CHAPTER19
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Detective Sparks smiled when she pulled up to the Davis residence and saw the Range Rover parked in the driveway. I love it when a plan comes together, she thought. She’d been beating herself up about how to get the three of them in the same room together and here they were, just waiting.
“Come on Pete, let’s go catch us a killer.” He was all but jumping out of his skin. His first murder case and it had taken them less then four days to solve it. Well, almost. They still needed a confession, but either way, they were going to arrest someone today of that he was certain.
Niall wasn’t as aggressive when he answered the door to the police this time. Given his earlier thoughts he would’ve been the one calling them after the holiday was over, but it seemed the pesky detective didn’t take a day off.
“Detective, officer, won’t you come in?” Detective Sparks noticed the change in him when he opened the door and wondered at it. She guessed that was part of the grieving process, and after what she’d read in his wife’s journal she had another explanation for what and who he was. She greeted the other couple who got to their feet when she walked in.
“Detective, don’t you think you’re going a bit too far? It’s Sunday for heaven’s sake, can’t you give the poor man a break from all this?” Riley O’Rourke sure seemed defensive she thought, as if her doing her job was somehow an affront to him.
“It’s okay Ri, she’s just doing her job I suppose.”
“Thank you sir, I’m glad you two are here, this concerns you as well.”
“Us? but how? Have you found something?” Valerie sat on the edge of her seat with the Bloody Mary that she’d just been enjoying before the doorbell rang in her hand.
“As a matter of fact.” Detective Sparks looked around the room, “where are your children Mr. Davis?”
“They’re out back with the nanny, why?”
“And your housekeeper?”
“In the kitchen, why are you asking me these nonsensical questions?”
Niall was beginning to rethink his easy acquiescence. “Just making sure no wandering ears are about that’s all. So, as you know we’ve found some things to go on at the murder scene, things we had not shared with you. It took some doing but we were finally able to get into your wife’s phone.”
“And?” Niall leaned forward in his chair his Gin and Tonic all but forgotten now. He wanted to hear her next words almost as much as he dreaded to. It’s true that he’d made up his mind to be more cooperative but that decision didn’t make this any easier.
“Your wife was indeed having an affair with someone in this room, and someone in this room is also responsible for her death but they are not one and the same.” She let her words sink in as she took in all their reactions. The tension in the room had gone up astronomically.
“I knew it.” Valerie screamed into the silence. All eyes turned to her as she jumped up from her seat and turned a venomous glare on her husband before smacking him hard across the face.”
Riley who was too bemused by the news didn’t pay his wife’s reaction too much mind as officer Bailey dragged her off to the other side of the room away from him with a stern warning to stay put lest he was forced to cuff her.
“I knew you were fucking that slut.” Valerie growled at her husband with murder in her eyes. Breasts heaving, ears ringing, she wanted blood, his blood. Oh the humiliation. She’d suspected, oh how she’d suspected, she was nobody’s fool. But the lies…
“And that’s why you killed her isn’t it Mrs. O’Rourke?” Detective Sparks dropped that bombshell and waited for the chips to fall.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Valerie dropped down in the nearest chair and took a great big gulp of the chilling liquid in her glass. She needed the kick of vodka to shore her up some.
“It was a neat trick, buying the acid under your company name. But because you bought the dummy under that name as well, when we cross checked they both came back to you.”
“I bought that acid for a new painting experiment, something I’m sure you’d know nothing about, and it’s pretty common, besides anyone could’ve bought it.” There was no give in her; no way she was going to let this nobody stick the blame on her for killing that slut.
Niall was still in shock at the news that his wife had really been having an affair. Suspecting it was one thing but hearing the words spoken out loud like that were shattering. She’d really done it. The woman who smiled in his face every morning, made love to him at night, had betrayed him with another man. How will he ever learn to trust again?
“Wait what do you mean the reason she killed her?” He turned his eyes to the woman in question before looking back at her husband. “So it really was you.” He made a rush for Riley but was stopped halfway by officer Bailey.
“Calm down sir, I wouldn’t want to have to cuff you, that wouldn’t be good for anyone. Now you just sit here and listen.” Riley who was finally coming out of his fugue state got his feet ready to charge. “I don’t know what any of this is about, but I know for damn sure I never slept with Sonya, she was like a sister to me.”
“Some sister!” Valerie screeched as Niall sat back with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth as the truth hit him. Detective Sparks walked over to stand in front of him.
“Mr. Davis, I’m sorry to have given you the wrong impression sir, I had to do it that way for effect. It’s a cheap trick I know but it has great staying power. The truth is, your wife didn’t have a lover.”
“What do you mean? You said…”