have friends.”
    “Yeah, I can just see seventy-nine year old Erna Dombrosky going after my no-good ex-husband with a .45 because he cheated on me four years ago.”
    “Or, you could have paid someone to do it. Look, Anna, I’m trying to warn you here. Don’t think that you’re not under serious suspicion just because we haven’t arrested you yet.” I jumped. “Number one: you had a motive for killing Jack. He cheated on you for years, and you wanted revenge. Number two: he called you that evening, even though you swore he hadn’t spoken to you in four years. Number three: there’s at least an hour and a quarter of your time unaccounted for that night. No,” he said as I started to protest, “being home by yourself doesn’t count. And number four: I found you standing over the body.”
    Okay, I was getting riled. I’d been helpful up until then, but he was talking crazy about hit men and arresting me. I swivelled around until our knees were touching.
    “Look, Steve, I already explained how I found Jack’s body,” I said. “Yes, that creep cheated on me repeatedly during our marriage, so I divorced him. But I fell out of love with Jack years before our marriage ended, and I was glad to be free of him. I didn’t want anything more to do with him, and I never saw him again or spoke