Deadly Accusations by Debra Purdy Kong

know each other?” Casey looked from him to Marie.
    â€œI was over here a lot,” Marie replied.
    â€œAs was Noel,” Paval added. “Getting to know the regular visitors makes it easier to figure out who should and shouldn’t be in the building.” He placed the little girl on the sofa and gave her a teddy bear as he glanced at Marie. “Do they really think he’d use his own van in a shooting?”
    â€œThey shouldn’t, given that Noel reported it stolen the night before.” Marie frowned. “Birch was stalking Jasmine, so he probably knew what Noel drives. He could have rented one to practise driving. Anyway, I heard that the cops have a description of the driver: dark jacket, royal blue ball cap, and sunglasses.”
    Which fit half a million guys in the Lower Mainland, Casey thought, and why would someone have to practise driving a van?
    A thirty-something woman in a lime bathrobe and matching slippers shuffled down the hallway toward them. When she reached the living room, she squinted at everyone through smudged eyeliner, then yawned without bothering to cover her mouth. Judging from the size of her abdomen, she looked about seven months pregnant.
    â€œGood morning, sweetheart.” Paval turned to Casey. “This is my wife, Ursula.”
    â€œHi,” Casey said, noticing that Marie kept her gaze on the dog.
    â€œMmm.” The woman headed for the kitchen.
    â€œUrsula’s a waitress,” Paval said, “and working late shifts this week. She’ll come alive after a mug of java.”
    Casey was amazed the woman could sleep with all these kids around. She watched the little girl wriggle off the sofa.
    Paval removed a key from one of three dozen hooks near the door. “The police are finished with Jasmine’s apartment.” He handed the key to Marie. “Thanks for taking the animals. Birch and that awful half sister wouldn’t have helped.”
    â€œHalf sister?” Casey asked.
    â€œGabrielle O’Reilly,” Paval answered. “She and Jasmine had the same birth mother, who lives in Parksville. Anyway, Gabrielle came to our door Sunday afternoon, looking for Jasmine. I had Jeremy with me, so I showed him to her. She barely looked at the boy. It was the coldest thing I ever saw.”
    â€œWhere does this half sister live?” Casey asked.
    â€œAlso in Parksville.”
    â€œIt’s a three- to four-hour trip from Parksville to here, and ferries aren’t cheap,” Casey said. “The lady must have a good reason for coming to see Jasmine.”
    â€œBull,” Marie blurted. “She said she was Hannah’s real daughter, and that Jasmine had better stay out of Hannah’s life, if she knew what was good for her. Jasmine told her to go to hell.”
    â€œThere’s no way Jasmine would have backed down,” Paval remarked. “After her adopted parents died, she started looking for her birth mother, and found her in July. She was so excited, I think she told everyone she met that day. It’s too bad they never got a chance to meet face to face.” Paval shook his head. “The poor woman had a stroke one week after Jasmine made contact with her.”
    For a landlord, the guy sure knew a lot about Jasmine’s personal life. Had they been friends, or was he into gossip?
    â€œI heard that Jasmine had been stressed lately,” Casey said, turning to Marie. “Was Gabrielle the reason?” “I don’t know. She called me from work Tuesday and told me about that horrible shift you two had. She said she’d tell me something else later.” Tears filled Marie’s eyes. “That was the last time we talked.”
    Casey remembered that call. She was tempted to ask who Jasmine had plans with that night when Ursula reappeared, carrying an oversized coffee mug, a cigarette, and an ashtray.
    She stared at Marie. “You’re Jasmine’s