Chapter 346 Questions and Answers
ADRIANA
The evening had settled into a quiet gloom by the time I heard Hazel's distinctive footsteps echoing down the corridor. The door swung open, revealing her silhouette against the dim hallway light. She looked as drained as I felt, the day's investigation weighing heavily on us both.
"I'm guessing that the both of us have a lot to tell each other." Her eyes met mine across the room. "I can see it on your face."
She moved with practiced efficiency, dropping her bag by the door before settling into the chair opposite me. The familiar scent of her jasmine perfume cut through the stale air of the office.
"I'll go first." She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "I reached out to the phone company and got Alisha's records." Her eyebrows drew together. "For the past three months, Alisha has been calling Lucy over six times everyday." She shook her head slowly. "I don't know but... I think that's crazy. What do you think was going on between them? That surely wasn't to remind her about their nail appointment."
I'd completely forgotten that she hadn't been in the room when Tobias revealed the twisted truth about their relationships.
I gave her a quick rundown of Tobias's confession, watching as her expression shifted from curiosity to shock, then to grim understanding. I promised she could listen to the full recording later, but needed her to grasp the essentials now.
"Tobias and Alisha were having sex because Tobias loved Lucy but Lucy didn't like him and he dated Alisha to make Lucy jealous but Lucy didn't care and Alisha found out and lost it and Tobias then found out that Alisha loved Lucy and not him or Tim. She loved Lucy."
She just sat there, processing everything that I had said, her fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the desk's surface.
"Seems like a lot." Hazel finally broke the silence. "Alisha showed the classic signs of obsession. I'm not surprised. That would explain the constant calling, especially after Lucy found out she tried to seduce her husband."
Figures.
"What about the day of the murder?" I leaned forward, my pulse quickening. "How many times did she call?"
"Once in the morning and twice in the afternoon."
I pictured the timeline unfolding in my mind. That must have been before she went to Lucy's cabin.
I stood up and walked over to the evidence board, its surface covered in photos and connection strings. "So, she calls Lucy and she doesn't pick up and she goes to her office, has the whole argument with Sandy, finds out where she is, leaves and then goes there to see Lucy." My finger traced the path on the board. "We don't know what happens between them there but we know that Lucy dies. Now, here's what I'm thinking. Alisha took the pregnancy test. I don't know why but I know that Tim walks in on her in the house and she hides in the kitchen cabinet which won't be hard given her history of flexibility." I paused, letting the image sink in. "While Tim is outside wailing for his dead wife, Alisha placed a call to the coast guard about the fire and then when the coast guard comes and sees Tim and then takes him away to his office, Alisha breaks open the window but sees that it's impossible to climb out of it so she used the door."
Hazel nodded, her eyes following my movements across the board. "But I have just one issue. How did Alisha get out of the house if the coast guard locked the door? He obviously didn't throw the key back in."
"No, he didn't." I turned to face her. "If I were your best friend and I had a cabin, wouldn't you have the key to it?"
She gave me a look, one eyebrow arched. "You do have a cabin, three in fact. And am I not your best friend?"
I looked at her and didn't answer because I knew that she would most definitely use my own words against me. But then I found an argument. "Am I yours?"
That left her speechless and brought her strong front down.
"That's not the point." She waved away my retort. "Okay, so Alisha uses the key to get out. That's how she gets away. But where is Alisha to pay for her crimes?"
I'd also forgotten that she hadn't been here when Luke called. I told her what Luke had said about the "freak accident," and she didn't seem shocked at all.
"Well, that makes sense because that would explain the freak accident. She wanted us to really think that she died. But do you think Tobias helped her?"
"Why would you think that Tobias helped her?"
She stood up as her phone rang, the sharp trill cutting through our conversation. "Maybe for the same reason he hid the fact that he and Alisha were sleeping together. If you hadn't confronted him, do you think he would have told you?"
I really didn't know the answer to that. But he didn't deny it when I spoke about it.
I really didn't want to think Tobias had anything to do with this.
She didn't pick up her phone though, and it kept ringing insistently.
"But if he helped Alisha escape, what would he get out of it?"
"Now, that is the million dollar question."
If I had to bring Tobias back here to interrogate him again, I might lose it. Why was he keeping these things and letting me find out on my own?
She finally picked up her phone and slapped it to her ear. "What?!"
She spent a few moments on the phone, her expression shifting from annoyance to surprise.
"Okay." She ended the call and faced me. "The doctor that treated Lucy, he's here."
Perfect. I had something to ask him.
We stayed for a few minutes while the guards brought him up. When he entered the room, I was struck by how young he was. He was a fine young man with blonde hair that caught the light and the perfect set of blue eyes. Strikingly handsome, as some people say.
"My Queen. Beta." He bowed slightly, his movements precise and practiced.
"Please, take a seat, doctor..."
"Jones. Winston Jones."
I noticed how precise his movements were as he dropped his bag and placed his hands on his knees, his posture impeccable.
"I hear you're Lucy's friend and doctor. I'm genuinely so sorry for your loss and I hope you can find comfort in her legacy."
There was a sad smile on his lips but it went as quickly as it came.
"I hear you have questions for me, My Queen. About Lucy, I suppose?"
"Yes, of course." I leaned forward, trying to put him at ease. "I've been speaking to Sandy a lot since the investigation started and I learned only recently about your plans with her to make Lucy pregnant and how it all turned out."
I could see the panic in his eyes.
"I assure you that all that we did was out of goodwill. We never meant any harm—"
"Winston, don't be afraid." I held up my hand to stop his explanation. "I'm not here to judge you. In fact, I think what you did is... honorable. I mean, going that far just so that she would be able to carry her own baby? Even when you knew you could get in trouble, it is admirable."
He let out a deep breath and relaxed, the tension visibly draining from his shoulders.
"Thank you, My Queen."