Chapter 7 #3
"We all have desires and thank you for trusting me." She squeezed her hand. "Tyreek told me he was with you last night, as well as Ciera. He was the last to leave her room. Do you think he did it?"
Celeste thought that would've shaken her, but it didn't.
"No. I was supposed to join them. CC asked me to, but I had to work, so I waited for my turn."
"Are you aware of the hallway cameras?"
"Yes."
"You didn't think Brenda would disapprove?"
"It didn't matter. I was gonna quit after this job. Too much goes on here."
"Like what?"
"This definitely isn't the first time blood has been spilled here.
Nobody ever died, as far as I know, but from what I hear, they were all compensated.
These parties get pretty wild, and Brenda is always in the middle of it.
On the outside, she's this amazing host but behind closed doors, she can get down and dirty. "
"In what ways?"
"BDSM. I guess some men like it rough, but cleaning up after her bloody messes has gotten to be too much."
"Were she and Ciera having an affair?"
"Hell no. Ciera didn't trust her. Not like that. And I can't blame her because I've seen her fiancé leave Brenda's room on many occasions." She shook her head. "Ciera knew but she chose to say nothing. She chose to stay loyal and so did I."
"Look," Celeste started, "I know this is a lot, but I have to ask. Was Brenda having an affair with Ciera's fiancé?"
"I don't know. But it's a possibility."
"That's it for now, sweetie. I want you to be careful and don't trust anybody. Whoever did this is still here among us. If you need anything or remember anything that could help me with this, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm doing my best to keep us all safe."
"I will." She stood. "I pray to God you find the bastard who did this."
"Thank you. Can you call Darius over?"
"Yes ma'am."
Darius eased into the sofa next to Celeste and folded his arms. "How's it going?"
"Not good," she said. "The more questions I ask, the messier this case becomes."
"I see it in your face. You need help. You shouldn't be doing this alone."
"Looks like I'm all I've got right now. You, Sky and Vicky are my help."
Darius raised his brows. "I thought you wanted me for questioning."
"Only a few. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just need to know how deep this rabbit hole goes."
"I'm all in. What do you need to know?"
She looked Darius in the eyes. "Have you ever slept with Brenda?"
"Hell fuck no. I'm a professional, and I don't sell sex. I sell entertainment. I wouldn't do it even outside of work. She ain't my type and I don't trust her."
"How long have you been working for her?"
"About two years."
"Have you ever seen anything out of the ordinary here?"
"I've seen a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"I recently saw Tyreek return from Brenda's room with dark handcuff bruises and a bloody wrist." He paused, then said, "I've heard things that would push the average person away."
"Why do you stay?"
"The job pays well and I'm not easy to scare."
Celeste watched his large arms and wide chest rise and fall without nervousness or fear. He wasn't shaken like the others. He spoke like someone who'd experienced a lot of trauma and overcome it on the battlefield.
"Good, because I can use your help. I know this doesn't fit your job description, but because of your military background and war experience, you would be very useful. I mean, if you're willing to help me."
Darius placed a balled fist under his chin, then scratched it. "If it's gonna prove Tyreek's innocence and keep the ladies safe, I'm down for whatever."
"I believe Tyreek is innocent, for whatever it's worth, but once Palm PD takes over, this could all fall on him.
We gotta keep him detained so nobody can get to him.
If he didn't do it, the real killer set it up to look that way.
And our killer would probably do anything to get Tyreek out of the way. "
"What do you want me to do?"
"We have to break the ladies up into groups of five or six and assign them to rooms on this floor. We have to lock down the whole mansion, so everyone is under our control. Brenda has a surveillance control room in her suite. We'll be able to keep an eye on every section and control movement."
"You think she's gonna give up her suite?"
"She doesn't have a choice. If she's innocent, she'll cooperate."
"Are you giving me permission to use the sidearms?"
"No, but if you have to protect yourself, do what any man would do. I'll write it all in my file if it comes to that."
Darius pulled a nine from his pocket, checked the safety and tucked it under his shirt. He shook his head. "You got my back, I got yours."
"Good. It's six suites in the hall outside. Three rooms on each side. Me, you, Sky, Vicky and Tyreek will take Brenda's suite. We'll choose the ladies randomly and put them in rooms. Brenda and her security will try and stick together. I don't like it, but let's play it by ear."
"What if we don't find the killer by the time the hurricane passes?"
"If we're gonna prove Tyreek is innocent, we better work fast. As soon as we get them into rooms, I'll check Ciera's suite for clues. Nobody's perfect. I'll find something."