“Money can solve a lot of problems. I paid them off for their portion, so now I own it.”
Senator Falcone knew my friends and I had survived a hellish ordeal close to his property.
“Sorry it took longer than necessary,” said the senator, looking more tired than the last time we met.
“You seem tired. Is something wrong?”
“Too much is going on.” He sighed. “Family can be a pain in the ass, you know?”
I didn’t have that problem because I didn’t have any family left.
Despite not wanting to add more stress to his day, I had to ask, “I’m sorry to hear about your niece, Shelly Clark. Can you tell me about her?”
“Shelly was kidnapped months ago along with her friend, Malory.” Worry sparked in his eyes. “The abduction was kept from the media until her body was discovered.”
“Do you know who took her and her friend? Was it for ransom?”
“I don’t.” He shook his head. “The authorities didn’t knoweither.” He looked up at me. “Malory’s body was discovered yesterday in Etched Square.”
“How did you find out?” I asked, wondering if he knew it was a fake corpse.
“A note was sent to my office, telling me to watch the news.” His hand trembled on his thigh. “I realized it was a fake corpse from the news later on.”
“The real body was sent to the hospital.” I watched him intently.
“Oh,” he said, trying to hide the shock. “That’s strange. Why would the person do that?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Why did they sendyouthe letter?”
“Maybe because the suspect knows Malory was friends with Shelly?” He shrugged, looking frightened. “I’m Shelly’s closest relative on the East Coast.”
Detective McNally had contacted Malory’s parents when he arrived at the hospital to see the body.
“I’m not sure what’s going on.” He placed his wine glass down. “The police will have a briefing tomorrow morning.”
I deduced the suspect could use the senator’s influence to garner more publicity for the murder. But why didn’t they alert him about her actual body at the hospital?
“The suspect is the Bleeding Hearts Killer.” I briefed him on some information. “Could be a copycat of the Black Rose Killer.”
The crease deepened between his eyebrows. “Who could it be now?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.”
“Do what you need to do. Let me know how I can assist.”
“You’re already helping by letting me visit your property.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eva
Thirty minutes later, I met four of Miranda’s friends: a doctor, a nurse, and two college professors. The women were all welcoming except for the interior design professor named Cecilia Wallace, an attractive redhead wearing a lot of makeup and diamond-crusted jewelry. Unlike the other women, who were in their late forties or early fifties, Cecilia appeared to be in her late thirties. She kept giving me strange looks as though I’d done something to her.
“It’s about time he’s got a girlfriend, right, Cecilia?” Nurse Betty elbowed her friend.
“I suppose.” Cecilia flipped her curly hair to the side. “Maybe he lowered his standards.”
“Excuse me?” I gasped, unable to control my shock at the audacity.
