Pamela Toth - Wedlocked?!

“And did Ryan corroborate her story?” Annie persisted.

His frown deepened. “Ryan wasn’t aware it was missing,” he finally admitted.

“And why not?” It was important Annie put the pieces together, and the bracelet was the most damning piece of evidence the other side had.

Cole sat back in his chair and glared as though she were the enemy. “I don’t know why not.”

She got to her feet. “That’s precisely why I need to talk to your mother. If someone did frame her, they had to have that bracelet with them at the time of the murder. How many people knew she was going to be at the hotel for the banquet?”

“I have no idea. Her room was comped and any number of hotel employees could have known.” He pulled a calendar out of his drawer and flipped through it. “Let me call and set up a time for us to see her.”

“No. Give me her number. I’ll call her and I’ll go talk to her.” Annie refused to let him run her investigation. When he raked a hand through his black hair and she saw the worry in his eyes, she relented slightly. “I know what I’m doing,” she said. “Let me do my job.”

Cole appeared about to argue when his intercom buzzed. Muttering a soft curse, he picked up his phone. After a moment, he held it out to Annie. “It’s Mom,” he said, resignation in his voice. “She wants to see you.”

“So you’re the same Annie Jones my son used to know before he moved to Denver,” Lily said just as Annie was about to take a sip from the tall, sweating glass of iced tea brought by the housekeeper Lily had introduced as Rosita.

The two women were sitting in the shade of the inner courtyard at Ryan’s sprawling ranch house, surrounded by well-tended pots of flowering vines and exotic grasses. Nearby a fountain gurgled softly. The day was warm, but Lily’s comment sent a sudden chill through Annie, and she set her glass down abruptly.

“That’s right,” she replied, grateful her voice was just as steady as Lily’s gaze. “Cole and I were lovers six years ago. It ended badly.” Perhaps her candor would head off any more questions.

The older woman seemed to relax, as if she’d been expecting evasion, even lies, and was relieved to hear the truth.

“You don’t have to tell me anything more,” she said as she selected a cookie from the silver tray. Her engagement ring, studded with precious stones, flashed a rainbow of colors in the sunlight. “I haven’t said anything about it to my son, but I thought I remembered your name.”

“You may have noticed some awkwardness between us,” Annie replied without thinking. “I’m sure Cole resents my presence as well as my involvement in this case.” Now why had she added that? His mother would naturally take his side if she knew the details Annie had no intention of revealing. Heat climbed up her cheeks, heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air around them.

To her surprise, except for a flicker of satisfaction, Lily’s expression remained pleasantly friendly as she bit into a delicate lemon wafer. Annie was relieved the older woman wasn’t going to grill her. Taking the opportunity to change the subject, she opened the folder she’d brought with her and uncapped her pen. One by one, she dealt with the list of questions she’d jotted down earlier.

“You weren’t wearing the ruby bracelet at the hotel?”

“No,” Lily replied without hesitating. “I’d lost it before then.”

“But you didn’t tell Ryan. Why was that?”

“Because it was valuable, and I knew he’d want to replace it right away,” Lily explained. “That’s the way he is. I thought someone who knew it was mine might find it.” Her smile wobbled around the edges. “I guess I was right.”

Her explanation carried the ring of truth; Annie figured a jury might buy it. “How many people knew you were going to be at the Austin Arms that night, besides the staff?”

Lily thought for a moment. “I’m sure my name was mentioned in the advance publicity about the banquet,” she recalled. “Anyone reading the newspaper could have known.”

“Did you see anyone that night who might have wanted to cause Sophia harm?” Annie hoped that Lily might remember something, anything, that would give her a new lead.

Lily’s smile was wry. “I’m sure the woman had a few enemies, but I don’t recall anyone in particular other than the names I already gave the police. Do you have a copy?”

Annie nodded. She had a list of everyone registered at the hotel that night, as well as the other names the police had come up with.

“I told them a while ago Sophia had tried to bribe me to stop seeing Ryan,” Lily said. “When that didn’t work, she threatened me. I don’t suppose telling them was the smartest thing to do.”

“Being honest is never a mistake,” Annie told her. “Especially if you’re innocent.”

“You haven’t made up your mind about that yet, have you?” Lily asked, smiling.

Annie surprised herself by smiling back. “I’m working on it.” She was beginning to like Cole’s mother. Despite her own words, she was starting to question Lily’s guilt.

She appeared physically fit enough to have committed the crime, but Annie doubted Lily had the strength to overcome the other woman while remaining totally unscathed herself. Except for one unexplained bruise on her upper arm, Lily hadn’t had any scratches or other injuries indicative of the kind of fight suggested by the condition of the suite.

Thanking Lily for her time, Annie closed the notebook. For now, her questions had been answered to her satisfaction. Lily had heard the rumors about Sophia’s affairs, but she had no idea with whom the other woman had been involved.

As Annie took a healthy swallow of her iced tea, Lily suddenly snapped her fingers. “I just remembered something else,” she blurted. “I don’t know how I could have forgotten, but the way Sophia acted was just so hurtful to Ryan that I must have tried to put everything about her out of my mind.” Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

“What is it?” Annie asked hopefully.

“This is third-hand gossip, at least,” Lily said with a nervous laugh, “but you could check with Ryan for more details. He heard it from his niece, Eden.”

“Heard what?” Annie prompted.

“Eden said that Sophia did have an argument with someone at the Austin Arms, where she was killed.”

“The night of the murder?” Annie exclaimed, gaping. “And Eden witnessed it?”

“Wouldn’t that have been convenient?” Lily asked. “No, it was a while ago, and Eden didn’t actually see it. Her husband—well, they weren’t married at the time—he was the one who was there. When the argument turned nasty, he became concerned for Sophia’s safety, so he stepped in. From what he said, she didn’t appreciate his interference. She turned on him like a shrew, demanding that he mind his own business. The whole scene must have been very unpleasant.”

Impatiently Annie waited for Lily to continue. Instead Lily plucked the fresh mint from her glass and sniffed it with obvious appreciation.

“Who was the man?” Annie demanded.

“Eden’s husband?” Lily asked, blinking.

Annie struggled for patience. “No, the man with Sophia.”

“Oh, I thought I told you.” Lily dropped the mint back into her glass. “It was Clint Lockhart. Ryan’s first wife, Janine, was Clint’s sister.”

“Do you think he and Sophia were involved?” Annie asked. “Is he attractive?”

Lily shivered delicately. “I certainly don’t think so, but there’s no accounting for some people’s taste. I guess you could say he was handsome in a very obvious way, though. I didn’t know him well, but he had an arrogance about him that made me uncomfortable. As though he expected women to drop at his feet.”