Eyeliner & Alibis Page 15

  From the top of the pier, I looked over to where Sterling’s body had been found by the lifeguard tower. In the distance, I could barely make her out, but I was almost certain it was the person I had inherently been looking for. She was standing in the lifeguard tower, overlooking the ocean. I thought she might be crying, but it was impossible to tell from this far away in the darkness. I quickly walked back down to the end of the pier, keeping her in my sight, hoping she wouldn’t leave before I had a chance to speak with her.

  I jogged across the sand, wind whipping in my hair as a storm blew in offshore. The woman never heard me approach until I was too close. MJ turned to look at me and, for the first time, I saw true fear in her eyes. I hadn’t expected that. Instinctively, I whipped my head around in search for the danger and saw the revolver in her hand. Sweet sugar, what did I just walk into?

  “This is where we were married. Did you know that?”

  I tried to follow MJ’s conversation. “Uh, yeah, I mean, I knew you were married at the beach,” I said, recalling the photo Finn and I saw at her house.

  “I had him meet me here where I begged and pleaded with him, forgave him, and he still dismissed me. Just like her. Oh, what did I do?” MJ’s last words came out as a loud wail.

  “Honey, it’ll be okay.” Truthfully, it probably wouldn’t be, but I was thinking that reassurance was the smart way to go, given the circumstances. My eyes darted between MJ’s face and the gun that shook in her hand. She looked up at me and the fear that had been in her eyes quickly changed to anger.

  “I hated her. She thought she was so perfect, that the world owed her everything and she could take whatever she wanted. I begged her to leave my husband alone, to leave our family alone, and she laughed at me. Laughed at me! And then she walked away. That was it, like she couldn’t be bothered by me. I just grabbed that shovel and dug it as hard as I could into her back. I can’t even remember if she screamed. But she deserved it.”

  I wasn’t sure what I expected MJ to say, but it wasn’t that, and she wasn’t done.

  “I ran before I could think of what to do and then I saw you and knew I couldn’t leave, so I waited. I waited for you to find her, and then when you ran out, I ran over and yanked the shovel out of her back.” The look in MJ’s eyes had shifted once more, this time to a cold-blooded killer. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, reminding me that I had it on me. Of course, now wasn’t the time to take a call, not with crazy lady here confessing to a murder, quite possibly two.

  I took the phone out of my pocket anyway and looked at the screen quickly to dismiss it. “And Sterling?” I asked while quickly reading the screen. Cee Cee had sent me two words: “Botulinum poisoning.”

  “You killed him with Botox?” I said it more as a question than a statement. MJ looked surprised that I knew. I held up my phone. “It’s the latest breaking news.” I wasn’t sure if taunting a murderer was the right thing to do, but I didn’t want her to get any ideas that she could kill me and be rid of the problem. “It’s only a matter of time before they trace it back to you.” I remembered seeing the vials of Botox and needles in her bathroom drawer.

  I swear, right at that moment, the woman totally flipped her lid and lunged at me. I grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard, flinging the gun down to the sand below. I’m not sure which one of us was screaming more, but it was a cat fight on steroids. The woman’s strength was intense. But I had a secret weapon, and it was in the shape of a palm-sized pink stone. I reached into my back pocket and took out the quartz Izzy had given me earlier in the week. With one swift move, I smacked MJ on the back of her head with it. It was just enough to stun her and enabled me to roll over and sit on her chest. She gave an “oomph” as the air left her lungs. By this time, a small crowd had gathered and people were shouting for us to separate. I managed to wheeze out, “Murderer, Sterling, Marissa,” between breaths. Someone must have believed me because the cops showed up not more than two minutes later. For all I knew, they had already been on their way. I never did find out, but I was grateful they came, even if it meant dealing with Detective Blackwell again.

  Detective Blackwell didn’t look pleased to see me, but she lightened up when I explained it all to her. She still didn’t like me, but at least she no longer thought I was a murderer. Finn met me at the beach, and I knew we’d be heading back to the police station shortly.

  “What I still don’t understand is why she tried to kill Brad. She knew he wasn’t the killer,” I said to Finn.

  “It was her best defense. No one would think she was a killer if she appeared to be distraught enough to try and kill the case’s prime suspect.”

  “I guess that’s true.”

  “A charge of attempted murder looks pretty good compared to being charged with double homicide.”

  “And Tess is completely innocent.” I felt like I had to send her some sort of handwritten apology, even though she never knew what we suspected of her. “I was completely wrong there. Of course, that’s not the first time.”

  “No, but you figured it out in the end, like always, my little Sherlock.”

  “Does that make you Watson?”

  “If that means being your partner in crime, then you can call me whatever you want.”

  I would have to remember that. “What do you say we finish this police business and then go properly celebrate our engagement?”

  “Babe, you know all you ever have to do is ask.” Finn did his sexy trademark eyebrow raise and I shook my head, as I imagined I’d be doing every day for the rest of my life.

  Pedicures & Prejudice

  Beauty Secrets Book 4

  Available October 17th, 2017

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  About the Author

  Stephanie Damore is a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and humor, too. She loves all things girlie with a dollop of danger and has a strong affinity for the color pink (especially in diamonds and champagne.) Her books feature fearless females, a little bit of love, a few laughs, and a whole lot of whodunit. She hopes her stories keep you guessing and laughing all the way until the end.

  I love to hear from my readers!

  www.stephaniedamore.com

  steph.damore@gmail.com