Alex arrived at Roxy’s with Sheriff Hank Merrow in tow as promised. They parked their cars and walked toward her front porch. Roxy and Delaney came out to meet them.
Roxy raised her brows and tipped her head toward the front door, where the vandalism was in plain view. “Nice, huh?”
Alex shook his head. “We’re going to figure this out.” He jerked his thumb toward Hank. “This is my boss, Sheriff Merrow. Hank Merrow, this is my neighbor, Roxy St. James.”
He nodded at her and Delaney. “Nice to meet you, Ms. St. James.”
“You too, Sheriff. Thank you for coming.”
“Uh-huh.” He looked at Delaney. “I take it you two are friends?”
Delaney answered. “We are. And I’d consider it a personal favor if this matter could get some priority attention.”
“That’s not necessary,” Roxy said.
“No,” Hank responded. “It is. And we will. The safety of our citizens is something we take very seriously.”
“Don’t worry, Roxy, we’re gonna be all over this.” Alex gave her a wink, hoping to reassure her.
Hank shot him a look. “You two more than neighbors?”
“I, uh…” Alex glanced at Roxy.
She smiled. “We’re more than neighbors. Not exactly public about that yet, but yes. Is that a problem?”
“No, ma’am.” Hank turned to Alex. “So long as it’s not an issue for Deputy Cruz.”
Alex shook his head. “It won’t be.”
“All right.” Hank started up the steps to the porch. “What time did you notice the knife stuck in your door?”
“I didn’t, actually. Delaney saw it when she came over with lunch.”
Hank nodded as Alex joined him on the porch. “What time was that?”
“About twelve fifteen,” Delaney answered.
Roxy glanced at Alex. “I guess the door was fine this morning when you went to work, huh?”
“I got a call about a fender bender on Route 17 so I left in the opposite direction, but nothing caught my eye.”
Hank got closer to the knife. “This could have been here awhile.”
Roxy bit her lip. “I locked up around ten last night. There was nothing on the door then.”
“What’s going on?” a voice called out.
They all turned toward Alex’s house to see Carmen standing in the yard between the two homes. She had a kitchen towel thrown over one shoulder.
“I’ll tell you later, Mom,” Alex answered.
Carmen walked closer. “Is that a knife stuck in Roxy’s door? Oh my. What on earth happened? Hello, Sheriff Merrow.”
“Ma’am.” Hank moved to the edge of the porch. “Did you see any suspicious characters in the area between ten o’clock last night and noon today?”
Carmen shook her head. “No, but then, I’ve been in the kitchen most of the day making black bean soup and picadillo.” She smiled. “Got to keep Alex fed.”
Alex leaned out. “Didn’t you go to the store this morning?”
“Oh!” She put her hand on the side of her head. “Yes. But I still didn’t see anyone.”
“Okay, but Mom, did Roxy’s door have a knife sticking out of it when you left or came back?”
She grimaced in apology. “I didn’t notice. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll come see you before I leave.”
“Okay, honey.” She waved at him, then Roxy before heading back to his house.
“So much for that,” Alex said.
Hank shifted closer to the knife again. “Well, at least we have an approximate window of opportunity.” He studied the book. “Ma’am, any reason why someone would write the word traitor on this book?”
“It’s my book. And I’m not sure.”
Hank pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head. “You mean this book was stolen from your house?”
“No, I mean I wrote that book.”
He made a small noise of understanding. “This particular passage mean anything to you?”
“I haven’t looked at it actually. If you tell me the page number, I can grab a clean copy from my office and look it up.”
He peered closer. “One ninety three.”
“Be right back.” Roxy disappeared into the house.
Hank looked over his shoulder at Alex. “I’ll get a kit from the car and bag this all up. No point in leaving it here any longer than necessary.”
“You want me to do that, boss?”
“No, I want you to take her statement. She’s more comfortable with you.”
Alex nodded, appreciative.
Roxy returned, book in hand, a wide frown on her face. “It’s a passage where the hero sees the heroine kissing another guy. It’s all a big misunderstanding, but that’s what it’s about.”
Hank looked at Alex again. “Any chance someone might have seen you two kissing?”
Alex crossed his arms. “Yes.”
Roxy wrapped her arms around her torso. “Are you telling me I have a whacked-out secret admirer stalking me?”
Hank scratched his head. “Appears that way, ma’am. Any idea who it might be?”
“Not a clue.” Roxy sighed. “This is just what I need.”
Delaney’s mouth came open. “This is unacceptable. You’ve got to give her some protection. A patrol car in front of the house. A deputy on watch. Something.”