“What makes you think I’m here about your wife?” Elijah asked.
“Yes,mywife, you’d do better to remember that, officer.” Michael glanced at Christine, or Chrissy as he had referred to her, his cheeks flushing red. “She belongs to me, not you. Delores was the love of my life. You’re a homewrecker, destroying my marriage, and taking advantage of a fragile woman with a mental illness. I should go for your badge.”
“You can try, Sir,” Elijah retorted.
“Maybe I will. Wipe that smug smile from your face.”
“Can I ask what you’re doing here, Mr. Stanton?” Annie asked, sensing that the conversation was taking a nosedive.
“No, you may not. What I’m doing here has nothing to do with anything,” Mr. Stanton snapped, but both Elijah and Annie noted how his arms lowered, as if trying to not bring attention to the flowers he’d been holding.
“Nice flowers,” Elijah retorted, his eyes narrowing before he turned back to Christine and smiled almost smugly. “I think I’m ready to speak to your manager now.”
She nodded, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and then she scampered away from the counter and into the back.
“Chris—,” Michael called after her.
Elijah turned to look back at Michael, and this time he did smile. A full beaming, one hundred-watt smile that Elijah knew would incense Michael further.
“Can I ask how you know Miss Seager, Mr. Stanton?” Elijah asked.
“No, you cannot!” Michael snapped in response, his eyes flashing with rage and embarrassment.
“The politeness of the question was a curtesy, Mr. Stanton. I’m definitely going to need to know how you know Miss. Seager,” Elijah replied, still calm, still composed. All the while Michael Stanton continued to stare at both officers in exasperation, the flowers hanging limply in his hand, half crushed by the fierce grip he held on them. “She seems quite upset by your presence.”
“Perhaps we’d be better doing this down at the station?” Annie asked, taking a step towards Michael.
“This is where I collect my wife’s medication from,” Michael replied coldly, garnering some self-control. “That’s how I know her. The amount of meds my wife is on means that I’m here a lot. You know how crazy my wife is without her meds, don’t you? Or were you only interested in her when she was rattling around with enough medication inside her to keep a clear head?”
Elijah chose not to reply, deciding that nothing good would come out. Thankfully, Annie took over for him.
“That makes sense,” Annie said, looking up to Elijah. He nodded, playing the game with her. “Mr. Stanton would be here a lot, collecting meds for his sick wife. Anyone would get to know the people who worked here if they made enough visits. Don’t you agree that makes sense, Officer Schiver?”
“It does,” Elijah replied, his jaw grinding.
“And the flowers?” Annie asked, looking back at Michael Stanton. “Who are they for? Chrissy? Sorry, I mean Christine?”
Michael swallowed, his tongue flicking out and licking along his bottom lip. “No, of course not,” he floundered, his face flushing red. “Don’t be absurd. They’re just flowers, why do they have to be for anyone? Why can’t they just be because I wanted to buy flowers?” He shook his head in annoyance. “Women, always thinking everything is about you. You see flowers and automatically jump to the assumption that they’re for you. Can’t a man buy flowers because he wants some damned flowers?”
Mr. Stanton’s voice rose with each passing word. His anger towards Elijah and his frustration with being caught where he shouldn’t be, becoming more and more apparent with every passing word.
“Officer?” Christine’s small voice murmured out from behind them, and Michael clamped his jaw shut. “My manager—Erin Parker—will be out in just a moment.”
Elijah turned to face Christine. “Thank you. Mind if we continue our questions somewhere more private.”
Christine shook her head no and Elijah stepped around the counter. “Officer Miles, if you can let Miss Parker know I’ll be right back.” He glanced at Michael, his lips thinning in distaste for the man. “Mr. Stanton, I’m sure we’ll catch up again soon.”
Elijah turned and followed Christine through to the back of the pharmacy and away from Michael Stanton.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Michael
Michael stared after Elijah, a man he despised so much, and he tried to catch Christine’s eye.To tell her in some way to keep her mouth shut, but she avoided his every attempt. Before he could count to three, both Christine and Elijah were out of view, and Michael was stood there with a bunch of wilting half-crushed flowers in his hand and his face hot with embarrassment.
He’d dropped the missing person’s case this morning. It seemed that Delores had been spotted and was okay, at least to her standards, which wasn’t saying much. His wife had been sick for a very long time, and over time it had bothered him more and more. When they’d met she’d been young and full of life. They had both been in their last year at university, both ready to take over the world—at least in their childish minds.
But then she’d gotten sick.
