Jewelry Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Cindy Bell Page A

was just fine.”
    “Nothing wrong with enjoying the finer things.”
    “Do you, Jo?”
    “Do I what?”
    “Appreciate the finer things?”
    Jo tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Why?”
    “I just think a woman as beautiful as you, should have something special to wear.”
    “I’m not sure I understand.”
    He held out a small red jewelry box. Her heart fluttered. Was it really going to be this easy? Was he just going to hand her the necklace?
    “Oh really, this is too much, Roger.”
    “Please. I’m sure Valda would want it to be worn.”
    She tried to hide the tremble in her hand as she took the jewelry box from him. She opened it up to discover a silver bracelet with jade beads. It was beautiful, but not what she expected.
    “Thank you, Roger.”
    “I hope that you like it. There’s so many things to give away, and I just knew this was meant for you.”
    “It’s very pretty.”
    “Would you like me to help you put it on?”
    Jo met his eyes. She got the feeling that if she declined she might regret it. “Sure.” She held out her wrist to him. He ran his thumb along the back of her hand as he positioned the bracelet. Her stomach twisted. She tried to keep a smile on her face so as not to tip him off to the fact that she was absolutely disgusted by his behavior. He fiddled with the clasp for some time before letting go of her hand.
    “Now every time you look at it, you can think of me.”
    “Great.” Jo forced her smile to grow wider.
    “Maybe we could have dinner sometime?”
    “Maybe, Clem.”
    “Who?”
    “Huh?”
    “You just called me Clem. My name is Roger.”
    “Oh right, sorry.” Jo frowned. She couldn’t believe she had made such a stupid mistake, but she noticed that he didn’t even flinch when she called him Clem. “See you soon, Roger.” She walked over to the door to let herself out. Roger’s friendly expression transformed into something much darker. He didn’t speak as she stepped out of the villa and closed the door behind her. The second she stepped out of the villa, Samantha popped out from behind one of the large bushes at the end of the driveway. Jo was so startled she let out a yelp.
    “Jo!” Samantha hit her on the shoulder.
    “Ouch. Why did you do that?” Jo frowned and rubbed her shoulder. The swat didn’t really hurt, but the surprise of the strike was enough to make her heart race.
    “How could you go to his house for coffee? That was stupid and dangerous.”
    “And exactly what you would have done.” Jo frowned. “Besides, I found something interesting.”
    “What?”
    “He has blonde hair dye in his bathroom. I also spotted a box on his bed. I think it might have the necklace in it.”
    “Did you actually see the necklace?” Samantha met her eyes.
    “No, I didn’t see it. But I’m going to keep looking.”
    “Well, I have some information to share with you. That’s why I called you first thing this morning, and then again, and then again.”
    “I’m sorry, I thought you were calling to talk me out of it. I just didn’t want to be distracted.” Jo glanced back over her shoulder at Roger’s villa. “I really thought I would be able to figure out if it was him. I mean with the blonde dye I’m pretty certain, but he barely reacted when I called him Clem by mistake.”
    “I do really think it’s him,” Samantha said.
    “You know that for sure?”
    “No, but I’m almost sure, he just looks so much like the picture. Eddy was able to connect with some friends in the department that got him the transcripts of the questioning. It was clear that they dropped the ball. He had no real alibi and his fingerprints were at the scene of the crime.”
    “But they let him go? Why?”
    “Eddy’s not sure. He did mention that bribery was rampant in that particular department. Maybe Clem offered them something that they wanted.”
    Jo glanced down at the bracelet on her wrist. “I think he’s used to bribing people to do what he wants. He