CHAPTER 16 #2
“She said she would ruin him legally.”
“That is direct.”
“She meant litigation.”
“Anything physical?”
“No.”
“Any statement about wanting him dead?”
“No.”
Sophie paused.
“At least not to me.”
An officer called her name.
Before entering, Sophie looked back.
“Romy. Celeste did steal work.”
Romy waited.
“That does not mean she killed Sebastian.”
“I know.”
Sophie nodded and went inside.
At twelve ten, Hugo Bell arrived.
Romy nearly laughed.
Hugo saw her.
“You too.”
“Apparently.”
“Have you moved into the station?”
“Temporary office.”
He sat, annoyed rather than nervous.
“I assume they’re asking about Celeste.”
Romy said nothing.
“That means yes.”
“Or I have learned silence.”
“Unlikely.”
A detective sergeant told Hugo there would be a delay.
He looked at Romy.
“Did you know she once said Sebastian would not make it through another season destroying people?”
Romy’s stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Last winter.”
“Context?”
“Drinks after an awards dinner.”
“Exact words?”
“Close.”
“Who heard?”
“Several people.”
“What did she mean?”
“That Sebastian’s career could not continue indefinitely if he kept attacking everyone.”
“Could sound like a threat.”
“It wasn’t.”
“You just volunteered it at a police station.”
“Because they asked me about things she had said.”
“You have your own grudge against Sebastian.”
“Yes.”
“So damaging Celeste could redirect suspicion from you.”
Hugo laughed.
“You really are unpleasant.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“She was speaking figuratively.”
“Why tell police?”
“Because if I don’t and someone else does, I look like I hid it.”
Reasonable. Self-protective. Asterleigh logic again.
“Did Sebastian destroy people?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did he destroy you?”
“He damaged me.”
“Difference?”
“I survived.”
He would not let Sebastian own the verb.
The sergeant called Hugo inside.
“At least Celeste has a proper motive,” he said.
“And you didn’t?”
Hugo’s mouth tightened.
Then he went through the door.
At one, Ellis finally emerged.
Romy held up the empty biscuit wrapper.
“I have been here ninety minutes.”
“You could have left.”
“You told me to wait.”
“I said I might need you.”
“That is functionally the same.”
“No.”
“Did Sophie confirm the licensing risk?”
“Yes.”
“Hugo?”
“Also useful.”
“He gave you Celeste’s statement.”
“Yes.”
“Figurative.”
“He says so.”
“You believe him?”
“It sounds figurative.”
“Then why does it matter?”
“Because a jury may hear it differently if the rest of the evidence points the same way.”
The word jury landed. They were discussing a prosecutable shape now.
“Is that where this is?”
“Not yet.”
“But near.”
Ellis did not answer.
They drove to Asterleigh after lunch.
Daniel Reeve waited in the site office with room-access schedules. Ellis had asked him to clarify designer authority after final conservation signoff.
“Again?” Daniel said.
“You love paperwork,” Romy replied.
“I loved paperwork before it became evidence.”
Ellis opened Celeste’s room schedule.
“After Pattern House’s conservation completion check, what authority did Celeste retain in the Blue Study?”
Daniel looked at Romy.
“She knows.”
“I know what my contract allowed.”
“I want Show House operations,” Ellis said.
“Designers retained styling access until doors opened.”
“After Romy’s 6:31 photograph?”
“Yes.”
Romy frowned.
“Provided no protected fabric was altered.”
“Yes.”
“So Celeste could enter.”
“Yes.”
“Move lamps.”
“Yes.”
“Books.”
“Yes.”
“Decorative objects.”
“Yes.”
“Could she move the panel?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Not without conservation approval.”
“Did she have physical authority to access it?”
“That is a strange question.”
“Could she stand on the ladder and touch it without anyone unlocking something?”
“Yes.”
“Tools available?”
“General styling kit.”
“Could she reach the transfer grille?”
“Yes.”
Celeste rose another step. Legitimate access mattered. She did not need stolen keys.
Daniel added, “Her assistant had fixings tools.”
“Imogen.”
“Yes.”
“Was Imogen present at 6:44?”
“Not according to the photographs.”
“So Celeste was alone.”
“As far as I know.”
Ellis looked at Romy.
6:44, Celeste alone in the Blue Study.
Three minutes later, leaving angry.
6:52, Marcus delivers the plate-warmer and felt to the service corridor.
If Celeste had already prepared the vent, she needed only the fuel vessel later.
But when?
“Do we have evidence Celeste returned after 6:47?” Romy asked.
“No.”
“Then the full method still doesn’t fit cleanly.”
Daniel frowned.
“What do you mean, full method?”
“Nothing you need to speculate about,” Ellis said.
Romy continued.
“If the warmer was not there until 6:52, Celeste cannot have put charcoal in it at 6:44.”
“Correct.”
“Unless she returned.”
“Yes.”
“Or someone else completed the setup.”
“Yes.”
“Any camera on the service corridor?”
“No.”
“Access door?”
“Not continuous.”
“So official theory still requires an unseen return or accomplice.”
Ellis’s expression sharpened.
“Official theory does not currently require a named person.”
“That was evasive.”
“It was accurate.”
Daniel gathered his papers.
“Are we finished?”
Ellis nodded.
At the door, Daniel stopped.
“Celeste was allowed to restyle her room. That doesn’t mean she was allowed to tamper with building protections.”
“I know,” Romy said.
“I’m saying it because everyone keeps turning permissions into blame.”
Then he left.
Romy stayed seated.
“Marcus is dropping.”
“Yes.”
“Officially.”
“Yes.”
“Because Celeste has the better fuel match.”
“Among other things.”
“The better motive.”
“Yes.”
“Access.”
“Yes.”
“Knowledge of the spacer.”
“Yes.”
“Changing account.”
“Yes.”
“And Marcus?”
“Still under active investigation.”
“But less attention.”
Ellis did not answer.
Romy crossed to the whiteboard.
MARCUS.
Plate-warmer.
Felt.
Panel provenance.
6:52.
Fenn note 6:55.
CELESTE.
Plagiarism article.
Licensing deals.
Charcoal.
6:44 access.
Wanted vent closed.
Witness at 6:47.
The Celeste column was brutal.
Too brutal.
Romy hated herself for thinking that.
Ellis said, “Don’t.”
“What?”
“You think the case against Celeste is too obvious.”
“I think it has a hole.”
“So does the case against Marcus.”
“Yes.”