Chapter 21: This Should Be Fun

Sam had led them to the library because they needed more room to sift through all the notebooks. Whoever Eliza was had definitely done her research. There were in depth reports on the old case from decades ago. There were statements from all of Vivian's children. Information on what happened to them after. There was even information on how her death affected Robert and James.

Sam was in awe of just how deep she went into this case. She'd obviously had more than just a phone with barely any signal to work with. He assumed Vivian pulled extra resources in for her because there was no way she got all this from what was left in this house. Tracy was pacing through the aisles of shelves reading whatever was in the small leather bound book she had.

Sam raised his head and looked to his left, breaking his attention away from his research momentarily. Alex’s head was bent over the larger notebook reading through it thoughtfully. His dark hair was disheveled as if he'd just gotten out of bed. It always seemed to be that way. Sam smiled silently as Alex shifted positions for the sixth time in the past twenty minutes. This time his legs hung over one arm of the armchairs while his head rested on the other.

Sam peered over his shoulder wondering what was in the notebook Alex had. There was a list of suspects along two of the pages. Some of them were potential business partners whose deals had fallen through with Vivian. Those people probably had a right to feel wronged but Sam didn't think they were brave enough to commit murder. Alex apparently thought so too because he frowned and began crossing out some of the names.

“I'm going to get us something to eat,” Tracy wandered past them and out the door.

“Be careful,” they called in unison. Alex's eyes were still focused on the book as he flipped through the pages.

Now he'd gotten to the family members' alibis and motives. Steve was clear because he'd been out with his girlfriend who married him later on. Julia had been at a party with several strangers so she was clear. Beatrice had said she was outside the house the night her mother died but there was no one to confirm her statement. Robert had been home alone which meant his alibi was flimsy but they still never arrested him as a suspect because of lack of physical evidence. Vivian's fiance, James, had been waiting for her at a rather fancy restaurant where waitresses and customers were able to corroborate his statement.

Alex flipped back to the suspect list where he crossed out the names of Steve, Julia, and James. They were the only ones with solid alibis. Without any further evidence they were no longer suspects. Now there were only two, Robert and Beatrice.

Pov Change

Luke was gathering the paper that littered the floor. None of it looked important but this place had to have been hidden for a reason. Courtney was opening the drawers of the desk at random and looking through them. She was hoping they'd find something useful here but so far this was nothing but a bust.

“Let's just go back. We can always come back and investigate more when we aren't so distracted . Besides I could use a snack,” Luke suggested. Courtney nodded silently as she left the hidden room. Luke followed her, stopping shortly to watch the bookshelves slide shut covering the room's entrance from his sight. The two headed off. Eventually they caught up with Tracy as they went.

Luke knew Courtney was focusing on the rather ominous threat Vivian had made. The others had tried to dismiss it and in all honesty so had he. He didn't want to think of the ‘something worse’ that Vivian had in mind for them. He shuddered as he thought back to her warning. It was just all so odd. He was hoping that they could solve this fast and get out before she decided they didn't deserve the full fourteen days to solve her murder.

Pov Change

Tracy grabbed a bag of chips, three bottles of tea, and some sandwiches before she headed off back upstairs. Courtney made herself some sandwiches leaving Luke to make his own food. None of them had eaten much since they got there. He didn't get why the others hadn't but he'd slept through most of the past two days and therefore he'd missed everything but breakfast.

He quietly made himself something to eat before he and Courtney settled into the living room. It was late in the evening. The others would be back downstairs after they finished their dinner. That was when Sam said they were supposed to show their results but Courtney and him hadn't been able to produce anything. They'd just be stuck listening to whatever the others had found and they had to hope it would help them close in on the killer