Chapter 17
Charles and I sat at one of the circular tables, waiting to talk to the police. My arms shivered, and he draped his tuxedo jacket over my shoulders.
“I’m so sorry, Jane. This was the last thing I expected to happen tonight.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “But it is scary, isn’t it?”
The same detective from the previous day, Megan Laurence, approached us.
“Well, I didn’t expect to interview both of you about another murder within the week.
” Detective Laurence had a sideways grin.
I stared at her blankly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound callous.
Were you friends with the victim?” she asked.
I shook my head, but Charles answered aloud. I sensed his despair. “We were coworkers, friendly. We knew each other fairly well.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Officer Laurence said. “What can you tell me about Kyle? Did either of you see or hear anything?”
Neither of us had. Everything had gone very smoothly. But it hadn’t escaped my attention that we found Kyle near the front of the room. The same area where Lance and Darcy had spent much of their evening. Chills ran down my spine.
“Has anyone questioned Lance Patel?” I asked. “I don’t know if he had anything to do with this, but I wondered.”
Detective Laurence muttered something and gave me an inquisitive look. “Sounds like you know something you’re not telling me.”
“I don’t know anything,” I answered. “But I pick up on things sometimes and have gut instincts.”
“We’re looking into everyone at Haven Corporation, all the way up to Darcy Valemont.” Megan Laurence glanced at Charles. “We need everyone to check with us before leaving the hotel.”
I stopped myself from overreacting. Charles and Darcy were innocent. “Of course.”
As Officer Laurence walked away, I turned to Charles. “Hey, come stay with me at my aunt’s house again. It’s not safe here. We should do some research. I took a lot of photos tonight.”
“Thank you.” Charles rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes at Officer Laurence.
“I wish she’d tell us what she’s thinking.
If someone else gets hurt… I’m going to send out a reminder message to all employees.
They’re free to leave the convention early if they choose to.
No one has to stay. I can’t believe Kyle is gone. ”
“We’ll keep looking.” I patted his arm. “Let’s go for now, though.”