Death of a Suitor #18

Chapter Eight

Miles's eyes were wide as he saw Myrtle's fingernails. "Wow."

Myrtle smirked at him. "Aren't they colorful?"

Miles was relieved that she gave him an appropriate word to latch onto. "They are, for sure."

"I feel very hip and young all of a sudden. Maybe I should get a manicure more often."

Miles nodded slowly. "Sure—why not?"

"I suppose the only downside is the fact that it costs rather a lot of money. It's surprising, actually, how very much they cost. And then you need to tip, on top of that. I gave Nicole a very generous tip and now I'm going to have to live very leanly the rest of the week until my check comes in."

Miles raised his eyebrows. "You gave her a big tip? Was that because she did such a good job?"

"No. Well, I did think she did a good job. But it was mainly because it sounded like times were tough for Nicole and she has big plans."

"Isn't she set to receive an inheritance from Jax?" Miles pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Yes, but that's going to take forever. As a financial advisor, you should remember that."

"Engineer." Miles's tone was cool.

"Right. Anyway, she's not going to get that money right away—not even close. The property has to go through probate and then she has to sell the property. It's all going to take a very long time." Myrtle spread her fingers out in front of her and admired them.

They were in Miles's house. He had made tomato sandwiches for them both. They liked different types of mayonnaise, but now Miles kept a small bottle of Myrtle's favorite in his fridge for occasions such as this.

"Do you think that Nicole could possibly have murdered Jax?" Miles's brow furrowed at the thought.

"Of course she could have. She's a very strong-minded young woman and she wants to have enough money to leave Bradley and move to her dream city."

"Which is?" Miles quirked an eyebrow again.

"Atlanta."

Miles said, "Hm. I wouldn't have thought Atlanta would qualify as anyone's dream city, but I haven't been there for a little while. What's she wanting to do there?"

"Something to do with fashion. I don't know much about fashion, but I'd have thought New York would have been a better spot, wouldn't you?"

Miles nodded. "Except for the cost of New York. If she needed money for a move to Atlanta, a move to New York would really require some saving up."

"She also admitted being at odds with her dad over his property. Nicole said that they were just completely different people who couldn't understand each other's goals."

"Jax had goals?" asked Miles doubtfully.

"Jax's goals were to enjoy himself in the same house where he'd lived for decades," said Myrtle. "Goals don't have to be lofty things, you know."

"Although it sounds as if Nicole's are."

They considered this for a few moments. "I suppose she could have gotten very frustrated with Jax and lashed out at him," said Myrtle. "After all, in her mind, he was holding her back from doing something she thinks she'll find great fulfillment in."

"It's hard to imagine," said Miles.

Myrtle said, "Well, who do you think could have done it?"

Miles was quiet for a few moments. "I can't picture any of the suspects killing Jax."