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It made sense that Celeste would have known Eve Kelley given the length of her friendship with Felicity. Now that her name had come up, Amanda was curious what happened to Eve’s cosmetic company, Pixie Winks, after her death. Most likely Eve had left it to her sister, who was her sole surviving relative. It was a mystery what would happen to it now. Had someone killed Felicity to get their hands on it? Due diligence made it necessary to ask. “Celeste, do you know who will inherit Felicity’s estate? Her house, her assets, Pixie Winks…?”
“Wait. You said Detectives Steele and Stenson?” Celeste blinked and palmed her cheeks. “I thought those names sounded familiar but couldn’t place them until now. You investigated Eve’s murder.”
Not a question, but Amanda answered, “We did.”
“Then I’m so happy you’re on this. I know you’ll find out who did this to Flick.” Celeste took a staggered breath as if saying her friend’s nickname hurt too much, but her shoulders raised with her statement of confidence.
Amanda hoped she and Trent could live up to the woman’s expectations. “We will do all we can. Do you know who will get—”
“Sorry, yes. She made her own will after Eve died—said it was the responsible thing to do. I know because she told me she’d left me everything. I never thought… I figured she’d meet someone and change it, you know? But I don’t… I don’t want it. I just want her.” She set off in a fresh crying jag.
Amanda waited for a few seconds, then spoke. “You said that she had been very busy in the past few months.”
“Yeah. She rarely canceled our dates together. We’d often bike on the weekends and catch a yoga class or two here and there.” She smoothed a hand over the hair tucked behind her ear. “We’d have lunch, drinks out. Virgin ones for me now, of course.” She rubbed her baby bump again.
“I get the picture,” Amanda said softly. “But more recently, she was canceling on you?”
“Yes, and sometimes last minute. She’d say something came up but never give me details.”
Given what Celeste was telling them about the relationship, that was certainly unusual behavior, but did it factor into Felicity’s murder? “When did you see her last?”
“Two weeks ago. I begged her to have a quick coffee, and she agreed.”
The distinct sound of car doors closing had Amanda turning to see who had arrived. Crime scene investigators Emma Blair and Isabelle Donnelly were trudging toward the house. Amanda made eye contact with Blair and dipped her head in acknowledgment but focused back on Celeste. “What was she like?”
“Frazzled. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and her hair looked like she’d stuck her finger in a socket.” Celeste paused there, a slight smile at the mental imagery she must have conjured with the memory. “I don’t think she was sleeping properly either.”
“And didn’t you tell me she hung around for all of twenty minutes?” Barry said to Celeste, who nodded.
“She said she had to go,” Celeste added.
“Any reason as to why?” Trent asked.
“No, but I wish I’d pushed her on it.” Celeste bit her bottom lip, and her eyes glazed over.
Death piled up regrets, but there would be no going back in time. If she and Trent were going to find Felicity’s killer, they had to move forward. Just where was that lead to follow?
FIVE
Amanda continued with the questioning, drawing from her earlier conversation with Trent. “Did Felicity have a boyfriend?”
“She used to. Oh my god, you don’t think that—” Her body shook, and Barry enveloped her in a hug.
Celeste’s powerful reaction to her question gave Amanda a sinking feeling there was a story about this ex that she and Trent needed to hear.
“Just breathe,” Barry told Celeste, drawing back from her. “Inhale slowly. Hold a few seconds. Exhale. Repeat.”
Celeste did as her husband suggested and was better for it a moment later.
“She is prone to having panic attacks,” Barry explained and took Celeste’s hand.
“What was the boyfriend’s name?” Amanda tamped down the urge to jump right on why Celeste’s suspicion went to him. Tentative steps in that direction would keep Celeste settled and the story unraveling.
“Luis Navarro.” Celeste pinched her earlobe and the gold bar earring there and added, “He’s a piece of work. I was happy when she told me she finally broke things off.”
Piece of work, and she had broken things off… Luis might not have been on board with the split.
“How was he a ‘piece of work’?” Trent’s sensitivity to domestic violence was high.
