by LENA DIAZ,
He flipped the few pages in the folder and shook his head. “Nope. She must have disposed of it. But the CSU team tested the glass beside his bedside table and found peanut oil residue.”
“What did she have to gain by killing him?”
“Plenty. Since he founded Mystic Glades, he pretty much owned the town and leased most of the property to others. Very few of the residents actually own the land or the buildings on them. He was quite wealthy in his own right—old money that’s been in his family for generations.”
“And Amber is the only heir?”
“Her and her aunt Fredericka. But Amber got the lion’s share.”
“Is the estate still in escrow?”
He tapped one of the pages. “No, but it might as well be. As soon as Miss Callahan was charged, the courts put holds on both her accounts and her grandfather’s accounts. She can’t touch a penny without going to court to release the funds.”
“Which of course she wouldn’t do if she’s worried about being arrested for murder.”
“Exactly.”
Dex blew out a long breath. “I just can’t picture her purposely killing her grandfather even if she did want his money. She seems so—”
“Sweet? Nice?”
“I was thinking intelligent, actually. How old was her grandfather?”
“I see where you’re going.” He thumbed through the report, then flipped to the beginning and ran his finger down a paragraph. “Let’s see. Amber was twenty-two, her grandfather was just shy of eighty at the time. He wasn’t in the best of health, either, even without having the flu at the time he died. You’re thinking she could have just waited and inherited.”
“Seems like the logical thing to do. Does that report say why she might have needed the money? Had she planned on leaving Mystic Glades?”
He closed the file. “The report doesn’t really say much more than what I told you. Everything I’ve said was available through old media reports or word of mouth in Mystic, so I haven’t given away any secrets. But the rest of the file is confidential and I can only release it to her attorney.”
“Fair enough. I’m curious about one thing, as long as it’s not one of those secrets you mentioned.”
“Doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“You said the grandfather lived in a mansion. What happened to it?”
“The court apportioned some of the estate for the house’s upkeep and appointed a trustee to look after the house. And before you ask, no, I can’t share the trustee’s name because I don’t know if that’s common knowledge.”
Dex raised a brow. “I imagine it takes a lot of money to maintain a large house, especially in an environment like the Everglades. That trustee probably has access to a very generous bank account.”
Holder shrugged. “Your words. Not mine.”
“I know what it costs to maintain a large estate. I don’t guess I really need your answer to that question. It does, however, make me wonder if the trustee could be culpable in the murder.”
“In a normal murder case, I might agree with you. But in this one, there’s one fact you can’t explain away.”
“Which is?”
“Amber herself, in the interview the morning her grandfather was found dead, admitted she was the only other person in the house. She said no one else had been there for weeks. Kind of hard to argue that someone else might have killed the old man when she swore no one else had been there.”
Dex was inclined to agree with him, but somehow saying that out loud would have made him feel like a traitor to the woman who had worked so hard to save him. He owed her the benefit of the doubt and was determined to keep an open mind.
The door to the interview room popped open and Garreth stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He stopped in front of the desk. “Miss Callahan has decided to retain my services until I can help her interview and hire a criminal case attorney. I’ll need a copy of the original police report.”
Holder held the folder up. “I figured you might. Keep it. I’ll print myself a new copy.”
“Thank you.” He turned to Dex. “Assuming you still plan to foot the bill—”
“I do.”
“Excellent. Then the calls I made in the interview room weren’t a complete waste of time. I started the ball rolling to arrange bail. Now we just have to wait for a judge to call us back.”
Holder shook his head. “Not going to happen on a Saturday. Miss Callahan will have to cool her heels in jail until Monday, and even then, I highly doubt a judge will grant her bail. She’s a proven flight risk.”
Dex exchanged an amused look with his lawyer. “I think you underestimate Garreth’s abilities, Detective.”
Holder shrugged. “Maybe. I doubt it. I guess we’ll see. But I—” The phone on his desk rang. When he saw the number on the display, he shot Garreth a frown and took the call.
Garreth gave him a smug look and turned to Dex again. “When you’re done here, Miss Callahan has requested to speak with you.”
Dex immediately stood but Holder signaled him to wait.
When he hung up the phone, he shook his head. “I can’t believe what I just heard.” He filled them in on the details.
Dex laughed and clapped Garreth on the shoulder. “You’ve still got it, my friend.”
“I suppose this means your answer is yes, to both conditions?” Holder asked, not sounding happy at all.
“Are you kidding? This is the coolest thing to happen to me in ages. I’m all in.”
“This is ridiculous,” Holder muttered as he shoved out of his chair. “But I don’t guess I have a choice. Hold up your right hand, and repeat after me.”
Chapter Six
Amber clasped her hands beneath the table as Dex stepped into the tiny room and closed the door behind him. Her relief at seeing him, apparently unharmed, had her letting out a relieved breath.
He sat in the chair across from her and leaned his forearms on the table. “I’m surprised that you wanted to see me. I figure you have to blame me—”
“For my arrest?” She shook her head. “I was angry, at first. But I knew this day would come eventually. And I couldn’t exactly expect a stranger to want to stick his neck out for me.” She grabbed his hands in hers. “That’s not the point, and not why I wanted to talk to you. You’re in danger.”
His brows arched as he looked at their joined hands before meeting her gaze. “You wanted to talk to me to warn me that I’m in danger?”
“Yes. I’ve only just now really put everything together in my mind and I wanted to tell you my suspicions. After I took you to Mystic Glades, I went to the crash site to erase any signs of me having been near there.”
“To wipe out your footprints.”
She nodded. “I didn’t know what exactly you would tell everyone about how you got to town, but if you did keep your word, I didn’t want any signs to prove otherwise.”
“Let me make sure I understand. You came to my room every day of my fever and put cold cloths on my head and made sure that I was comfortable.”
“What? That’s not what I—”
“Wanted to talk about? No, obviously you didn’t want me to know. But I remember someone doing that and your aunt looked at me like I was crazy when I asked her about it. So I know you were the one taking care of me far more than she was.” He quirked his mouth up in a wry grin. “Thank you, by the way.”
She tugged her hands but he laced his fingers with hers, trapping her. She blew out a breath in frustration. “Look, you need to take this seriously. Like I said, I went to the crash site and—”
“And you erased your footprints, again, to make sure that I didn’t look bad if I’d kept my word and said I was alone after the crash and that no one helped me. Do I have that right? You were protecting me? Again?
”
“Can we get to what matters please?”
“What matters to me is that everything everyone else is telling me about you makes you out to be a killer. But everything—every single thing that I’ve personally experienced with you—tells me the opposite. You seem to me like an intelligent, warm, caring person who puts everyone else’s welfare above her own. Why aren’t you berating me for telling about you helping me after I promised I wouldn’t?”
“It wasn’t your fault. We already discussed this. You were delirious. And it wasn’t a fair promise anyway—to ask someone who doesn’t know me to lie for me. I’m sorry I asked. I shouldn’t have.”
“You’re doing it again.”
She tugged her hands and this time he let them go, although seemingly reluctantly. She clasped her hands beneath the table again. “Look, Mr. Lassiter—”
“Dex.” He grinned “We’ve slept together. I think we can use first names after that, don’t you?”
She blinked. “I don’t know what you think you remember, but we most certainly have not slept together.”
“I’m wounded. You don’t remember us lying together beside the fire? You stayed with me all night, and we both slept, off and on.” He winked.
She leaned across the table and thumped it impatiently. “Will you be serious? Please?”
“Oh, I’m always serious about...sleeping.”
She threw her hands up. “I can see this is going nowhere. You might as well leave. I’ll talk to that lawyer of yours again and tell him—”
“He’s your lawyer now, too.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes... I suppose. Ah, thank you for that. I promise that I’ll pay you back one day. As soon as I can get out on bail, I’ll look into a court-appointed lawyer.”
“I wouldn’t advise that. Garreth’s one of the best around, even if he doesn’t practice criminal law anymore. He’ll make sure to arrange an equally competent criminal attorney. Murder charges are far too serious to skimp on representation. Florida isn’t shy about sticking needles in people’s arms. The death penalty is nothing to play around with.”
She swallowed hard. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Well, I have. This is serious, Amber. Your life is at stake.”
“Aren’t you even going to ask if I did it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “Because I know that you didn’t kill him. You’re not built that way. You could have left me to die out in the swamp. But even though you knew it might mean getting caught and going to jail, you helped me. If you did that for a stranger, I have no doubt you would never have done anything to harm your family.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You have no idea how good it feels to have someone actually believe in me.”
His smile faded. “Yeah, about that. I’m guessing your aunt Freddie hasn’t exactly been supportive. She certainly doesn’t strike me as someone in your court.”
“Well, you can’t really blame her. Grandpa was her daddy.”
“And yet he left most everything to you. Not her. That seems rather telling.”
She shrugged. “They never had the best relationship.”
“And you were the one who took care of him every day. Did your aunt help at all?”
“You have to understand Freddie. She’s one of the most supportive people out there. She’ll do anything for you as long as—”
“You don’t do something she doesn’t approve of?”
“Pretty much. But she’s a good person. She has a good heart.”
“Not from where I’m standing.” He looked down at his chair. “Or sitting.” He grinned.
Even though she didn’t feel the least bit happy right now, she couldn’t help the answering smile that curved her lips. There was just something about Dex that lightened her heart and made her feel good. But of course, she couldn’t let him distract her from her primary purpose. She cleared her throat and tried again.
“Listen, please. This is important. I need to tell you about the crash site.”
“Let me guess. You heard the investigators talking near the engine and someone mentioned the tape in the engine compartment.”
She blinked. “You knew?”
“Yep. I even took pictures. I emailed them to the NTSB after I woke up and already spoke to them. They concur, unofficially at least, that the plane appears to have been tampered with. Of course, their official report will take months, or longer.”
She pressed a hand against her chest. “Well, okay, then. I thought you didn’t know.”
“That’s why you came back every day to your aunt’s, isn’t it? To watch over me? To protect me?”
Her face flamed hot. “You make me sound like a saint. Trust me. I’m not. I came back for purely selfish reasons. I didn’t want another death on my conscience.”
“Another death? You blame yourself for your grandfather’s death?”
She nodded. “How can I not? I knew he had allergies. Obviously, I did something to cause him to die. I must have used something to gather the plants and herbs that used to have peanuts in it. Maybe I didn’t wash it out good enough. Whatever, there was only one person who could have harmed him, and that was me.”
Dex glanced at the door behind him, then at the glass along one wall before leaning forward. “I don’t think anyone is behind that glass listening, but I can’t be sure. Let’s not sling around admissions of guilt,” he whispered.
“But I—”
“Loved your grandfather,” he said more loudly, “and would never do anything on purpose to harm him. Isn’t that right?”
She frowned. “Yes, of course. But no one else was in the house.”
“That you know of. Let’s not talk about any of that right now. Let’s talk about what matters right this minute.”
“Getting you some kind of protection,” she said. “You seem to have plenty of money. I recommend hiring some bodyguards.”
He chuckled. “You really aren’t worried about yourself, are you?”
“Well, of course I am. I don’t want to go to prison or...worse. But that will have to play out in the courts. There’s nothing I can do about it right now. You, on the other hand, are in very real danger and need to be aware of it and take precautions.”
“Understood. And thank you for wanting to make sure that I’m safe.”
“Okay. Well. Um...thank you, for everything. I really appreciate your kindness in lending me your attorney.” She held her hand out.
He chuckled again and shook her hand, squeezing her fingers before letting go. “I wish you nothing but the best, Amber Callahan.”
“Maybe we’ll meet again under better circumstances,” she said. “Preferably not with me in prison.”
He gave her a secretive look and then headed to the door. He rapped his knuckles on it and waited. The door opened and Officer Holder and the lawyer, Gareth Jackson, stood in the opening.
“Ready?” Holder asked.
“Yep.” Dex backed up and let them into the small room, which seemed to become even smaller with the three large men standing on the other side of the table from Amber.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.
Holder put his hands on his hips. “Looks like you lucked into an impressive lawyer, Miss Callahan. Five minutes on the phone with a judge and he’s secured your release. But there are some conditions you have to agree to.”
Her pulse sped up as she stared at him, feeling completely stunned. “He’s granting bail?”
“He is. And Mr. Lassiter is kindly putting up the deposit.”
“I...don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
Dex nodded. “You might want to wait until you hear the rest before thanking me.”
<
br /> “Yes,” Holder continued. “There are two conditions the judge is imposing, and one that Mr. Lassiter is imposing in exchange for the bail deposit.” He waved at Dex. “This is your show. Why don’t you explain?”
Dex stepped forward and took Amber’s hands between his. “My condition is that you consent to the exhumation of your grandfather’s body so a new autopsy can be performed.”
She jerked back in shock, but he kept her hands in his. “I don’t understand. Why would you ask me that? Everyone knows he died because of his allergies, and I don’t know that I have the right to approve that even if I wanted to. Wouldn’t his daughter, Freddie, have to consent?”
“She already has,” Garreth said from behind him. “Asking you is just a courtesy that Mr. Lassiter felt should be extended. We don’t need your permission.”
Dex shot him an aggravated glance before looking at her again. “I know you were close to him and I don’t want you upset if we do this. But I think it’s an important first step in proving your innocence.”
“You really think a new autopsy might find something that the first one didn’t?”
“It’s possible. With your life hanging in the balance, it seems like a good idea. Don’t you think?”
“O-okay. I guess.”
“Excellent. Garreth will work out the details. As for the other conditions, the ones the judge is imposing, first, you can’t leave town—as in Mystic Glades. You have to agree to stay there and not go back into the swamp and hide again until all of this plays out in the courts.”
She couldn’t believe her good luck. Of course, she would agree to that. She could easily slip away again. She’d hidden out for two years. There was no reason she couldn’t go back to that life in the Glades again. She was about to agree, but then she realized there was a potentially huge downside.
“How much money did you have to put down to bail me out, Mr. Lassiter?”
“Dex,” he gently corrected again. “Does it matter? As long as you don’t run, I don’t lose my money.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” she grumbled, low, so only he could hear.
He grinned again, which seemed strange to her under the circumstances, since she’d basically just admitted she planned on running. “Why are you smiling?”