I didn't think we could get DNA results that fast, but if Susan was bluffing, she was great at it.
"It's not me," Katie said again.
"But you were kneeling down next to his body," Bubba said, the realization dawning in his eyes. "That was you!Youkilled him."
"I did not." She repeated what she'd told us.
Cheater, Heartbreaker, Thief.
Witch, Crystal, Diamond.
I had to admit I was starting to believe her.
"Did you get the camera footage from the Rat?" Jack asked.
Susan and I both snorted.
"The Rat doesn’t do cameras," I told him. "Most of their clientele would quit coming if their dirty deeds were going to be caught on film."
Skeeter grinned at me. "You're not wrong. But you can interview everybody there, and they'll tell you I was there all night."
He sat back in his chair, looking smug, and crossed his arms over his belly. His silver ring flashed in the light and reminded me of something.
More than that, it gave me an idea.
"I'll be right back," I said abruptly, and I walked as fast as I could out of the building.
Because I'd remembered two things:
First, in my vision of Cletus's death, the killer had worn something metallic on his hand. Like a ring.
Like the ring Skeeter was wearing now and had worn when he got into that fight in the diner.
Second, and maybe vastly more important:
The truth-telling brooch was still in my car.
26
Tess
"This wouldn't be admissible, Tess," Susan said doubtfully.
"But you don't need it to be. If it gets one of them to confess, you can focus your attention on proving your case. I doubt any of the three of them are master criminals who could hide all possible evidence from you."
We were standing in the hallway a few paces away from the closed conference room door. Since none of the suspects had Superior Tiger Hearing, we were okay to discuss it.
"She's right," Jack said. "I'll help."
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. "Andy says his vote is to go for it."
"You realize this means whoever pins the brooch on them is going to be painfully honest the rest of the day?" Susan asked me.
I shrugged. "I try to be honest, anyway. You can't do it because you and Andy have to do your sheriff stuff. Jack has toomany secrets from his rebel soldier days he needs to protect. So, it's me."
"I could ask Lizzie?"
"Maybe. But will it work on a werewolf?"
