Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele) - Page 8

Trent pointed his pen at Tony. “And your ex-wife? How did things end there?”

“Claudia was over us before I was. She saw fit to take up with her Pilates instructor.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Amanda said.

“Don’t be. If my marriage to Claudia hadn’t fallen apart, I never would have found Alicia.” His shoulders hunched forward, and it was like his entire body went slack like a puppet whose strings were cut.

“Where did you and Alicia meet?” Trent asked, voicing the question in a gentle manner.

“One year ago in Washington. I was there for a conference on accounting tax law, and Alicia was meeting with a client in the area. We found ourselves at a hotel bar one night. We both ordered a double shot of Jameson on the rocks—at the same time. Our eyes met, and the rest was history. We were married six months later.” His eyes filled with fresh tears, and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

Brad shifted on the couch. Discomfort, grief? Both? “This must have felt like a whirlwind to you,” she said, directing this to Brad.

“It was… at first. But Tony made Mom happy. That’s all that really mattered.”

He seemed rather nonchalant about his mother’s fast run down the aisle with Tony. And she had to wonder if it was a tough front he was putting on. She hadn’t heard Brad call Tony “Dad” once, but she said, “You two seem to have hit it off as well.” She drew a finger from Brad to Tony.

Tony patted Brad’s knee. “He’s a good kid.”

Brad gave him a tight smile, emotionally reserved. “You’re all right.”

“Jeez, thanks.” Tony’s voice was light, but it was overshadowed by grief.

“You live at home, Brad?” Amanda asked, longing for a better feel of the family’s dynamics.

“No, I rent a place in Washington with some friends.”

“He goes to Georgetown.” Tony peacocked with pride.

“Oh, impressive. And you’re home now because… Oh, it’s spring break?” Sometimes her college days felt like a lifetime ago.

“Yep, until the twenty-seventh.”

And yet Alicia saw fit to get away now? Tony had just told them one of the reasons Alicia was looking to sell her business was to spend more time with Leo. By extension and factoring in the photograph, one would take that to mean the family as a whole. “This may be tough to answer, but do you know if Alicia was feeling depressed?” This particular question she was directing at Tony.

“No way. She was on top of the world. Why do you ask?” Tony’s face shadowed.

Trying to rule out suicide… “Just part of the investigation.”

“Part of the invest—” Tony’s body collapsed into itself with a giant sob. He wiped away the tears that now fell and held up a hand. “Sorry, I-I just can’t believe this is happening, has happened.”

“There’s no way Mom would have hurt herself. Someone did this to her. Had to have…” Brad sniffled and wiped at his eyes, falling apart next to Tony.

Shock had acted as a buffer and absorbed the initial blow, but it had subsided, visibly leaving both men with raw grief. “No need to apologize. At all.” Sadly, she could relate to what Tony was going through. There were days in the last seven years she didn’t think she’d survive the pain of losing her husband and daughter. And her previous friendship with Tony somehow had her taking on his sorrow. But she had to deny those feelings, or they’d capsize her. She had to focus on the cold facts.

Alicia had been a prominent businesswoman and likely worth a lot of money, if business statements were any indicator. Someone in the wings may be impatient to inherit. She glanced at Brad. The poor kid was disintegrating in front of them. She cleared her throat, reminding herself to remain professional and objective. It was also possible that despite lavish appearances Alicia was in major debt, even near to foreclosure on her house. It couldn’t be ignored either that given her social presence and profile, Alicia would have attracted enemies. “Do you know of anyone who might have had an issue with your mother?”

“Now you’re, ah, talking murder?” Brad swallowed roughly, and Tony wrapped an arm around him.

“I realize it must be hard to think it’s possible, but—”

“No.” Brad cut Amanda off. “Why would anyone?” He passed a cutting gaze to Tony, and he withdrew his arm.

There could be many reasons, but Amanda would let that avenue go unexplored fully—for now. “What happens to Alicia’s money and the business now that she’s gone?”

Tony blew out a large puff of air. “Most of it falls to me, including the business.”

Amanda didn’t like the sound of that. They’d married quick, and the inheritance could be seen as motive.

Brad pulled back. “You don’t want it? Is that why you’re puffing over there?”

“I never once said that I didn’t.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

Tony’s jaw clenched for the briefest of seconds, then he faced Brad. “New Belle was your mother’s dream, and I supported her with that. I will do whatever she would have wanted.”

“Sell it? You’re going to sell it?” Brad’s voice was rising incrementally with every word.

“Please,” Tony beseeched him. “I don’t know yet. It’s far too soon for me to even…” He massaged his forehead. “I can’t even make sense of all this right now.”

“It’s understandable you’d need time,” Trent said.

Tony and Brad remained quiet.

Trent went on. “While Alicia was at the cabin last night, where were you?”

“Here with the boys.”

Here with the boys…Alicia had left home to think about the future of her business, something she wanted to sell to spend more time with her family. Yet she’d chosen this time—when her eldest was home—to slip away for a couple of days? Possible, but a little hard to reconcile. The fact Alicia had been reflecting on a family portrait would almost suggest she was struggling with the decision to go ahead with her plan to sell. Maybe family wasn’t as important as her business after all. Or maybe she was trying to tell herself selling was the right decision—the faces of her family enough to bolster her courage. Amanda glanced at Brad, and he met her gaze. Maybe she was making too much out of Alicia’s brief getaway. Brad was an adult child and wouldn’t need as much attention as Leo. And just because Brad was in the area for spring break, that didn’t mean he planned to spend every waking moment with his family. He probably had plans to hang around with his friends in town.

Tags: Carolyn Arnold Thriller
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