by Cindy Bell
“Okay,” Brian nodded. “Well, I can guarantee you that the police are going to want to interview everyone that was involved. I'm sure they won't make an arrest until that is completed.”
As he finished speaking two officers began walking through the lobby. Held between them, shaking and sobbing, was Anne.
Wendy stared with shock as the officers walked past and out the door of the lobby.
“I stand corrected,” Brian said with surprise.
“How can they be doing this?” Wendy demanded. “How can they just arrest her like that?”
“Maybe she confessed,” Brian suggested, obviously baffled himself.
“No, Anne wouldn't have confessed to something she didn't commit,” Wendy insisted.
“Maybe they are just taking her in for further questioning. Let me see what I can find out,” Brian said and gave her hand a light squeeze. Wendy watched him walk away. Rowan had walked into the lobby accompanied by another police officer. Wendy moved closer to overhear what they were saying.
“I don't care what the evidence says my fiancée didn't do this,” Rowan insisted.
“Sir, I know it can be shocking to think of something like this, but I need you to think very hard about whether or not there were some signs that Anne was plotting to kill your mother,” the officer explained in a calm tone.
“This is nuts, just nuts,” Rowan growled. “I want to know where they are taking her, when can I see her? I'm calling my lawyer right now,” he said gruffly and whipped out his cell phone. Wendy was relieved to hear that Rowan was not convinced of his fiancée’s guilt.
She could only hope that he wouldn't be the only one to feel that way. When Brian came back a few minutes later, he had a grave expression.
“There's a problem,” he said in a murmur and pulled her aside from the crowd of police officers and onlookers.
“What is it?” Wendy asked nervously.
“Well, she hasn’t been arrested, but she is being taken down to the station for further questioning because she is their prime suspect,” Brian said. “Unless something new comes to light in her defense I think it is only a matter of time before they arrest her.”
“But why?” Wendy asked.
“Well, the argument they had, she has no alibi and apparently someone saw her enter the room where Celeste was murdered around the time the murder occurred,” Brian stated.
“Who,” Wendy gasped.
“They wouldn’t say,” he said as he shook his head. “Anne claims that she never entered the room but she has no alibi.”
“But there must be a mistake,” Wendy exclaimed. “I don’t believe she would ever do this.”
“I hope you’re right,” Brian said not looking convinced.
“Will you help me, Brian?” Wendy asked as she studied him. “I know you're busy, you have your own cases, and no one has hired you to look into this one.”
Brian ran his hands lightly from her elbows down to her hands and held them in his own. “Wendy, I would do anything to help you. But even if we do figure out who the murderer is, that won't save the wedding.”
“I know it won't,” Wendy shook her head. “It's not about the wedding, it's never really about the wedding. It's about two people who are in love. Right now Rowan knows that Anne did not kill his mother. But how long do you think that will last if the evidence keeps piling up and no one comes to Anne's defense?” she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I can't even imagine Anne paying for a crime she didn't do, while Rowan spends the rest of his life believing that the woman he loved killed his own mother.”
Brian shook his head with amazement as his gaze settled on her deep green eyes. “Most people would leave it to the courts to figure it out, Wendy. Most people would just move onto the next wedding. It amazes me how deeply you care for people.”
Wendy pursed her lips slightly and lowered her eyes. She knew that with Brian's experience with crime and the seedy side of life he probably thought of her as naive and foolish. She took a deep breath and lifted her eyes back to his.
“I don't know how people can go through life not caring, Brian,” she said softly. “If we don't care about each other, what's the point?”
Brian offered a soft smile and nodded, “I think I am going to learn a lot from you, Wendy.”
“Maybe just how to get yourself into the middle of things,” Wendy said with a hint of despair. “Do you really think it's hopeless? There's nothing we can do to help Anne?”
“There's always something we can do,” Brian said with determination. “If you're certain that Anne is not the killer, I believe you. I can't say that I'm as convinced as you, but I trust your instincts. So, let's figure out who else the killer could be. You told me about how Celeste treated you and Anne, but did she have any other enemies?”
“Enemies?” Wendy had to choke back a laugh. “I think it would be a shorter list to come up with people who were fond of her.”
“Well, that is a good thing,” Brian said with a half-smile and gave her hands a squeeze.
“How is that a good thing?” Wendy asked with confusion.
“It means that Anne wasn't the only one who hated her. That the more suspects we have, the better the chance that Anne can be exonerated.” He swept his gaze over the gathering of family members, wedding party members, and staff from the hotel. Everyone was curious about the police presence. The rumor was spreading quickly through the hotel that a murder had been committed. With Anne being taken away, and Rowan beside himself, it was quite clear that someone important had been killed. Wendy's gaze settled on Chris who was pushing through the crowd to get to Rowan.
“Why was Anne being led out of here by the police?” he demanded as his gaze flicked from the police to Rowan. “Did she kill her? Did she kill our mother?” his voice was getting angrier by the moment.
“No!” Rowan shouted as an officer stepped between them. The brothers' voices were raising, and their anger was clearly reflected in their expressions.
“Then why has she been taken by the police?” Chris asked as he backed slightly away from the police officer.
“It's a mistake, it's all a mistake,” Rowan insisted. “You know that, Chris. You know that Anne would never do this.” Rowan looked desperately into his brother's eyes.
Chris nodded and turned away from Rowan for a moment before turning back. “You're right, I know she wouldn't. I just can't believe that this is happening.”
“I was supposed to be getting married tomorrow,” Rowan said, obviously bewildered. “Now what? Do we plan a funeral?”
“I don't know,” Chris shook his head. “I don't know,” he ran his hands back through his hair. Wendy pulled Brian aside.
“This is out of control, Brian,” she said quickly. “I have to talk to Anne.”
“Well, that's not possible, she is probably still being held at the station and being interviewed,” Brian shook his head.
“Please Brian, I have to talk to her. I have to find out what happened, where exactly she went, who might have seen her. Brian, if I don't find out we can't do anything to protect her,” Wendy spoke quickly and in a bit of a panic.
“Okay, okay, take a breath,” Brian said soothingly and pulled her into a tight hug. “It's going to be okay, Wendy. We'll figure this out.”
“How can it be?” Wendy asked in a whisper. “The groom's mother is dead, the bride is under arrest for her murder, how can any of this be okay?”
Brian raised an eyebrow and looked steadily into her eyes. “I have no doubt that you can make magic happen, Wendy, you do it all the time for people who are looking for a way to declare their love. Maybe there won't be a wedding, but there is still love to be declared, isn't there?”
Wendy stared at him with some shock. She had never heard him talk so romantically. “Yes, there is,” she said quietly. “But Anne can't declare anything from a jail cell.”
“All right,” Brian nodded. “I'll see what I can do. I have a f
ew favors I can call in,” he hugged her a little closer and then released her. “Stick around here for a little while. I'll call you if I can arrange something.”
“Thank you, Brian,” Wendy said with some relief. “I'll see what I can find out here.”
“Just be careful,” Brian warned. “Be careful what you say, and how you say it. This place is going to be packed with not just police officers, but reporters, too. Until we figure out exactly what happened here, we need to be cautious.”
“Okay, I'll be careful,” Wendy promised him.
After Brian left the hotel, Wendy slipped into the lobby. She wanted to see exactly who the police had stopped to interview. It didn't take her long to spot the manager of the hotel being questioned by two police officers. Wendy positioned herself close enough to overhear what they were discussing.
“So, why was the room blocked off?” the first officer asked him.
“It was blocked off because there had to be repairs made to the walls, which then meant that it had to be painted,” the manager explained.
“Who had access to the room on the hotel staff?” the other officer asked.
“Everyone,” the manager shook his head. “I mean, the only people that should have been in there were the painters, but it wasn't locked up. Any of the staff members could have gone in at any time.”
“The painters, can you give us their names?” the first officer asked.
“Of course I can, but it wasn't the painters. That's ridiculous. Obviously, this was someone with a personal vendetta,” the manager shook his head.
“Maybe this would be easier if you came down to the station with us,” the first officer suggested. “We can review the entire staff list and you can let us know who was working at the time, and whether any of your employees had direct conflicts with the victim.”
“I guess, fine,” the manager sighed. “I don't understand why you're pursuing this, when you've already arrested the killer.”
“Sir, we haven’t arrested anyone, the investigation is still active,” the second officer frowned. “We may have a suspect that we're questioning but that doesn't mean the case is closed.”
Wendy felt a sense of relief at those words. To her, it meant she had time. She had time to discover the truth. She remembered the day before, when she had visited the security office. The security officer had explained that there were cameras all over the hotel. She was sure that the police had already collected the video from the security office, but she was hoping that it still might show something on it that she could use to defend Anne. She headed for the security office, doing her best to avoid the police officers along the way. As she neared the door, she spotted two officers standing a little further down the hall.
“I don't know,” one of the police officers shook her head. “He said that there was some kind of problem with the cameras and he's trying to retrieve the data. He said it could take at least twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes,” the other officer frowned. “I hope he gets it done faster or Detective Dunn is going to take it out on me.”
“I asked him to hurry,” the first officer said quickly.
Wendy looked at the closed door to the security office. She was just deciding whether to knock or not when her cell phone rang. The officers both looked suspiciously in her direction. Wendy quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket and ducked around the corner. It was Brian. She quickly answered.
“Did you find out anything?” Wendy asked hurriedly in a hushed voice.
“They've already run the prints on the murder weapon,” Brian explained. “From the original results it's not good. There were only two sets. One belonged to Celeste and the other belonged to Anne.”
“So?” Wendy frowned. “The knife belonged to Anne, it would be expected that her fingerprints are on it.”
“Yes, it would,” Brian agreed. “But it would also be expected that the murderer’s fingerprints would be on the knife.”
“Maybe the murderer wore gloves,” Wendy suggested with a slight frown.
“If that were the case the fingerprints would likely be smudged. It's obvious that the knife was just polished, because of how few fingerprints are on it. It is most probable that the only two people to have touched it were Anne and Celeste. Clearly that only leaves one person who can be the murderer,” he said with a sigh. “I'm sorry, Wendy, but they have more than enough to hold her on, and unless we can come up with another theory, there's not much chance that she's going to be released any time soon.”
“Maybe, it's not so clear,” Wendy said softly. “Maybe Celeste wasn't a victim at all, but took her own life.”
“You think she stabbed herself in the chest?” Brian asked with disbelief in his voice. “There are much easier ways to take your own life.”
“Maybe, but she was quite spiteful. Maybe she just wanted to make a scene, to draw attention, and didn't realize how much damage she had done until it was too late,” Wendy suggested.
“If that were the case why did she do it tucked away in a room where no one would look for her? If she was hoping for some drama and some attention then wouldn't she have done it somewhere that she could be seen, or at least found easily, so she could get the medical help that she would need in order to survive the wound?”
Wendy sighed, deflated by his words. “I guess you're right about that,” she said as she sighed again and looked at her hands. “I just don't think it's possible that Anne did this.”
“It might not be possible,” he agreed. “But right now, it's the only theory the police have.”
“Can I see her?” Wendy asked.
“I’m still trying,” Brian said and hung up the phone.
Wendy thought about the knife and the fingerprints trying to work out how they could only be Anne’s and Celeste’s. Maybe she was wrong and Anne was the killer. Just as that thought entered her mind her phone chimed. It was a text from Brian.
I’ve got you in to see her. Can you be here in 10?
On my way, she texted back as she hurried out into the parking lot trying not to draw attention to herself. She headed straight for her car.
Chapter Six
Wendy drove as quickly as she could to the police station. It was one of the last places she wanted to see again but she felt like she had no choice in the matter. She was on a mission. When she parked she glanced around nervously. She had some idea of how it must have felt for Anne to be swept into the police station, but this was a little different than what Wendy had experienced. Anne was facing losing her fiancé, and being convicted of his mother's death. She had to be absolutely terrified. She stepped inside the police station lobby where there were several rows of chairs set up. As soon as she was in the door, Brian stood up and grabbed her gently by the arm. He pulled her to the side of the lobby.
“I can get you in to see her,” Brian said quietly and glanced over his shoulder to make sure that no one else was listening in. “But it has to be quick, and you can't say too much about the investigation, understand?”
“I do,” Wendy nodded quickly and grasped the crook of his elbow. “Thank you, Brian. I'm sure she's losing her mind by now.”
“Just keep your voice low, and act as if you belong here,” Brian explained. “One of my buddies on the force is doing this favor for me, but if we get caught, he gets caught, and I don’t want to get him into trouble or lose my police contacts.”
“I will be quiet as a mouse,” Wendy promised him. Brian nodded and led her down the short hallway towards the interrogation rooms. Wendy was a little uncomfortable when she saw them. It wasn't long ago that she was being questioned in one of them. Brian nodded to an officer that was standing at the end of the hall. The officer glanced up and down the hall, and then nodded to Brian and waved a little. Brian escorted Wendy to the officer, then he paused.
“I'll be right out here,” he promised her. Wendy swallowed thickly. She had to resist asking him to stay with her. The idea of being alone in the belly of the poli
ce station was a little unnerving.
“Right in here,” the officer said quietly. “You've got about three minutes.”
Wendy nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
He opened the door to the small room. When Wendy stepped inside, she saw Anne resting her head on her arms, which were folded on top of the small, square table. She didn't even look up when Wendy walked over to the table.
“Anne,” Wendy said gently, knowing that they didn't have a lot of time.
“Wendy?” Anne looked up with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I just want you to know that you have my support and I'm working on getting you out of here,” Wendy said swiftly. “I want you to know that you're not alone, and I believe that you're innocent.” They were the exact words that Wendy had needed to hear when she was being investigated as a murder suspect.
“What's the point?” Anne said morosely. “Rowan is never going to marry me now. The wedding is over. No one is going to believe that I had nothing to do with this. My life is over already.”
“Anne, that's not true,” Wendy insisted as she sat across from her. “Listen, I don't have a lot of time so I need you to be as honest as possible with me.”
“Of course I will be,” Anne nodded.
“You said you went for a walk after you and Celeste fought,” Wendy reminded her. “I tried to call and text you during that time, did you have your cell phone?”
“No,” Anne admitted. “I was so upset I just walked out. I left my phone, my purse, everything.”
“Okay and where did you walk?” Wendy asked. “Down along the beach, or the grounds of the hotel?”
“I didn't want to go down to the beach, there were too many people who could have seen me crying,” Anne gasped out. “Ironic isn't it, if I had let myself be seen I'd have an alibi?”
“Don't worry about that now, Anne,” Wendy said sternly. “I need you to focus. Surely, someone would have seen you outside walking around the hotel. Or you must have seen someone. A maintenance man? Someone walking a dog? A wandering guest?”