“Sort of ? It was a spontaneous thing, but Ranielle interrupted, so we never got a chance.”
Ranielle’s gaze was livid.
“What were you planning to ask him about, during this interview last night?” asked Detective Lopez.
Carter fell quiet, and Beck could imagine the fight happening inside her head. A deeply ingrained programming to tell the truth, at odds with, well, the truth.
What was she supposed to say? That Alicia had admitted to having an affair with Louis? That they’d gone to get a confession? That they’d since realized it was hiswifewho’d killed her?
Beck glanced at Ranielle. Actually, it was sort of tempting to spill it all . . .
But it was Sierra who ultimately answered the detective’s question. “We wanted to know about the murder clues being planted in the escape rooms. Since he was the Game Master, we figured he knew something.”
This seemed to come as a surprise to the detective and the lawyer. Ranielle, on the other hand, tightened her lips into a thin line.
“Clues . . . ?” Detective Lopez said.
“Yeah.Clues.” Sierra lifted her pierced eyebrow. “About a lie in the evidence. It’s almost like someone didn’t trust the police to be able to do their jobs.”
Beck nudged her warningly with his elbow.
She nudged him back, way harder than necessary.
“They’re on the Domain,” Carter said. “The things that have been coming up in the show. Supposedly, someone has been planning to reveal the identity of Alicia’s murderer in the finale. But only if the people on the Domain figure out a lie in the clues.” She paused, then added in a barely audible whisper, “There were news articles written about it.”
Ranielle breathed in through her nose but didn’t comment.
Detective Lopez turned to her. “What do you know of this?”
“I know it’s been a real pain in the ass,” she said. “But Louis assured me he wasn’t the one planting them.”
Beck gawked at her. How could she sit there acting like she didn’t have the blood of two people on her hands? It was despicable.
He couldn’t help himself. “You don’t seem all that concerned that he’s dead.”
Ranielle flicked her fingers at the comment. “Please. I was done with him long ago.”
“Mrs. Russell,” her lawyer said sharply.
“What? The man was a narcissist.”
Detective Lopez pulled a stack of photographs out of a folder. Security camera snapshots. “I’d like for each of you to look at these photos,” he said, handing the stack to Carter, “and tell me if you recognize anyone.”
Beck and Adi peered over Carter’s shoulder as she flipped through the pictures, inspecting each one. Beck had the thought that surveillance photos could make an awesome clue in a crime scene–themed escape room. Maybe that could be his next project when he got back home. He’d certainly have plenty of fodder for it.
Carter paused on a photo of a tall woman with platinum-blond hair, an enormous fur coat—in this weather?—and large sunglasses. The hair was almost certainly a wig, and the woman was strutting down the hallway without revealing a scrap of skin—she even had gloves on.
Beck checked Ranielle for her reaction. She was wearing an excellent poker face. It could be her in this photo.
Beck was practically vibrating with the need to tell the police everything they’d figured out, but he couldn’t with Ranielle and her fancy lawyer in the room with them.
Detective Lopez seemed like a smart guy. Surely he would figure it out. Surely he saw through Ranielle.
“No,” Carter finally said. “I don’t recognize anyone.”
“Me neither,” said Adi. Beck shook his head and passed the pictures over to Sierra, but she just tossed them onto the coffee table.
“The night clerk didn’t find it suspicious when someone walked through looking like that?” Beck said, pointing to the photo of the blond woman.
