I dropped the closet door handle and whipped around to thump Tony on the chest. "What in the hell, Tony? You can't sneak up on me like that?"

He grabbed the area I hit and stumbled backward, a deep grimace on his face.

The realization hit me. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry!" I jolted forward toward him. How in the hell did I just hit a man who took a bullet to the chest a few weeks earlier? I need someone to follow me around and keep me out of trouble.

Tony dropped his hands and laughed. "I'm just screwing with you. You hit me on the wrong side."

"Where is Barbie? You're supposed to be distracting her," I said with my hands on my hips.

He pointed toward the front of the condo. "She got a phone call and had to go."

"Well, at least help me search the closet then." I'd already been in the space, but something kept telling me to check again. Did I miss the clue I needed to break this case open?

Tony followed me inside the deserted space. "You have enough clothes to fill this place?"

"I will," I said around a laugh as I searched the floor while he covered the shelf running the length of the room. The one I'd already cleared during my last visit.

He clapped his hands at the end. "There's nothing here, princess. Have you checked the bedroom?"

"No, I didn't have time." I walked out first and dropped beside the bed, using my hands to feel around the feet of the large king-sized frame.

Tony squatted beside the long dresser at the other end and stuck his hand underneath. "Is this the type of thing you're looking for?" he asked, holding up a metal knitting needle in his hand, the point facing toward the ceiling.

My eyes widened. "Tony! Where did you find it?"

"Right here, under the dresser. But I doubt it rolled since we're on carpet."

I climbed over the bed and plucked the knitting needle from his hand. "How would it get across the room?"

"That's your job to figure out," Tony said as I studied the needle in the light from the window.

I turned it between my fingers. The sides had scratches from repeated use. "Someone had to have tossed it over here."

"What does it mean?" Tony asked.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. And I don't know how to alert the police to it."

This wasn't Pelican Bay. I couldn't walk up to the police station with a bag of evidence. They'd accuse me of the murder. Plus, with Tony and me having our fingers all over it, we'd kind of tampered with the evidence. He had to work on his approach.

"We only saw the condo after they removed most of the personal possessions. The owner might have had stacks of yarn and needles in this room. Or the killer might have brought them here." I tapped my bottom lip. But why would a person bring a knitting needle to commit a murder, and if it was a crime of opportunity, why have them on a home tour?

None of it made sense. I'd spent the last few days running around the island trying to put the pieces together and still had nothing to go on. There hadn't been a single usable lead. What a disappointment.

"Or... what if they brought the needles here intending to leave a dead body?" Tony asked. He snatched the needle from my hand and stuck the air with it like a sword.

I scowled and stole it from him. "Who intends to kill with a knitting needle, Tony?"

He shrugged. "Look, you're in charge of the weird shit. I'm just giving helpful theories."

We had different definitions of helpful.

"Who the hell was the knitter? If we figured out who owned the needles, we'd be closer to finding the killer." Probably.

Not having access to my suspect board in Pelican Bay made everything harder. I needed a list.

"What are you thinking?" Tony asked as I walked out of the bedroom.

I stalled in the kitchen, opening drawers to find what I wanted. We'd own this place soon, so it wasn't even considered stealing. "I need to make a list. Do you have a piece of paper?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, and I turned with my hand out. He slapped it like a low five. "That was sarcasm, Vonnie. Where would I keep a piece of paper?"

Ugh. Why was he here if he didn't plan to be helpful?

A stack of long white napkins sat piled up next to the tall refrigerator. I grabbed one of them and waved it in the air. "Good enough. Now, do you have a pen?"

"Really, princess?" he asked, pointing at the pocket of his tight jeans.

Fine, no pen then. I opened another drawer, searching for a pen, but came back empty-handed.

"Who'd you put on the list, anyway?" Tony asked, leaning against the island counter.

Who would I? I thought about it for a moment.

Sadly, I had to keep Larken on the list. I'd found nothing to clear her name, and she found the body. The homeowner was on vacation, but I hadn't confirmed those dates yet, so she was still there, too. As well as everyone in the building. Anyone who toured the home, previous and current clients, and all maintenance people. Fuck, it was everyone on the island.

I'd done nothing to shorten the suspect list. It was by far my worst case. I had to get out of my head and focus. I didn't have time to sit around and mope any longer.

"You know what?" I asked as I shoved the drawer closed and tossed the napkin toward the pile of them.

Tony shook his head but pushed away from the counter. "Not until you tell me."

"I got things way out of order. Rather than working through the clues, I just ran around the island trying not to be a PI, but I am a PI."

"Damn straight, you are." He grinned.

It made me smile too. "I am. And I'm damn good at it. I've solved murders, and I'm going to solve this one, too. It sucks, but I must start at the beginning."

Tony squinted at me. "Why does that suck?"

"Because it means I have to accuse my realtor of murder," I said, tapping my top lip with my index finger. She probably wasn't going to like that. Neither would Broadrick.

But it had to be done. I had a murder to solve.

"I see your brain clicking the gears, but think on your theory for a day before you go busting open any doors. Go home to your man. Put him out of his misery," Tony said, opening the fridge and frowning when he found it empty.

I closed the door and stepped around him. "What are you talking about? Broadrick isn't in misery." Was he trying to insult me? Without me, Broadrick's life would be boring. I added the spice. Hell, I kept things interesting for all of them. They should thank me.

Tony shook his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Woman, you are blind. That man thinks the sun revolves around you."

"I moved here to be with him on the island." What more did he want?

The not-so gentle giant moved toward the door, giving the apartment a last look before heading back toward the bedroom. "Yes, it's horrible here. All the sun, sand, and heat. Go make him a pie or something."

"How would I know how to make a pie?" I asked, following him into the bathroom, where he gathered up my cleaning supplies and handed me the caddy. We don't even have a stove in our room.

Tony held the condo's main door open for me. "Google it."

"You're driving me insane," I said, watching him lock the door behind us. Once Broadrick and I moved in, we needed to get one of those fancy electric locks.

Tony laughed in the hallway. "I'll pick you up tomorrow to stakeout the golf course again."

"How do you know about that?" I'd kept those plans a secret.

He lifted his left shoulder and turned away from me, walking toward the second exit. "You want company or not?"

"Yes," I answered and spun on my heels away from him. Stakeouts were always more fun with a buddy, even if it was a know-it-all former bounty hunter.