Camille doesn’t move or speak. She barely blinks. “For now, I’m her attorney.”
“I’ll follow you.” We step out into the yard and through the gate in the iron fence.
There’s a small outdoor couch and a couple of chairs tucked into a manicured pocket of the side yard. It’s one of those areas only a designer would think of creating. I can’t imagine choosing to sit here when you could be hanging out by the pool instead. But it suits our purposes today.
I direct Camille to the couch and take a seat next to her, putting the stack of files on the side table, while Sullivan takes the closest chair.
He pulls out a small notebook and pen then turns his attention to her. “Mrs. Bayliss, I need to ask you some questions. Can you please tell me the events that led up to you finding your husband’s body in his home office?”
She takes a deep, gulping breath. “I just got back from a weekend away. His car. His car is here. I knew he was here because of his car. And then I…I saw him. On the floor. And the blood. I screamed. I think I screamed.” She swallows hard. “And then I thought maybe he was okay—you know how sometimes you can bleed a lot but it’s not really that bad and maybe that’s what happened to Ben, but then I moved closer and I could see his face and I knew…I knew…it wasn’t that…”
She’s gone from barely speaking to vomiting up words, and I wonder what Sullivan’s thinking. Does he think she killed her husband?
The police always look at the spouse first. No matter what. And then they look at who else has the most to gain by the victim’s death. After Camille, the next person in that line would be me.
As his law partner, I will gain the most from Bayliss and Landry Law Firm becoming just Landry Law Firm. I don’t need to give the police eventhe smallest crumb to suspect either of us as the perpetrator of this crime, which is why I’m glad Sullivan took this call. He’s tough and has a reputation for not jumping to easy conclusions. That’s what I need right now—an open mind.
“Let’s take it step-by-step, Mrs. Bayliss. Can you tell me where you were this weekend? You mentioned coming back from out of town.”
She wipes away her tears. “I was in St. Francisville.”
St. Francisville is a quaint small town about half an hour from Baton Rouge that tourists flock to every weekend. There’s always some sort of festival involving food or art or music, and it’s also a regular stop for the riverboat cruises that sail up and down the Mississippi River.
She’s fidgeting. Pushing her hair back behind one ear. Rubbing at the mascara smudge that transferred to the back of her hand after she rubbed it across her face.
Sullivan is seeing everything I do. Taking mental notes right along with his written ones. “Did you travel alone?”
Camille nods. “Yes. Ben booked a room for me at the inn there. I have an Instagram account where I post about food and old restaurants…I travel around looking for content. Ben knows I like to explore little towns in the area and books me trips when he’s going to be out of town or busy.”
“Was Ben out of town or busy this weekend?”
“Out of town.”
“Where did he go? And do you know when he returned home?”
I jump in to answer. “Ben and I went to New Orleans late afternoon on Friday for a continuing ed seminar on Saturday morning, since we both needed a few more CLE hours before the end of the year. We had planned to stay last night too and go to the Saints game today, but Ben said he needed to get back so we left yesterday when the conference ended.”
“What did he need to get back for?”
I shrug. “He said work. I didn’t press for details.”
“What time did you get back to Baton Rouge?”
“A little after one p.m. yesterday.”
“Where did you go when you got back? Your office?”
“No, we came here,” I say. “My car was here since I rode with Ben.”
“Did you go inside when you arrived?” Sullivan asks.
I shake my head. “No. We talked for a moment in the driveway then I left.”
Sullivan looks at Camille. “Did Mr. Bayliss let you know he was coming home early?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
This surprises me, but I don’t let it show. Why wouldn’t Ben have told her?
