“The night I caught Chad cheating on me.”
“How did you meet?”
“At The Deck.”
“Was that the first time you met Mr. Larken?”
“Yes.” Bree tilted her head and squinted her eyes a little. “Why are you asking me about Jase?”
He raised his pen from his pad and looked her in the eye. “We’re just exploring every possible angle.”
Bree laughed and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh, but Jase has nothing to do with this.”
“You seem very sure of that.”
She gave him a patient look. “I am. Jase had no idea who I was when we met. We had a one-night stand and I took off. It wasn’t until I went unknowingly to his office that he learned my full name and where I worked. Not only that, we were together the night the first woman was killed.”
“So you don’t think there’s any way Jase could be involved in these killings?” he asked.
Bree leaned forward again and folded her hands on the table. “Detective, the kind of man Jase is, if he was going to kill anyone because of me — for me — it wouldn’t be these women. It would be Chad.” She gripped her fingers tightly and pressed her hands into the table. “I don’t know why these women are being killed, but I guarantee I want it to stop more than you do. If I thought for even one minute Jase had anything to do with these murders, I would tell you.”
Detective Johnson leaned back in his chair, threw his pen on the pad, and sighed. “We’re at a loss.” His tone changed. Less courteous. More honest. “The only connection we can find between you and the victims is Chad, but he can account for his whereabouts for all the murders.” His stare was steady. “We thought you looked good for it, initially.”
The corner of her mouth quirked. “I was surprised you didn’t explore that more than you did.”
Bree turned her head to her right, following his pointed glance at her lawyer, who was allowing the conversation to flow. She looked back at the detective. “No lawyer in the world would have stopped you from arresting me if you thought I was guilty.”
He smirked. “Maybe. The letters left with the victims are…nice.”
“They’re creepy. I’d rather they said, ‘Die, bitch, die.’ At least then I’d know what the hell this person wanted from me.”
“They’re almost like love notes,” he said.
“Like the flowers.” Bree looked at the table, her gaze unfocused.
Detective Johnson leaned forward again. “What flowers?”
She blinked a few times. “I got flowers the other day. Jase said he didn’t send them. I forgot to call the florist to see if they could tell me who they were from.”
“They were delivered by the florist? Not left by the door?” He picked up his pen again, taking more notes.
“Yes. The one on Main Street. Uh…Love in Bloom, I think?”
“Detective,” Mr. Dell said. “Bree has plans to go out of town this weekend. Do you have any more questions?”
He finished writing. “Not right now. We’re hoping the latest victim will be able to tell us more when she regains consciousness. Let me know if you receive any more deliveries or gifts.” He handed her a business card. “My cell is on the back, if you need to reach me for anything.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” she said. They shook hands, and Mr. Dell ushered her out of the conference room.
Jase paced in the hall. As soon as she cleared the door, he grasped her face between his hands and searched her eyes. His thumbs traced the edges of her brow. “We’re good?”
She wrapped her hands around his wrists. “Yeah.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to hers. She reassured him with a kiss, leaning up into him and tightening her grip. Pulling away, she ran a thumb along his cheekbone, tracing the line of his beard. “We’re good.”
He smiled at her and released his grasp on her face. They turned as a door opened down the hall. Chad stepped out with the other detective. He glanced down the hall toward them. His skin was pallid and his eyes were red, making the bags under them more prominent. His dirty blonde hair stood up on end like he had been running his hands through it. It was the first time she’d seen him look so unkempt. He broke eye contact and walked toward the entrance.
Bree squeezed Jase’s hand and gave him a small smile. “Let’s go camping.”
