The small office down the hall had turned into a headquarters of sorts. Files of reports, tips, and interviews were stacked in boxes and on the table. Photos of evidence were taped up. Sydney’s innocent smile the only bright spot on the wall of death and mystery.

“Hey, thanks.” Frost slipped one out of the bag. “You want the good news or the bad news?”

Charlie groaned. “Isn’t it too early for bad news?”

“Test results came back on Jolene Carson’s vehicle. Brown spots were blood, but not human. Jolene was telling the truth.”

“I can’t say that I’m disappointed.” Charlie dropped into the chair next to Frost. “I didn’t really want to believe Jolene was capable of killing her best friend.”

“Yeah, but she sure didn’t hesitate to tease her,” Frost said around a bite. He pushed up his glasses. “After we found the blood on her car, Deputy Wilson and I made some calls to some of Sydney’s friends and teachers. Jolene might be popular, but it’s because most students are afraid of her. Some even said she’s a bully.”

“Maybe that’s why Sydney hid her art.”

Sheriff Huggins stepped into the office, dwarfing the room. “In my day, if you didn’t like someone you said it to their face. You might have scuffled in the schoolyard, but then it was over. These days kids bully from the safety of a computer.”

Frost nodded with an expression of someone who knew firsthand. “How about some good news?”

Charlie looked at his watch. “How long you been at this, Frost? Our shift only started a half hour ago.”

“Came in a little early.” His gaze promptly swung to the sheriff. “I’m saving up the overtime to help my sister with college.”

Sheriff Huggins placed a hand on Frost’s back and, oddly, he didn’t look as scrawny as he had before . . . of course, he was already working on his second muffin. “Son, whatever it takes to end this investigation.” The sheriff reached in front of Frost and grabbed a muffin before looking at Charlie and sitting down next to them. “Don’t you tell your aunt about this.”

“No, sir.” Charlie wouldn’t tell him that Aunt Byrdie had purposely put low-fat muffins in the bag. “Alright, Frost, what do you have?”

Frost started typing and a second later the three screens on the desk came alive. “Agent Padello was able to get me the video feed of the surveillance cameras outside Ms. Benedict’s gallery—”

“Annika Benedict gave us access to her security footage?” Charlie could see the sour look on the sheriff’s face. He was probably thinking the same thing—Frost went through one of his special ways.