Page 29 of Coveted Justice

“I am. I need it after what I’ve been through.”

“You gave those up years ago.”

“And now I’m smoking them again,” she snapped back. “We’re not married anymore. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I don’t remember telling you what to do when we were married.”

“You tried, but I mostly ignored you.”

He wasn’t going to argue with her about the past. He was sure that they both had quite different memories of those years together.

“This inn is completely non-smoking,” he said instead. “You’re supposed to go outside to do that.”

“I’m sure Hazel will understand. I’ve had a stressful morning.”

Hazel had owned the inn for years and she was a lovely person, but no, she wouldn’t understand. As a former smoker, Hazel was militant about the rule of no smoking in the rooms.

“She won’t but that’s your issue.”

She took a drag on the cigarette before replying.

“I think I know who killed Marty. It was his business partners.”

“Why would they kill him? Did he owe them money?”

“Not that I know of, but I can tell that they’re not on the level, if you know what I mean. They sort of scare me a bit.”

“You think they’re shady?”

“Definitely shady. I don’t like spending time with them.” She gave him a defiant look. “That’s what we were arguing about if you must know. Marty wanted us to go on a short vacation with them and I didn’t want to go. He said I was being stubborn, and that there wasn’t anything wrong with them. I wouldn’t give in.”

Tanner could believe that. He didn’t remember winning many fights when they were married.

“What about anyone else? Has he argued with anyone recently? Other than you, of course.”

She cleared her throat and shifted on the couch cushion.

“Our neighbor is suing us for the cost of a fence and some damage to the driveway and plants. We had a party and it might have gotten out of hand a little.”

Abby and Marty had hosted a rager? At their age?

“We’ll need to talk to them, too. Any of Marty’s friends. His kids as well. Also, his attorney.”

Abby visibly stiffened.

“Are you planning to ask him if Marty was going to divorce me? Because you’re wasting your time. He wasn’t.”

“We’ll need to talk to his business attorney about anything that might have been going on in Marty’s life that would make someone want to kill him.”

But now that she’d mentioned it, they would need to talk to Marty’s personal attorney if they weren’t one and the same person.

“I’m going to need all their names and addresses. Phone numbers, too. Everyone that Marty has had contact with in the last several months.”

“Fine. I can get you that.”

Glancing at his watch, Tanner grimaced.

“I need to get going. Maddie and I have some things we need to do.”

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