Chapter 17

“Can I help you, Detectives? I’m really busy today,” Mrs. Dupree said as she emerged from her office.

“We’d like to ask you a few more questions, Mrs. Dupree,” I said.

“Carlotta, please. I really don’t have time today. Perhaps we can talk tomorrow.”

“We really need to talk to you today. We can talk here, or you can come with us to the precinct,” I said.

She huffed out a breath, shaking her head. I knew she was annoyed, but this investigation couldn’t be conveniently discussed around her schedule. We had a job to do.

“Fine. Let’s do it here,” she said. Her tone was clipped and she made it perfectly clear she was not a happy camper.

We entered her office and sat down in the chairs she’d pointed to across from her desk.

“Where’s the other detective?” Carlotta asked. “Jones, I think was his name.”

“He was called away for a family emergency. This is my new partner, Detective Johnson.”

She flashed him a forced smile. “Nice to meet you. What can I help you fellows with today?”

“We’d like to get a copy of your scheduled from Friday. We also need the names and phone numbers for everyone you were meeting with.”

Carlotta picked up the phone and spoke with her assistant, requesting her to bring her the things we requested.

“Anything else?”

“It’s our understanding your son hired a private investigator. Were you aware of that?” I asked.

“Jonathan is a busy-body. Yes, unfortunately, I’m aware. He was obsessed with Larissa.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I’m so sorry, can I get either of you something to drink? I can ask Diane to bring you something.”

“No, thank you,” I said. Johnson declined, too.

“Ma’am,” Johnson began, “did your son send any information from the PI to anyone that you’re aware of?”

“I honestly have no idea what he did with the photos. I know he showed the pictures to me. That was the straw that broke the camels’ back for Chase and me, and I moved out shortly afterward.”

“When did he show the photos to you?” I asked.

“A few months ago, just before I moved out.”

“I hate to dredge up any bad feelings, but can you tell me what the photos detailed?” Johnson asked.

“My feelings stopped being an issue when my husband decided to trample them. Some of the photos Jonathan showed me were of Chase and McKenzie Sims, one of the models who works for me. He swore to me that was Chase’s new girlfriend, but I didn’t believe him. She’s been dating Billy, my photographer, for quite some time, and they’re virtually inseparable.”

“If you didn’t believe it, why did you move out?” I asked.

“The other couple pictures were of some young girl with her arms full of books, looking at my husband as if the sun rose and set because of him. I remembered feeling that way when we first began dating, but hadn’t felt like that in a long time. I knew he’d been having an affair with Larissa, but we agreed we were going to try to work on our marriage. It wasn’t going very well, and then those pictures… When I saw them I knew I needed to get on with my life, without him. He wouldn’t leave, so I did.”

A light knock was heard before Carlotta requested the person to enter. Her assistant, Diane, came in with a small stack of papers that she handed to Carlotta.

“Thank you, dear,” Carlotta said.

She smiled without a word before she turned and quickly left, closing the door behind her.

Mrs. Dupree sifted through the papers, then reached in our direction with everything intact. “Who wants these?” she asked, looking between Johnson and me.

I reached and took them from her. “Thank you.”

“Everything’s there. The schedule, contacts, and my lunch receipt. If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Johnson said.

I thanked her for her time and we left. Johnson said he’d begin verifying her alibi. We needed to either keep Mrs. Dupree on the suspect list or take her off because her alibi checked out.

My thoughts about her changed completely. I didn’t believe she killed her husband. Not anymore. The more I talked to her, the more I believed she was satisfied to just walk away from him. She didn’t harbor enough malice that she would have taken the man’s life. She wasn’t full of rage. She was surprisingly indifferent toward everything to do with him.

Luckily for us, when I called Jonathan, he agreed to meet us at the precinct. As I drove, I listened in on the conversations Johnson was having with those who could vouch for Carlotta’s whereabouts on Friday.

“Everything checks out. She’s off the list. Everyone said she was where she said she was,” Johnson said, then sighed.

“I didn’t think she did it,” I said.

“Honestly, I didn’t either. But at least we have one person we can eliminate. That’s a good thing.”

“I agree. The fewer people we’re chasing, the better.”

Johnson’s phone rang twice before he answered it. I hated feeling like I was eavesdropping, but we were in the car together.

“That was the life insurance company. The beneficiary for Effridge’s policy is his son.”

“He’s just a baby. Does it go in a trust? Or does the legal guardian take control for him since he’s a minor?”

“Effridge didn’t provide an alternate guardian since the kid’s under-age. I’m sure he never suspected the kid would get the money before he turned eighteen. It’s up to the courts now. The life insurance company won’t cut a check for the policy until they get the legal guardianship.”

“That’s stupid. His mother is the legal guardian.”

“I didn’t make the rule, I’m just telling you what they said. Anyway, she’s still a suspect. They aren’t paying out anything until we figure out this case.”

“Just out of curiosity, how much is the policy for?” I was dying to know what the price tag was for this guy’s life.

“A cool mil.”

“One million dollars? Are you kidding me?”

“I kid you not. The kid’s loaded, and he doesn’t even know it yet.”

“Or maybe his mom’s loaded, and she does know it,” Johnson said.

“Could she have had a million reasons to kill her baby’s father?”

“I’ve seen people kill for a lot less.”

“Nothing would surprise me. But she doesn’t seem to have the feet for a men’s size eleven sneaker.”

“Maybe not. We just need to find someone who would be angry enough to shoot and stab our victim,” Johnson said.