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Valerie was gravitatingbetween rage and moments of clarity. One minute she was remorseful and the next she was filled with such hate she’d try to break the bars of the cell in half with her bare hands.
How had she ended up here? She’d planned everything down to the last detail. She’d bought everything under the name of the company, a name that hardly anyone in the town knew or even remembered. It wasn’t the same name as the one on the marquee outside the gallery of course, but the name her great grandfather had used for the family business decades ago.
It’s an umbrella company that the relatives of her generation still uses, comes in handy for tax cuts and things like that. Along with some other less above board dealings that were better left alone.
She’d never have expected the local detective and that hick she works with to unravel all her hard work so easily. She thought for sure they’d have written it off as a prank gone wrong, anything but the conclusion they’d drawn; the right one.
And Riley, every time she thought of him the pain was too much. If he’d come here now, just to see her, she could maybe endure this hell. She had no doubt her lawyer could get her out of this, he’s been getting her family members out of jams going back thirty years.
And once she beat this thing she wanted her husband by her side. They didn’t have to stay here, they could move, escape the gossip, but there’s no way she could lose him now. Sonya was dead already anyway so what was the point?
This was partly his fault after all. If he’d listened to her, understood her feelings and stopped running to Sonya and her brats every time they needed him, none of this would’ve happened.
She paced the cell back and forth, biting her nails down to the quick as her mind worked. She walked back to the bars that caged her in and yelled for someone, anyone. Desk Sergeant Clyde Walker had been looking forward to a quiet Sunday evening before the madness of the holiday the next day.
He was just as excited as everyone else around here that they’d caught the murderer but he selfishly wished they’d done it on his day off. The princess in the cell was treating this place and him like this was the Ritz and he was her personal lackey.
He’d been back there twice already and both times she’d given him an earful when he refused to give her another phone call. He was tempted to do it just to shut her up.
“What is it this time Mrs. O’Rourke?” He couldn’t believe he was saying this, never thought he’d see the day. Her husband is easily the richest man in the whole state and a couple others to boot. What reason would a woman like her have to commit murder? And the way she’d done it, just vicious. Looks like the town had been wrong, once again.
Eileen Cline had called his wife just before he left out the house to start his shift and given her the whole story. It was a shame really, all that had happened here in the last few days. Senseless murder over a misunderstanding.
What he didn’t get though was why Mr. and Mrs. Davis felt the need to play those kind of games? Granted things around here can get very boring, but two grown people pretending to be strangers, meeting up to have secret trysts with each other was just plain nuts.
To each his own he always says, but at least they got to the bottom of it and a lot of innocent people will be spared the blackening of their names. He stood in front of the cell and waited for her to turn around and answer him.
“I need to call my husband!” The way she was biting into her nails and that wild look in her eyes, he knew if she didn’t get her way she’d start that screaming again. It was against protocol, but who was to know?
“How about I call for you?” He didn’t wait for her answer but walked across the room to the lone desk on this side of the building where the jail was located in the back of the station house. He asked her for the number and dialed it as she gave it to him.
“Oh hi Eileen, I was wondering if Mr. O’Rourke was available.”
“Who wants to know?”
“His wife would like to speak to him…”
“I don’t think he wants to do that.”
“Look, you’ll be doing me a favor. Just ask him to come to the phone.”
He heard her rest the phone down on the other end and held his breath praying for a miracle. He’d heard from his wife who’d heard it from Nettie that Riley had already disowned her. He can’t say that he blamed him. Some people may find it cold, but what was the poor man supposed to do?
If she’d subjected him to even a fraction of what she’d been doing here the last few hours he could well imagine the younger man thanking his lucky stars that he was rid of her.
“Clyde, he won’t come to the phone, he says he’s not interested in anything she has to say.” And with that Eileen hung up the phone and went about her business no doubt. He dreaded having to tell this nut that her husband was well and truly done with her.
“What are you doing? Pick up the phone, where’s Riley?”
“Im sorry ma’am but he says he doesn’t want to talk to you.” He took pleasure in saying that to her, she was a real piece of work this one.
She pulled on the bars and started screaming again. “Let me out of here, I have to talk to Riley, I have to make him understand.” Clyde walked away leaving her behind and hoping she’d tire herself out soon enough and give him some peace.
