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The officer returned shortly and escorted me to the art room where I saw two familiar faces talking with Brandon. “Hi, Ms. Walker, I am Detective Parker.”
I remembered him from the first day I visited the ranch. He walked towards me with the other detective who was now staring me down as if I had killed someone.
“Hi, nice to meet you, how can I help you?”
Detective Parker continued, “Are you aware that a crime was committed in this room?”
Holy shit, the bloody carpet!Something got stuck in my throat and I had trouble responding. “A crime? No. Of course not.”
“Ms. Walker, are you aware of the term, accessory to the fact?” I felt my knees buckle. “No, not really. What is that?”
Parker was on a roll. “That’s when someone lies to cover a crime and they are subsequently charged as the offender even if they were not directly involved.”
I was now thoroughly confused about why that would apply to me. “Okay?”
He felt emboldened, “Ms. Walker, let’s go down to the precinct. I have some questions that I think you can answer.”
I knew something didn’t sound right but I was more afraid of the outcome if I refused to comply. I was getting ready to go back out and drive to the precinct when the second detective stopped me. “I can give you a lift, Ms. Walker.” That’s when I knew nothing good was going to come of this.
* * *
Detective Parker ledme through the precinct, this was enough to get any common criminal to confess. There were rows of holding cells that were full of people. Every desk I passed had files stacked at least two feet high and the stench of body odor and alcohol was overpowering. Luckily, my morning sickness was confined to any time after 4 p.m., otherwise I would have had a nice surprise for Detective Parker.
The interrogation room was dirty and poorly lit, the desk was made of metal and the chair seemed like something that was pulled from a garage sale or from a dumpster. I would have to burn what I was wearing if I made it out of this. The table wobbled as I sat on the chair and I started to rattle my brain for information that could help me and that’s when it hit me, I was not sure what they even wanted. Detective Brown now introduced himself.Shit, I guess he is the “good cop.”
“Hi, Ms. Walker, I’m Detective Brown. How are you feeling?” I gave him a puzzled look and he continued, “Can you tell us about the blood in the art room at the Brooks residence?”
I was not sure what they wanted to know, so I asked. “What exactly do you want to know?”
“How did the blood get there?”
That was easy: “I don’t know.”
“Do you know whose blood it is or where it came from?”
Another easy question, or better yet why don’t you tell me, I am always up for some good gossip. “I don’t know.”
“Do you have knowledge of any incidents that occurred in the residence that could explain why there was blood on the floor?”
Was this guy an idiot? Why the fuck would I know? “No, I don’t.”
That was when the “bad cop” jumped in.
“Do you think this is a joke? This is a murder investigation and you are at the center of it.” Parker scared me but I was not sure what he was talking about, murder investigation? Who got killed? I sat frozen on the dirty chair and waited for the next question. Detective Brown jumped back in, “Ms. Walker, I am sure you understand the implications here. We’re just trying to help you. I am sure if I were an attractive young lady like yourself, I would have fallen for the charming billionaire telling me he loved me and would leave his wife for me.”
Now my jaw was wide open. They thought I was involved with Chris and I was involved in his wife’s death?! My heart started racing, what did they know? Were there any cameras in the master bedroom? Did they see the video of our encounter?
“Ms. Walker, if you tell us what happened, we can protect you. How long have you been involved with Mr. Brooks? We have eyewitness account that you and Mr. Brooks are intimately involved.”
My mind was racing.Who saw us?
“So let us paint you a picture.” Detective Parker stood up for emphasis. “Rich guy meets struggling interior designer. He falls in love but still has a wife and kid at home. A rich guy like that, well he can’t just divorce her. He has to kill her—you know, no alimony, no child support. Better yet he gets to bring his mistress in and live happily ever after. The only problem is you are the loose end. Before long he will be out shopping for your replacement and planning your murder.”
I sat in complete silence as these two detectives lay their case out in front of me.
At that moment things were becoming clearer. They thought I knew Chris before his wife died and they thought he was having an affair with me. Those two things I knew were completely untrue. I was curious about the blood, the music box, and how it got into the art room, to begin with. I wasn’t sure what to disclose because I was afraid, I may say too much and reveal our encounter in the closet and my pregnancy. They surely wouldn’t believe we just met. I started to wonder if it was a good time to ask for a lawyer. Detective Parker likes to talk, I will keep listening.
“Whose blood is in the art room, Ms. Walker, is it Mrs. Brooks’? Did you conspire with Christopher Brooks to kill his wife?” And with that, I started to think of everything I knew about Christopher Brooks. He loved his daughter, he was rich, and while I never witnessed any violent streaks, I was privy to him being angry or frustrated. Is that the same thing? Or were those side effects of a darker side I hadn’t seen? I was not sure what the right answer was but in the middle of a police interrogation how can I make a fair assessment? I started to think about Natasha and the fact that her mother was ripped away so suddenly. Do I want to be the reason her father got ripped away too?
