Chapter 7
The Investigation Begins
By the time Celeste returned to the Indoor Golf Wing, everyone knew something was wrong.
The room that had been filled with laughter minutes ago had fallen silent.
Golf clubs rested, forgotten, against the artificial grass, drinks sat untouched, and guests huddled together, whispering beneath the low hum of the ventilation system.
Tyreek stood near the bar with Darius nearby, while Sky had stopped crying but still wore the evidence of it in her swollen red eyes. Vicky remained at her side.
When Celeste stepped into the room, every head turned. She walked straight to the DJ booth, and the DJ didn't ask questions; he simply handed her the microphone. A burst of feedback squealed through the speakers before the room fell completely quiet.
Celeste took a breath, then said, "CC is dead."
The words detonated across the room. Gasps and cries echoed from every direction. Someone screamed. One woman dropped her drink. Questions erupted.
"What?"
"Oh my God."
"How?"
"Is this a joke?"
"Where is she?"
Celeste raised her voice.
"Everybody shut up! She was my friend too."
The room fell silent again.
"My name is Sgt. Celeste Mills for all of you who don't know me. I'm a detective with the Atlanta Police Department. Homicide has occurred inside this mansion."
Nobody moved. The air seemed to leave the room.
Celeste continued. "Until local law enforcement arrives, this Indoor Golf Wing is now a holding area."
The room erupted again.
"Absolutely not."
"You can't do that."
"I want my lawyer."
"I'm leaving."
Celeste pointed toward the exit.
"Anybody who walks through those doors becomes a suspect."
Then there was silence, except for sniffles and snorts.
"If anyone leaves this room, goes to their suite, uses an elevator, or starts wandering around this mansion, I will personally make sure Palm Police Department knows about it. Today I'm not your friend."
Her eyes swept the room.
The Indoor Golf Wing felt much smaller than it had an hour ago.
Leather lounge chairs sat abandoned beside half-finished drinks.
Beyond the tall windows, rain hammered against the glass in relentless sheets.
A low roll of thunder vibrated through the room, followed by another flash of lightning that briefly illuminated frightened faces.
Many of the guests were strangers to Celeste other than the stories and pictures in magazines and newspapers.
This wasn't that Celeste. Business executives, influencers, athletes, and friends of friends stood shoulder to shoulder, people who had arrived expecting luxury and celebration and now wore fear plainly across their faces.
But the people she recognized stood out.
Darius stood near the center of the room, broad-shouldered and alert, his gaze constantly moving as if he were trying to watch everyone at once.
Vicky remained beside Sky with a protective arm around her shoulders while Sky fought to keep herself together.
Near the bar, Tyreek lingered with a confused, irritated expression, clearly unsettled by the sudden change in atmosphere.
Brenda stood near the front of the room, pale and visibly shaken, her composure hanging by a thread.
Beside the entrance stood the two security guards.
One looked merely nervous, but the other looked far worse.
The larger guard sported a fresh black eye blooming across the left side of his face, the purple swelling stark beneath the fluorescent lights.
The bruise made him look tougher than he felt, and he kept shifting weight from foot to foot, avoiding eye contact with anyone who glanced his way.
Nobody challenged her.
"I'm a cop,” Celeste said, “and I'm going to keep every innocent person in this mansion safe."
Brenda stepped forward. "Detective..." she swallowed hard before continuing. "If there's a killer here, I don't want anyone getting hurt. If you need any assistance with this, let me know."
Celeste pointed toward the guards. "Bring me your weapons."
Both security guards looked surprised, especially the one sporting a swollen black eye.
"Ma'am?"
"Now," Brenda screamed, holding her stomach.
The guards exchanged looks before surrendering their firearms. Guests visibly relaxed at the sight.
Brenda looked grateful but terrified. Completely innocent on the surface.
Celeste handed the weapons to Darius.
"Keep these away from everybody."
Darius nodded. For once, there were no jokes or attitude, just business.
Sky moved closer to Vicky, and Vicky rested a hand on her shoulder. Without realizing it, the four of them had formed a loose circle: Celeste, Vicky, Sky, and Darius. Nobody commented on it. It just happened.
Then Brenda cleared her throat. "There is something else."
The room turned toward her trembling frame. She hesitated, drawing a slow breath before continuing.
"One of the hallway cameras showed Tyreek entering CC's suite late last night. I didn't think much of it until now."
Every eye in the room found him. Tyreek's head snapped toward Brenda.
For a second, he just stared at her, confusion washing across his face.
Then he looked around the room and saw people backing away from him, whispering to each other, watching him like he was dangerous.
His chest tightened. "What?" he said, shaking his head. "What are you talking about?"
"He did it," her voice choked. "He had to."
The room exploded. People backed away from him. One woman screamed while another grabbed her purse and hurried across the room.
"What the fuck?" Tyreek looked around in disbelief.
The security guards moved toward him, but Darius stepped forward fast enough to make them stop. Tyreek looked at Brenda, then Celeste, then everyone else.
"You serious right now?" he asked. He looked at Darius. "Tell them I'm not a killer."
A guard grabbed his arm. Darius caught the guard's wrist. The room tensed.
"That's enough." Celeste stepped between them
and looked directly at Tyreek. "Will you answer some questions?"
"Yeah," he answered nervously.
"Alone?"
"Yeah."
Darius didn't like it, but Celeste could see it in his face. She didn't have time to think about feelings.
"I'll bring him back," she said.
Darius held her stare for a moment, then said, "I can vouch for him."
"Darius, you weren't in the room with them. Were you?"
"No, and I get it. But I've been with him for years before last night and I bet my life that he isn't capable of murder or harming anybody in this room."
Both Vicky and Sky stepped up.
"I believe Darius," Vicky said.
"I do too," Sky agreed.
"So do I," Celeste continued, "but I have to listen to the evidence."
Tyreek looked defeated. Not angry. Not dangerous. Just tired.
Celeste pointed toward the hallway.
"Let's go."
The ladies' restroom was the closest private space available. A few minutes later, they sat across from one another. The restroom felt smaller than it was, the scent of hand soap lingering in the air. Tyreek leaned against the counter while Celeste remained standing. The detective and the suspect.
Celeste folded her arms. "Let's start simple."
Tyreek nodded.
She pulled out her cellphone and clicked record. "When was the last time you saw CC alive?"
He swallowed hard. "Late last night."
"Any idea of what time it was?"
"We were wasted. I don't know."
"What time did you leave?"
"I don't know."
"I can't help you if you don't know shit." She clenched her jaw and pounded her palm on the counter beside him.
Tyreek flinched. "It was before daybreak."
"Was last night your first time meeting Ciera?"
"Who is that? I thought this was about CC?"
She lowered her head slowly, then looked up. "CC is Ciera, dude."
"I'm sorry. I'm nervous and I'm scared. That lady is accusing me of murder and I'm not a fucking killer." A tear slid down his face. He swallowed and felt his heart pounding against his chest. "This isn't fair. Shouldn't I have a lawyer or something?"
"We're stuck in this big ass mansion with a killer until this hurricane passes. No one does, and I have to find the bastard who killed CC before it happens again." The memory of CC's body lying lifeless in her own blood shattered her line of thought for a second.
"Can you call Darius in? He's smart and I trust him to represent me."
"I understand that, and I would've agreed, but he's the strongest man in the building, and I need him out there while I'm in here.
" She pulled a napkin from her pocket and handed it to him.
"I want to help you, but you gotta give me something that proves you're innocent, or this is going to fall on you because you were the last person to see her alive.
And I'm sure you left all kinds of evidence on her body. "
Pain built in his gut and rose enough to make him run to a nearby toilet and fall to his knees. He puked up everything he had eaten and looked up from the porcelain. "I didn't do it. She wanted me there. She led and I followed. I just wanted to make some extra money."
Celeste puckered her lips and fought back tears, but one slipped down her cheek. "Was anyone else there? Were you alone?"
He stood, walked to her, and stopped. "We were alone. I finished, took my money and left." He took a few seconds to think. "After I left her room, Teresa pulled me into hers and that's where I woke up this morning."
Celeste frowned. "Oh my fucking God." She put both hands on her hips. "How many women have you slept with here?"
He took a minute before saying, "Brenda."
Her mouth dropped open. Her nose flared and her frown turned dangerous. "My Brenda? The hostess? You gotta be fucking kidding me?"
"I didn't want to. She forced me. She was supposed to be firing me or warning me for sleeping with CC, but it was the opposite. She literally beat me with her whip and used me the way she wanted to."
"Wait, wait, wait, you let her?"
"It felt innocent at first. But when she cuffed me and worked me till my wrist bled, I just did whatever it took to keep my job."