have such a high opinion of my character.”
I could feel myself blushing. “It’s not a criticism. Believe me, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last year, it’s that just about anyone can be pushed to kill. But I don’t believe you killed Phillip Denford because I saw the body. Lots of blood. If you wanted to kill someone, you would poison them. Maybe shoot them. But you wouldn’t get all up close and personal and get blood on yourself.”
“Excellent point,” Pris purred as she ushered me into the formal living room. All of the furniture was in shades of white and ecru with only the occasional pop of burgundy from a potted plant or a throw pillow. The vaulted ceiling made the room feel like the set of a movie, not a place actual where people lived.
At Pris’s direction, I sat on one of the ivory sofas. I perched on the edge of the cushion, self-conscious about the possibility of getting fur or dust on the pristine seat.
Pris sat in an oversized armchair, a veritable throne. A low mahogany table with gently curved Queen Anne legs separated us.
“So what can I tell you?” Pris asked. “What magic bit of information is going to help you clear my name?”
“I don’t entirely know. But it would help to know what the police think happened.”
“Your boyfriend hasn’t told you already? No crime-fighting pillow talk?”
Once again, my cheeks burned. “No. Jack’s official line is that it’s an ongoing investigation. I think he’s keeping mum for more personal reasons, though. He really doesn’t want me involved, so he hasn’t shared any of the good stuff with me.”
“Aha. He’s trying to rein in the inquisitive Izzy McHale. He’s a brave man.”
“Yeah. I guess he is. But will
you
tell me what the police think happened?”
“Why not? It can’t really hurt me any more than that stupid collar dangle did.”
She leaned back, slipping off her ballet flats and curling her toes around the top of the coffee table. I’d never seen Pris so relaxed and casual.
“They said that Phillip was killed early that morning. By the time you found him, he’d been dead at least a couple of hours, so he wasn’t killed during the blackout. Their theory is that Phillip and I arrived early. We relived our fight from the afternoon before. I grabbed a pair of my grooming shears and stabbed him while he was standing close to the prize table, then shoved his body under the table.”
“By yourself.”
“Yep. Then, since I would have been covered in blood, I managed to get to my car without anyone seeing me, drive home, change, and get back to the show in time for the official opening at nine.”
“Okay. What about the theft?”
“Again, I’m apparently quite clever. And speedy. I managed to slip out of the ballroom and throw the breakers on the lights, slip back in through the door by my stall, make my way through the pitch-black to the prize table, grab the jewels, and get back to my stall before the lights came back on.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I shook my head. “No offense, but that sounds pretty complicated.”
Pris narrowed her eyes. “I think I’m smart enough to have come up with the plan, Izzy. But there’s no way I had time to do all that. The lights were out for only a few minutes before Jack managed to prop openthe front door and shed light on the inside of the ballroom. I was back by my stall in the corner during the entire blackout.”
“Actually
in
your stall?”
“No. I was out front.”
“But I looked everywhere for you and couldn’t find you. I didn’t see you at all until a good hour after the lights came back on. If you weren’t even in the room that morning, you should tell the police. If you weren’t there, you couldn’t have stolen the dangle. I’ll back you up.”
Pris’s lips thinned. “Well, that would be lovely. But I
was
there. You must have missed me. Right before the lights went out, I’d been talking to this kind of crusty old broad.
I could feel myself blushing. “It’s not a criticism. Believe me, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last year, it’s that just about anyone can be pushed to kill. But I don’t believe you killed Phillip Denford because I saw the body. Lots of blood. If you wanted to kill someone, you would poison them. Maybe shoot them. But you wouldn’t get all up close and personal and get blood on yourself.”
“Excellent point,” Pris purred as she ushered me into the formal living room. All of the furniture was in shades of white and ecru with only the occasional pop of burgundy from a potted plant or a throw pillow. The vaulted ceiling made the room feel like the set of a movie, not a place actual where people lived.
At Pris’s direction, I sat on one of the ivory sofas. I perched on the edge of the cushion, self-conscious about the possibility of getting fur or dust on the pristine seat.
Pris sat in an oversized armchair, a veritable throne. A low mahogany table with gently curved Queen Anne legs separated us.
“So what can I tell you?” Pris asked. “What magic bit of information is going to help you clear my name?”
“I don’t entirely know. But it would help to know what the police think happened.”
“Your boyfriend hasn’t told you already? No crime-fighting pillow talk?”
Once again, my cheeks burned. “No. Jack’s official line is that it’s an ongoing investigation. I think he’s keeping mum for more personal reasons, though. He really doesn’t want me involved, so he hasn’t shared any of the good stuff with me.”
“Aha. He’s trying to rein in the inquisitive Izzy McHale. He’s a brave man.”
“Yeah. I guess he is. But will
you
tell me what the police think happened?”
“Why not? It can’t really hurt me any more than that stupid collar dangle did.”
She leaned back, slipping off her ballet flats and curling her toes around the top of the coffee table. I’d never seen Pris so relaxed and casual.
“They said that Phillip was killed early that morning. By the time you found him, he’d been dead at least a couple of hours, so he wasn’t killed during the blackout. Their theory is that Phillip and I arrived early. We relived our fight from the afternoon before. I grabbed a pair of my grooming shears and stabbed him while he was standing close to the prize table, then shoved his body under the table.”
“By yourself.”
“Yep. Then, since I would have been covered in blood, I managed to get to my car without anyone seeing me, drive home, change, and get back to the show in time for the official opening at nine.”
“Okay. What about the theft?”
“Again, I’m apparently quite clever. And speedy. I managed to slip out of the ballroom and throw the breakers on the lights, slip back in through the door by my stall, make my way through the pitch-black to the prize table, grab the jewels, and get back to my stall before the lights came back on.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I shook my head. “No offense, but that sounds pretty complicated.”
Pris narrowed her eyes. “I think I’m smart enough to have come up with the plan, Izzy. But there’s no way I had time to do all that. The lights were out for only a few minutes before Jack managed to prop openthe front door and shed light on the inside of the ballroom. I was back by my stall in the corner during the entire blackout.”
“Actually
in
your stall?”
“No. I was out front.”
“But I looked everywhere for you and couldn’t find you. I didn’t see you at all until a good hour after the lights came back on. If you weren’t even in the room that morning, you should tell the police. If you weren’t there, you couldn’t have stolen the dangle. I’ll back you up.”
Pris’s lips thinned. “Well, that would be lovely. But I
was
there. You must have missed me. Right before the lights went out, I’d been talking to this kind of crusty old broad.
Similar Books
