Celeste Files: Unlocked Part 13

Clay opened the door. "See? We're all good." He smiled. "I'll catch you in a bit."

After he closed the door, Officer Moran pulled out the chair next to hers. "Have a seat and enjoy the show."

Keeping her coat on and her purse tight to her chest, she sat next to the woman. "Thank you, officer."

"Since we'll be here for a while, let's get rid of the officer bit. My name's Jamie." She adjusted the video camera, just as Clay and his partner stepped into the interview room.

"Where are the others?" Celeste asked.

"They're being held in separate rooms until it's their turn to be interviewed." Jamie glanced at her. "Clay said one of the suspects is a friend of yours."

She nodded and pointed toward the mirror. "This guy is her husband."

"Too bad."

Before Celeste had the chance to ask why Jamie thought that, Clay started the interview. "Mr. Graney, where were you late Tuesday night?" Clay asked.

"At home," Dale answered. "With my wife and daughter."

"What about Wednesday?" Clay's partner asked.

"I didn't catch the other detective's name," Celeste whispered.

Jamie grinned. "He's Detective Ben Mathews. And you don't need to whisper. The suspect can't hear you."

Dale clenched his jaw. "Are you accusing me of killing my mother-in-law?"

Clay held up his hands. "No one is accusing you of anything. We're just talking."

"Talking a lot of bulls.h.i.+t." Dale rested both of his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands. "Look, Sandra didn't like me. Honestly, I didn't like her, either. She was always in our business, thought that Kelly could do better than me, that our house was s.h.i.+t, that I didn't earn enough." He dropped his hands. "I bust my a.s.s every single day. I'm up for a promotion come April. If I get it, I'll have the opportunity to run my department. It's no secret Sandra and I didn't get along. But I wouldn't jeopardize my career and kill a woman who was already dying. What's the point?"

"How about money?" Mathews asked. "I'd say over four hundred thousand dollars is a valid point." He shrugged. "'Cause that's about what your wife will inherit. I imagine that amount of money would help out a guy who's only bringing in one hundred and fifty grand a year. Then there's your debt."

"Yeah," Clay began, "you and your wife have been having some fun with the credit cards."

Dale narrowed his eyes. "We have debt, who doesn't?" He leaned back in his chair. "Don't waste my time. Check our credit, I don't give a s.h.i.+t. I've got nothing to hide."

"Do you think Sandra did?" Clay asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Do you own a gun?" Mathews asked, instead.

Dale frowned. "I thought Sandra died of an overdose."

Mathews sat at the edge of the desk. "Just answer the question."

"No gun."

"Okay, then tell us what you know about Tracy Saunders?"

Dale's face contorted in confusion. "Who?"

"She died the same day Sandra did," Clay said. "What's interesting is that Tracy was Sandra's daughter."

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?" Dale looked between both detectives. "Holy s.h.i.+t. Are you telling me Sandra had a kid no one knew about?"

"That's right. According to the medical examiner, Tracy Saunders died sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Can you tell us where you were during those times?"

Dale rolled his eyes. "Tuesday, I went to work and didn't get home until around six."

"And Wednesday?"

"I was at work."

"All day?" Mathews asked.

Dale s.h.i.+fted his eyes to the desk. "Look, I work hard-"

"So you'd said. Just answer the question or should we call your supervisor and confirm your whereabouts?"

Dale's face reddened as he shook his head. "Fine. I wasn't at work in the afternoon, but I was there in the morning."

"Where were you in the afternoon, Mr. Graney?"

"La Quinta Inn on South Franklin Street." Dale pushed a hand through his hair. "With my girlfriend."

Both detectives looked at each other, then Clay asked, "What time?"

"We met around one and I left at four-thirty, after Kelly called to tell me Sandra died."

Clay placed a pad of paper and a pen in front of Dale. "We'll need your girlfriend's name, the room number you stayed in and a receipt. We'll also need your supervisor's contact information."

Dale picked up the pen. "Are you going to tell my wife?" he asked, the guilt crossing his face matching Celeste's. Oh, my G.o.d. Now Kelly would not only have to deal with knowing someone had murdered her mother, but also a philandering husband.

"That she has a secret half-sister whose been murdered, or that her husband cheated on her?" Detective Mathews asked.

"In other words," Clay began, "murder trumps affair."

"That's all for now, Mr. Graney," Mathews said. "You're free to go."

Celeste jerked back when Dale slammed his hands against the table. As he stood, he shoved the paper he'd just written on off the desk. "This is bulls.h.i.+t. Your ridiculous accusations could cause a problem with my marriage and-"

"Thanks again for your time," Clay said, then nodded to the officer standing near the door.

"Looks like Dale is screwed," Jamie said, as she stopped the video camera.

"Looks like he didn't do it." Celeste watched as Dale was escorted from the room. There had been times in her life where she'd wished she could be a fly on the wall. Now that she was one, she didn't like it. She didn't want to know anything about Dale's affair, or that he and Kelly were having financial problems. She wanted to go back to before Sandra's death, when she wasn't having visions or trances and had been oblivious to her friend's personal problems.

"Maybe," Jamie said. "Clay and Ben will follow up on his alibis. People like to lie."

"That makes sense. I'm wondering why the detectives didn't ask him more about Sandra's death. The killer wanted an item in her safe."

Jamie glanced at her. "It's hard to ask about this alleged item when they don't know what it is or if it even exists." She straightened. "Next interview is up."

Celeste looked toward the mirror as Brandon took a seat. "I know you're aware that I'm an attorney," he said. "I know my rights and-"

"We're well aware, Mr. Westfield," Clay began, "Just as I'm sure you know that we will look into your alibi for Tuesday night and Wednesday."

Brandon's forehead creased. "Tuesday? Sandra committed suicide Wednesday."

"But the daughter she gave up for adoption was murdered either late Tuesday or Wednesday morning."

Brandon leaned back in the chair and wiped a hand down his face. "Oh, my G.o.d. Sandra had another daughter? Do my wife and her sister know?"

"If they don't, they will shortly."

"So how about it?" Mathews asked. "Where were you on those days?"

"Tuesday I worked late, then came home and ended up working in my office until close to midnight. Lea can verify this."

"And Wednesday?"

Brandon drummed his fingers along the desk. "I didn't kill Sandra or this other woman."

"Tracy Saunders," Clay said. "If you didn't kill them, then you won't mind telling us where you were. Work?"

"All morning," Brandon answered. "After lunch I had to go to court. You can verify court records. I was there until Lea called with the news about Sandra."

"We'll need the contact info for your law firm and what case you were working while you were in court." Clay placed a blank sheet of paper and a pen in front of Brandon. "Do you or your wife own a gun?"

"No guns," Brandon said while he wrote. "Can I tell Lea about Tracy Saunders?"

"We'll handle it, Mr. Westfield."

He clenched his jaw. "Sandra's death has been hard on my wife. They were very close. Finding out about a half-sister who was also murdered?" He shook his head. "This is going to devastate her. I think she'll always wonder what other secrets Sandra kept from her."

"How is your wife's relations.h.i.+p with her sister?"

"My brother-in-law can be difficult. Dale and Lea argue whenever they're in the same room together." He shrugged. "Lea's told Kelly how she feels about Dale, which only made Kelly defensive. Now Lea and Kelly aren't as tight as they used to be."

"How do you get along with Dale?"

Brandon's eyes narrowed. "I can't stand him or the way he treats Lea."

Clay stood. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Westfield. You'll be able to see your wife shortly."

After Brandon was escorted from the room, Celeste looked to Jamie. "It sounds like Brandon has a solid alibi, too."

Jamie tapped at the computer keyboard near the audio and visual equipment. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to lie about being in court."

Before Celeste had the chance to fully process both Brandon and Dale's interviews, Kelly was brought into the interrogation room.

Her face was pale, her eyes gla.s.sy and bloodshot. As she took a seat, she pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her raw red nose. "I can't believe you think my mom was murdered," she said to the detectives. "Who would want to kill a dying woman?"

"Maybe someone who felt their inheritance might be threatened," Detective Mathews said.

"According to my mom's attorney, there were three people in her will who would inherit from her estate. Me, Lea and, I'm a.s.suming, our father."

"Wrong. Your dad wasn't mentioned." Clay took a seat opposite Kelly. "But your half-sister was."

Kelly balled the tissue in her fist. "There must be some mistake. It's just Lea and me. My mom was only married to my dad and-"

"Mrs. Graney, Sandra gave birth to a girl when she was about sixteen. Her parents forced her to put the child up for adoption. Her name was Tracy Saunders."

"Was?" she asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Tracy was murdered this week," Clay said. "According to the medical examiner, the time of death was between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Can you tell us where you were during those times?"

"I had a half-sister?" Kelly shook her head. "How old was she? Where did she live? Did she and my mom know each other? Did-"

"Mrs. Graney, please answer the question."

Kelly ran a hand across her forehead. "Of course. Um, Tuesday night I was home with my husband. Wednesday morning, I dropped my daughter off at the daycare, then I stopped at my mom's. Ann, my mom's friend and nurse, can confirm this. She was there."

"Why didn't you go into work?"

"I actually worked from home Wednesday. My boss, he's an attorney, had his niece at the office. She's a law student at Northwestern. During the summer she interns for him, but she had a project that required her to be at his office. I don't care for the girl. This is no secret to my boss. So he let me work from home. You can check my computer," she quickly added. "I was logged in to the network my boss uses."

"What time did you pick up your daughter from daycare?" Clay asked.

"Around four. Then I went home to start dinner, only a few minutes later I got the call about my mom's death." She sucked in a harsh breath and wiped her nose again. "Do you have a picture of Tracy? I...I'd like to know what she looked like."

Detective Mathews pulled a photograph from the file. "This is from her driver's license," he said, and handed it to her.

Kelly touched the picture. "People always said Lea and I have our mom's eyes. Tracy did, too." She gave the photo back to the detective. "Do you know who her father is? Did my mom...love him?"

"We're working on that," Clay said. "Mrs. Graney, do you or your husband own a gun?"

"G.o.d, no. I wouldn't keep a weapon in the house. Not with a baby around."

"Who handled you mom's medication?"

"Ann. I never had to do anything with that."

"How are your finances?"

Kelly's jaw slackened with shock. "If you think that my husband or I killed my mother for her inheritance, that's beyond ridiculous. She was dying. There was no need to speed along the process," she said with bitter sarcasm.