Chapter 7 #2
I held the doctor’s cold gaze. It was clear she didn’t give two shits about her murdered ex and might have even felt he deserved what he got, but she also seemed to think herself above suspicion.
“Where were you on Sunday morning between the hours of four and seven?” I asked.
“At home in bed.” Still with the confident and challenging smirk.
“Can anyone confirm that?”
“No, Detective. I live alone. I’m not dating anyone, and I don’t make a habit of bringing random strangers into my house to satisfy base urges. I have more self-respect than that.”
My jaw ticked. “Well, aren’t you special.”
“I saw the way you gawked when I walked in, Detective. Men only ever have one thing on the brain. They can’t see beyond a woman’s physique. They think with their cocks. It’s always about sex. Can hardly control yourselves.”
I laughed. “Oh, I assure you, I see all the ugly underneath the surface, lady, and it’s a real turnoff.”
“Kobe,” my partner murmured. “Enough.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Rue breathed forcefully through her nose, so I backed off, letting her finish the interview.
It wasn’t often someone got under my skin, but this woman gave off a vibe I didn’t like.
She was cocky and sure of herself. I suspected she used her good looks to bend people to her will.
Her ex-husband was dead, but she didn’t seem remotely sad.
Sure, they were divorced and maybe she hated his guts, but the lack of emotion—or rather, the absence of surprise—was outside the realm of normal.
Rue queried the doctor about Navid’s friends and family, while I played out various scenarios. A fed-up ex-wife and a potentially verbally abusive husband, late again on his alimony. Did he threaten to take her back to court? Was he no longer swayed by her threats?
What would Fatemeh gain from killing him? It might eliminate the headache of chasing after him each month, but the money would stop. Dead people couldn’t pay alimony.
I made a mental note to check for insurance policies when we got back to the office.
Had Navid changed his benefactor after the divorce?
What happened to his home and finances in the event of his death?
Was there a will? The man didn’t have family apart from an aging mother in a nursing home.
After delivering the bad news the other day, Navid’s elderly mother shared that she hadn’t seen her son in years because of a falling out.
Begrudgingly, I had to admit that Fatemeh Kordestani would likely have had no trouble subduing a man of Navid’s size. Rue would get her I told you so’s in later, I had no doubt.
Rue finished and raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Anything you want to add?” Her tone carried a subtle warning.
“One last question. Mrs. Kordestani—”
“Doctor Kordestani.”
“What kind of perfume do you typically wear?”
Fatemeh scoffed and glanced at Rue. “Is he serious?”
“Answer the question,” my partner said.
“I’m not wearing any. This is a scent-free facility.”
“I didn’t ask what you were wearing. I asked what kind of perfume you typically wear?”
Fatemeh narrowed her eyes as though trying to see the underlying reason for my question. Eventually, she shrugged. “I own several.”
I waited.
“One is a Fleur de Rose by Kayali. Another is Daisy Wild by Marc Jacobs. I have a third, but I rarely use it. I can’t recall the name. Navid bought it for me ages ago.”
I considered whether she was telling the truth.
Fatemeh held my gaze challengingly.
That was all I was going to get from her. Identifying the perfume on the rose was not a simple task, and the likelihood of us finding a match was slim.
On our drive back to the station, Rue unleashed her fury. “Your behavior was appalling.”
“She was a bitch.”
“And you were an ass. You can’t act like that, Kobe.”
“Run to Golding and tattle then. She’ll write me up again, give me an unpaid holiday, and you’ll get to work this case yourself.”
Rue sighed. “I’m not doing that. All I’m saying is, you need to be more professional.”
I didn’t want to have this conversation, so I redirected to the interview. “She wasn’t sad about his death.”
“They were divorced over two years ago.”
“I suppose, but I’m not writing her off.”
“Even though she’s a woman?” Rue said, a trace of humor cracking her stolid facade.
“Fuck me. I knew that was going to bite me in the ass.”
Rue playfully smacked me in the arm, and all was right between us again. She wasn’t a bad person, but she did ride my ass more than I liked. Work was easy when we got along.
I spent the rest of the day looking into our victim’s finances, while Rue focused on other cases in our roster. The painstaking process of discovering what was in Navid’s will would take time. Between fussy lawyers and convincing a judge to sign a warrant, it wouldn’t happen in five minutes.
Navid had a health insurance policy, though, and it turned out that Fatemeh Kordestani was still named as the beneficiary. When I shared the discovery with Rue, she’d turned contemplative.
“That doesn’t look good for her,” she admitted.
“No. I’ll look into those perfumes she listed, but I suspect it will be a dead end. I’m not exactly sure how to go about drawing a specific fragrance from an already fragrant flower. Especially when said flower is cut and at risk of decomposing the second it’s removed from the freezer.”
We called it a day shortly after five. On the way home, I debated the direction of my night.
Part of me wanted to text Dominique and share about our interview with Fatemeh.
Maybe he would know who I could contact about fragrance analysis since my research had hit a wall.
It would open the lines of communication again, and we wouldn’t be distracted.
The more sensible part of me knew I should give him space.
Rue was right. Pushing Dominique if he wasn’t ready would only drive him away.
Instead, I called Delphine. émeric’s mother happily passed the phone to my little brother, who sounded glum.
“Hey, Kobe.”
“Hey, sport. What’s happening?”
“Nothin’. Doin’ stupid homework. I hate math, and Mrs. Gilbert gives so much.”
“Not my favorite subject either. Are you almost done?”
“Sorta. Are you workin’ still?”
“Nope. Just got done for the day. I was thinking we could grab burgers. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. Maybe we could have burgers and go to a movie.” émeric’s mood lightened with the hopeful tone. “Please, Kobe.”
“On a school night? Dude, the show wouldn’t get out until after ten. I don’t think your mother will go for that.”
He groaned. “Stupid school ruins everything.”
I chuckled. “Maybe this weekend. I don’t know what’s playing, do you?”
“The new Avatar, or we could see Anaconda. That one looks freaky.”
“We’ll see. Let me talk to your mom for a sec. If she says it’s okay, I’ll come get you for dinner in an hour. I gotta shower still, and you gotta finish your homework.”
He groaned again and handed the phone back to his mom.
“He’s so hard done by,” Delphine said.
“Is it all right if I take him for burgers?”
“You know it is. Saves me trying to figure out what to feed him.”
“Do you need groceries, Del?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Are you lying?”
“No.”
Her protest was weaker, and I knew the truth. Delphine barely lived paycheck to paycheck and often ended up at the local food bank long before the end of the month. With Christmas coming, I had no doubt she had sacrificed expenses to ensure émeric got a few presents under the tree.
I checked the time on the dashboard. Five twenty-one. Fuck it. I’d shower before bed. “Hey, Del. Tell ém I’ll be there in an hour.”
Instead of heading home, I swung a U-turn at the next corner and headed to the grocery store.