Betty Cain's Cane. Jim Scott Books, #35

BETTY CAIN'S CANE, Jim Scott Book #35, is another cozy mystery featuring Betty Cain and Ward Newman as well as Jim Scott, and friends.  A rich man's wife seemingly has been kidnapped, only to find out she has in fact been murdered.  The non-grieving husband is soon paced right at the top of the suspects list, with his sister soon to follow.  During the course of the investigation Ward, now the lead detective for the Troy, Missouri Police Department, as much as he dislikes the husband, comes to think the man is not the killer.
The investigation starts the laborious process of eliminating as many possible suspects as they can.  During the course of the investigation, an attempt is made to kidnap Betty.it doesn't go well for the would-be kidnapper.  Betty breaks the choke hold he is using on her, smacks him, and then whacks his knee with her trusty cane.  Ward and those helping him soon center their sights on a man who had no alibi for the kidnap murder they had already been working on, and when finding out he has no alibi for the try on Betty, and had a new limp, center their attention on him.
One of those dismissed as a possible suspect, eventually has a large hole poked in his once thought to be very firm alibi.  Jim Scott and Bob Becker had been helping Ward with the investigation, and a late arriving Hector Garcia, in town for another matter, decides to also lend a hand.  It was while Hector was helping out by riding along with Ward, when they went to double check the man's seemingly airtight alibi for the time of the murder, that they poked the hole in it.  Then, to check his alibi for the time of the attack on Betty, they decided on a long out of town drive, where the alibi was to have taken place.  When they arrived, the probable suspect spotted them talking to the man who had given the false alibi to Ward earlier.  Seeing that, the man took flight, but Hector spotted him out of the corner of his eyes, and the chase was soon on.