"A Murder In Milburn", Book 4: Death By Ice Cream by Nancy McGovern

work?”
    “I’ll be very angry if it doesn’t,” Harvey said. “You have no right to get involved in this, Nora. This is none of your business.”
    “That’s where we disagree,” Nora said. “Whatever puts you in danger is very much my business. Maybe I don’t tell you this enough, Harvey, but I love you too. A lot. I can’t bear the thought of you sitting here in prison, when you’re innocent…” She paused suddenly. “You are innocent, aren’t you?”
    “I didn’t kill Tiffany,” Harvey said. “I told Sean that already. After I dropped you home, I spent all last night in my office. It looks bad for me, though, because I have no alibi. No one saw me enter or leave my office, after all.”
    “Well why did he arrest you? Does he have anything stronger than a weak alibi to charge you with?”
    “Tiffany had…” Harvey sighed. “She had some DNA belonging to me under her fingernails.” He turned his cheek to show Nora the long scratch that angled down it.  
    Nora put a hand to her mouth. She’d noticed the cut yesterday, but in the chaos that had followed Sergio’s death, she’d never asked Harvey about it. “Tiffany did that?”
    Harvey nodded.  
    “Why?!” Nora exclaimed. “If all you had with her was a business dealing-”
    “For the third time, Nora, you’re not getting any more answers out of me,” Harvey said.
    Deputy Ellerton came up behind Nora. “Five minutes more,” he said. “Then I have to take you out of here.”
    Harvey nodded to the deputy. “I think we’re done. Nora was just leaving.”
    “Harvey…” Nora moved closer. He came up to the bars, and she kissed him gently on the lips. “I know you’re a stubborn man, but you’re also a very good man. I believe that with all my heart. You can’t have done this. You’re innocent, and I’m sure that time will prove it.”
    “As long as you don’t try to prove it, I’m happy,” Harvey said. He kissed her hungrily, as if he was drawing strength from her. “Wish me luck, Nora. If the lawyer’s worth what I’m paying him, I’ll be out of here soon.”
    Deputy Ellerton took Nora back upstairs to the office, and had her sign the log book. Trying to dig a little deeper, Nora started a conversation with him.
    “How’s Betty and little Jeff?” she asked.
    “Oh, Jeff’s as happy as ever.” Deputy Ellerton smiled. “He’s recently started playing soccer, and he’s been chosen in his school team. I’m pretty proud, to be honest. The kid’s a natural athlete. Must have got it from Betty’s side.”
    “Oh, come on, surely it’s his father’s genes that carried some weight.” Nora smiled and nudged him. “I know you were quite the star in our high school football team.”
    “Oh, I was all right.” Deputy Ellerton smiled. “Sean was the real star. I was always best at being his right-hand man. Still am, come to think of it.”
    “Sean…” A shadow crossed Nora’s face. “Do you think Sean’s being, you know, totally fair here? I mean, everyone knows that he and Harvey hate each other.”
    “That they do.” Ellerton nodded. “I just don’t understand why. After all, they’re brothers.”
    “Half-brothers. Both equally stubborn too. But that’s why Sean hates him,” Nora said. “I’m sure you know all about it.”
    “Oh, I was around when Harvey first came into town. Did you know he and Sean once had a no-holds barred fistfight down at The Silver Light? ” Ellerton laughed. “They both had to be pulled apart by six men!”
    Nora sighed. “If you’re trying to make me lose confidence in Sean, that’s a good story. How can he possibly be unbiased about Harvey?”
    “Well, Sean might think Harvey is a scumbag, but does he think Harvey is a murdering scumbag? That I don’t have the answer to,” Ellerton said. “Sorry,” he added, when he saw the look on Nora’s face.
    “I don’t understand how Sean doesn’t just assume the obvious,” Nora said. “Clearly, it was Sergio who did