More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [26]
“Like someone with her body type sneaking through the cellar of her restaurant with Mitch’s gun?” Aidan said facetiously, growing irritated with the other man’s reticence regarding that part of the investigation.
Walker held up his hands as if in surrender. “Okay, I get it. Too many coincidences that can only point to our chef being the Sparrow and Mitch’s killer. What we need to do is connect the Sparrow to the prince’s murder,” Walker reminded. “First, we have Elizabeth being near the estate at the time of the murder.”
Lucia counted down another reason. “And a woman matching her description was seen with the prince.”
“If the prince died with a smile on his face, Walker, do we have any DNA at the scene?” Aidan questioned.
The other man shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve brought in our own team to go over the area and reprocess the prince’s body. If the prince and the Sparrow engaged in sexual activity, there will be fluids. We should also try to find any DNA evidence that may tie the killer to the digitalis. If it is from a plant, maybe the DNA can provide a signature to its origins.”
“Maybe I can find something similar in Elizabeth’s assorted gardens,” he tacked on.
Walker glanced at his watch and then at Aidan. “You’re on at ten this morning and finished at eleven tonight?”
Aidan smiled suggestively. “Unless I can entertain the lady the way I did last night. If I can…” He pointed to Lucia. “There’s a special fiberoptic camera I’ve been working on. I think you can use it to help pick the locks on the safe and locker since we haven’t been able to track down a master key due to their age.”
“Not without backup,” Walker advised. “I’ll be back by ten this morning so that you can prep, Lucia. We’ll play it by ear after that.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she confirmed.
With a nod, Aidan grabbed his jacket and walked out the door. He had a little over an hour left before Elizabeth expected him for work and a lot to do.
He was optimistic, however, that the information from her friends might help seal the deal on Elizabeth being the Sparrow. It might also help him drive away his attraction to the enigmatic woman he’d come to know in the past few days.
Chapter 9
Nothing could have prepared him for what was going on in Samantha’s shop. A multitude of women, some of them familiar from last night at the WAC, jockeyed for position around the merchandise, cramming every inch of the store looking for bargains. The young fashion designer was apparently running an immense clearance sale.
Samantha and one of her associates were very busy behind the counter, ringing up and packaging purchases. Clearly the likelihood of talking with Samantha was nil, and when one particularly aggressive woman shoved past him with a shoulder an NHL hockey player would envy, he decided to turn his attention to the other young woman he had met last night.
Kate’s shop, which was just a block away from Samantha’s, was very much like the woman he had met at the WAC. Quiet. Subdued. Elegant. Everything in her shop sat neatly in order on the shelves and display tables scattered throughout the intimate store.
He browsed around the store while Kate helped a customer. There were an assortment of lotions, salts, perfumes and soaps. Aidan paused at one table and eased the stopper off a bottle. A heavy and rather cloying floral fragrance immediately filled the air before he could replace the top. He wrinkled his nose and quickly put the bottle down.
Moving to the next table, he took note of the assorted flowers being used in the preparations. Plumeria. Peony. Lavender. Lily of the Valley. No foxglove.
He wondered who prepared the floral essences for Kate or whether she did them herself. If it was the latter, it occurred to him that maybe she had been an unwitting accomplice