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Remi knows it too. She gives Storm a slightly exasperated look. She places her hand on Everett’s shoulder and then, when Everett continues sobbing, she pats his back.
“She was the love of my life!” Everett cries.
“You must miss her,” Remi says in a gentle voice that no one who really knew her would fall for.
Storm stands back watching, making sure his lips don’t twitch. When Caprio brings over the coffee, Remi takes the mug from him and gently places it in Everett’s hands as if it is an honor to do so.
“She was the best thing that ever happened to me!” Everett wails. “And now she’s gone forever! Taken from me by some animal!”
“You must feel terrible,” says Remi. “To not have been here when it happened?”
Everett nods his head vehemently. “If I had been here I would have killed him. I swear!”
“But you couldn’t be here?” Remi asks, gently nudging him in the direction she wants.
“I had an acting job in Ireland,” Everett says. “I flew out last Thursday. Kris was with me.” He looks towards Kris for confirmation, and Kris immediately nods his head.
“I should have taken her with me!” Everett wails.
“Why didn’t you take her, Mr Everett?” Storm interjects.
Everett turns wild eyes on him, seeming surprised, as if he had forgotten that Storm was there. “Because… It wasn’t convenient,” Everett blusters. “I mean… It was work. She wasn’t used to being on a set. She would have got in the way.”
“I imagine she would have loved being on a movie set,” says Storm smoothly. “She would have been excited.”
“I said it was work,” Everett snaps.
“I’m sure it was the best decision at the time,” says Remi soothingly. “You didn’t know what was going to happen. I bet she called you every day because she missed you. Isn’t that right?”
Everett looks at her gratefully. “Yes, she called me every day,” he confirms, as if this is a testament to his love.
“So you must have been worried when she stopped calling you these past couple of days?” says Remi, sounding every bit convinced that this must be true.
Even so Everett senses the trap. He seems momentarily surprised, but recovers swiftly. “No, there was no reason for me to worry,” he insists. “She called me on Thursday. That’s only a few days ago.”
“First you said she called you every day,” says Storm. “And now you’re saying she didn’t.”
Everett looks defensive. “We had a fight on the phone, all right?” he snaps. “But it wasn’t my fault. She started it. She was a hot-blooded succubus. She liked to fight over nothing.”
Beside Everett, Remi manages to keep a straight face. Storm knows she is internally rolling her eyes at Everett’s stereotyping of his own fiancée.
“So you admit you fought when you last spoke?” Storm says.
“You’re twisting my words!” Everett snaps. But he looks disturbed, as if he knows he has been caught out. Something occurs to him, and he says triumphantly, “She was angry before she even called me! She said she’d had a fight with our housekeeper M
arta and fired her!”
“Marta who?” says Storm.
“I don’t know! Marta whats-her-name.” He gestures at Caprio.
“Marta Perrone,” says Caprio.
“It’s Marta you should speak to,” says Everett. “She must be the last one who saw Lynesse alive. Perhaps she left the door open and that’s how the killer got in! And why are you even questioning me? It’s DCK who killed Lynesse. All of the newspapers say so!”
“Are you saying DCK had an accomplice?” says Caprio incredulously, looking from Storm to Remi for confirmation.
“It is procedure for us to interview the victim’s partner,” says Storm, unwilling to disclose his suspicions at this early stage. The last thing he needs is for this to get out to the press, whose wild speculation will only hinder the investigation.
