Chapter Eight
B ack at the murder basement, we decided to have lunch and go over what we’d learned from Richard and Elroy while we waited to talk to Eve later this afternoon.
I was hard at work on my whiteboard, putting up pictures of our suspects and hanging the pictures Tottington had gotten from Stan Freemont of the crime scene.
Richard’s mention of what he thought was an argument between Pearl and Zinnia had my antennae buzzing. As I gazed at the crime scene, a gruesome portrait of a young woman’s life ended, I wondered out loud, “Any thoughts on who Zinnia was referring to when she said he was going to kill her if he found out? Do we still think she meant Ron?”
“Makes fucking sense, don’t ya think? I’m pretty sure Mrs. Ellis Two-Point-O wouldn’t like it if he knocked up the house manager’s daughter.”
Wanda paced the way she always does when she’s trying to work something out. The clack of her heels almost soothing to my ears. “You have a point, but can we rule Richard out as the letter writer? I’m not ready to do so just yet. Though, I think I’ve ruled out Elroy. We should of course check his story, but I don’t think he had anything to do with Zinnia’s death.”
“I think I agree on both counts. What about you, Dark Lord?”
Nina tucked her hair behind her ears and shrugged, resting her chin in her hand on top of her desk. “I think you’re both right. I mean, I didn’t get any vibes from either of ’em. Richard’s a little cagey, but cagey I get. Though, remember, his name starts with the letter R and he crushed on Zinnia. So yeah, I say we don’t rule him out just yet.”
“The letter…” I mumbled. “Maybe Pearl found the letter and read it, and Zinnia was afraid whoever wrote it was going to kill her—and I use that word metaphorically because we can’t surely believe Zinnia would stay with someone who’d kill her—because now her mom knew about the pregnancy, too?” I frowned, fiddling with my belt. “Or maybe the letter didn’t have anything to do with Zinnia being pregnant at all?”
“The letter said he’d fucking take care of her. I’m sticking with the theory that the letter writer knew she was preggers, but the argument or whatever it was with Pearl…who knows what the hell that was about. It could have been about anything, but I have my doubts. I think Zinnia got knocked up by R, and she was afraid of something.”
I busied myself examining the pictures from the crime scene, trying to focus on the images. They weren’t great, there weren’t many, and they sure didn’t look like an expert forensics photographer had taken them. In fact, they were a little blurry.
Who was I kidding? No experts were likely involved in any part of the investigation. It was as haphazard as everything involving the council police.
When all was said and done, I was going to talk to my husband and see if he, as a pack leader, could do something to advocate for better laws, more training.
Squinting my eyes, I looked at the position of Zinnia’s body and the ugly gash in the back of her head. I gulped.
As a mother, I wanted to curl up in a ball in the corner of the basement, knowing the shock and terror Zinnia must have experienced in that moment. Especially if her attacker was someone she knew. Yet, I still couldn’t buy into the fact that Ronald had killed her. Or was it that I simply didn’t want to?
Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself for the umpteenth time, I had to look at this as objectively as I could—and that meant I had to examine the pics like an adult, an adult being paid to solve this mystery.
Tracing the outline of her body, I noted that Wanda had been right: it looked as though she’d been running away from her attacker. Her body almost fully face down, her legs sprawled behind her, her arms up in a defensive gesture.
I looked at the picture of the murder weapon. Naturally, there was only one. A big gold statue of a naked man sat on the floor in the vault’s foyer, covered in blood.
My stomach flip-flopped at the sight and the force it had taken to leave that gash in the back of Zinnia’s head, crimson blood sticky in her long dark hair.
Nina cracked her knuckles. “You know who we’re kind of ignoring in all of this? Eve? Maybe she found out her man dipped his wick in the kiddie pool and she whacked him. Like I said before, jealousy is one of the big motives for murder,” she reminded us. “Maybe we should focus harder on her.”
Her analogy made me cringe. “Don’t be so crass. If wicks were dipped, they’re consenting adults. And I haven’t forgotten about her at all. I’m simply waiting to talk to her before I make any impulsive decisions. Yes, she’s high on the suspect list. Of course she is, but we have to talk to her first and find out if she has an alibi.”
I guess I hadn’t brought it up because Eve appeared so happy with Ron. I didn’t want her to be the one who’d cracked Zinnia over the head. I hated the idea, though it made sense. I just didn’t want it to make sense. Especially if Ron had stepped outside their marriage.
Wanda poked her head over my shoulder, her light floral perfume wafting to my nose. “See anything that might help?”
I sighed in defeat, my shoulders sagging as I patted her hand. “No. Nothing more than a bunch of death.”
Wanda sighed, too. “What a tragedy. I’m not looking forward to talking to Pearl. She must be wrecked.”
My eyes welled up with tears I immediately swiped away. “I’m not either, but we have to if we want to find out whatever Richard heard was all about.”
Wanda stepped in front of me and pointed at one of the pictures of Zinnia’s body. She used a finger, stabbing at it. “What’s that?”
I leaned in next to her, peering at the spot where she pointed. Something round lie on the floor near Zinnia’s body. “I can’t tell, courtesy of the jerks at the council and their photographic genius, but it looks like…a quarter…uh, maybe?”
Wanda pulled her phone from the pocket of her sweater. “I got the list of evidence they found at the crime scene from Stan Freemont, and pocket change isn’t listed. Not much is listed, to be truthful. A hair clip identified as Zinnia’s, a pen that’s been identified as Ron’s, but not much else.”
I looked again. “Maybe that’s the hair clip?”
But Wanda shook her head. “I don’t think so. It says the hair clip was red.”
Huh. Then what was that?
“I say we see if Tottington, with all his newly acquired skills, can do whatever voodoo he does and blow it up or something. Otherwise, I guess we can chalk this up to another question we have no answers for.”
Wanda squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. I know we will. Do we know how Charmaine’s feeling this afternoon?”
Poor Charmaine. Arch sent me a text earlier to let me know she’d had a good breakfast, but she’d gone back to bed and hadn’t awakened for lunch.
Sleep was the best defense, if you asked me. She wasn’t ready to face what was happening. No one understood that better than I did.
If I think back to when I’d been turned, I slept a lot, too—mostly because it meant I didn’t have to acknowledge what was happening to me.
It had been a crazy-crazy time. It turned into a new beginning and a whole new life I adored and wouldn’t change for a billion bucks, but in the moment, the ride had been bumpy as hell.
Not that I’m comparing murder to my turning, but I certainly understood wanting to hide.
For now, Charmaine needed to rest. She’d have plenty of time to deal with everything in the coming days. Though, I’d really like to ask her some questions about her father and Zinnia, to see if she knew anything that might help—maybe something she didn’t even realize would help.
Going back to my desk, I dropped into my chair and prayed for a miracle. “Anything with Ron’s emails?” I asked Nina. She’d volunteered to sift through them, scouring each one for clues. Ron, via Stan, had given us all of his passwords for his emails, both professional and private. “Like maybe one from Zinnia? Or better still, one from Ron to Zinnia?”
But Nina shook her glossy head. “Not a fucking thing. All of it is mostly shit he dealt with as the protector of all things werewolf. Emails to some of the council heads, pack leaders, so on and so forth. Nothing shifty, nothing that sounds even a little shifty.” Then she sat up straight. “Hang on, here’s one in his personal account. It’s to Pearl. He sent it about a week ago. All it says is, ‘We need to talk.’ But no reply from Pearl.”
Wanda coughed, clapping her palms on her desk, her face filled with disgust. “You don’t think he wanted to talk about knocking up Zinnia, do you? Maybe explain himself? Oh, dear Heaven.”
But I reminded her of something important. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t even know if Ron’s the father, remember? We haven’t even asked him yet.”
We’d decided to ask him in person when we were able to visit him, so we could see his real-time reaction. Sometimes, it was better to gauge a person’s reaction while you could actually watch their body language—or better still, smell their emotions.
More than likely, Stan had already told him what the preliminary autopsy revealed about Zinnia, but I still needed to see him face-to-face to witness his reaction.
Wanda’s face scrunched up. “I know you’re right, but I can’t get past the disturbing picture I have of him in my head. Not to mention, he’s a person of import in the were community, a person with power. We all know what some men can be like with a little power. Alas, I don’t want to try and convict him with no hardcore evidence. I know it’s not fair. So, I’m trying to remain objective. I swear.”
As I sat with Wanda’s visual, I still couldn’t fully wrap my head around our suspicions.
Nina jammed a pen into the pad on her desk, “So add that question to the other fifty-fabrillion we have for him, but if it turns out Ron got Zinnia pregnant and killed her? It’s a good damn thing I can’t puke, because I might hurl all over the fuck’s shoes.”
I held up a hand when I took note of the time. We had to meet Eve, and it was a meeting I didn’t want to miss. “Let’s hold off on judgment until we talk to Ronald. For now, we need to get ready to go see Eve. But I’m warning you, Dark Lord, she’s probably in shock, so I beg of you, please be on your best behavior. Don’t go in both guns blazing. We don’t know if she even knows Zinnia was pregnant.”
Nina flapped her hands at me. “I’m not the one who’s beatin’ down guys like they’re all misogynistic scumbags, twirling their mustaches while they leer up your skirt. That’s your girl Wanda.”
Wanda rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I came on a little strong with Armand. I apologized, didn’t I? Geez Louise. I’m just looking out for us and in this day and age, I’d rather be wrong than unsafe. Now let’s go. Eve awaits.” She pointed to the door, where we all filed out and headed to the car.
I sure hoped Eve could shine some light on this whole mess, because right now it was just a dark closet filled with a maze of horrors.
Eve greeted us at her swanky hotel door in a room overlooking the lake with puffy, red eyes and an even redder nose.
She appeared fragile, almost waiflike, in a long tunic robe of deep red with an embroidered yellow and green collar.
I mentally whistled. This place sure was fancy.
Her pretty face was pale when she peeked out at us, her cheeks stained from crying. “Marty,” she whispered from trembling lips. “Thank you so much for helping us.” Then she put her hand on my arm. “Talk to me about Charmaine. Is she okay? I’m worried sick about how she’s feeling, but she refuses to answer my texts or calls.”
I pulled her into a hug, her peach-scented hair brushing my nose as my head began to throb. I wasn’t looking forward to this. “She’s as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Circumstances I’m so sorry about, Eve. But we’re here to offer our help—or as much as we can, anyway.”
Eve took a deep breath, as though she had no choice but to accept Charmaine’s hate for her. “I’m glad to hear she’s surviving. I wish she’d talk to me, let me help her through this.”
I didn’t know what to say to that as I followed her into her hotel room, an expensive suite at one of the most exclusive hotels in Buffalo, sitting when she motioned for us to take a place on the ivory brocade couch.
The suite was beautiful, done in cream and powder blue, a plush comforter on the bed in the room behind the sitting area, soft lamps glowing all around. If the circumstances weren’t so grim, I’d spend some time indulging in the calming effect it had on me.
Except for my headache. We were only a couple of days into this investigation and already I was worn out.
A pretty young woman in a maid’s outfit rushed in from somewhere, a tray of steaming tea in her hands.
My nostrils flared when she bent down to set the tray on the coffee table in front of me. I couldn’t place her scent and, judging by the looks on Nina and Wanda’s faces, neither could they.
But it was distinct, so I asked. Because in our culture, it isn’t an offense to make a query as to your origins. “You’re not were?”
She smiled at me, as if indulging crazy ladies who smelled them was something she did often. “No, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Gretchen. I’ll ring you if I need anything else,” Eve said on a sniffle, sitting in the chair opposite us, a wingback that made her look even more fragile.
Gretchen took her leave, and when she did, Eve began to cry. “Have you seen my Ron today? Is he all right?”
I leaned over and reached for her hand. “Not yet, Eve, but we’re going to see him later this afternoon. Thank you for donating your visitation slot so we could go in your place.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Don’t even think about it. I’m happy to do whatever it takes to help Ron.”
Hearing her say that led me to believe she didn’t know about Zinnia’s pregnancy. If she did, she’d likely want him as dead as Zinnia, no matter how much she loved him.
She took another breath, only this time, it shuddered on the way out. “I can’t believe this is happening. I…I don’t know… My head’s in a tizzy. It’s all such a blur. It was awful, Marty. Absolutely awful! Zinnia on the floor, blood everywhere…”
Wanda pulled some tissues from a box on the coffee table, handing them to Eve. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, Eve. I’m so sorry. We’ll try and be as quick as possible.”
But Eve shook her head, her silky auburn hair falling over her shoulders in a cascade of curls as she ran her thumb under the charm bracelet around her wrist with trembling fingers. “Please, ask whatever you need. Don’t hold back. I know things are really bad, but in order to get to the truth, do what you must.”
Her cultured, almost melodic voice, riddled with sadness, screamed resignation, punching me hard in the gut. “Did you see anything, Eve? Anything at all that day? Anything that could help us determine what could have set Ron off?”
Her breathing shuddered in and out, her eyes downcast. “No,” she whispered, her lips trembling. “Nothing, Marty. I only saw the…the aftermath. I never even stepped into the room. I peered around the corner, then stopped because Pearl was right behind me. I didn’t want her to see…see her only child…like that.”
I looked at her, so small in the big chair, hating my next question. “Eve? Do you believe Ron killed Zinnia?”
She crumpled, leaning forward in the chair and covering her face. “He said he did it, Marty! What am I supposed to believe? He’s so gentle and kind, it just doesn’t make any sense!”
Nodding, I agreed. “None of us can believe this, but Ron hired us to find out what happened. He claims he killed her, but he doesn’t remember it. Do you remember the morning Zinnia was killed? Where were you?”
She clenched her fingers together in a fist and scoffed. “I was in the study with Pearl, going over some invitations we’d received for silly parties that don’t make a hill-of-beans difference in light of what’s happening now. Frivolous, unnecessary waste. Money spent on stupid things when children are dying of hunger, our oceans are polluted. It’s a sin.”
Said the woman in a five-star hotel. Interesting. I wondered about the cost of staying in a place like this.
I knew Eve was deeply enmeshed in the community and multiple charity groups. One being ocean conservation, but her face went from sad to hard in a matter of seconds, yet here she was in the lap of luxury.
“This joint’s pretty swanky for somebody who hates frivolous waste,” Nina commented. Thankfully she didn’t go for Eve’s throat.
She spread her arms wide. “This hotel… It wasn’t my choice. Stan Freemont owns this hotel and when he saw how difficult it was for me to return to the house, he offered to let me stay here until we sort things out. It’s kind, but far too lavish for my taste, but I was in such a haze, I took him up on the offer.”
Question asked and answered.
“So you were with Pearl when this happened,” I coaxed.
“Yes!” She squeezed her red eyes shut, more tears gliding down her ivory cheeks. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so angry, but had I skipped the meeting with Pearl, and had breakfast with Ron like we usually do, maybe I would have…” Eve shrugged. “Maybe I would have sensed something was wrong.”
Well, there went that suspect, right down the drain. If she’d been with Pearl, and Pearl could corroborate her alibi, that was that.
Wanda sipped her tea, her eyes capturing Eve’s over the rim of her delicate cup. “So Pearl was with you. How far is the study from the vault?”
“It’s on the other side of the house, and I’ll tell you the same way I told Stan and those heathens at the council police, we never heard a thing. Surely, Zinnia must have… She was being beaten to death with a statue , for goodness sake! She must have cried out, right? We’re werewolves! Why didn’t we hear anything?”
Nina rolled her tongue along the inside of her cheek in thought. “That guard Armand said the same thing. He only went to the bathroom nearby, and he didn’t hear anything either.”
Eve threw her hands up in the air in defeat. “I don’t understand it!” Then she blew out another sigh. “I only know, I don’t know who this man is, Marty. Ron is the sweetest man I’ve ever known. How could he have hidden a violent nature for so long? He’s admitted to killing a young woman—and why ? Why would he kill Zinnia?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure how much we should share. “Did he tell you why?”
Eve shook her head, letting her chin fall to her chest. “They didn’t give us much time together, and when I asked him, he just said he couldn’t remember. But how can you not remember killing the young woman you’ve known since she was a small child? How does this happen?” she rasped out.
Wanda was on her feet in an instant, pouring Eve some tea and handing it to her. “Did you ever see any arguments between Zinnia and Ron? Any harsh words—anything that might lead you to believe he’d be angry with her?”
Her head popped up then, her eyes wet with tears as though she’d remembered something vital. “Now that you mention it, I did hear Ron and Zinnia having a disagreement, but it wasn’t as if they were fighting—not enough to warrant murder.”
I sat up straight, too, smoothing my skirt over my knees. Please let this lead to a clue. Please . “How long ago and what was it about?”
“Maybe a couple of weeks ago, I guess, and I’m not positive to be frank with you. I only caught it in passing as I was going upstairs. They were in the game room, and I heard raised voices, but nothing that sent up red flags.”
Huh. “So you don’t know what they were arguing about?”
“ Disagreeing ,” she corrected me, still in protection mode for Ron. “As I said, it didn’t sound like a big deal. Just raised voices. Zinnia and Ron often disagreed about football. They loved to watch a game together—watched every chance they got when she was home on break. They jokingly argued all the time when his team would beat hers or vice versa, so I didn’t pay much attention.”
We sat silently for a moment, the three of us looking at each other with the big question in our eyes. Did we ask her about Zinnia’s pregnancy? Were we going to annihilate her world further if we did?
I decided to tread lightly. “Did Zinnia have a boyfriend? Or was she seeing anyone that you’re aware of?”
Eve’s brow furrowed. “Why would you ask that? You don’t think someone…” She gasped. “You don’t think someone she was seeing did this, do you? How is that possible? Our home is guarded day and night, security cameras galore. Especially the vault.”
“But the security system was turned off,” Nina said. “How would you know if someone got in or out?”
But Eve shook her head. “We’d see it on the outside cameras, and Stan said he reviewed the camera footage and no one came in or out at the time Zinnia was…” She gulped, closing her eyes.
The more we talked to Eve, the less I held out hope Ron was innocent.
I uncrossed my legs, preparing to wrap this up. “So you weren’t aware of her seeing anyone romantically?”
Eve blinked. “No. No one.”
Sighing, Wanda took the reins on this one particular bit of devastating info, and I was grateful. “Did you know Zinnia was pregnant?”
Eve’s gasp was sharp in my ears. A loud hiss of disbelief as she rocked forward. “No!” Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh, no. No, no. Poor Pearl! Does she know? Ohhh, how horrible!”
Her moan rang in our ears. I know it did, because I saw Nina and Wanda both cringe. Jumping up, I went to Eve’s side and wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the headache forming in my temples, making my eye throb.
“I don’t know if Pearl knows yet, Eve. The council police have done such a shoddy job of all this, I can’t say for sure,” I whispered, when she gripped my hand.
Suddenly, she pulled from my arms, her tears staining her cheeks, her eyes wide—and I knew she’d put two and two together. “Wait.” Eve held up a finger. “You don’t think… Oh God, no…. You don’t think Ron…? No! No, no, no!”
Wanda spoke evenly, her tone calm. “We don’t know anything yet, Eve. Nothing for certain. Only that Zinnia was pregnant. That’s an absolute.”
Her eyes went wide with disbelief as she pushed me out of the way and yelped, “Could that be why Ron killed her? Because he got her pregnant? I’ve been racking my brain, trying to understand why he’d confess to something like this. Life was so good! I mean, yes, Charmaine has given me a run for my money, but she’s just a baby who lost her mother. I understand. But for the most part, we were so happy!”
Then her eyes narrowed to small slits, her cheeks going crimson. “If I find out that’s true, if she was pregnant with his child, I promise you, I’ll kill him myself!”