“Hey, you need to let Gemma lead you through this.” Ty was on Lucy’s right.
“Yes, you need to do everything Gemma tells you.” Michael had completely changed his stance on lawyers. “I don’t like the fact that the CBI is here so quickly. Nate’s about to lose control of this case, and that’s going to make things much harder for all of us. I’m also worried about your friend.”
They’d gotten a call from Nate this morning that the CBI had managed to make it to the lodge. The storm had broken yesterday afternoon and the snowplows had gone to work. A helicopter had brought in the two agents from Lakewood along with a ton of forensic equipment the Bliss County Sheriff’s Office simply didn’t have.
Michael wanted to believe these investigators would do their job and find the real killer, but he was glad to have Gemma sitting in.
“Gemma talked to Van last night,” Lucy assured him. “She’s going to sit in on any interviews either of us might have.”
“Is Chet still in jail?” Ty asked. “He wasn’t able to buy his way out, was he?”
“Hell, no. He’s finding out that small-town jails don’t work the way he thinks they should,” Michael replied. “The judge won’t be back until Monday. He’s sitting his butt at the station house. I hope he enjoys Stella’s burgers because that’s all he’ll be having for a while.”
“Stella’s burgers are awesome. He doesn’t deserve them,” Ty complained.
“I don’t understand why he went off like that. I know he was obnoxious, but he didn’t seem like the kind of man who would turn violent,” Lucy mused. “If anything, I didn’t think he cared for his brother much.”
“I suspect he was on something,” Michael explained.
Ty nodded. “That was my thought, too. I would say he was on some kind of upper. He was shaking and his eyes were red. Since his brother had all that coke in his suite, that would be my suspicion. Paranoia is a real side effect, especially if the person using is already under duress.”
“So he took drugs to make himself feel better and it made him worse?” Lucy asked.
“That happens a lot,” Michael replied. “I should know. Not the drugs, exactly. Self-loathing and anger were my drug of choice. Isolation. In a lot of ways, it’s just as destructive. But I think it was more. He said something about his sister, didn’t he? I don’t remember exactly because I was mostly trying to be as quiet as I could be.”
“Yes.” Lucy’s lips pursed. “He said his sister told him he had to do something about it. Why would she say that?”
“And when did she say it?” Ty asked. “Because Sonya was sedated the night of the murder.”
Lucy seemed to consider the problem. “I have a hard time seeing Kendall being so emotional.”
“You don’t know any of them well enough to let your guard down around them.” The last thing he wanted was one of the Foster siblings getting Lucy’s sympathy.
“Oh, I don’t intend to be in a room with anyone named Foster ever again,” Lucy vowed.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” Ty pressed the button for the elevator. “I got a text from one of the managers I’m friends with about the fact that he’s been in touch with the big boss and he’s not happy. It’s exactly how we thought Mr. Roberts would react. He’s taking his employees’ side. The Fosters aren’t happy either. They’re having all their stuff moved out of the villa and are preparing to sue.”
Lucy had pulled out her phone, looking down at the screen. “Oh. I got a text from Mr. Roberts himself. He says he wants me to know I’ll be safe if I take the job.” She looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “He says he’ll make sure I have any representation I need. He’s going to protect Van and me. He’s not making us go through this alone.”
Relief flooded Michael as the elevator dinged and opened. It was good to know Lucy was going to get her chance. This job was important to her, and he couldn’t stand the thought that it would be over before she’d been able to show how good she would be at it. “I’m glad to know that. Another reason for you to listen to Gemma. If she says it’s okay to answer a question, then it is.”
They entered and the doors closed again. “I thought Nate could share the interview he did that night. How many times will I have to answer the same questions?”
“Hopefully only once more.” Michael didn’t want to tell her it could be a hundred times if the investigators decided to zero in on her. He intended to make sure that didn’t happen. “I want to know more about where the Foster siblings were the day of the party.”
“It was weird that they were there,” Lucy admitted. “I didn’t think that was the kind of party they would be interested in. They were the only villa guests who attended. In fact, there were several private parties going on at the other villas.”
“I don’t know how popular they are with the other guests.” Ty wrapped an arm around her waist. “I suspect no one wanted Brock around.”
Michael shook his head. “That’s not the way that world works. Brock had power, and that means no one in his world would refuse him. How do you think he ended up being such a dick bag?”
“I agree with Michael,” Lucy said. “Men like that go where they want. And the whole family has connections. It doesn’t make sense they would come and hang with a bunch of locals and regular guests.”
“Unless they wanted to make sure their plan was working,” Ty said with a huff.
“How could they make sure by going to the party?” Lucy asked.
Michael had been thinking about this all morning. The Fosters had taken a table in the back and hadn’t mingled with the other guests. He’d checked up on them because he’d wanted to make damn sure their older brother didn’t join them. “If I was the killer, I would want to make sure no one else used that bottle of Scotch. The killer needed it in a place where he or she could reliably expect that it would make it up to Brock when he called for it. But I think whoever did this specifically wanted Lucy to be the one to take it. That’s why he or she moved it from the main bar.”
The doors opened directly into the Roberts’ suite, and they could smell coffee and hear the hum of people talking.
Nate wore his full uniform and stood in the elegant entryway talking to a dark-haired man in a crisply pressed suit. Nate turned their way and nodded. “Ah, here she is. Agent Slate, this is Lucy Carson and her…”
Nate hesitated as if trying to figure out how to handle the out-of-towner.
“Boyfriends? Or are you husbands?” Slate’s lips curved up. “I’ve been in Bliss before, Sheriff, though I worked with Rye Harper when he was in office. You’re not going to shock me, though it was a fun conversation with my partner. She’s new.”
A woman with honey blonde hair stepped into the entryway. She was also in a suit, though hers was feminine. She looked to be in her late twenties and wore her hair in a stylish bob. “I’m learning a lot today. And, girl, good for you. They do threesomes right in this town. Good morning. I’m Agent Joy Wallace. Thank you for coming in on such short notice.”