It was only a moment before Alicia answered. She was a tall, pretty blonde with green eyes, and she gave Izzy a big smile. “Izzy, it’s so great to see you. Come on in.”

“Thank you for having me.” Izzy took in Alicia’s stylish condo decorated in ivory and various blue hues.

“Come into the living room. I made us some coffee and tea. Which would you prefer?”

“Coffee would be amazing.”

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

Izzy was already glad that she’d come to visit Alicia, if for nothing more than to see an old friend and colleague. But she silently hoped that Alicia might have some information for her. Even though she knew it was a long shot.

After a few minutes, Alicia came back into the living room with coffee and some cookies.

“Oh my. Those smell fresh out of the oven.” Izzy eyed the plate of chocolate chip cookies until her mouth started to water.

Alicia laughed. “Go ahead and dive in while they’re still warm. I’ll be right back.” She returned armed with cream and sugar and a bowl of fresh fruit.

“Alicia, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me.”

Alicia shook her head. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m always fiddling around in the kitchen.” She took a sip of her coffee and then set down the lavender cup. “So, as much as I want to believe this is purely a social visit, catching up with a friend, I have a feeling there’s something else going on.”

“Have you seen the news?” The details of the sergeant’s death had finally become public. While not everything was out there, it was enough that anyone who kept up with the news would have seen it.

“I think you’re referring to the murder of Sergeant Tybee, right?”

The sound of his name made Izzy feel sick, but she pushed down the emotions that were becoming far too prevalent these days. “Yes. That’s what I’m here about.” She readied herself for the conversation. “I want to be fully transparent with you. You were always a good friend to me.”

Alicia’s eyes warmed. “I really appreciate that. Whatever it is, you can talk to me about it.”

“Well, there’s actually a couple of issues. First is that the detectives with Arlington PD identified me as a potential suspect in the murder.”

Alicia’s eyes widened, and she didn’t say anything for a moment. “You can’t be serious. How in the world would they come to that conclusion? How could you be a murder suspect?”