Page 28 of Three-Year Rule

The girls spent the morning shopping in downtown Salt Lake City at the new mall. They ate lunch at a trendy Argentinian restaurant. Then stopped by a hobby shop on the way home to purchase a jewelry making kit and paint to decorate the plain t-shirts they bought that morning.

  When they got home and began to discuss dinner, Molly said, “Pizza!” She jumped up from the couch and added, “Slumber Parties always have pizza for dinner.”

  Amy laughed and turned to Elizabeth saying, “She’s right you know. We must have pizza for dinner.”

  Elizabeth held a serious expression as she gazed from Amy to Molly, and back. She took a deep breath and announced, “Let it be done!”

  They all broke out in giggles and finished laying out their clothing purchases on the kitchen island for everyone to examine.

  “Can we have a fashion show after dinner?” Molly asked, dancing with excitement.

  “Of course!” Elizabeth smiled.

  “Well then, it’s all settled.” Amy added, “We can pick up a movie when we get pizza, and we have our craft projects. I’d say we have a full evening ahead of us.”

  “I’d like to check on the horses and give them some oats, so why don’t you two go get a pizza, and I’ll make some cheesy garlic bread and a salad,” Elizabeth offered.

  Amy spun and headed for the door. “Off we go, Molly. Would you like to drive?”

  Molly giggled and chased after her.

  Elizabeth gathered up their new clothes and laid them out on her bed for later. As she headed downstairs to care for the horses, she heard Amy’s cell phone ringing. Thinking it might be Randy, she snatched it off the island where Amy left it and answered.

  “Hello?” She said into the phone.

  A muffled voice replied, “Hello, this is John Weller. My father gave me your number. I am at the cabin this week on a hunting trip, and we found a black oriental jewelry box. Dad thinks it’s yours.”

  “Oh, my gosh," Elizabeth gasped, “Yes, it sounds just like it!”

  “Great!” The voice answered, “I’ll be home for the next 30 minutes if you can head over now.”

  “Absolutely!” Elizabeth said. “I’ll be right there!”

  She left Amy’s cell phone on the island, grabbed her purse, and rushed out the door. What a fantastic surprise it would be to give Amy her grandmother’s jewelry box when she came back tonight. Kilo and Charlie bounced around her as she raced out the door, caught up in her excitement.

  “Okay, okay,” Elizabeth laughed at their antics. “Get in the truck.”

  ************

  Randy’s phone woke him from a sound sleep. They were all trying to catch up on lost sleep. Randy grabbed the phone from the nightstand and answered it quickly, not wanting to wake up Jake and Josh.

  “Sheriff Connor,” He said into the phone. Ed’s raspy voice responded.

  “Randy, I called the Denver Police about that female author, Bonnie Jones, who was killed last spring. You were right; it was a stalker case. They tortured and raped her over a period of several days, and then strangled her. They found her body in a creek. They have no suspects, no leads. I requested a copy of the file. Bonnie used a literary agency based in New York City. I was able to get a hold of the receptionist who was working late to meet a deadline. She looked up Bonnie’s information and gave me the name of her agent, a Franklin Mallory.”

  “What?” Randy sat up quickly and kicked off the covers. “Contact the New York Police and get a search warrant for his office and home. He’s Elizabeth’s agent, as well. Call the Denver Police back and let them know we have a suspect. Find out where he is right now and get back to me!”