Chapter 54
AMBER
My stomach turns in on itself as I stare at my amber necklace through the plastic evidence bag.
‘Amber for Amber, yes?’ Detective Lieutenant Demetriou asks, his eyes boring a hole into mine.
I lick my lips. Nod.
He leans back in his seat. ‘Perhaps you can explain how it came to be found less than a metre from Mr Pearson’s body?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Come now, Miss Miller, you can do better than that. According to Mr Brookes, you never take it off.’
My hand goes automatically to the blue and white mati pendant I bought at the market in Thalassia as Dominic’s latest betrayal sinks in.
‘It… it went missing a couple of days ago. But it’s not the only thing. Felix lost his Rolex and Simone lost a pair of diamond earrings from Tiffany. Dominic reckoned they’d been stolen.’
The detective’s eyes narrow in disbelief. ‘Who here would steal them?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say miserably. ‘But it’s a bit of a coincidence, isn’t it? Three things disappearing like that?’
‘But your necklace hasn’t disappeared, has it? It’s right here.’ He watches me steadily. ‘We’ve now been able to narrow down the time of death. Mr Pearson was killed sometime between midnight and one o’clock in the morning. Which is when you say you were asleep on the beach, alone.’
‘Just because you found my necklace by Felix’s body doesn’t mean I killed him! Anyone could have put it there.’
‘I agree. It’s circumstantial. But when you look at the bigger picture it’s… concerning. Some might say you had a motive, after what he did to you at the taverna. And there is the small matter that you don’t have an alibi.’
‘Neither does Simone,’ I blurt.
‘Actually, she does.’
‘Who?’ I ask. Maybe Simone shared a nightcap with Victoria and Barney when she got back to the villa. Maybe Willow has vouched for her.
For the first time since the start of the interview, Demetriou looks flustered.
‘Who?’ I say again.
He clicks the top of his pen a couple of times and re-crosses his legs. Finally, his eyes slide to mine.
‘Mr Brookes.’
I gasp.
‘Dominic?’
He nods. ‘Mr Brookes has signed a statement confirming he spent the night with Mrs Pearson.’