AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was you? One of the staff told me a man identifying himself as Arnie’s nephew had come to visit but had left abruptly.”
“I changed my mind. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Well, it’s had me baffled all day, because Arnie doesn’t have a nephew. He was an only child.”
“No siblings?”
“No.”
“Stepsiblings?”
“No.”
“Mrs. Draper, do you have children?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Calder’s chest nearly caved in with relief. He blew out a gust of breath. “Oh, well, that’s… that’s…”
“Why did you come to the center?”
“I…” Why bother her with the initial reason? He had an excuse now that was every bit as valid. Maybe more so. “I wanted to apologize for the role I played in your husband’s losing his job. If you hang up now, I’ll understand, but I would like to apologize in person. Would you allow me to buy you a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you.” Then, after a beat, “But I’ll make you one.”
Chapter 36
Technically, it was an interview, but it felt more like a face-off, which would have suited Shauna fine, except that they had been at it for half an hour, and she had yet to crack Elle Portman’s reserve. Shauna had wanted a dramatic meltdown. What she’d gotten so far was unfaltering composure.
Shauna was on the brink of losing hers because the setup was intolerable. The small tripod she’d brought along on which to mount her cell phone had failed to cooperate, so she was relying on Glenda Foster to hold the device steady and monitor what the camera was recording.
Before today, Shauna had known the real estate agent only by her reputation as a shrewd and assertive businesswoman who was charming only when she chose to be. She was the sales wizard to beat in the cutthroat Dallas housing market.
She now knew her to be a quintessential bitch. Several times she had interrupted the interview in order to correct this or that—a distracting shadow, a muffled word. Usually the fault lay with Shauna, who suspected these pauses were calculated and unnecessary.
Elle Portman had remained cool throughout. Before they began, Shauna had given her a packet of tissues. “I’ve found these frequently come in handy.”
The packet lay unopened in Elle’s lap. Not once had her voice wavered or her eyes grown misty. They’d remained dry even when she had described in stirring detail the instant she realized that her child was gone.
Expecting an uncontrollable gushing of emotion, Shauna was momentarily at a loss as to where to go from there. She’d stumbled a bit. “Then… then later, it must have been difficult to learn that the bullet that had killed your son had actually passed through Calder Hudson’s arm without doing any permanent damage.”
Elle just looked at her. “That’s a statement, not a question. If you’re asking how I felt when I learned of that, I regretted that Mr. Hudson’s courageous attempt to save Charlie resulted in his becoming a casualty as well.”
“Surely you’re not equating Mr. Hudson’s wounded arm with the death of your child.”
“Nothing equates with the death of my child.”
Shauna knew that Elle’s response made her look like a fool for suggesting such a thing. She moved on to the shooting at the safe house. “Where were you when the bullets began to fly?” To let Elle know that she had a sneaking suspicion of where she was, and with whom, she raised her eyebrow.
Elle didn’t falter. “I can’t speak to that. I wouldn’t want to divulge anything that could compromise the open investigation into the murder of the two deputies.”
“They were downstairs, you were up?”
“I repeat. It’s an open investigation. I won’t answer specific questions.”
“Did you fear for your life?”
“I feared for all our lives.”
