Page 23 of Whispers Left Behind (Kinsley Aspen #1)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kinsley Aspen October Friday — 8:47 am
Kinsley wrestled with the stubborn seatbelt of the unmarked cruiser. She had been searching underneath her seat for the source of the pungent odor that had triggered her gag reflex. She grimaced, half-expecting to unearth an old tofu container left by Haugen. She found nothing but crumpled napkins and a pen that probably didn’t work.
“Haugen swiped our usual car, didn’t he?” Kinsley asked, not bothering to hide her disgust. She finally managed to unfasten her seatbelt before opening her car door. “He had to have left his mother-in-law’s tofu in here at some point. After we speak with Torres, we’re taking this cruiser right back to the station to be detailed. Disgusting.”
“Actually, it was Levick who signed out our car.” Alex had parked the cruiser along the tree-lined streets of Gia Torres’ neighborhood. “He and Haugen had their requalification at the range today.”
Kinsley refrained from stringing together several expletives. She recalled complaining to Shane several times about Haugen. The man’s penchant for odd-smelling foods was close to some freakish fetish. She never would have thought such hearsay would come back to bite her in the ass.
Kinsley kept the car door open as she removed the glove she had swiped from the glove box. She certainly hadn’t been going to use her bare hands while swiping the filthy area underneath the seat. Once she had shoved the lone glove back inside the compartment, she slammed the cover shut.
Alex was wise not to say a word about her wasting city resources. As far as she was concerned, needing to have the vehicle detailed was a complete waste of money.
The only bright spot in Kinsley's morning had been the caramel-flavored coffee he had brought into the station. She remained in her seat with the door open to savor the rest of the contents. Sleep had been elusive. After driving home from her parents’ house, she had spent most of the night adjusting the zones on her home security system. She had made it so the camera over her garage captured footage of every vehicle passing by on the street. Her actions might have been a silent admission of her paranoia, but if someone was monitoring her every departure and arrival, she would have her evidence.
Alex had already exited the vehicle and was waiting for her on the sidewalk. The familiar scent of damp leaves hung in the air, and she inhaled deeply to get rid of the stench that seemed to cling to her clothes. She closed the car door before lifting an arm to smell the fabric of her sweater.
“We smell.”
“Send Haugen your dry-cleaning bill.”
Kinsley surveyed the neighborhood of single-story homes. A strong breeze rustled through the full-grown trees, blowing some of their remaining colorful leaves to the ground. Most of the residents had decorated their porches and bushes with jack-o-lanterns, fake cobwebs, rubber spiders, and even a few skeletons. One house, in particular, had gone all out and transformed their front yard into a spooky graveyard with tombstones jutting up from the ground and cackling witches that seemed to come alive with every gust of wind.
“The kids must have already been picked up for school,” Kinsley said as she fell into step beside Alex. “It’s quiet.”
“You don’t hear those witches?”
“I thought that was you laughing.” Kinsley flashed Alex a smile before changing the subject. “You should have called me last night when you discovered that Gia was having an affair with Sebastian.”
“It was after midnight, Kin.” Alex lifted the lapel of his coat to stave the cold wind as they stepped up on the porch. “Besides, three million dollars and a woman on the side is a double motive. If we make an arrest today, we’ll be pulling at least a twelve-hour shift. The DA will want an ironclad case.”
Kinsley reached out and pressed the doorbell. A faint chime could be heard through the heavy door. She adjusted her stance and slipped her hands into the pockets of her sweater. She had given up any notion that she could wear a heavy jacket without snow on the ground. Ignoring Alex’s knowing gaze, she used his body to block the biting wind.
“Knock,” Kinsley suggested when Gia didn’t come to the door. “Maybe she’s sleeping. I called the hospital, and she got off her shift at seven.”
Alex used the side of his fist and banged on the front door before pressing the doorbell again for good measure. He wouldn’t be giving any leeway to the woman. Gia Torres had slept with her best friend’s husband. Alex had been raised by a single mother after his father had up and left his family to start another one in Wisconsin. His personal dealings with such a sensitive matter made it difficult for him to leave his opinions at the door. Kinsley was prepared to wade alone through the murky waters of today’s interview.
While Gia hadn’t gone all out on her Halloween decorations, she did have an autumn wreath adorned with sprigs of orange berries. The additional twigs with leaves in shades of reds, oranges, and yellows still shook from the previous bangs of Alex’s fist. Kinsley was beginning to think she should have left him in the car to find the decaying food.
“Could Torres be at the hospital with Louise Baird?” Alex asked as he rang the doorbell again. “You said that’s where you ran into her last week.”
“I see movement,” Kinsley murmured as she kept her gaze trained on the oval glass behind the seasonal wreath. When Gia finally swung the door open, it was apparent she had been in bed. She was wearing flannel pajamas, her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and her dark eyes were still somewhat unfocused as she squinted at them. “Miss Torres, we need to speak with you regarding some information we came across yesterday. May we come in?”
Surprise had etched itself plainly across Gia’s features, underscored by a momentary hesitation that kept Alex and Kinsley standing on the front porch longer than appropriate. She stumbled back a step.
“Of course.” Gia waved for them to enter. “Please, come in. You’ll have to excuse me, but I got home from the hospital maybe forty minutes ago. I just fell into bed.”
Gia secured the door behind them while Kinsley took time to make introductions. Alex and Gia had not formally met, and it was obvious that Alex would have preferred to keep it that way. His clipped tone acknowledging her was enough of a warning that Kinsley cleared her throat to gain Gia’s attention.
“What can I do for you, detectives?”
Gia’s decor matched the woman’s calm demeanor. The living room exuded a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The furniture was plush and covered in a cream-colored fabric with several pillows in earth-tone shades. Framed photographs hung from the walls, with some set out on wooden bookshelves. Most of the people in the pictures were easily identified as family members. Others were friends, with Rachel’s bright smile featured predominantly in most of them.
“Is there a reason you didn’t tell us you were having an affair with Sebastian Hanson?”
Alex hadn’t bothered to stick to their routine. He had gotten straight to the point. Gia had been waiting for them to have a seat on the couch before taking one herself in the matching overstuffed chair. Upon hearing his question, she sank onto the cushion and clasped her hands tightly between her knees.
Kinsley took a seat on the couch, hoping that Alex would join her. Fortunately, he followed her lead, but the damage had already been done. If Gia was going to go on the defensive, she would do so by showing them to the door and taking a page out of Sebastian’s playbook by calling a lawyer.
“Gia, we have a video of you two standing outside the Hanson residence in a rather intimate embrace,” Kinsley explained as Gia leaned forward and placed her hands over her face. “We would like to hear your side of the story as to why you didn’t mention your relationship with Sebastian to us earlier.”
Gia’s composure crumpled, and her shoulders shook from the silent sobs wracking her body. Alex parted his lips to say something, but Kinsley rested a hand on his shoulder. She wasn’t sure if Gia was playing them with some type of act, but it would be best to let the interview play out.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” Gia whispered as she used the sleeve of her flannel pajama to wipe away her tears. There was a fragility that seemed to consume her, but it could be mistaken for guilt. “And it ended months and months ago. You have to believe me.”
Kinsley wasn’t so sure there would be an arrest made today. Alex rubbed his jaw in irritation as he waited for Gia to continue her side of the story. They had yet to reach out to Sebastian Hanson, but they had requested he come into the station with his lawyer this afternoon.
“Look, Sebastian was upset one day when I stopped by the house. Rachel had gotten held up at work, and he just…well, he kissed me. The next thing I knew, I kissed him back. I shouldn’t have, and it was wrong of me.” Gia pulled the sleeves of her flannel pajamas over her hands and held the material taut as she focused on Kinsley. “We had sex twice before I ended things. I didn’t want…I didn’t want Rachel to hate me.”
Kinsley cleared her throat when Alex would have responded, but the sound brought Gia’s attention to where it needed to be. She stared at them with desperation.
“Please don’t tell Louise. She’s been through so much already, and…”
“We can’t promise you that, Miss Torres.” Alex had responded to Gia before Kinsley had a chance to ask a question. The woman’s eyes filled with tears once more, but it was clear that Alex had no sympathy for a woman who would betray her best friend in such a conniving manner. “Did you and Sebastian plan Rachel’s murder together? Did you know about the three-million-dollar life insurance policy, Ms. Torres? Were you hoping that he would cut you in on half?”
So much for delicacy.
Kinsley was now forced to play the role of good partner. She never wavered her gaze from Gia, and Kinsley took advantage of the woman’s shock over hearing Alex’s blunt inquiries.
“Miss Torres, you can understand why we would jump to such a conclusion.” Kinsley could sense the vibrations of her phone through her sweater, but she ignored the call. “You claim that Rachel was your best friend, and yet you slept with her husband…twice.”
“I’m not proud of what happened, and I can’t change your opinion of me,” Gia said as she only focused on Kinsley. Her words, however, had been directed at Alex. “I swear to you that I didn’t kill my best friend. I didn’t plan anything with Sebastian. I didn’t know about the three-million-dollar life insurance policy, and I didn’t know that he had been lying to Rachel for the past six months about his test results. I found all that out yesterday from Louise. Detectives, she truly believes that Sebastian murdered Rachel. Not only that, but she thinks that Gage found proof or something, which was why he was targeted last week. And I…well, looking back at what happened, I think she might be right.”
“I’m sure you can understand why we would have trouble believing you when you say you would never have hurt your best friend.” Alex’s voice was measured, and he wasn’t giving the woman two seconds to gather her thoughts. Kinsley’s phone began to vibrate once more, so she discreetly pulled it from her pocket. “Had Rachel discovered that her best friend slept with her husband, what would she have done, Miss Torres? Is that why you went along with Hanson? You didn’t want Rachel to know that you slept—”
“Detective Lanen, someone has been trying to reach us.” Kinsley held out her phone, recognizing the hospital’s number. “Would you please take this? I’ll finish up here.”
Alex and Kinsley were usually tough with those individuals who had substantial motives. She would have continued in such a manner if she thought such manner of questioning would result in answers, but Alex wasn’t pushing Gia for the sake of the case.
“What about Jack?” Gia inquired as she closely monitored Alex as he stood and walked toward the front door. “He was meeting Rachel that night. What if the two of them were—”
“Miss Torres, what can you tell me about the times you were with Mr. Hanson? Did he ever indicate to you that he didn’t want to remain married to Rachel? Was there any sign that—”
“No,” Gia replied harshly. There was even an expression of disgust written on her features. “No.”
“You said that you started to believe Louise after thinking back on your time with Mr. Hanson,” Kinsley pointed out, not willing to let such a statement slide. “Either you believe Sebastian murdered Rachel or you don’t.”
“I don’t know,” Gia muttered in frustration as she lifted her hands and pressed the flannel material against her eyes. She remained like that for a moment before lowering her arms and meeting Kinsley’s gaze. “All I’ve done since then is think over every word he said to me during that time. Nothing indicated that he would ever harm Rachel or Gage, but Louise is so convinced that Sebastian and Jack are guilty.”
“Did Louise tell you that she saw Rachel the night she died?”
“No. What are you implying?” Gia asked hesitantly as her gaze slid to Alex. He had disconnected the call, but he remained near the front door. Gia turned her attention back toward Kinsley. “Detective, are you suggesting that—”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m stating a fact. Four hours before Rachel had her throat slit and bled out on the ground of an empty barn, the two women met at Tobias Zayn’s farm,” Kinsley revealed, monitoring the woman’s features closely. “If I were to suggest anything, it would be that no one connected with this case has been truthful with us. You can understand how such omissions make it hard for us to do our job, Miss Torres.”
“I didn’t mean to…”
Alex signaled that it was time to depart the residence. From his stance, it was clear that there was another significant break in the case. She would give Gia one more chance to come clean.
“Miss Torres, if there is anything else you are keeping from us, now would be a very good time to tell us the truth.”
“There’s nothing else,” Gia whispered as she stood before crossing her arms around her torso. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were flushed with emotion. “I swear.”
Why was it that people always placed such an emphasis on those two words during an interview or interrogation? It was as if those two words held all the power in the world, capable of determining one’s fate in a matter of seconds.
“We’ll be in touch, Miss Torres.”
By the time Kinsley reached Alex, he had already opened the front door. She stepped over the threshold, bracing herself against the cold wind. Her teeth were chattering by the time they reached the sidewalk. She held her hand out for her phone, disappointed in the results of Gia’s interview.
"That was the hospital.” Alex reached into the pocket of his jacket for the keys. “The doctor just gave us the go ahead to interview Gage Baird.”