Chapter Thirteen
When Jennifer knocked on the office door, Roman opened it and ushered her in.
Mia noted she was turned out beautifully, just like the first time they’d met. Her long blonde hair had been neatly twisted into a low chignon and she wore a flowery, sleeveless, ankle-length dress. The fabric had a light sheen to it and the skirt draped silkily above her bright pink Rothy flats.
Roman handed her a report consisting of three typewritten pages stapled together. “This is what I have on Eliza so far. I can also email a copy, but figured I should check with you first given your request for discretion.”
Jennifer slid onto one of the visitors’ chairs and glanced down at the pages in her hand before nodding at Roman. “Email is fine. I decided to come clean with Thomas. Secrets aren’t good in a marriage. I know that from hard experience. Anyway, he wasn’t happy but seemed to accept it. Even grudgingly admitted it wasn’t a bad idea to investigate Eliza, just in case.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll give you a minute to read through our findings. Do you want anything to drink?”
She started to shake her head then paused. “I wouldn’t mind a water, if you have one?”
“Of course. Regular or Perrier?” Mia asked, flicking open the compact fridge under the short length of counter.
“Oh, Perrier would be lovely. Thank you.”
Roman sat behind his desk and Mia brought the bottle of water to Jennifer before sliding onto the chair opposite her. Jennifer read through the report in silence, her face showing no emotion. Finally, she turned the pages over on her lap, opened the Pierrer and took a ladylike sip.
“So, we’re thinking Eliza likely killed her whole family,” she said calmly.
“We don’t know. There’s no actual proof in hand yet. But the circumstances are definitely suspicious,” Roman said.
Jennifer took another sip of Perrier, then slowly screwed on the cap and set the bottle on the floor. Her face had gone very pale, and her pink lipstick stood out in sharp contrast. “I’ve got to get this girl away from my son. And the sooner the better. Given her history, she could be planning to kill him on the honeymoon, couldn’t she?”
Roman shrugged and spread his hands in front of him. “I doubt Eliza would do anything to Scott right away. It would make more sense, especially if she wants to stay off the radar, to wait things out. Settle into the marriage for a while first. And if Scott is as besotted as you say, I’m sure he’ll spend lavishly on her, which is exactly what she wants. Perfect for her Instagram feed, too. I have to say it again, maybe if you take what we have to Scott, he’ll back away on his own.”
Jennifer’s lips pressed together, and she shook her head. “No. He won’t. He’s an analytical guy and lives and dies by his data. We don’t have enough here to convince him. On top of that, he’s in love. Stupidly and unassailably in love. Unless I can point to Eliza holding a smoking gun, he’ll only dig in harder. You have to find more.”
“The deaths of Eliza’s parents and sister happened some time ago. Getting any useful evidence at this stage will be tricky.”
“Then you’ll have to hack into Eliza’s computer or financials or something,” Jennifer demanded.
“Legally, we can’t. Not without permission from her directly or a subpoena. You wouldn’t want any evidence we collect to be thrown out in court,” Roman said.
Mia flicked a glance at Roman’s face. Still so much a cop underneath it all with his rules and regulations.
“Court?” Jennifer frowned. “I don’t care two licks about court. I need Scott to see what this woman is truly like underneath the facade. You should do whatever it takes to find the proof.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t work that way. It could cost me my license,” Roman said. “But we can keep investigating—within the means of the law—if that’s what you want.”
“Scott’s life’s in danger, so of course I want you to keep investigating. And the faster you go the better.” The color had come flooding back into Jennifer’s face and now her cheeks were almost as pink as her lips.
“When’s the wedding?” Mia asked.
“In less than a month. The whole thing is such a rush, but Scott says there’s no reason to wait when you’ve found the one. Honestly, it’s so unlike him,” Jennifer said.
“Okay. We have time still. There’s no guarantee, but I think he’ll be safe until they’re married—assuming he’s in danger at all,” Mia said.
“If it’s money Eliza’s after, she’d need to be legally wed to Scott before she can benefit,” Roman added.
“Logically, that sounds good, but this woman could be certifiably crazy. Who knows what she might do. There’s no way I’m going to sit back calmly waiting.”
“Mia and I will continue working your case. We’ll widen the net a little but in doing so can’t guarantee to keep the investigation on the down-low. Eliza or Scott might well catch wind of it once we start working through their friend groups.”
Jennifer shrugged. “I can’t see any way around it so just go ahead. But please hurry. It terrifies me to think of what could happen.”
“Of course. Your case is our top priority. And we’ll stay in touch every couple of days. Obviously, if we catch a big break, you’ll be the first to know,” Roman said.
Jennifer nodded once then pushed out of her chair. Mia and Roman, following her lead, both got to their feet as well.
“I feel so unsettled.” Jennifer pressed a hand to her stomach. “How do I continue having this woman in our house, watch her with my son, and act as though everything’s normal when she’s a cold-blooded killer?”
“Remember, we have no proof of anything yet. But to answer your question, I guess you take it one day at a time and do your best. In fact, the more you’re around Eliza the better. Something might slip out. Some little nugget of info that could prove useful. But on top of that, the old saying about keeping your enemies close is a good one. She’s not going to do anything foolish with you and Thomas as witnesses,” Roman said.
“Plus, it’s pretty unlikely she’d want to harm Scott before the wedding,” Mia reminded her. “If I were you, I’d do everything I could to cozy up to Eliza. Make it seem as though sure, you might’ve had some reservations about their marriage, but now that you’ve adjusted, you’re all in. In fact, you couldn’t be more excited. Take her shopping. Arrange tea parties with her friends. Call her with ideas for the wedding. Think of yourself as an undercover agent sent to infiltrate enemy lines.”
Jennifer pursed her lips then slowly nodded. “You know what, that’s a really great idea. Thanks. I think I’ll do exactly that. If nothing else, it might get Eliza to lower her guard a little.”
“I’d also like to suggest you call up whatever acting skills you have and deny any knowledge of us and our investigation into Eliza. Because it won’t be long before word gets back to her that we’ve been poking around and asking questions.”
“Ooh … that’s good. I’ll make sure to get Thomas on board, too. We can both be horrified when we hear the news that someone’s hired you and Mia to stir up trouble. That should throw her off the scent.”
“Okay. Looks like we have a solid plan. We’ll be in touch, and like I said, if anything big drops into our laps, you’ll be the first to know,” Roman said.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I’ll e-transfer the next payment as soon as I get home.”
“Sure. That’d be great.” Roman walked over to the door and opened it.
“Good luck with Eliza. Remember, you’re a super-secret spy now,” Mia said.
Jennifer flicked off a mock salute and a laugh tinkled out. “You can count on me. Thanks so much, you guys. Despite the fact my soon-to-be daughter-in-law is probably a homicidal psychopath, I actually feel so much better.”