EXCERPT "Miss Flynn, could you come in please?" Lieutenant Morrison called from the cottage doorway. "You bet," Kelly replied brightly as she crossed the muddy path her walkway had become and raced up the front steps. "Mind if I refresh my coffee before we start, Lieutenant?" she said as she held up her mug and headed for the kitchen. Morrison nodded, then perched on the edge of her black leather sofa. "I wouldn't mind a cup, myself. Black." "The only civilized way to drink it," Kelly replied, hiding her smile as she filled another mug. If this was Morrison's way of smoothing over their earlier relationship, it worked for her. "I noticed from your interview with Officer Grebs that you repeatedly mentioned your belief that this vandalism at the knitting shop is somehow connected to the recent series of incidents involving your property, correct?" Morrison said as he accepted the mug. Kelly took a deep drink before answering. "Yes, I do. Whoever these guys are, they've been targeting me for over a month now. Why else would they trash a knitting shop and a cafe? I mean, how much money could they find there? If it was an electronics store, that would be understandable." "A lot of vandalism is random, Ms. Flynn. Targets of opportunity, so to speak." "I still think they got the idea when they came to my place." She took another drink and frowned out the lace-curtained window into the front yard. "I saw a guy hanging around outside my backyard just a few days ago, early in the morning. Checking his handiwork probably. Maybe he decided the shop would be a good target." "Did you get a good look at him?" Morrison asked as he scribbled in his notebook. "Unfortunately, no. He wore a hooded jacket and was hiding behind a tree. He took off like a jack rabbit when I yelled." "I'll bet. Now, why don't you tell me about those incidents. All of them. What kind of damage occurred?" Kelly recognized Morrison's style, making her repeat everything she'd told the police officer earlier. "Well, they started off by slashing all four of my tires the week before Christmas. I used to park my car beside the cottage. They must have sneaked up while we were all inside at the shop party." She took another sip before continuing. "I figured it was just a single incident of vandalism. Then in early January, red paint was thrown all over my house. I had motion-detector lights installed after that. But it didn't stop them from smashing my windshield later that month. That's when I started locking my car in the garage at night. Closing the barn door after the horse is stolen, I guess." She felt that old familiar anger return, remembering the damage. "Anyway, I thought the lights had done the trick until I went outside the other day and found paint all over my garage." Kelly drained her coffee. "And you never heard or saw anyone when these incidents occurred?" Morrison's bushy grey eyebrows arched. Kelly recognized Morrison's skeptical tone. "As I said, I was inside the shop with friends at a party when my tires were slashed, and I was away from home having dinner with a friend when the paint was thrown on my house and again when my car's windshield was smashed. I didn't even see the paint or the windshield until the next morning when it was daylight." "But you were at home for this last incident with your garage, right? And you still didn't hear anything?" Kelly leveled her gaze on Morrison and dropped her voice. She might have left corporate behavior behind, but it hadn't left her. "No, Lieutenant, I did not. However, my dog started barking in the middle of the night, so I got up and checked outside. I saw nothing, and I heard nothing. The lights had gone on, but I've noticed that animals can set them off also. So, I thought Carl had heard a fox or a raccoon. I never knew how many animals wandered through here at night until I had the lights installed." She gave him a wry smile. To her amazement, Morrison sent her a crooked smile in return. "Lights come on a lot, I take it?" "Ohhhhh, yeah." Kelly headed for the kitchen and more coffee. "Tell me, Ms. Flynn, have you had any altercations with other people these last few months? Any sharp or violent disagreements or incidents where you might have made enemies?" He peered over his mug at her before drinking. Kelly stopped pouring the black stream into her mug and stared at him in disbelief. "Me? Hell, no! Uhh, I mean, of course not, Lieutenant. I'm an accountant. We don't make enemies. We just do their accounts." She finished pouring her coffee and took a large drink. "So, there's no one you've met who might hold a grudge against you or harbor a strong dislike for any reason?" He set his mug aside and rose. "Nope, no one," Kelly said with a wry smile as she strolled back into the living room. "I assure you, Lieutenant, I live a really regimented life. Kind of boring, actually. I work out in the morning and run on the trails, work on the computer all day doing client accounting, visit my friends at the shop, go out for dinner, and play softball in the summer. Occasionally I drive up into Bellevue Canyon to check on property. Not much chance to make enemies. Like I said, boring." Morrison's bushy eyebrows arched even higher this time. "I wouldn't say involving yourself in murder investigations is 'boring,' Ms. Flynn. If memory serves me, I recall you've played a role in helping investigators several times. That's hardly boring." His reply startled Kelly. Was Morrison scolding her? She gave him a sly smile. "Are you trying to say I shouldn't have involved myself, Lieutenant?" "Not at all. I'm simply reminding you that you've been in several situations that brought you into conflict with other people. In fact, there are four people either in jail right now or awaiting trial because of you." Kelly's smile disappeared. She'd never thought about it that way before. Morrison was right. If not for her, those people would have gotten away with murder. And they would be free today. A chill rippled through her, but she shook it away. "You're exaggerating, Lieutenant. I simply helped the process along, that's all." Morrison smiled slightly. "All the same, Ms. Flynn. There are some people in town who probably don't think of you too fondly." Taking another deep draw of caffeine, she changed the subject. "Let me ask you a question, Lieutenant. Why would those guys stop trashing the shop and cafe and kill our friend downstairs? That doesn't sound like random vandalism to me." © Maggie Sefton