Chapter 33
chapter
thirty-three
Caleb stood near the doorway as Sheriff Sutherland settled into the chair across from Valentina.
She sat on the couch, Pippa curled in her lap, her posture straight but not rigid. Her hands rested on the dog’s small body, fingers moving in slow, rhythmic strokes. She looked calm. Too calm, maybe.
Or maybe that was just Caleb’s suspicion talking.
The sheriff opened his notebook, his movements deliberate and unhurried. “Ms. Reyes, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me again.”
“Of course.” Her voice sounded steady, polite. “I want to help however I can.”
“Good.” Sutherland clicked his pen. “I need to ask you about last night. Specifically, about your movements between the hours of two and four a.m.”
Valentina’s expression didn’t change. “Like I told you earlier, I was in my room. Asleep.”
“You didn’t leave your room at all?”
“That’s correct. I did not.” Her voice didn’t waiver.
The sheriff paused, his gaze steady on her face. “You’re certain?”
“Yes, of course I’m certain!” She tilted her head suspiciously. “Why are you asking me this? We’ve already been over it all.”
“We have security footage from last night,” Sutherland said. “It shows someone leaving the house through the back door at approximately three a.m.”
Valentina’s fingers stilled on Pippa’s fur. “And you think it was me?”
“I’m asking if it was you.”
She let out a short, humorless laugh. “Why would you assume it was me? It could have been anyone. I’m not the only guest here, you know.”
“I do understand that there are only a handful of people staying in this house,” the sheriff reminded her. “You’re one of them. We’ll talk to everyone again, of course.”
Caleb watched as Valentina’s jaw tightened. It was the first crack he’d seen in her composure.
He waited, curious to hear how she’d respond.
She stared at the sheriff, her expression hardening. Then she set Pippa carefully on the couch beside her and folded her arms. “I don’t have to answer your questions. Not without a lawyer present.”
Caleb’s chest tightened. Those were generally the words of someone who was guilty.
His suspicions toward her grew.
The sheriff didn’t react, didn’t so much as blink. He simply nodded and closed his notebook. “That’s your right, Ms. Reyes. If you’d like to contact an attorney, you’re welcome to do so.”
Valentina stood, her movements controlled, her chin lifted. “I came here because I needed help. Because I was afraid. And now you’re treating me like a criminal. I don’t appreciate it.”
“I’m only asking questions,” Sutherland said. “You’re the one getting defensive.”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she scooped Pippa into her arms and stormed past Caleb without making eye contact. Her footsteps were quick and heavy as she headed toward the stairs.
Caleb waited until he heard her door close before letting out a slow breath.
Sheriff Sutherland stood and turned toward him, his expression tight. “Well, that was interesting.”
“She’s hiding something.” There was no need for Caleb to keep that thought quiet. He and Sutherland both knew it was likely true.
“Maybe.” Sutherland tucked his notebook into his jacket. “Or maybe she’s scared and doesn’t know how to handle being questioned. People react differently under pressure.”
Caleb shook his head. “You saw the footage. Someone left this house last night. Someone who knew the alarm code.”
“I did see the footage. And I also saw a figure in a black coat with her face covered. That’s not enough to make an arrest. It’s not even enough to hold her for questioning if she doesn’t want to cooperate.”
Caleb’s frustration spiked. “So what now?”
“Now I talk to the other two women,” Sutherland said. “See if their stories line up. Check their clothing for mud, grass, anything that might place them outside recently.”
Caleb nodded, but the unease in his chest didn’t ease.
He couldn’t picture Millie sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet someone in the woods. She’d been rattled since she arrived, looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows. And he definitely couldn’t see her hurrying outside to kill someone. She wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer.
And Sissy? Heavily pregnant, moving slowly, exhausted most of the time. The idea of her walking to the back of the property in the dead of night felt absurd.
But Valentina . . .
Valentina fit.
She’d arrived at the right time. She had the right build. And now she was refusing to answer questions.
“Caleb, I know this is hard,” Sutherland said. “But don’t go questioning them on your own. Don’t push. You could compromise the investigation and fracture the trust you have with these ladies. I don’t want that for you.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Understood.”
The sheriff studied him a moment. “I know you want to protect them. But right now, the best thing you can do is step back and let me do my job.”
Caleb didn’t argue, but his thoughts churned.
He needed to step back and let the process unfold.
He understood the logic. He even agreed with it.
But this was his refuge. His responsibility.
And someone staying in this house, one of the women he was supposed to protect, had walked toward the woods in the middle of the night.
Whether she had killed someone or witnessed something or simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, Caleb didn’t know.
But he was going to find out.
Even if it meant confronting truths he didn’t want to face.
Millie stood back after being questioned by the sheriff again.
He’d explained the video footage to her. Had said someone left the house last night.
A woman.
That fact put her on edge.
Right now, Sutherland was getting ready to talk to Sissy. Millie busied herself in the kitchen again. She still had to finish that fruit salad.
She glanced over. Sissy sat on the couch, with one hand resting protectively over her stomach and Georgie curled in her lap. She looked pale, and her eyes were red-rimmed as if she’d been crying earlier.
“I appreciate your patience,” the sheriff was telling her. “I know this has been a difficult day.”
Sissy nodded but said nothing, almost as if her throat was too tight to speak.
“I need to ask you a few questions about last night. Did you leave your room at any point between midnight and six a.m.?”
Sissy blinked, her hand tightening over her stomach. “I—I was in my room. I didn’t go anywhere. I can barely walk to the bathroom without getting winded.”
Her voice wobbled slightly, and Millie saw the fear in her eyes.
The sheriff nodded, his expression softening just a fraction. “Did you hear anything unusual?”
“No.” Sissy shook her head quickly. “I’ve been sleeping pretty heavily lately. The pregnancy—it just wipes me out.”
“I can imagine.”
“Do you think I’m safe here?”
Millie’s head snapped up at the unexpected question. But she supposed it made sense. Sissy wanted reassurance from someone other than Caleb and Naomi.
“I know the Kings have a lot of security measures in place.”
“Like cameras?” she asked.
“Yes, like cameras and gates and alarms. I don’t want to tell you not to worry—that would be foolish. But I can tell you that you’re in good hands.”
Then the two of them talked quietly. She couldn’t understand what they were saying—which was just as well. But Sissy continued to look nervous with her gaze darting about.
The poor woman shouldn’t have to go through this. She should feel safe here.
But someone was determined not to let that happen.
Sutherland wrote something down, then closed his notebook and stood. “We’ll need to search your rooms. Specifically, we’re looking for any black or dark-colored coats or jackets. Muddy shoes. Anything that might indicate someone went outside.”
Sissy’s eyes widened. “You think one of us—”
“I’m not accusing anyone.” The sheriff kept his voice calm and even with each word. “I’m gathering evidence. If you have nothing to hide, this will be quick and painless.”
Millie’s pulse hammered.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Valentina appeared, Pippa tucked under her arm. Her expression was tight, defensive as her gaze studied the situation and realized what was happening.
“You’re searching our things?” she snapped. “This is ridiculous. You have no right to do this without a warrant.”
The sheriff nodded slowly, his gaze steady. “Actually, the owners of this house have given me permission, so I do.”
Valentina’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue further.
Sissy stood, her hand braced against the armrest. “I don’t mind. You can search my room. I have nothing to hide.”
Her voice was small, cooperative, and Millie felt a pang of sympathy for her.
Sissy looked genuinely confused. Scared, even.
But not guilty. Only vulnerable—much more so than Millie and Valentina.
“Thank you.” Then the sheriff looked at Millie. “Ms. Anderson?”
“Of course,” Millie said. “Whatever you need.”
The sheriff nodded and gestured toward the stairs. “Let’s start upstairs.”
They moved as a group—Millie, Sissy, Valentina, the sheriff, and Caleb, who’d appeared silently in the doorway.
Millie’s thoughts raced as they climbed the stairs.
Someone inside this house had disabled the alarm. Someone had gone outside last night. Someone had been in or near the woods when that man died.
This person may have even killed the man.
They needed answers. Only someone who was guilty would argue against that.
They reached the second floor, and Millie glanced toward Valentina, who stood stiffly near her door, Pippa still clutched against her chest.
That was when Millie saw it.
The dog’s paws.
Small. White.
And streaked with dried mud.
The dirt wasn’t fresh. The dog hadn’t just gotten muddy this morning.
The mud had time to dry.
Millie’s breath caught.
Valentina claimed she’d been in her room all night.
But Pippa’s paws told a different story.
Millie’s gaze snapped up to Valentina’s face, her pulse roaring in her ears.
Valentina was watching her. And her look clearly warned Millie to stay quiet or else.