She also was starting to remember where she was and who was behind her.
If she had been solo in the same situation, she would have summoned more spitfire.
But she wasn’t by herself.
Mitchell needed her, and no murder accusation was going to make her stop protecting him.
“You don’t owe me money, you owe meyou,” Eve finally muttered, pulling back the chair closest to her. Darius didn’t react to talk of their childhood promise and only watched as she settled across from him. He waited for Mitchell to do the same. Then he split his attention between both.
“While we haven’t found the location where Mr. Whittaker was killed, we’ve been able to get his time of death down to earlier today, somewhere between noon and two o’clock,” he started. “Since he was obviously moved to the location of the ceremony, it’s hard to ignore the theory that it was a premediated event and not a crime of passion or one of opportunity. Which is why we looked at the wedding party for any information that might point us in a solid direction to start.”
There was something to be said about dark eyes locking in on a target. Eve suppressed a little shiver as Darius moved his attention to Mitchell.
“And several fingers pointed your way, Mr. Keys,” he said. “So now that Miss Myers is by your side, let me ask where you were today between the hours of twelve and two.”
Mitchell had never been good at hiding his emotions; he was especially bad at hiding his anxiety. Eve knew the moment the question finished that he was already stressed about his answer. His body language, the hesitation in answering…
She also knew before he said a word that he was going to lie.
“I was in my hotel room. With Eve.”
The lie was short. Its aftereffects were going to ripple far.
“You were in your hotel room,” Darius repeated, tone impassive. “With Eve.”
Mitchell nodded.
“I-I’m not big into crowds like my brother is. I was nervous and needed someone to help me calm down.”
“So you asked to see the bride before the wedding. That’s bad luck, you know.”
Mitchell nodded again. The movement was stiff.
“I know, but seeing her always makes me feel better.”
Like the lie, this truth was also short, but Eve knew it was genuine. She would have felt the warmth from it, had a coldness not started to spread throughout her body.
The fact of the matter was she hadn’t been with Mitchell from noon until two. She hadn’t seen him in person until she had been walking down the aisle toward him.
But could Darius prove that? Was there evidence he already had that Mitchell was lying? Had someone seen him or her out and about without the other during that time?
Instead of immediately agreeing, Eve tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“Mitchell had over two hundred people who can put him at the altar around the time when Gary was moved to the lobby,” she pointed out. “He couldn’t have done that. At least one of us would have noticed if he had stepped out mid vows.”
Darius was quick.
“Just because he didn’t move the body doesn’t mean he didn’t have anything to do with Mr. Whittaker’s death.”
“So you’re saying you think he killed Gary and then—what?” she said. “Then, he had someone place poor Gary in the lobby after the ceremony started? Why? That makes no sense.”
“I’m not saying anything at the moment,” Darius shot back. “I wasaskingwhere Mr. Keys here was during the hours between twelve and two today. And now I’m askingyouthe same question.”
Darius’s expression remained impassive. His tone, however, had hardened.
Eve matched his energy.
“Mitchell already answered that,” she replied.
