Present Day
“It’s safe to say you weren’t a fan of Howard Grant,” Detective Demer said.
“No, I wasn’t,” I agreed. “But then, Howard went out of his way to be unlikable.”
At this, Demer gave me a quizzical look.
“That’s an interesting observation. Why do you think he did that?”
“I’m not sure. His antagonism always seemed pointless. In my experience, it’s almost always easier to get along with people than it is to aggravate them,” I explained.
Oliver let out a snort. I glanced over at her.
“Clearly not your life philosophy, Sergeant,” I said drily.
Demer raised a hand to his mouth, but not before I caught the smile he was trying to cover. Oliver was too busy fixing me with a hostile stare to notice his amusement.
“Do you know who the prime suspect always is in a homicide investigation?” Oliver asked.
“Homicide?” I asked, startled by the word. “You’re investigating Howard’s death as a homicide? Based on what?”
Oliver ignored my question.
“The spouse or partner of the victim is always the prime suspect. Almost always, unless the homicide is committed during the course of another crime, like a robbery,” Oliver said. “And there’s no evidence that the Grants’ house was burglarized on the night of Howard Grant’s death. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
Sergeant Oliver didn’t seem to expect an answer, so I didn’t bother giving her one.
“Kat Grant was the only person who benefited from her husband’s death,” she continued.
“That’s ridiculous,” I cut in. “It doesn’t benefit Kat that her husband is dead. She loved him. She’s devastated to have lost him, especially in such a sudden and terrible way.”
“She’s devastated?” Demer asked. He sounded mildly interested. “She told you that?”
“I’ve spoken to her only once since Howard’s death. But, yes, she was very upset.”
“We’ve heard from other witnesses that the Grants’ marriage was on the rocks,” Oliver said.
“Who told you that?” I asked sharply.
Oliver ignored my question. “Their marital net worth is estimated at being somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty-three million dollars. Do you see where I’m going with this? That’s a lot of money. If Howard and Katherine Grant were headed for a divorce, Howard Grant’s death couldn’t have come at a more convenient time for Mrs. Grant.”
I stared at her, momentarily stunned. Sixty-three million dollars? I knew Kat and Howard were wealthy, of course, but I never knew the extent of their wealth. The amount was staggering.
“Let’s go back to the state of the Grants’ marriage.” Demer clearly wanted to get the interview back on track. “You just said that Katherine Grant loved her husband. What do you base that impression on?”
“Don’t most married people love one another, at least to some extent?”
Demer laughed. “In my experience, no, marriage in and of itself is no guarantee of love.”
“As I’ve already told you, I’m not an expert on Kat and Howard’s marriage.”
“But you and Katherine are close friends. You must have had some idea about her state of mind,” the detective persisted.
“I know she wasn’t planning on divorcing him.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“I think if she had been, she would have mentioned it to me at some point. You know she was in London when Howard died?”
“Yes,” Demer responded with an affable nod.
“Unless she’s some sort of superhero who has the power to teleport, I don’t see why you’re investigating her.” I shook my head, becoming exasperated with what was clearly a fishing expedition. They didn’t have evidence against Kat. They didn’t even have confirmation that Howard’s death was anything other than an accident. As far as I could tell, the investigation was based entirely on neighborhood gossip and the large amount of money at issue. I pushed my chair back from the table, ready to stand and leave. “If those are the only questions you have for me, I think continuing this interview will be a waste of our time.”
Oliver’s eyes narrowed. She placed her hands palms down on the table and leaned forward in a way I think I was supposed to find intimidating. But before she could say anything, Demer again signaled to Oliver to tone it down. Her face pinched with anger.
“I don’t know about that,” he said mildly. “I think it would be mutually advantageous if you stayed and cooperated with our investigation.”
I surprised myself by laughing. But really, it was a ridiculous statement. “How is this in any way advantageous to me?”
“You said yourself that Katherine Grant is your close friend. It would be in her interest to be cleared of any suspicion.”
“True,” I said. “But all you seem interested in is whether Kat and Howard were getting along at the time of his death. It doesn’t sound like you’re hoping to clear her name. And you’re ignorng that she has a pretty fantastic alibi. You know she was in London when—”
“She could have hired someone to kill him,” Oliver interrupted.
“You mean like a hit man?” I laughed again, this time incredulously. “So we’re leaving reality and jumping into an Elmore Leonard book?”
She shrugged. “It’s been known to happen. And Mrs. Grant certainly has the means.”
“I am absolutely sure that Kat would have no idea how to go about hiring a hit man,” I said. “It’s not like they advertise online. Or do they? Are there hit men out there with Facebook pages?”
Demer laughed. “I suppose it’s possible, but I can’t imagine they would stay in business very long if they advertised on Facebook.”
“Katherine Grant’s father is Thomas Wyeth,” Oliver said.
“Yes, I know.”
“There have been rumors about connections between Wyeth Construction and organized crime for years,” Oliver added. She leaned back and spread her hands out in front of her, palms up. “If I was looking to hire a hit man and my daddy knew some mobsters, I think I know where I’d go.”
“Then maybe your husband should be worried.” I had lost all patience with the sergeant.
Oliver looked at me coldly. “There was a witness.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Someone saw Howard Grant pushed off the balcony,” Oliver snapped. “I think it’s about time you dropped this Little Miss Innocent act and start telling us what you know.”
Demer stood abruptly.
“Sergeant, let’s step outside.” The detective was no longer genial. Instead he looked angry and, for the first time since I’d met him that morning, a little intimidating.
“Fine.” Oliver spat out the word. She stood, too, crossed her arms over her chest and stalked out of the room. A moment later, after first casting a lingering glance in my direction, the detective followed her.
I sat as still as I could long after the door had shut behind them. I had no idea if anyone out there in the Jupiter Island Public Safety Department—Christ, what a name—was watching me. I didn’t see any obvious two-way mirrors in the so-called conference room, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t being observed. For all I knew, they had cameras on me. I had to assume that a Jupiter Island police station had the very best tech available to them. It was important that I remain calm with my senses sharp. I needed to figure out what was going on.
I was also starting to suspect that the fact Kat hadn’t returned my phone calls was more significant than I had first realized.