CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
She chuckled as though that was the obvious answer that would make it clear she couldn’t possibly be the murderer.
When Faith and Jessica didn’t laugh, her smile faded.
“Look, I really didn’t kill her. We both dropped the charges.
She agreed to train her dog and pay for my medical bills, and I agreed to drop my lawsuit. ”
“And did she pay for your medical bills?”
“She did, believe it or not. Check cleared three days later.”
“But she didn’t train her dog.”
Amanda blinked. “I don’t know. I assume the court followed up and made sure.”
“How would you feel if you learned that she hadn’t?”
“Not bad enough to kill her.”
“Your YouTube videos suggest otherwise.”
Amanda flushed red, but she kept her eyes on Faith. “Saying that I think someone deserves to die isn’t the same as saying I intend to kill them. I think the current U.S. President deserves to die. I’m not going to fly to Washington with a handgun.”
“Getting to Margaret Hayes is a lot easier than getting to the President,” Jessica pointed out.
Amanda rolled her eyes. “My point is that having angry YouTube videos doesn’t make me a killer. You’d have to arrest half of the content creators on that platform if that was the case.”
Faith tried another angle. “What about Thomas Webb?”
Amanda blinked again. “What about him?”
“You tell me.”
“Well… I don’t know who he is.”
A bark interrupted them, and a moment later, a gorgeous honey-colored Golden Retriever trotted onto the porch. She saw Turk and immediately nuzzled him, making a sound that could almost be described as a purr. Turk looked up at Faith, and she could have sworn she saw him blush.
“Roxy, behave,” Amanda fake-scolded. She grinned at Faith. “She thinks your dog is handsome.”
“I guess so,” Faith said. “But back to my question. You purchased a vest from Mr. Webb.”
“Thomas Webb is the guy from ?”
“He was. He was also murdered. Torn to shreds by boxcutter blades.”
Amanda flinched. “What? Torn to shreds?”
“By boxcutter blades,” Faith repeated.
Amanda shuddered. Faith couldn’t tell for sure if her reaction was genuine or if she was just playing a part. Her eyes were too wide, almost like she was trying to look innocent. She didn’t give any clear signs of guilt either, though.
“The vest,” Jessica asked. “Was it for Roxy?”
“No. Oh no!” She shook her head rapidly back and forth as though the very idea was the most horrifying thing imaginable.
“No, I bought it for a YouTube video. I wanted to show people how good scammers are getting at making fake vests. I want people to know that seeing a service dog vest on an animal doesn’t mean they’re safe.
People need to be aware of the risks they’re facing. ”
Faith looked closely at her. She didn’t appear to be lying, and Turk wasn’t reacting to her, though he was returning Roxy’s attentions a little more eagerly now.
That didn’t mean she was definitely innocent, though. She was connected to both victims, had actually assaulted one, and was clearly passionate about combating fake service animals.
“So, we have one victim who you actively assaulted two—”
“It was self-defense.”
"Who you engaged in physical violence with two years ago, and another whom you attempted to defame."
“For God’s sake, why are you protecting his rights?” Amanda snapped. “I mean, rest in peace and all, but the guy was lying. Is it… I mean…”
She looked expectantly at the agents, as though waiting for them to fill in the blank.
“Is it?” Faith prompted.
Amanda scoffed. “I mean… Is it any great loss?”
“So, it’s fine that he died,” Jessica paraphrased. “Is that what you’re saying?”
Amanda rolled her eyes again. “I’m saying that it’s typical of law enforcement to show up in force the moment some asshole gets what’s coming to them, but innocent people with legitimate complaints about being defrauded and attacked by untrained animals don’t rate attention.”
“So, we’ve gone from horror at their deaths to suggesting it’s no great loss to insisting that they got what was coming to them,” Jessica summarized.
“And defending YouTube videos where she proclaimed they deserved to die,” Faith added. “Don’t forget that part.”
“I didn’t kill them!” Amanda snapped. “Excuse me for not being upset that they died!”
"Where were you this morning?" Faith asked. "We'll throw in last night, too."
Amanda’s eyes popped open. “This morning? Really?”
“Really?”
Amanda clapped her hands. "Yes!"
Faith and Jessica shared a look. “I suppose that means you have an alibi?” Jessica asked drily.
“Yep! I was out of state!”
Faith prevented her shoulders from slumping. It wasn’t nice to show disappointment when you found out someone wasn’t a murderer. “Can you prove that?”
"Yep! I can show you my boarding pass, and you can verify with the airline and the airports. I was out of state for the past eighteen days, visiting my parents in Montana. I'll get them for you."
She bounced back into the house. Roxy nuzzled Turk and started licking him behind his ear. He looked up at Faith, a little embarrassed but clearly enjoying the attention.
Glad someone’s having a good night.
A moment later, Amanda returned with the paperwork. “See? I landed at twelve-oh-five this afternoon. That clears me, right?”
“Pending verification with the airline, yes,” Faith agreed.
Amanda clapped her hands again. “See? I told you guys. And you know what? I hope you don’t find the killer.
Those two deserved to die, and I’m glad they did.
People need to follow the rules when breaking them gets other people hurt.
” Seeing the looks on their faces, she lifted her chin and shrugged.
“You can feel whatever way you want about me. I’m not sorry. ”
Faith declined to rise to the bait. Amanda Prowse was revealing her true colors now that she knew she wasn’t in danger, but Faith wasn’t here to investigate her attitude.
The three agents left Amanda on her porch. Roxy groaned when Turk separated himself from her, but she remained by her owner, loyal to a fault like all good dogs.
Meanwhile, someone out there was looking for another wrong to make right with the shedding of blood.