“We won’t keep you any longer,” Ryan said crisply, and then fixed his attention on the open-mouthed couple, “Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, why don’t we head over to those garden chairs where we can speak confidentially.”
It wasn’t really a question and they didn’t object, following him to the chairs, which were set around a small table under the shade of a large palm tree. As they walked, Ryan noticed that there seemed to be a tension between them that he couldn’t quite nail down. They were close to each other but seemed somehow emotionally apart. Maybe they’d had an uncomfortable session with Honey Potter. Or maybe it was something more. Once they sat down, Matt Darcy finally spoke.
“What’s this all about?” he asked, sounding both annoyed and apprehensive.
“As Ms. Potter said, my name is Ryan Hernandez. I’m a detective with the LAPD,” he said, pointedly not answering the question that was asked. “I understand that you’re close friends with Scott and Bridget Newhouse. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Ellie volunteered, “For a long time. Why?”
“Have you seen them today?” Ryan wondered.
Ellie shook her head and looked over at her husband who nodded that he had.
“I saw Scott this morning in the fitness center,” he said. “He was wrapping up a workout on the elliptical when I got there.”
“What time was that?”
“Maybe around eight?” he answered.
“Did you talk?”
“A little,” he recalled. “He said he had an early call for something work-related before he and Bridget went to the spa.”
“How did he seem to you?”
Darcy looked like he had some questions he wanted ask but managed to rein himself in.
“Fine, I guess,” he said. “He was his normal, focused self. Even on vacation, that guy always has a plan. We talked about meeting up for a bite around lunchtime but he couldn’t promise anything. He said his schedule was tight after the spa. I wasn’t holding my breath. Can you please tell us what’s going on now?”
Ryan had kept them at arm’s length long enough. He knew that if he continued to be evasive much longer, their irritation might turn to combativeness and he didn’t need that.
“I have some bad news,” he said. “I’m sorry to say that Scott passed away this morning.”
Both of their mouths dropped open. For several seconds neither spoke.
“Are you sure?” Ellie Darcy finally asked.
Even though it was a ridiculous question, he got it all the time. No cop would deliver news like this unless he was certain, but people rarely processed information like this quickly or coherently.
“Yes. I’m afraid so,” he told her.
“But he was fine when I saw him,” Matt protested. “He didn’t even look tired. He’s in great shape.”
Jessie was the real expert at reading body language in situations like this but with his years of experience, Ryan was no slouch. And to him, neither of their reactions was dramatically out of the ordinary or suspicious. Still, he needed to press them.
“I’m afraid I can’t go into many details, other than to say his death was not due to natural causes. That’s why I need your help.”
“Not natural causes?” Ellie repeated, dumbfounded. “What does that mean exactly?”
“There will be time to get into all that later,” Ryan promised her. “But right now, you two are very important to our investigation. What can you tell me about the Newhouses’ marriage?”
Ellie and Matt exchanged hesitant glances, unsure who should answer. Finally she took the lead.
“They seemed happy,” she said, seeming to gather emotional strength from hearing her own voice. “I mean, no marriage is perfect, right? Hell, you met us at an appointment with a sex coach. If they had any issue, I’d say it was time. With three kids under ten and Scott’s non-stop schedule, they didn’t have a lot of couple’s moments. Bridget told me they had to use a calendar to find some alone time. But they’re hardly the only ones. Just like the rest of us, that’s part of why they were here—to reconnect. They wanted to focus on each other more and then have some fun with us the rest of the time.”
“Would you agree with that assessment?” Ryan asked Matt.
He shrugged noncommittally.
“I guess,” he said. “It’s not something we really talked about that much. Scott’s a good guy but we were more ‘friendly’ than friends. I knew him through Bridget.”
Ryan took note of the edge in the man’s voice but didn’t comment on it or on the fact that Matt’s description of the couples’ friendship was substantially different from what Bridget Newhouse had described. It didn’t sound like he and Scott would be sharing heartfelt inner truths any time soon. He let that be for now so that he could keep the focus on the Newhouses.
“Did you ever hear anything about fights, infidelity, or talk of divorce?”
Both shook their heads adamantly at that. Ryan hadn’t expected anything different. It was rare that someone would immediately reveal an unpleasant detail about a person, especially a friend, who just died. He’d check back on that question later on if need be.
“Okay,” Ryan said, pulling out his small notebook nonchalantly, as if the important part of the interview was over and the rest was just perfunctory. “And what were you doing this morning up until your session with Ms. Potter?”
“After my workout, I went back to our casita to shower and relax,” Matt answered. “Then I met Ellie for a late morning bite to eat in one of the restaurants. After that, we went back to the casita to get ready for our appointment.”
“What time did you guys meet for breakfast?” Ryan asked, scribbling down the details while keeping his eyes on the Darcys.
“Ten,” Ellie said.
“And what were you up to prior to that?” he asked her.
“I went for a hike down to the tide pools.”
“With some friends—maybe the Andrews?” he asked, referencing the other couple that Bridget Newhouse had referenced: the one Jessie was talking to now.
“No, it was just me,” she told him, her nose scrunching up in apprehension. “Are you checking my alibi for when Scott died? Am I in trouble?”
“You’re not in trouble,” Ryan assured her. “But part of the investigation requires that I nail down details like this. When were you on the hike?”
“I left at the same time that Matt went to the gym, about eight. I got back just before we met to eat at ten.”
Ryan closed his notebook. The second he did, Matt popped up from his chair.
“Is that it? Are we done for now?” he asked. “We want to check in on Bridget. Is she in her casita?”
“She is,” Ryan said. “And you can go see her. I think it would do her some good. All I ask is that you not leave the resort. We may have more questions for you.”
He nodded, as did Ellie, who said nothing as they hurried off in the direction of the Newhouse casita. Ryan watched them go, trying to fit the timing of the Darcy’s morning into what he and Jessie already knew.
Scott Newhouse was alive at 9:30 a.m, when he checked in to the spa men’s lounge. He was found dead at 10:10 a.m. by Tony Dante. That was their window of death. And because the steam room was so hot, it would be impossible for the medical examiner to use Scott’s body temperature to narrow that window.