Frame Job

"Something about the hor d'oeuvres looked suspicious." Margaret insisted to me yet again. "They looked too appetizing not to be a murder weapon. I'm glad I didn't partake in them, I can tell you that much."
"Margaret, I appreciate you trying to help but the victim was shot. Nobody was poisoned." Sometimes I wondered why I stayed in my hometown. Sure I had risen through the ranks faster here than I would have anywhere else, but the idiocy that I had to deal with wasn't worth the little bit of extra money.

"Even still, I think you should look into them caterers, you never know. I mean the deviled eggs didn't taste right." Her curly red hair didn't move an inch as she shook her head. "You know that them Wilson boys were the ones catering this event. They are no goodnicks."

"Be that as it may, I have to investigate the shooting. Nobody was poisoned, therefore there is no crime in that aspect."

"I am so happy to hear you say that, Sheriff!" Jordan said as she joined our conversation. Her jet black hair was curled at the ends, set off by her figure hugging red dress. In another life I would have been attracted to her but in this reality, she was married to a mobster. "All of this silliness about a shooting, nothing happened."

"Margaret, can I please have a moment alone with Jordan." The elderly woman walked away in a huff, she hated to be out of the gossip loop. Jordan's emerald eyes stared at me expectantly. "It was Mario that was shot."

"You're telling me that my husband was shot at our own party?" It did seem hard to believe since they had security all over the ballroom. A man, who I quickly identified as the head of security for Jordan and Mario came up to us. "Dylan, the Sheriff here has informed me that Mario has been shot. There is no possible way that's true is there?"

"He was taken to the hospital." There was no change in Dylan's voice. Nothing about his body language suggested that he was upset by his boss being shot. I looked to Jordan and noted that her demeanor hadn't changed either, she was still as cool and collected as she had been when she walked up. "Should I clear everyone out of here?"

"Uh, No. I need to interview everyone in attendance and I need to be able to go over the surveillance footage." It never ceased to amaze me that people who lived in and people who worked for the people living in, huge mansions had such massive egos. They always thought they were above the law. "And I am sincerely hoping that none of the footage has been compromised."

Before he could respond Margaret came running up to me. She was carrying a gun in her hand and she looked as if she had just found the best piece of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. "Sheriff, look! I just found this gun in the vase by the doorway. And it belongs to...."

"Yes, Margaret the gun belongs to me." Jordan spoke up, irritation filled her voice. She went to grab the gun from the old lady but I stopped her. I waved for one of my officers to come over, when he arrived I instructed him to take the gun into evidence. "So does this mean I'm a suspect now?"

"I do need to speak with you alone."

She led me to a library, which was across the ballroom. Once we were alone, Jordan surveyed me. "No, I did not shoot my husband. I don't know how my gun ended up in a vase near the door. I was working the party all night, trying to grease the wheels for a deal Mario wanted to push through."

"Was your husband cheating on you?"

"Yes, he had a lot of mistresses. I went into this marriage knowing it wouldn't be monogamous."

"Did that upset you?"

"Sometimes you do what you have to do." Her answers were startling to me. Honest but missing something, like a puzzle that just didn't quite fit together.

The Chief Detective knocked on the door and entered without us saying a word. Without preamble, "The lady wasn't alone all night. What's more is that the tape shows someone going through her person and taking something out but we can't figure out what it was."

"Do we know who was going through her purse?"

"That old lady who was complaining about poisoned foods. She's already been taken into custody." He left on that note. Jordan looked at me with an arched eyebrow.

"May I go see my husband now?"

"Just don't leave town." I followed her out of the room and left the house.

On my way to the Police Station something bothered me. Why would Margaret set Jordan up? What was there to gain from that? And what was with the head of security?

Without thinking I turned my car around and headed back to the mansion. It seemed deserted when I pulled into the driveway again. There were two figures in the bedroom window on the second level.

I made my way up there, in the hopes that I could find the missing piece. Since they thought they were alone Jordan and Dylan didn't bother to keep their voices down.

"It was a genius plan, having the old lady go through my purse. Now the cops think she has it out for me." Puckering sounds followed.

"Even better was cutting the footage of you shooting Mario, and making them think you were being framed. Now he's out of the way and we can be together." More kissing from the two undercover lovers.

"And you got him back for hurting your sister."

I decided to reveal my presence. Dylan pulled out his gun and shot me.

"It's such a shame he had to die, he was a decent Sheriff." Jordan muttered as she checked my pulse.