Celeste Files: Unlocked Part 14

"But how do you feel about Sandra leaving Tracy some of her estate?"

"I'm still trying to digest that Tracy even existed."

"Of course." Clay nodded. "Again, how are your finances?"

"We have debt that we're trying to pay down."

"According to your husband, you two are doing just fine."

"That's because he doesn't pay the bills." She wiped her nose, then sighed. "Look, we're keeping our heads above water, but there never seems to be enough money. Even with both of us working. Daycare is expensive. Living in Chicago is expensive." She shook her head. "I'll admit the inheritance from my mom will help with our debt, but honestly, I'd rather keep the debt if that meant I could spend one more day with my mom."

"What about your sister and her husband?"

"I don't know about their finances. My sister is very private when it comes to money."

Mathews nodded. "Many people are, but she doesn't have a problem showing it off." He thumbed at his chest. "Even this old geezer knows a name brand when he sees it. I have a feeling the clothes your sister and brother-in-law are wearing tonight are equal to my weekly paycheck."

"They like nice things and can afford it. I don't begrudge Lea for that. I'm happy for her."

"Your husband doesn't seem happy for them," Mathews said. "He seems to think they're credit cards are maxed and that your sister's car is going to be repossessed. Know anything about that?"

Oh, no. Celeste's chest tightened with unease. Dale had never said anything to the detectives about Lea's maxed-out credit cards or repossessed car. But she had. Celeste had told both George and Clay what Dale had said the day she had gone to Kelly's to pick up the girls for daycare. Kelly had been in the room when her husband and sister had argued. Would she remember the argument or that Celeste had witnessed it?

"It doesn't surprise me that Dale would tell you those things about my sister and brother-in-law. It's no secret Lea and Dale hate each other. He makes nasty remarks about her or to her face whenever he has the chance. It's embarra.s.sing."

Clay slid the notepad and pen toward Kelly. "Can you give us the name and number of your boss? We'll need to verify that you were working from home. We'll also need your computer so our tech guys can confirm you were logged into your boss's network."

"Whatever you need, my husband and I will cooperate," she said, then quickly wrote on the notepad. When she was finished, she pushed it back to Clay. "Will we still be able to have my mom's memorial service tomorrow?"

"Yes, ma'am. Once the medical examiner is finished with his findings, we'll let you and the funeral home director know." Clay stood, then opened the door. "Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sorry for your loss. An officer will take you to your husband. You two are free to go."

As Kelly left the room, Celeste noticed fresh tears streaming down her friend's face. Her throat tightened and she had to look away. She couldn't imagine the thoughts running through Kelly's head.

"Here." Jamie offered her a box of tissue. "Hang in there. We only have one more interview left."

A few minutes later, Jamie looked away from her computer and toward the mirror. "Here we go."

Celeste glanced to the mirror and noticed Lea was already seated at the table. Her face was unusually pale and dark smudges underscored her eyes. "I need to get home to my daughter. Will this take long?" she asked the two detectives.

"Not if you cooperate," Clay said, then proceeded to ask her questions similar to what they'd asked the others. "So you and your husband don't own a gun and you can confirm he was home with you Tuesday night."

"Yes, exactly."

"Where were you Wednesday?"

"I dropped my daughter at the daycare around eight to make my eight-thirty, one-hour ma.s.sage. From there I had a manicure and pedicure." Her chin wobbled slightly. "Then I stopped by my mom's for a short visit." Lea pressed the back of her hand to her mouth as if trying to compose herself. Moments later, she said, "After I left my mom's, I did a little shopping before meeting a friend for lunch at Del Frisco's."

She pulled a thick Gucci wallet that matched her purse, then began pulling out receipts. "Fortunately I haven't cleaned this thing out in a while," she said, sorting through the receipts. "Here's one for the ma.s.sage, another from Nordstrom, and the restaurant." She set a bright red paper on the desk. "This is the parking ticket I got while I was having lunch."

Detective Mathew's picked up the receipts and ticket. "The parking ticket is time-stamped at two forty-five."

"Yes, the restaurant closes for lunch at three." Lea put her wallet away. "After I left, I picked up Zoe from her daycare, then went home. Belle Enfant is the daycare I use. They can tell you exactly what time I picked up my daughter."

"This is very helpful and we appreciate your cooperation." Clay opened the file in front of him. "Just a few more questions and you'll be on your way. Do you know this woman?" he asked, and gave her the driver's license photo of Tracy.

She studied the picture. "No. Do you think she had something to do with my mom's death?"

"Not unless her ghost did it," Mathews said.

She looked between the detectives. "She's dead? How is she connected to my mom?"

Detective Mathews pointed to the picture. "Tracy Saunders is your mother's daughter."

Lea quickly looked back to the photograph. "Impossible."

"I can a.s.sure you it's true. DNA tests from nine months ago confirmed it."

"Nine months? How can this be? Why wouldn't my mom tell us?" She set the picture down and rubbed her temple. "Never mind. What happened to this woman?"

"Tracy was murdered, which is why we want to autopsy Sandra. It's just a little too coincidental that both women died within hours of each other."

Lea picked up the photo again. "I agree one-hundred percent. But I can't imagine who would want my mom or this woman dead."

"Three people stand to gain a lot of money, once your mother's will is read. One of them is dead."

"My mom included this stranger in her will?"

"How do you feel about that, Mrs. Westfield?" Clay asked.

"Honestly? Angry, betrayed. It was her money to do with as she pleased, but to keep this secret from us? I don't understand why she wouldn't have told my sister and me. Wait, does my father know? Kelly and I haven't been able to get in touch with him and he didn't show up at the funeral home."

"That's because he and his girlfriend are currently on a cruise in the Caribbean."

"Nice of him to tell us he was leaving the country." She gave the photograph back to Clay. "I'll give you anything you need to help find out who did this. I'm sorry someone murdered my...half-sister, but I hope you're wrong about my mom. Dying from cancer was hard enough to swallow, suicide was even worse. But murder?" A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly swiped it away. "My mom suffered so much during the past few years. She didn't deserve to have someone take her life."

As the detectives wrapped up the interview, then ushered Lea from the room, Celeste leaned into the chair. "I was wrong."

"Not necessarily," Jamie said, as she saved the video recording.

"They all had an alibi and each one of them was willing to cooperate." Celeste jumped when the door opened, then quickly stood as Clay and Detective Mathews entered the room. "I'm sorry. I really thought-"

Clay held up a hand. "Nothing to be sorry for. Did you pick up on anything during the interviews?"

"Nothing." She pressed a fist to her queasy stomach. "I feel horrible I just put those people through all of this."

"Don't," Detective Mathews said. "We know for sure Tracy Saunders was murdered. Even if the ME finds that Sandra had indeed committed suicide, Milwaukee PD would have interviewed the four of them anyway. Again, the timing of both deaths are just too coincidental."

Although the detective had a point, it still didn't alleviate the guilt. Or the confusion. She'd been so certain that Lea, or maybe her husband, had everything to do with Tracy and Sandra's death. She hadn't wanted to be right, but she'd also selfishly hoped that once their killer was found, she could gain control of the trances.

Now she was left with self-doubt, regret and more unanswered questions. The people who stood to gain the most from Tracy and Sandra's deaths had legitimate alibis. Who else could have wanted them dead? And would they kill again?

Chapter 13.

EXHAUSTED FROM TOSSING and turning throughout the night, Celeste smothered a yawn, then poured coffee into her favorite gnome mug. When the timer dinged, signaling Olivia's pancakes were finished, she opened the microwave and pulled out the plate. John came into the kitchen, gave Olivia a kiss on the head, then wrapped an arm around Celeste's waist. She stopped cutting up the pancakes long enough to give him a kiss, then swatted his hand when he stole a piece of Olivia's pancake.

"I'm starving and Livy doesn't mind sharing with her daddy. Isn't that right?"

"Dada," Olivia replied, and smacked her tray.

He chuckled and leaned against the counter, then nudged her. "Doing any better today?"

"I'm tired. I didn't sleep well."

"I know."

She looked at him. "I'm sorry if I kept you awake."

"No biggie. I know you have a lot on your mind. Like I told you last night, listen to the detectives. This isn't over. The autopsy isn't finished, alibis haven't been checked..."

"I know. But I can't stop thinking about it and what I put Kelly and her family through."

"Are you going to the memorial service?"

She nodded, then placed the plate of pancakes on Olivia's tray. Her daughter immediately picked up the plate, then dumped the contents. "Looks like she has your manners."

He chuckled. "Right. Because I always eat off the table."

"Barbarian," she said with a grin, and picked up her coffee mug. "The service is at noon. I'm taking Olivia to the church with me, then heading into work to take care of a few things." She took a sip of coffee, then set the mug on the counter. "I feel so unattached to the bakery right now. I can't believe I wasn't in there once this weekend."

"And yet the place survived without you." He bent and let Olivia feed him a piece of her pancake. "Maybe this is a good indicator that you don't need to spend every weekend there."

"True," she said, and watched as Olivia gave John another piece. "You do realize she just discovered she has nostrils, right?"

He slowly chewed, then swallowed. "She picks her nose?"

Celeste grinned. "I told you she has your manners."

John made a face at Olivia, who giggled, then he turned to Celeste. "I was going to see if you'd make me something to eat, but I've lost my appet.i.te." He stepped into the hall, then returned with his coat. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch Olivia today? Ian said I could work from home if I need to."

"No, that's okay. Livy likes going to the bakery and knows exactly where to find the chocolate chip cookies. If she's bad at the church, we'll leave." She approached him and twined her arms around his neck. "I thought I'd make us a nice dinner, since you'll be dining on takeout for the next few days."

"Don't remind me. I'm not looking forward to leaving again." He placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. "Since you're concerned about what I'm eating, I'm a.s.suming you're also concerned about what neither of us will be getting while I'm gone." He slid his hand over her rear. "I think tonight calls for going out of town s.e.x."

"Going out of town s.e.x? I think we could schedule that in," she said with a smile.

After he kissed Olivia good-bye, then gave Celeste another kiss-this one holding promise for what was to come later-he left. Celeste locked the door behind him, then checked the kitchen clock. She had over three hours before she needed to leave. Plenty of time to shower and tackle a little paperwork.

While Olivia finished shoveling the pancakes into her mouth, Celeste considered calling George to ask him if he'd spoken with the detectives she'd met last night. She decided to wait until later this afternoon. She had no idea when the ME would perform Sandra's autopsy, and the detectives would need time to confirm alibis. Still, she was dying to know what the detectives thought about the interviews-and her.

Celeste picked up her cell phone, bypa.s.sed George's number and called Maxine. "Morning," she said, when Maxine answered.

"How did everything go yesterday?" Maxine asked.

Celeste explained what had happened at the funeral home, as well as the police station. "The Milwaukee police know for a fact Tracy was murdered, but maybe I was wrong about Sandra. I'm wondering if my memory of the trance is skewed. I mean, what if Sandra contacted me to make sure her daughter's body was found?" As stupid as the possibility sounded, what other explanation did she have?

"Anything is possible when we don't understand the impossible," Maxine said. "Try not to worry about this until you've been presented with all the facts."

"That's easier said than done, but I'll try." She cleaned Olivia's face and hands, then took her out of the highchair. "I'll call you when I know something."

"Please do. I'm anxious to hear what the detectives find."

She set Olivia on the hardwood floor and watched her toddle into the living room. "One more thing before I go. I talked with John and he's still concerned about leaving Olivia alone with me-especially during bath-time."

"I admit that I have my concerns, too."

"Me, too," she confessed. "But I don't know what to do. I can't have someone here to babysit me while John's out of town. John thinks I should stay on the phone with someone during bath-time, which is fine, but what if I slip into a trance while I'm cooking or cleaning, and Olivia is loose around the condo?"

"Again, this is concerning, but I might have a solution. When is John leaving again?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"Would the two of you be able to come to my house in the afternoon? Say, around four o'clock?"

Celeste quickly opened her calendar and checked tomorrow's schedule. "I'm good for that time, let me check with John and I'll get back to you." She closed the calendar. "What's your possible solution?"

"In case I'm wrong, I don't want to say anything yet. Just let me know if that time works, otherwise I'll arrange my schedule around yours." Maxine paused. "This is very important, Celeste, and something that definitely needs to be addressed until we can get your trances under control."

Maxine was putting a huge dent in her confidence. "I know. I'll call you soon."

"Please do. And good luck today."

A knock rapped at the front door. "Thanks, Maxine. For everything," she said, as she headed for the door. "Someone's here. I'll talk to you later."

After she ended the call, she looked through the peephole, then quickly unlocked the door. "Kelly," she said, then quickly embraced her friend. Kelly looked as if she hadn't slept and had stayed up all night crying. "Oh, my G.o.d. Is everything okay?"

Kelly let out a ragged sob and squeezed her tight. "Nothing is okay. I'm sorry to barge over, but I needed to talk to someone."

"It's okay. Please, come in." After shutting the door, she led Kelly into the kitchen. "Can I get you anything? Coffee, something to eat?"

Kelly shook her head. "I haven't been able to eat a thing for days. It's bad enough I lost my mom, but now..."

Olivia walked over and tugged at Kelly's coat. Fresh tears filled her bloodshot eyes. Kelly looked down and gave Olivia a watery smile. "Hi, sweetie," she said, then ran her fingers along Olivia's curls. She met Celeste's gaze. "I want to pretend my mom is still alive. I want to go back to a week ago when my little world was normal." She glanced to Olivia again. "Right now I want to be in bed, snuggling with my daughter and enjoying her laughter and innocence. Instead, I have to go to my mother's memorial service and deal with a murder investigation."