CHAPTER10
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Valerie reached the gallery just ahead of the cops and opened the doors, turning on the lights and getting the coffee started at the little station she kept in back.
She’d had an assistant once, but found that the girl spent more time on her phone than she did working, and since her place was never overly busy except when she was having a showing there was no longer a need.
Sonya had always helped out when she needed a hand in the past before the children came, but that hadn’t been for a while. As she thought of her friend she wondered how long it was going to take until she no longer did. It was going to take some time she was sure, they’d been such good friends.
They’d done practically everything together, except have children. That was the only place they’d differed. They’d gone away to college together, been married close together; there was so much that they’d shared in their lives. So many milestones.
She didn’t want to dwell too much on it, not now, and especially not with the cops at her door. They came in just as the first drop of coffee dripped into the carafe. “So, detective, you wanted to ask me a few questions?” She didn’t see anything wrong with letting them see her displeasure. She was in mourning after all.
“Yes Mrs. O’Rourke, I came by the ranch yesterday but your husband said he’d given you something to help you sleep. I never got the chance to say, but I’m sorry for you loss. I understand you and the victim had been very close.”
“Yes, we were, we grew up together, here, in this town. Well Sonya lived outside of town but we went to school together here.” Valerie walked over to the huge picture window that lined the front of her gallery and looked out onto the street where she could see people going about their daily lives.
“Can you tell us anything that might help? Who were her other friends? Where did she like to go? Why would she go into the woods? Anything you think might be of help.” She turned to face the detective again.
She’d never had any real dealings with the woman before, had never heard her mentioned really since she’d moved to town years ago and took the job. But now that they were this close she was surprised to find the other woman as beautiful as she was.
She had an exotic look to her. Midnight black hair with curls that spiraled down her back and over her shoulders. Wide bright blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight coming through the glass.
But it was her mouth, perfect cupid bow lips with just a touch of gloss and those high cheekbones that women were going under the knife these days to achieve. She’d have expected to see someone like that on the runway or in one of her paintings hanging on the wall.
“I’m sorry what?” She shook her head and walked away from the window. Detective Sparks didn’t think much of the way the other woman had been staring at her, she got that a lot from people who were seeing her for the first time.
It was a curse and a blessing all in one her looks. It was because of her looks in a roundabout way that she’d had to move here. The idiot who’d become fixated on her after one ill-fated date had decided that if he couldn’t, as he’d put it, ‘possess her beauty’ then he’d destroy it.
There wasn’t much she could do about her face bar foregoing makeup which she did while she was working, so she usually paid it no mind as she did now. “I asked if you knew of any reason why Mrs. Davis would’ve been in the woods.”
The woman got a very telling look on her face, one that she tried to hide by lowering her head before she walked away, headed for the coffee station that was partially hidden behind a half wall.
“No, I can’t say that I do.” There was something in her voice and both Celia and officer Bailey looked at each other askance. “It would really help us if you could tell us what you know; anything.”
Valerie came back into the room with the steaming cup in her hand, her eyes still trained on the floor. “Well, I don’t really know how to say this but, Celia did tell me something more than a year ago.”
“And what was that?”
“It’s a secret, I’m not very comfortable sharing…” Valerie looked at the two of them undecidedly, making their suspicions rise.
“Ma’am, your friend is dead. If you know something that may shed some light on the situation you will only be helping her.”
“Well!” She pushed her hair behind her ear and walked further into the room. “She said she was having an affair.” The words burned her tongue to say and it was obvious to the other two that they made her very uncomfortable.
“Who with?”
“She didn’t say and I didn’t push. I didn’t say anything because doing so would serve no purpose at this point. Unless… unless it was her lover who killed her. You don’t think…” She approached Detective Sparks with a horrified look on her face.
“Tell us everything she told you about this lover.” Now we’re getting somewhere, Celia thought. I knew we were headed in this direction all along; it was the only thing that made sense. Her face gave nothing of her inner thoughts away though as she reached for her notebook.
“Well, not much to be honest. She was very secretive about it like I said. She only shared the fact that she was having an affair. If I remember correctly it was right after I’d commented on the noticeable change in her. You see, after Abigail was born, Sonya suffered from horrible post partum depression.”
“She and Niall both seemed to be very stressed, which was understandable with the children coming so close together. I tried to help out as much as I could but,” here she waved her hand to encompass the room, “things were very busy around here at the time.”
“Maybe if I’d been more of a friend this wouldn’t have happened. If I’d paid more attention…Oh hell!” She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, coffee seemingly forgotten.
“You can’t blame yourself for what’s happened. I’m sure you were a very good friend.” Detective Sparks felt sorry for the woman who seemed to be really taking it hard. No wonder her husband had sedated her the night before; she was actually shaking with grief.