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Cullen nodded. “I didn’t kill her,” he repeated.
She believed him. Whoever had done this would have had blood spatter on him or her, and Leigh didn’t see so much as a speck on Cullen. Of course, a smart killer would have changed his clothes before calling in the cops, but Leigh didn’t think that was what happened here.
“It’s Alexa,” Cullen added when Leigh was about to go inside the bathroom.
That sent Leigh whirling back around to face him. “Alexa Daly?” she asked on a rise of breath.
Cullen nodded and had another gulp of his drink while he kept his eyes on the body.
Leigh swallowed hard. This just got a whole lot stickier. Because Alexa was Cullen’s ex-girlfriend. There’d been plenty of rumors about that, too. Leigh didn’t know how much of what she’d heard about the breakup was actually true, but just about everyone agreed that it’d been a nasty one. There’d been some public arguments and rumors of a restraining order. Later, Leigh would have to suss out how much of that was gossip and how much was fact.
“Did you touch the body?” she continued, stepping inside the room. Leigh was careful to avoid any of the blood while she surveyed the area.
“Yes. I checked for a pulse on her neck. There wasn’t one, and her body was already cold so I didn’t try CPR. I called out for Rosa to dial 911.”
So, there could be trace evidence from Cullen. She wished he hadn’t made that a possibility, but it was instinct to make a check like that. Well, instinct for some. Others would have just panicked and run.
She stooped down to get a closer look at the body. Yes, it was Alexa all right, and even death hadn’t been able to completely steal her beauty. Someone, however, had definitely stolen her life. Alexa’s now blank emerald green eyes stared up at her.
“How many people had access to your bathroom?” Leigh continued her examination of the body and didn’t see any self-defense wounds. No blood or tissue under Alexa’s perfectly manicured nails, which had been painted bloodred.
“Anyone who came to the party, and that includes any of the catering crew who set things up. Guests don’t make a habit of coming back here, but it does happen every now and then.”
Leigh looked back at him again to see if that was a little jab at her. After all, she had come to his room fourteen years ago during a party. She hadn’t made a habit of doing that, either. In fact, it’d been her first.
Cullen had been her first.
And that was yet something else that she nudged aside.
“I’ll need a guest list along with the names of any catering staff,” she told him, shifting her focus back to the dead woman. “Include the names of any of your ranch hands or hired help who might have had access.”
“I’ll have Rosa give it to you. Alexa’s name won’t be on it,” he explained. “She wasn’t invited, and I didn’t know she was here.”
Leigh wasn’t surprised that Alexa hadn’t been invited, but she was wearing party clothes. A clingy silk dress the color of expensive sapphires. Her wrists, neck and ears glittered with gold and diamonds, which ruled out robbery as a possible motive. Well, unless the would-be thief had panicked after she’d hit the floor.
“Alexa had a key to the place?” Leigh asked.
Cullen shook his head. “I had the locks changed after we broke up, but the house wasn’t locked tonight. She could have walked in except...” He paused.
“Except?”she pressed.
“She’s not wearing a coat, and I didn’t see one in here or in my bedroom. Plus, there’s no vehicle unaccounted for in the driveway. I checked out the windows and didn’t spot one,” he told her. “I also don’t see a purse.”
“You’re observant,” Leigh muttered, not at all surprised by that.
The ranch was a huge success, and from all accounts, that was because of Cullen. He might not spend much time at the house, but he still ran it, and observation skills would come in handy for that.
“Did you notice anything unusual about any of your guests?” she went on.
“Do you mean did someone come into the great room with blood dripping off them?” He cursed, shook his head and seemed to gain control of that quick snap of temper. “No. It was a party. A celebration. And we celebrated.”
Cullen turned away from her, groaned. “I don’t know who’d do this.”
“That’s why I’ll investigate.” She paused, steeled herself up. “But you should know that I have to consider you a possible suspect.”
With the same slow movements as he’d had before, Cullen eased back toward her. The breath he dragged in was long and weary. “Leigh,” he said.
Just that. Only her name. But he’d made it sound like so much more. There was a plea in his tone, maybe a plea for her to believe he was innocent. And heaven help her, she did. It wasn’t just the lack of blood on his clothes.
