Temptation Trails - Page 145

Margie rang him up. I could see him hand her cash. That also tracked. He wouldn’t have used anything with his name on it.

She handed him some change and a receipt. He pocketed both and took the vase off the counter.

I still couldn’t see his face.

My hands were on the desk, palms splayed, my face moving closer to the screen. Who was he? Was it Matt? The clothes were nondescript, just a T-shirt and jeans. Even his hat was plain gray, without a logo or anything identifying.

That had to be on purpose. He was making sure he didn’t stand out. A guy who could blend in. Fly under the radar.

Was Matt that guy? Not really. But maybe he had a hidden side. Maybe the awkward true crime junkie was just for show.

I held my breath as he started to walk away. Nothing. Not even a glimpse of his face. I was about to go back and rewatch the entire exchange when he moved his face toward the camera and I finally got a look. I hit pause and increased the resolution.

And I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

It wasn’t Matt Rudolph. Not even close. It wasn’t any of our frequent fliers, a known criminal with a record. Not even someone I’d arrested before but had stayed out of trouble since.

It was Phillip Lancaster, the prosecuting attorney.

I sat back in my chair, dumbfounded. Phillip? He was a successful lawyer with a stellar reputation. Everybody loved him.

He couldn’t have killed someone. That wasn’t possible. He put bad guys away for a living.

I kept going through the footage to see if someone else had bought white flowers that day, or the next. Nothing. He was the only one. I went back to him so I could zoom in on the arrangement he bought. It was definitely white lilies. No question.

My stomach churned with a mix of anger and bewilderment. Was Phillip Jasmine’s killer? This didn’t prove it, but it meant he sure as hell might have been.

And I’d been sharing details of my investigation with him.

He had access to everything. Evidence, case files, all my reports, even my schedule. If he’d wanted to, he’d have no problem tracking my location at any time. He’d just have to ask dispatch. Wouldn’t even need a reason. Everyone trusted him.

My gut was screaming at me that this was it. This was the answer.

It was him. Phillip Lancaster had killed Jasmine Joyner.

And he was going to try to kill Harper.

I flew out of my chair. This wasn’t enough to question him, let alone enough for an arrest. The fact that he’d bought white flowers just before Jasmine went missing, and Jasmine’s sister recalled her receiving similar flowers, was nothing but a coincidence in the eyes of the law.

But at that moment, I wasn’t focused on Jasmine. I had to know if Phillip had been back to the florist to buy more white flowers.

Flowers that were going to end up on my doorstep—for Harper.

CHAPTER 38

Harper

Garrett’s visit earlier in the day had left me jumpy. Did a coaster left on my car mean someone had been in the house? Or was it just a weird coincidence?

Did it mean I was in danger?

SPS members had been walking the block around the bakery, like soldiers on patrol. There were usually two, walking in opposite directions, and they’d stop in front of the bakery together, come in to check that all was well, then resume their circuit.

I felt a little bit ridiculous about it all. Was this necessary? Or was Sheriff Cordero right and Garrett was letting the case get to him?

Still, I was glad they were there. I didn’t think they could stop my bad luck curse from striking—nothing could—but maybe they’d keep things from escalating. I could live with random bad luck. Burnt cookies, even if they did set off the fire alarm, were nothing compared to being targeted by a killer.

I went back to the kitchen to check the cookies I’d made for the SPS guys. They were cooling on a rack while Mila did some clean-up.