Drowning the Daffodils (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) by Cindy Bell Page B

suddenly realized just how much she was sharing with Vicky. “Oh I'm sorry, listen to me ramble. My point is, Mike adored Simon, and yes they argued over Jane, but that was only because Mike was trying to protect his little brother.”
    “ No wonder he's taking it so hard,” Vicky shook her head. “Please make sure to let me know if there's anything at all I can do to make this time a little easier.”
    “ I will,” Charlene nodded. “I think he just wishes the crime would get solved and that we could all move on.”
    “ I can understand that,” Vicky nodded. But she wondered if that could really be what Mike wanted. If he was the one who killed his brother he probably wished the crime would remain unsolved. Just as Vicky was about to ask Charlene about Mike's change in behavior, Mike opened the door to the room.
    “ Char, do you have the ice?” he asked and passed his bloodshot eyes over Vicky. He curled his lip in a drunken attempt at a smile. “Did my wife give her permission to be questioned?” he asked, stumbling over his words.
    “ Mike, don't,” Charlene warned him. “Look I have a whole bucket of ice,” she said as she walked towards him.
    “ Don't be nice to her, Charlene.  She thinks I killed my own brother, “ he chuckled, the laughter sliced up by bitterness.
    “ Of course, she doesn't think that Mike,” Charlene huffed as she steered her inebriated husband back into the room. She mouthed 'sorry' over her shoulder to Vicky, who nodded slightly. As the door to their room closed, Vicky wondered if Mike had simply been too drunk to realize the gravity of what he was doing. Had it been a crime of passion? Had Mike wanted to protect his brother so badly that he killed him in order to keep him away from Jane?
    It made no sense to Vicky, but then she had never been as drunk as Mike obviously was. As she walked down the hallway toward s Jane's room, she wondered how she would initiate the conversation with her. She didn't want to isolate her as she might be her only ally. When she knocked lightly on the door it opened immediately. Jane stared at her, her beautiful visage pale and shadowed by grief. She stepped back to allow her inside without Vicky even having to explain why she was there. Vicky stepped inside and Jane closed the door behind her.
    “ I heard what she was saying out there,” Jane said glumly as she crossed her arms across her stomach. “I'm just the resident manipulative whore,” she rolled her eyes which glistened with tears.
    “ People just say things,” Vicky offered in a sympathetic tone. “All Charlene said was that Mike was really protective of Simon.”
    “ He was,” Jane admitted and a tear slid down her cheek. “He really was,” she whispered.
    Vicky studied her for a long moment. She knew that it was the perfect time to ask the question she had in mind, but she still felt a little uneasy about it.
    “So, you and Mike, you weren't having an affair?” Vicky blurted out, though she tried to even out her words. Jane took a slight step back and raised her eyes to Vicky. The mixture of emotions that crossed her features made it clear that she was stunned by the question.
    “ What are you talking about?” Jane asked sharply as she glared at Vicky. “How could you even say such a thing?”
    “ Am I wrong?” Vicky asked. She knew that she had already crossed a line. There was no turning back now. “Because I overheard you and Mike, Jane, I heard you arguing.”
    “ You know,” Jane shook her head and raised a hand to her mouth to cover a gasp. “I expect this from the Carters, they don't get it. But you?” she glowered at Vicky. “You’re not one of these, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, types. Yet, you still think the same thing about me? That I must have been cheating on Simon?”
    “ The argument,” Vicky pressed, not letting the woman's emotional words sway her. “I heard it. There's no getting around that.”
    “ There is if you had no clue