by Trisha Grace
“So, Mr. Sutton.” Detective Hodge redirected his attention to him. “You left after the conversation with Miss Pattison and Mr. Rowe?”
He nodded.
“What happened next?”
Keith repeated what he’d told Elena and Spencer.
“You can’t remember?” Detective Wilkes stopped scribbling on his notepad. “Have you suffered from blackouts before?”
“No—yes. When I drink too much. But—”
“Did you have anything to drink last night?”
“No. As I said, I drank water. I haven’t drunk in a while.”
“Really?” Detective Hodge arched a brow. “Because I have photos of you drinking—”
“That’s Spencer’s fault.” Elena flashed an amicable smile at Spencer.
“Right. I kind of tricked him down to the club because I was bored. Sorry. He really hasn’t been out partying or drinking for quite a while.”
Detective Hodge squinted. “Are you on any medication, Mr. Sutton?”
“No.”
“Are you self-medicating?”
“No.” He frowned. “I’ve never taken drugs. Alcohol, yes.” He stared down Detective Hodge when his searching eyes remained on him.
“Do you mind if we take a look at the car you crashed?” Detective Hodge continued after a few moments.
“Oh, about that. My assistant got someone to tow the car and get it fixed,” Elena said. “I don’t know the details. You’ll have to ask Gina.” She smiled sweetly.
“Sure,” Detective Wilkes said and stood.
“Did anyone see the two of you at Twenties?” Detective Hodge shot a glare at his partner, who sat down almost immediately.
Elena nodded slowly. “The chef came out to talk to us.”
“We even took several photos,” Spencer added.
“I’m sure you can find those photos on Instagram, or my assistant can find them and send the link over to you guys.” Elena’s bright smile had no effect on Detective Hodge, who merely turned his attention back to Keith.
“Don’t you find it strange that you can’t remember what happened last night?”
Keith glanced over at Carlson. His lawyer had been quiet thus far, but he gave him a firm nod, gesturing for him to continue. “Yes, but I don’t know what happened.”
“Sometimes, when something traumatic happens, your brain blocks it out.”
“I had nothing to do with Miriam’s death.”
“How do you know? You said you can’t remember.”
Keith twisted his lower jaw to the side.
“There are plenty of explanations for what happened to my client.” Carlson smiled. “Do we have to go through the entire list?”
Detective Hodge’s skeptical gaze remained on Keith. “Miss Ricci had recently claimed she was pregnant with your child, right? I’m sure that must have caused some stress between you and your girlfriend.”
“Sarah has nothing to do with this.”
“Where is she, by the way?” Detective Hodge scanned the room.
“Miss Carter is an adult with free will. You can’t expect my client to know where she is at every moment.”
“I heard she was staying here before Miss Ricci’s news broke.”
“Yes,” Elena answered. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon enough.”
“Mr. Sutton, have you seen this knife before?” Detective Hodge slid his phone across the coffee table.
Keith reached for the phone and pulled it closer. “No.”
“It was found in your dressing room.”
“My client’s dressing room isn’t locked half the time. Any of the production crew members or actors could’ve gone in to put the knife there. Have you got any fingerprints on it to prove that it belongs to my client?”
A corner of Detective Hodge’s lips curled.
“There weren’t any fingerprints on it,” Detective Wilkes said, and Detective Hodge closed his eyes for a moment.
“Still, your client’s lack of an alibi is questionable, isn’t it?” Detective Hodge asked, finally looking at Carlson.
“When you’re used to letting your assistant take care of your life, you tend to forget about the small details.” Carlson took a small step forward and peered over at Elena. “Isn’t that so?”
Elena nodded. “I don’t bother to remember what I need to do or where I have to be since my assistant will let me know.”
Detective Hodge slapped his hands against his legs and stood. “Thank you all for your precious time.”
“You’re welcome.” Elena looked at Detective Wilkes. “When is your wife’s birthday? I’ll get my assistant to get a table for you at Twenties.”
“Miss Pattison is a suspect in our case,” Detective Hodge said.
“I am?”
“As of this moment, everyone is a suspect.”
She shrugged and turned back to Detective Wilkes. “When this case is over, call me. I’ll set it up.”
“Thanks.”
She nodded and waved goodbye before closing the door. “I thought for sure they’d arrest you.”
Carlson moved over to the couch and sat. “I think the detectives are waiting for more evidence before making an arrest. A knife without fingerprints isn’t enough.”
Keith sighed silently. “So I’m a free man for now.”
“For now.” Carlson pulled out a card holder from his pocket and handed Elena and Spencer a card each. “If either of you requires help.”
Elena smiled and cocked her head to the side. “I’m sure you can expect Spencer’s call way sooner than mine.”
“Hey.” Spencer leaned closer to Elena. “Just so you know, I’ve never been a murder suspect before.”
Keith glared at Spencer.
“What? Too soon?”
Carlson stood. “Call me if the detectives contact you again.”
Keith nodded and walked Carlson out. “So you didn’t see Sarah when you got home last night,” he asked Elena after closing the door.
“I didn’t come home last night. I thought you and Sarah could use some space, so I stayed at Gina’s place.”
“So this morning when I saw you and Gina, you were just getting home?”
She nodded.
“And neither of you saw me after I walked out of the dressing room?”
“Nope,” Spencer said while Elena shook her head.
Keith ran his hands through his hair. “Why can’t I remember what happened? Detective Hodge’s right. What if I did something to Miriam?”
“Try to focus,” Elena said. “What were you doing before you saw us at the studio?”
“I was home, moping.”
“My system tracks all entrance and exits.” Elena glanced over at the security pad by the door. “It logs when the passcode is entered into the keypad and all.”
“Mine, too.”
“Good,” she said and clapped her hands together. “Then you just need to figure out what you were doing between seven and ten.”
“Probably blacked out in your car that had crashed into a tree.”
“Were you drugged?” Spencer leaned forward. “Remember that model who was drugged?” He snapped his fingers. “Annie? Amy?”
Elena rolled her eyes.
“Andrea,” Keith said.
“Right.” Spencer thrust his index finger at him. “She kept saying the same thing. She couldn’t remember what happened. She blacked out. She couldn’t remember who she was with, what she was doing, or even where she was. Maybe you can get yourself tested.”
“It’s been a full day. Whatever was in his system probably left it already.”
“He should still try,” Spencer continued.
Elena nodded. “As for Sarah. Her phone’s switched off, and she hasn’t come back after the news of Miriam’s death. I think she must’ve unplugged. No phone. No TV.”
“She doesn’t want me to find her.”
Elena gave him a small smile. “I’ll keep trying her phone. For now, why don’t you ge
t yourself checked? Spencer will go with you.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I think it’s better for him to have an alibi in case something else happens.”
“What else could happen?”
“I don’t know. Did you expect us to be sitting around in my living room discussing Miriam’s murder?”
“Fine,” Spencer said. “But you should get Gina over here. I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”
Elena’s brows drew closer for a split second before she nodded. “I will. Go.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sarah trotted over to the door when the bell rang and opened it without checking who it was. She had ordered lunch and assumed it was the hotel staff, so she froze when she saw Keith standing outside her room in faded jeans that hung on his hips and a loose-fitting white T-shirt.
“Hi.” He pulled off his black cap and weaved his fingers into his hair, pushing it to the side.
“Hi.” Sarah managed after a moment. “How did you—”
Keith wrapped his arms around her, and she was crushed up against his shoulder. She almost choked, but he loosened his arms enough for her to take a breath.
“I thought for sure you were gone. I thought for sure I’d lost you.”
The low whisper he’d spoken in broke her heart. Step back, she told herself. But she couldn’t make herself follow through the simple command in her head. She should’ve shut the door the moment she saw him. She shouldn’t allow him to hold her like this.
But the anguish in his voice, in his words … How could she turn him away?
That was a good enough excuse for her. She relaxed and leaned against his chest. Oh, how she’d missed him.
He straightened and gazed down at her, his thumb brushing across her cheek. “Don’t go. I need you.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from flooding her eyes and overflowing.
He pulled her back into his arms again. “If I’d known this would happen, I’d have stayed in New York with you. I would never have set foot in Hollywood again.”
She couldn’t answer him. She was too busy sobbing in his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It isn’t your fault. It’s just …”
He frowned at her. “You know, when I tried to protect you from Miriam, you insisted on facing her because you didn’t want to run from your problems. When I warned you about how people in Hollywood behaved differently, you basically shrugged it off.”
She sniffed and wiped her tears, uncertain where he was going with his speech.
“But when this happened, you ran—without a word.”
“It isn’t that.”
“Then what is it?”
She stepped away from his arms and moved into the room. “You don’t understand.”
“Then tell me.” The door swung closed after Keith stepped in.
“You know I grew up without a father. I can’t let Miriam’s child grow up without you.”
“Miriam talked to you.”
“But I made the decision on my own.”
“What makes you think I’ll be a good father only when you’re gone?” His lips curled into a wry smile. “You know what kind of person I was. Do you think Mr. Playboy of the year would be a good father?”
“You’re not that person anymore.”
“Because of you.” He crossed the room in three steps and took her hands. “I’m who I am because of you. You’re the reason I’m happy, the reason why I don’t go out and party anymore. I don’t need the drinking and everything else that went along with it because I have you, because you make me see that a life with one person—the right person—is more than enough.”
“But—”
“I wouldn’t be a better father without you. I’d write a check every month because I’d have to, but that’s it. If you’d wanted the baby to have any shot at having a good father, you should’ve stayed. Stayed to shoot me a glare when I wasn’t doing right by the child.”
She frowned. “Why are you using the past tense?”
He peered over at the flat screen TV mounted on a light oat wooden panel. “You haven’t watched any TV or switched on your phone?”
“I wanted—”
“What happened to the bed?” His eyes widened, and he turned back to her. “Are you hurt?” He held her shoulders and gave her a head to toe scan.
“I cut my hand and went to bed.” She lifted her hand to show him the cut. “I didn’t realize how badly it was bleeding.”
Keith examined the wounds. “How did you get those cuts?” He looked at her when she didn’t reply.
“I can’t remember.”
“What?”
She winced and moved over to pull the covers over the bed, hiding the dark brown bloodstains from sight. “I got drunk last night.”
“Sarah.”
“I know. I know it’s stupid. It’s just when I was ordering dinner, the person asked if I wanted to add a bottle of wine to that. So I just said yes.” That was what people did when they were upset, right? If there ever was a time she needed a drink, it was last night. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He nodded slowly, and his eyes swept the hotel room. “I don’t see any broken glass.”
“That was what I thought. Maybe I picked them up off the floor and put them outside. I guess I’ll know when I see my bill.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know why housekeeping hasn’t come by, though.”
“Your do-not-disturb light is on.” Keith strode over and sat next to her. “And Miriam’s dead.”
“So she won’t be on set anymore?”
“She won’t be on any set ever.” His chest rose. “One of the crew members found her in her dressing room. She was stabbed.”
“Stabbed? You mean Miriam is actually dead, not the character she’s playing.” Sarah’s fingers splayed over her mouth. “So the baby …”
“The detectives in charge of the case couldn’t tell us if she was even pregnant, said they were waiting for the autopsy report.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“I was surprised by her death, and it’s sad a baby lost its life. But … I’m not particularly attached to it.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say.”
“That’s who I am. Selfish. Arrogant. Inconsiderate.”
“That’s not who you are.”
“Because you saw beyond that. You saw me.” He sighed and gave her hand a squeeze. “Don’t leave. Stay, please. I love you, Sarah. I want you in my life for as long as I’m alive and beyond. I’ll give all of this up. We’ll leave. I won’t take another movie. We’ll go back to New York and go back to how we were.”
“But you have contracts.”
“I’ll break everything. They can have all that I own. I just need you.” He cupped his hand against her face and leaned in slowly, giving her more than enough time to turn away.
But she didn’t. She wanted a life with him as well. “I love you, too.” She leaned forward and met him halfway.
She wasn’t sure how long it was, but they eventually broke their kiss. She cleared her throat. “How did you find me?”
“I didn’t. Elena did,” he said. “She said you would have needed a place to stay last night. And she thought you might just get a taxi and tell the driver to take you to the nearest hotel.”
Sarah laughed once without humor. “She’s good.”
“Gina’s better. She got your room number.”
“How?”
Keith shrugged. “I have no idea. Elena just gave the credit to Gina.”
Sarah smiled, and they fell silent. It wasn’t right for her to be feeling this happy to be back with Keith when Miriam just got murdered. She pursed her lips. “So Miriam … do the police have a suspect?”
“Me.”
“What? Why? Because of the baby?”
“Partially. But I think it’s mainly because I can’t remember what happened last night.”
“You went drinking?”
“No.” He told her what happened, told her about the crash, the detectives stopping by Elena’s place, and the blood test he’d just had.
“Won’t hiding your shirt be considered tampering with evidence?”
“The detectives didn’t ask for it.”
“So it’s still in Elena’s guest bathroom? Is she okay with that?”
He shrugged.
“She’s really a loyal friend.”
“Yeah. Which is why I need to stop Spence from trying anything with Elena.” He shook his head as he sighed. “I’m so not looking forward to that talk.”
“Hopefully the doctor will find something in your blood to prove you were drugged.”
“He says the chances are slim, and I think he’s being kind. Whatever was in my system had probably metabolized.”
She pulled in her lower lip. “What can we do?”
“Nothing.”
“No.” She closed her eyes, embarrassed.
“What?”
“Gina told me that people get swept away in Hollywood. I didn’t think I would.”
“You won’t.”
“But I did.” She laughed softly. “Just a few days here and I forget who I am—a child of God. There’s always something we can do: pray. God helped us with Joel and Alice. He can change things for us now, too.”
His lips parted into a grin. “Shall we make another bet?”
“What bet?”
“If God miraculously turns things around for us this time, we’ll leave everything here and go back to New York.”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t want that. I don’t want you to give up everything for me.”
He winced. “I had every intention of making you give up everything.”
She frowned.
“I asked Elena to give you a job at the orphanage so you could stay.”
“Keith.”
He raised his hand, palm facing her. “I even said I’d pay for it if she doesn’t have the budget. I’m sorry. I know you love your job. It’s just that I wanted you here with me, and you looked so happy at the orphanage. And you said you wanted something that would allow you to motivate children, to let them believe they could do whatever they wanted.”
“I know. I motivate—”
“Yeah, but don’t the children at the orphanage deserve your awesomeness?”