Chapter Three #2
Still glancing around, they got out and made their way to the door, but before they could ring the bell, it opened.
A tall woman with silver-gray hair stared at them.
She wasn’t wearing scrubs or a white medical coat but was instead in loose navy pants and a matching top.
Like the house and the grounds, she didn’t look familiar to Livvy.
The woman’s eyes were red, and she was dabbing at tears with a wadded-up tissue. She forced a smile that faltered completely when her gaze landed on Livvy’s baby bump.
“Oh,” she said. “I was expecting a new client who’s trying to conceive, but it’s obvious you’re not her. Congratulations.” She thrust out her hand before Livvy could respond. “I’m Chloe Voss, the director of New Hope. I’m afraid you’ve come at a bad time. We’ve just gotten some horrible news.”
So, she knew about Zadie. Either that or something else bad had happened to bring on those tears.
“I’m Deputy Ethan Oakley, and this is my partner, Deputy Livvy Walsh, from Renegade Canyon Sheriff’s Office,” he explained. “We’re here to talk to you about Zadie Covington.”
Chloe gave a resigned nod and stepped back so they could enter.
“Her mother just called me. Apparently a cop came to her door and told her, and she didn’t want to believe it.
She wanted me to tell her that Zadie was here.
Alive and safe.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“But instead I had to explain that I hadn’t seen Zadie since the end of her shift yesterday. ”
“When was that?” Livvy asked.
“At five p.m.” Chloe motioned for them to follow her, and she led them out the impressive foyer and just up a hall into a sitting room or maybe a library.
“Most of the staff lives here on the third floor,” she explained, tipping her head in the direction of the stairs, “and I assumed Zadie was in her quarters since she wasn’t due to come back on duty until noon today. It’s her half day,” she added.
“Any idea when Zadie left New Hope?” Ethan pressed.
“None.” She paused, blinked back more tears, and her gaze shifted to a heavily pregnant woman in a coat who was strolling through the side garden.
“There’s no curfew or anything, and since Zadie’s car is still in the barn, I assume someone picked her up.
And no, I don’t have any idea who would have done that—” She stopped, and her forehead bunched up.
“That’s not true. I do have an idea. It’s possible that Anthony came and got her. ”
“Anthony?” Livvy took out her phone to make note of the name.
“Anthony Carter.” Now some irritation or even anger flashed in her dark brown eyes.
“Zadie’s ex-boyfriend. They had a bad breakup last week, and I thought she was done with him.
Maybe not though. He could have possibly sweet-talked her into going with him and arranged to pick her up at the end of the road. ”
Or he could have used some kind of force to make her go with him. Yes, they’d be looking into this Anthony Carter, and Livvy got started on that by texting Grace to let her know about him. The sheriff would get him in for an interview right away.
Another pregnant woman walked by the window, moving toward the one already in the garden. “How many people live here?” Livvy wanted to know. “And we’ll need names.”
Chloe nodded. “We have five clients.” She tipped her head to the two outside.
“The brunette is Hannah Brooks, and Leah Parker is the redhead. They’re surrogates.
Hannah is carrying a baby for Charlotte Winslow, and Leah for Sienna Carrington.
Sienna’s husband, David, lives here as well, but he’s away on a business trip. ”
She continued listing clients, and Livvy wrote them all down. “And the staff? How many?”
“Five who live here,” Chloe said and then stopped again.
“Four,” she amended, her voice wobbling when she mentally took Zadie off her list. “The housekeeper and cook, Veronica Baskar. My assistant, Sunny. My brother, Dr. Franklin Voss, and then me. We also have a groundskeeper part-time—Buddy Jenkins—but he doesn’t live here. ”
They would need to speak to all of them, but for now, she needed the basics. “What’s Sunny’s surname?” Livvy asked.
“Covington,” Chloe replied as if the answer was obvious. “She’s, uh, Zadie’s sister.”
Ethan and Livvy exchanged a glance, and it was Ethan who voiced what they needed. “If she’s here, we have to talk to her now.” A sister was far more likely than a boss to know personal details that could have led to Zadie’s murder.
Chloe nodded and then reached over and pressed a button on a discreet-looking intercom on the end table. “Sunny, could you please come to the front parlor? The police are here.”
“Yes” was the woman’s barely audible reply.
“Uh, please go easy on her,” Chloe whispered. “Sunny and Zadie were very close.”
She’d barely gotten out the last word when there was the sound of rushing footsteps. Someone was flat-out running toward the room, and it put Livvy and Ethan on full alert. They adjusted their positions so it’d be easier to get to their weapons. They soon realized it wasn’t a threat.
But it was a shock.
The woman who ran into the room had a tear-streaked face with identical features to Zadie’s.
Livvy choked back a gasp, barely, but she couldn’t stop the flashbacks of seeing a dead Zadie in that tub.
So much like her nightmare with that blond hair and pale skin.
Sunny was blonde and pale, too, but this living, breathing woman wasn’t identical to the one from Livvy’s dreams. Close but not a perfect match.
“I forgot to mention that Sunny and Zadie are identical twins,” Chloe said, obviously noticing Livvy’s reaction. “It must have startled you to see Sunny.”
“It did,” she admitted.
“Is Zadie really dead?” Sunny asked. “I mean, I know what the cops told Mom, but is she really dead?”
“Yes,” Livvy verified.
“Sit down, Sunny,” Chloe coaxed, taking her by the hand and easing Sunny onto the sofa next to her. “These are deputies from Renegade Canyon, and they have some questions for you. They need to find out who hurt your sister.”
Hurt. That was a mild way of putting it, but Livvy didn’t correct her. Sunny looked as if she was barely hanging on by a thread, and it was best to make this fast and as gentle as possible. It certainly wouldn’t help if she knew the bloody details of her sister’s murder.
“When’s the last time you saw your sister?” Livvy started.
Sunny pulled in a long, trembling breath.
“Last night…around seven or so. She came to my suite to borrow some nail polish remover. I was working on budget reports, and I didn’t even really talk to her other than to tell her to help herself to the polish remover.
She didn’t say anything about going out,” she added in a mutter.
But she had done exactly that. Maybe not voluntarily though. “Do you have any idea when and why your sister left New Hope?” Livvy asked.
“No,” Sunny was quick to say, and she looked at her boss. “Did you tell them about Anthony?”
Chloe nodded. “I’m sure they’ll talk to him.”
“Talk to him and arrest him,” Sunny spat out, some of her grief and shock replaced by anger. “Because he did this.”
All right. This Anthony was now top priority, and he’d need to be brought in for questioning.
“Tell me about Anthony,” Livvy prompted. “And about their breakup.”
Sunny took a couple of moments, clearly fighting to keep hold of her composure. “I think he was some kind of con artist. I caught him in a couple of lies. Nothing major, but I thought if he’d lie about little things, he’d probably lie about bigger ones, too.”
“For instance?” Ethan pressed.
“Like saying he’d never been here to New Hope, but he knew about the old root cellar. He made a joke about it. And he mentioned the house used to be a different color.” Sunny lifted her shoulder. “Little things,” she repeated in a mutter and then fell silent.
Livvy didn’t answer right away. Her mind was already racing, latching onto every detail. Little things. That was what predators got caught on—details they didn’t mean to drop, slips they didn’t think mattered.
But they mattered to Livvy.
Her gut stirred, sharp and uneasy. She knew those kinds of inconsistencies weren’t just forgettable quirks. They were cracks in a carefully built lie. And she’d learned, sometimes the hard way, to never ignore those cracks.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, gaze settling on the horizon, but her thoughts were miles ahead. If he was lying about never being here, what else was Anthony hiding? And why?
Livvy pressed her palm against her belly, grounding herself. Then she looked at Sunny again. “How did Zadie meet him, and how long were they together?”
“She met him about three months ago, when he came here to New Hope to write an article. He’s a blogger and does stories about unique businesses and buildings in Texas.
” Sunny’s voice cracked, and she paused again.
“Zadie and he started dating shortly thereafter, and they ended things about a week ago.”
“Why?” Livvy had to know.
Sunny shook her head. “Zadie refused to say, but he broke her heart—I could tell. So, he must have done something so despicable that she didn’t want to let me in on it.
Maybe because she was too embarrassed or because she thought I’d go after him and make him pay for hurting my sister. Zadie doesn’t have a temper, but I do.”
Livvy could definitely see the anger, but at the moment, grief was winning the emotional battle. If Sunny had had anything to do with her sister’s death, she was certainly putting on an award-winning performance.
“Would Zadie have left here with Anthony last night?” Ethan asked.
“I wouldn’t think so.” Sunny’s gaze slashed to Chloe. “Would she?” There was a plea in her voice. She didn’t want that possibility to be true.
“I don’t know,” Chloe admitted.
“She could have gone with him,” Sunny murmured, and she got to her feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this now. I just can’t do this,” she insisted, and she hurried out of the room.
Livvy and Ethan didn’t go after her, but they would have to question her more. Sunny might have vital information to ID her sister’s killer. But Chloe might as well.
“Other than Anthony is there anyone else who might have wanted to harm Zadie?” Livvy came out and asked.
When Chloe shook her head, Livvy added, “Maybe a disgruntled former client? I mean, not everyone can be happy about the results they get here.”
Chloe sighed and glanced out the window again. So did Livvy when she caught the blur of motion. Sunny. She was running past the two pregnant women and toward the back of the garden.
“There’s a small creek back there,” Chloe said, “and it’s one of Sunny’s favorite spots. I’ll give her a few minutes and then go to her, if that’s all right.”
Those few minutes might get stretched out a bit, depending on Chloe’s responses to their questions, but Livvy agreed that Sunny needed to be checked out.
“Possible disgruntled clients?” Ethan prompted Chloe.
She sighed, nodded. “Yes, there are some who aren’t happy with the results. Infertility puts a tremendous amount of strain on a couple’s relationship and the couple themselves.”
Even though it was barely noticeable, Livvy saw a muscle tighten in Ethan’s jaw. Maybe Chloe had hit a nerve. Or it could be any mention of fertility issues triggered memories of Isabel.
“Some clients grow tired of waiting and opt out,” Chloe explained. “Some decide to end all treatments and try the adoption route. A handful of those might believe they wasted their time and money here.”
“We need names,” Ethan said.
Chloe sighed again. “I’m afraid you’ll have to get a warrant for that. Or try to get one anyway. As you know, privacy of medical records is protected under the law.”
They were, and Livvy knew they probably wouldn’t get a warrant for a deep dive into the clients’ treatments. Still, they might get names.
“This is a murder investigation,” Ethan reminded Chloe, and his tone was all cop now. “One of those disgruntled clients could have murdered Zadie. If you’re harboring a killer, do you want that on your conscience?”
Ethan was clearly playing hardball with the woman.
But Chloe didn’t jump to give in. “I’ll speak with our lawyer and get back to you on that.
I’m not promising anything,” she tacked on as she leaned back against the sofa.
“I know who you are, Deputy Oakley. Your wife was here, and she mentioned you were a police officer. I suppose I could count her as one of those not pleased with the services here.”
Livvy silently groaned. Chloe was playing hardball, too.
“My wife’s not a murder suspect. She’s dead,” Ethan stated, his voice flat. But Livvy figured he was trying to tamp down a whole lot of emotion.
Chloe flinched but quickly regained her composure. “I’m sorry for your loss. But I brought her up to show you why privacy is important to our clients. You wouldn’t want people poring over the details of her visit here.”
Ethan was no doubt ready to respond to that, but the sound of footsteps approaching stopped him.
They shifted their attention toward the arched entry and saw a man step into the room.
It had to be Chloe’s brother. They shared the same dark brown eyes, and the shape of his face was like his sister’s.
And like Chloe, his hair was gray, but it didn’t make him look old.
Formidable.
That was the first word that popped into Livvy’s head. Then, a whispered thought followed. Familiar.
But he wasn’t. Not really. She didn’t know him. At least she didn’t remember knowing him.
“They’re here about Zadie?” he asked, looking at Chloe. His voice was formidable, too.
Chloe nodded, and she seemed to shrink under her brother’s scrutiny. Franklin then slid a glance at Ethan and her. A stony one. “Should we have our lawyers present for this questioning?” he snapped.
“That’s up to you,” Ethan replied, returning the stony look. “Or we can have this conversation at the police station.”
Clearly, that didn’t please Franklin, and he looked ready to return verbal fire. But the sound stopped him.
A bloodcurdling scream came from outside.