Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

S am strode into Marnie Wilson’s campaign headquarters, Lucy at his side. Amelia’s eyes widened when she saw him.

“Chief Mason!” She glanced nervously at Marnie’s office door. “Ms. Wilson is quite busy at the moment.”

“I’m sure she can spare a few minutes.” Sam’s tone left no room for argument.

Staffers gathered around Lucy, cooing and petting her. One hung back, speaking urgently on the phone—the same one who’d done so the first time they’d been there. Sam avoided eye contact with Monica. He didn’t want anyone to guess that she’d given him information.

Marnie emerged from her office, a practiced smile on her face. “Chief Mason, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come in.”

Sam and Lucy followed her inside, closing the door behind them.

Lucy sat next to Sam, eyeing Marnie warily. The dog didn’t seem to like the politician. She probably sensed something humans couldn’t sense.

“Are you here to give me your endorsement?” Marnie asked, her voice honey sweet. She perched on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs.

Sam ignored her flirtation. “Why did you lie about the night Alex was killed?”

Marnie’s smile faltered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Someone told us that Alex was in your office that night.”

Marnie glanced out the glass office wall into the room. “Who?”

Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “Someone reliable. Is it true?”

“I...” Marnie’s composure cracked. “I must have forgotten.”

Sam studied Marnie’s face. “Forgotten? Or deliberately misled us?”

Marnie slipped off the desk and stepped behind it, putting a barrier between them. “I would never mislead the police, Chief Mason.”

“Then why didn’t you mention this before?”

“Alex was my campaign manager. He came in here a lot at night.” Marnie waved her hand dismissively. “We would go over what happened during the day, discuss whether there was anything I needed to do or pay attention to. All the times blend together. I don’t keep track.”

“Did you usually argue with him?”

“Never.” Marnie shook her head vehemently.

“But the person overheard you arguing that night.”

Marnie’s brow furrowed. “I don’t recall...”

Sam waited, watching her closely.

“Wait, there might have been one argument,” Marnie said slowly, as if the memory was just coming back to her. “But it was nothing. That’s why I forgot about it.”

“What was it about?”

“Campaign strategy.” Marnie shrugged. “Sometimes, we disagreed on the best approach.”

“And that’s all it was? A disagreement about strategy?”

“Of course.” Marnie’s tone turned indignant. “What else would it be?”

Sam held her gaze. “You tell me.”

Sam watched Marnie closely, searching for any signs of deception. Her explanation seemed plausible, but something about it didn’t sit right with him. Lucy’s ears perked up, and she swung her attention to the door just before a knock sounded.

Amelia cracked the door open, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Ms. Wilson, but Mr. Rickman is on the line. You told me to interrupt no matter what.”

Marnie’s eyes darted to Sam then back to Amelia. “Thank you, Amelia. I’ll take the call in a moment.” She turned to Sam, her smile tight. “Are we done here, Chief Mason?”

“For now. But if you remember anything else about that night… or your argument… it could be important to our investigation.”

Marnie nodded, her fingers tapping on the desk. “Of course. I’ll let you know if I recall anything else.”

Amelia held the door open as Sam and Lucy exited the office. He paused, turning to Amelia. “I have a question for you, if you don’t mind.”

Amelia glanced at Marnie’s office then back at Sam. “Of course, Chief Mason. What can I help you with?”

“Did you ever happen to overhear Ms. Wilson and Alex arguing?”

Amelia’s eyes widened slightly, and she hesitated before answering. “No. Of course not. Why would they argue?”

Sam studied her face, noting the way she avoided direct eye contact. “You worked closely with Alex?”

Amelia nodded, her fingers twisting together. “Sort of. I mean, yeah.”

“Did you notice anything unusual about Alex’s behavior in the weeks leading up to his death?”

“No, not really. Well, maybe he was a little more tense than usual, but I figured it was just the stress of the campaign.” Amelia glanced behind her and then leaned closer. “Alex might not have been the good guy everyone thought he was.”

Sam tried to hide his surprise. “What makes you say that?”

Amelia’s eyes darted away. “I mean, he was kind of secretive. And yeah, he doted on his grandfather, but smoking cigars and drinking with an elderly man is a bit weird, don’t you think?”

Sam frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Amelia shrugged. “Just that maybe there was more to Alex than any of us knew.”

“And what about last night?” Sam asked. “How late did you work?”

“I left at five,” Amelia said. “Alex was still here when I took off.”

“And what did you do after that?”

Amelia looked down at her shoes. “Went straight home. It was a work night, so I went to bed early.”

Sam’s phone pinged. He glanced at it briefly before turning his attention back to Amelia. “Thanks for your time. If you hear anything or remember anything else, please get in touch.”

Amelia nodded, relief evident on her face as Sam turned to leave. Lucy padded along beside him, her nails clicking on the linoleum floor.

As they exited the building, Sam pulled out his phone to read the text more thoroughly. It was from Jo.

Bad news. Glover wants a warrant to hand over the surveillance tapes.

Sam sighed and did an about-face. It looked like he’d be making a trip to the mayor’s office to see if Henley could speed things up.