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I’m quickly interrupted by their attorney. “What are you implying?” His tone is harsh and full of indignation.
“Not a thing. I’m informing you that we’re looking into his death, as well as that of Constance Jerrit. Constance’s death seems to be surrounded by some mysterious circumstances as well.”
Christie gasps, and Paris is stunned into silence, or else they’re both very good actresses.
“I’ve never met Constance. Not once,” Christie insists. “Gregory hadn’t seen her since they parted ways years ago. The day he was meeting with her, I begged him to let me go with him. He didn’t want that. He said he had no idea how this meeting would go and didn’t want me in the middle of it. She never showed up. He called me from the car and told me so. He waited over an hour and called her several times. Gregory was at the office when he had his heart attack. I was with Paris at her dress fitting. When we found out Gregory was gone, Paris fell apart, and I sat there holding my daughter doing my best to pull it together.”
I glance over at Paris, who has now linked her arm through her mother’s, her cheeks wet with tears.
Christie’s voice is firm, although her lip is quivering, “I did not kill my husband, Detective Thorne. I loved him. As for Miss Belfour and the inheritance, it’s not about the money, it’s about Gregory’s legacy. He was a prominent businessman who did very well for himself. Many have tried to extort money and failed. I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone take advantage of him in death. If Miss Belfour is his biological daughter, then so be it. I would very much like to meet her and tell her about the man her father was. But until I have evidence to support her claim, she’s not getting a chunk of Madden Holdings.”
Jesus, I believe her. Which sucks, because now I’m wondering where we go from here. Alex whispers through the earpiece, “Dress fitting?”
This prompt me to ask, “Paris, you had a dress fitting. A special occasion?”
“My fiancé, Connor, and I were supposed to get married next month. But we’ve put off the wedding until things settle down. I was at La Boehme Boutique that afternoon with Mom when we found out,” Paris replies in a quiet voice.
“I’m very sorry to hear that, Paris. I hope Connor is supporting you both through this tragedy,” Damian says.
“He understands the situation. He wanted the wedding to go on. He thinks that’s what Dad would have wanted, but I just couldn’t do it. And honestly, Connor is moving up in Dad’s company.”
“That’s a lot of responsibility,” Damian says.
“It is. Dad was grooming Connor for a higher position in the company. Connor wants to make Dad proud,” Paris says. When she talks about Connor, I can see she’s in love with the man. But when I look at Christie, she averts her gaze and tenses up. Christie’s not a fan of Connor.
“Thank you for your cooperation, ladies,” I say. I don’t want to push too hard for more. My gut says one of these women is responsible. I’m putting a tail on both of them for now.
Christie stands to leave, but as she’s about to walk out the door, she looks over her shoulder and says, “I’ll say it again. I didn’t kill my husband. But if someone is responsible for his death, please find him.” Her voice trails off, filled with sadness, as she exits the room.
SIXTEEN
You Can Do All the Work
JASMINE
Ilike taking care of Zeke. It’s a nice change from him looking out for me. We have an afternoon of lazing about, watching movies, and taking naps. Neither of us got much sleep at the hospital last night, and I think the naps did us both good.
Although, for the past hour, Zeke’s been looking at his phone. He knows that Caleb and the guys are bringing in Gregory Madden’s wife and daughter for questioning. Zeke’s trying to be nonchalant, but I’m positive it’s bugging him that he wasn’t there with his team. I’m also curious to learn more about Christie and Paris.
Beside the fact that they hate me, I don’t know much more. I googled them and found photos of them with Gregory. Most of the photos were from when they attended some swanky affair. They were the perfect little family.
In a way, I understand why they’d be upset. All this time, it’s been the three of them, then out of the blue, Constance calls and there’s a possibility of a stepdaughter and stepsister. Because of Gregory’s prominence, if the news leaked that he had another daughter out of wedlock and, based on Paris’s age, shortly before he met Christie, it would tarnish their reputation.
Nick Davis has great respect for Gregory, and Gregory’s made a name for himself in business as honest and honorable. Gregory was intelligent and had a keen knowledge of investments. Nick and Gregory were best friends, and I got the impression their relationship was solid. I’m tempted to call Nick and ask more about his best friend, but I feel guilty. My father is Austin Belfour. He’s the one who hid in the bushes to make sure I got there safe while I walked to school for the first time alone. He’s also the one who made sure all the guys knew to treat me with respect.
When Zeke’s phone goes off, he grabs it on the first ring.
“Yeah. How’d it go?” Zeke asks. He hangs his head, resting it in his hand with his elbow on his knee while he listens, with the occasional “Right,” “Sure,” and “Okay.” After a bit, he says, “Send his name over. I’ll look into it.” Caleb must have disagreed with him, because Zeke raises his voice and says, “Send it over. I’m standing idly by waiting for answers, when you and I both know I can get this done faster and better than anyone.” There’s a long pause, then, “Fine. Send it first thing in the morning.” Zeke lets out a heavy sigh before mumbling a gruff goodbye. He tosses his phone aside, clearly unhappy.
“Zeke—”
“It’s fine, baby,” he says, turning toward me. “Caleb has a tail on both Christie and Paris. They seemed sincerely bothered by the thought that Madden’s death wasn’t a simple heart attack. Apparently, they both left in tears.”
“It must have been awful for them. I know I’d be a mess if Mom or Dad passed away like that. One minute, everything’s great, and the next, your world is upside-down.” A tightness forms in my chest for Gregory’s family. “Caleb doesn’t think either is responsible, does he?”
“Undecided. Alex picked up on Paris’s fiancé, though. The wedding is on hold for now. It’s postponed until things settle down,” Zeke says. “I wanna check him out.”
He has this look in his eye. He’s really bothered by something.
