Page 92 of Kiss Marry Kill
“Some women carry small knives in their purses for protection.”
She shook her head. “Not me. I have a little can of pepper spray. I wouldn’t have it in me to thrust a knife into someone’s… throat.”
I believed her, which was frustrating.
Unfortunately, the knife used to kill Archie hadn’t had prints on it. Another hiccup was the weapon didn’t appear to be mass-produced. If we’d known the manufacturer, we might have been able to trace where it was purchased and by whom. But the weapon appeared to be a hand-carved specialty knife, possibly purchased somewhere like Etsy. Locating the seller would be impossible. There were so many online stores selling handmade crafts these days, it was a needle in a haystack situation.
“Where were you when Archie’s body was found?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you, but I was in the bar.”
“Alone?”
“No. The bartender was very attentive. Ricardo was his name. I gave him a very nice tip—I’m sure he’ll remember me. He was cute. I enjoyed my time with him. His flirting helped soothe my bruised ego after Archie rejected me.”
“I’ll check with him.”
“I’m sure you will. Archie wasn’t good enough for Janelle. But she certainly seems brokenhearted. She had a panic attack last night. Did Dr. Thornton tell you that?”
I nodded. “He did.”
“She seems so attached to Dr. Thornton. I can’t for the life of me understand why.” She gave a dismissive laugh. “She seems to attract misfits. Archie was another one.”
I tried not to bristle at her attitude about Max. She was a shallow woman. Of course she wouldn’t understand someone like Max. “How did Janelle meet Archie?”
Angela groaned. “Oh, that was my fault. I ordered a limousine to take us to Art Ball at the Dallas Museum of Art. Archie was the driver.”
“That’s how they met?” I frowned.
“Yes.” She exhaled. “Janelle got bored and went back to the limo early. I guess Archie really chatted her up. Next thing I knew, they were a couple. I, naturally, was horrified.”
“I see.” That seemed a little out of line for the driver of the limousine to hit on the passengers. Had Archie intentionally targeted Janelle, knowing she was the daughter of the wealthiest family in town? Or had it been coincidence, and true love had blossomed?
Angela examined her nails. “I did my best to discourage her from dating him, but she was smitten.” She glanced up. “He was cute. But poor. I felt she could do better.”
“He wasn’t poor. He had money in the bank.”
She laughed. “Sheriff, what I mean is he wasn’t in our tax bracket. To us, he was poor. Definitely a poor match for our daughter.”
“I see.” I struggled to keep my dislike at bay. “Getting back to last night, Janelle told Dr. Thornton she’d seen someone in your garden. Did you happen to see anyone?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, good Lord, don’t listen to Janelle.”
“You don’t believe her?”
“Of course not. Nobody is traipsing around our garden in the middle of the night. This all started a few weeks ago. Janelle just started rambling on about some woman stalking her. But nobody else ever sees this person. I fear Janelle is losing her marbles.”
“Has she seen a therapist?”
Frowning, Angela shook her head. “The Raidens don’t believe in giving in to emotional hysteria.”
“Your daughter is obviously struggling. I’d think you’d want to get her all the help you could.”
She lifted one shoulder. “That’s none of your business.”
Technically, that was true. But it was impossible not to feel sorry for Janelle.
She sighed, glancing at her watch. “Are we done here? This is such a waste of time. You already have the killer in custody, Sheriff. I’m still not sure why you’re hounding me and my husband.”
