Bree gave him her cell number. She was going to have more questions for him too, once she got her act together.
“Where are you staying?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Bree said. “When will Erin’s house be released?”
“I’ll let you know. Hopefully, the deputies will finish searching it today, but I make no guarantees. I don’t know what they’ll find.”
But Bree already knew he wasn’t a hands-on investigator. If this were her case, she would be searching the victim’s house herself, and not only to find physical evidence. A detective could learn a lot about a person by studying their personal space. She kept her criticism to herself. Ripping apart his investigative procedures would not make him more cooperative.
“The horses will need to be fed and watered this evening,” she pointed out.
“Yes. If we aren’t finished with the house, one of my deputies will take care of it. Same one who saw to them this morning.”
“Thank you.” Bree stood too quickly. The blood drained from her head, making her light-headed. She braced herself with one hand on the arm of the chair for a few seconds.
“You don’t have any idea what kind of trouble your sister was in?” the chief deputy asked.
Bree shook her head. “Erin didn’t get into trouble.”
But as she said the words, she knew they couldn’t possibly be true.
CHAPTER SIX
Matt watched Bree Taggert bolt from the station. Her face was as pale as the ice on the sidewalk, and she was moving like the building was on fire.
Or she was trying to get as far away as possible from the news of her sister’s death.
Empathy swelled in Matt. He knew her history. Bree had lost both her parents in a horrific tragedy. Now her sister had suffered the same fate.
Matt had remembered Bree instantly. She had an interesting face, lean and serious, with hazel eyes that seemed to shift between green and amber according to her mood.
Had she recognized him? She’d moved as far away as possible when he’d walked into the lobby. He thought back to the wedding. At the time, he’d thought the attraction between them had been mutual, but maybe he’d been wrong.
Behind the counter, Marge Lancaster waved a dog biscuit. “Who has a treat for Brody?”
Brody drooled and turned to Matt.
Matt led the dog behind the reception counter. “Go ahead.” Marge was going to give Brody the treat no matter what Matt said. She generally did as she liked. The chief deputy might be acting sheriff, but Marge ran the show.
She held out the biscuit.
“Setzen,” Matt commanded.
Brody sat and took the treat gently from her hand.
“What a pretty boy you are.” Marge stroked his head. The dog’s tail thumped on the floor as if he knew Marge was flattering him.
Matt shook his head. “You spoil him, Marge.”
“Like you don’t.” She arched a penciled-on eyebrow. “Not that it matters. He earned it.”
“Yes, he did.” Matt would be dead if it weren’t for Brody. Still, Matt was diligent about keeping up with the dog’s basic obedience. A ninety-pound canine needed manners.
“Hier.” Matt headed for Todd’s door. Brody fell into step beside him, but he stopped at every desk to say hello. Since his retirement, he’d turned into a freaking ambassador.
Inside the chief deputy’s office, Matt jerked a thumb at the closed door. “That was Erin’s sister, right?”
“Yes.” Todd rubbed a hand down the center of his face. He’d shaved and put on a fresh uniform, but the long night had left shadows under his eyes. “She didn’t know her sister is dead.”
“How did she take the news?” Matt took a seat facing the chief deputy. Brody lay next to his chair, resting his head on Matt’s foot.
Todd frowned. “I don’t think she’s fully processed it yet.”
“I’ll bet she hasn’t.”
“How well do you know her?” Todd asked.
“Not well. We met during Justin and Erin’s wedding.” But both of them had gone to the wedding solo. They’d been seated together. They’d talked. They’d danced.
Todd flattened his palm on a closed folder in the center of his blotter. “She’s a homicide detective with the Philly PD.”
Matt had been an investigator back then too. They’d had a lot in common. If she hadn’t run out of town the day after the wedding, Matt would have called her. But then, considering her reaction to him today, maybe it had been for the best they hadn’t seen each other again.
“She’s going to be a pain in my ass.” Todd tapped on the folder.
“So am I,” Matt said.
Todd sighed. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. You are too close to the case. You have a relationship with the primary suspect. I cannot let you take part in the investigation, but I will keep you as informed as possible.”
“So, Justin is the primary suspect,” Matt said.
Regret creased Todd’s face. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s not a huge revelation. The husband is always a suspect, and Justin is missing. Do you have any other suspects?”
“I can’t answer that.”
So, that’s a no.
“Have you considered—”
“Matt,” Todd cut him off. “You’re not a deputy anymore.”
Matt breathed. Frustration and anger rose in his chest. Todd was going into the investigation assuming Justin was guilty, not to find the truth.
Todd sighed. “I’ll tell you what will be in this morning’s press release.” He consulted a paper on his desk. “The bullet that killed Erin Taggert was a 9mm. Justin’s father is missing a Sig Sauer P226 9mm handgun.”
Damn.
Justin had been convicted of a felony. He couldn’t legally possess a weapon. If he’d wanted one, he would have needed to find another way.
“Mr. Moore didn’t know it was missing until we talked to him,” Todd continued. “He kept it in his nightstand. It’s possible Justin stole it from his father. Did he say anything to you about a weapon?”
“No.”
Todd frowned. “Do you know Erin’s family’s history?”
“Yes.”
“The case is already getting media attention. They’re calling it the Déjà vu Murder.”
“Then the press has decided Justin is guilty.”
“I can’t control the media,” Todd said.
“But you could at least say that you have other lines of investigation.”
Todd’s gaze went flat. “I’ll be issuing a press release later this morning. At this point, I don’t have any other theories. The fact is that Justin’s soon-to-be ex-wife was shot in his house, and there are no signs of forced entry.”
“I can’t believe Justin would kill anyone, let alone Erin.”
What if Justin was also dead? What if he’d been kidnapped by Erin’s killer? What if she’d been killed because of something Justin had done, like owed money to a drug dealer? He’d purchased his oxy from someone. Had she walked in on a drug deal?