Chapter 15 #2
“I was…” Phillip rubbed his forehead.
“Mr. Daily?” she prompted.
“Okay, so today is Wednesday…”
“Yes?”
“Please, just let me think.” He massaged his left temple. “I was with Noelle.”
“And who is Noelle?”
“Another one of my ladies.”
“It sounds like you’re a busy man,” Trent said.
“You have no idea.” A smirk teased Phillip’s lips, but a glower from Trent shut it down.
“Where were you and Noelle during that time?” Amanda asked.
“We had a room at the Motor Court, down near the highway.”
Amanda had a history with that motel, from a time in her life she’d rather forget. “Huh. So if we called Noelle, she’d confirm this?”
“Yes, but… You just need to be careful about contacting her.”
“Why’s that?”
“Her husband, I know, and he’s got a fiery temper. If he finds out I’ve been doing his wife, you’ll have another murder to investigate.”
“I guess you take that risk when you fool around with married women,” Trent said dryly.
“We can’t make any promises, but we will talk to her. Her surname and her number?” Amanda asked.
“Last name’s Fisher. Her number is… Can I look at my phone? I can’t remember it off the top of my head.”
“Unlock your phone and hand it to me.” Amanda held out her hand.
“Is that legal? Shouldn’t you be getting a warrant or something?”
Amanda remained silent while holding eye contact with him.
“Never mind. One minute…” He got into his phone and handed it over to her.
“She’s in your contacts under her name, I assume?” she asked him.
“Uh-huh. Under Noelle.”
Amanda found the contact card and held the screen toward Trent. He’d already pulled out his notepad and pen. He wrote down the number and nodded. “We’ll call her,” she told Phillip.
“Can I have my phone back? I really need to get back to work. My boss is a… Well, he’s got a temper too, and he’ll fire me if I’m not back soon. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t just make up his own mind about me and fire me because police showed an iota of interest in me.”
Amanda could argue it was more than an iota. He was still the foremost person of interest. “We’ll need time to check your alibi. Right now, you’re not going anywhere. As I told you from the start, you are suspected of abduction and murder. An officer will escort you to holding.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m innocent here.”
“And if that’s the case, you’ll be released soon enough.” She collected the photos from the table and put them back in her folder.
“Yeah, well, if you’re playing like this, I’ll take a lawyer before I speak with you again.”
“Do what you need to do.” Amanda left the room with Trent and asked an officer to escort Phillip Daily to holding before heading to their cubicles.
She also handed over his cell phone, but they had no legal right to look at it.
If his alibi blew up, they’d have grounds to pursue a warrant. “So what’s your read on the guy?”
“I’m holding off for now. The guy has no morals, so that might be messing with my gut instinct. Let me call this Noelle lady.” Trent walked around to his desk with his cell phone to his ear.
Amanda dropped into her chair and checked her email.
Nothing from the mall security guard. As for Phillip Daily, she wasn’t releasing him of suspicion yet.
He told them his relationship with Valerie Archer was casual, and the existence of another woman supported that claim.
But time would tell if his story was the truth.
Her phone rang, and caller ID told her it was Emma Blair. Amanda answered before the second ring.
“The Wildlife Resources conservation officer has been and gone. He found some more bones from Paul’s body scattered nearby, which we’ve collected and will be bringing to Rideout. But I thought you’d like to know the officer estimated the body was exposed to the birds for at least three days.”
It was Wednesday today, so Paul’s remains were out there since Sunday or earlier. At least three days. “Thanks for calling to let me know.”
“Don’t mention it.” With that, Emma was gone.
Trent lifted his head over the partition. “You might have overheard, but I had to leave a message for Noelle.”
“I didn’t. I received a call of my own.” She filled him in on CSI Blair’s call.
“He was killed not long after he was presumably taken,” Trent said. “Which we thought before.”
“It’s heartbreaking. So senseless.” If she didn’t rein in her emotions, she’d be no good to the case.
“We can’t wait around for Noelle to call back.
Not when she could be Daily’s accomplice.
” Amanda typed the woman’s name into the system, and it came back clean.
There was always a first time though. Another report told her that Noelle had a silver Toyota Camry registered to her but no Ford Transit.
But there was another niggling point. If Noelle was in on this with Phillip Daily, what could be her motive?
And why would Phillip point them in her direction?
But it was a lead they needed to follow regardless.
“We’ll try Noelle at home first, then—” Her phone pinged with a text message, and she pulled out her phone.
“It’s Liam. Rideout’s doing the autopsy tonight at five thirty.
” As she relayed the message, her stomach sank.
Another night not being with Zoe, and Amanda needed to talk with her.
She keyed back, I’ll be there. “You don’t have to go if you have plans with Kelsey. I can handle this.”
“No way. I’m invested in this case just as much as you are. We’re a team.”
She smiled at his summary because she felt the same way. If she had her wish, they’d be a team in more ways than one. Could she allow herself to think that Trent felt the same way? Liam texted back, breaking the spell.
See you then.
She pocketed her phone. “Okay, let’s move.”