Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele)

“Pleasant thought. Or in the restroom.”

“Yeah, I considered that too.” Every time she thought of Eve getting poked with a needle, Amanda was certain she would have had reacted. A wince. A cry. A swat. Someone could have noticed that—assuming other people were around at the time. Also, Eve herself could have confronted the person, and that could have been witnessed. Then again, if Eve’s mind was distracted with personal or business matters, it could be understood why she might not have. But if she was afraid that someone was following her, why had she allowed a stranger to get close?

They returned to the main reception desk and asked Jasmine to get the manager for them.

“All we have is his first name Bob,” Amanda said.

“Bob Field. One moment.”

A few minutes later, they were being told to take the elevator to the fourth floor—two below Eve’s—and Bob’s office was the third on the left.

The door was open, and an overweight man sat perched behind a desk, his belly pressed against the edge. “I’m not sure how I can help you with your investigation, Detectives.”

It didn’t sit with Amanda that he had immediately hedged them off. “Why do you say that?”

“I wasn’t even in when this happened. I was off premises in a business meeting with a local pharmacy executive, trying to get Pixie Winks products into all their stores across the state.”

He comes prepared with an alibi.That told Amanda all she really needed to know about his relationship with Eve Kelley, but she’d ask anyway. “Did you and Ms. Kelley get along?”

He did a double-take that had the extra weight on his chin jiggling with the movement. “Why ask something like that?”

“It’s just a harmless question.”

“Not exactly harmless, though, is it? I mean if someone killed her.”

“We never mentioned murder,” she served back.

He pressed his lips together and angled his head. “Wasn’t born yesterday.”

“Meaning?”

“You’re both looking for someone to arrest for what happened to her. Just don’t look at me.” He waved both his hands in front of himself.

“We weren’t,” she said. “But this is an open investigation, and your cooperation could help us.”

“So she was murdered?”

“Yes, it appears so.” She let out the admission on a sigh. This stubborn man!

“Wow.” Bob sat back, clasping his hands over his expansive stomach.

“Yes, wow,” she mimicked. “We’re trying to figure out who might have done this and why. We think it might in some way be connected to Eve Kelley’s interest in acquiring New Belle. Did you know about that?”

“Ha,” Bob scoffed. “That never would have happened. But, yes, I was aware of her interest. I was also aware Alicia Gordon stole the serum that Eve had actually created, and then Alicia proceeded to build her company on a lie. I mean, why would Eve want anything to do with that woman or her brand?”

“New Belle could be seen as not just a company, but a cosmetics empire,” Trent pointed out.

“Sure. Whatever you want to say. All I know is what Eve planned to do, or didn’t, doesn’t really concern me.”

This guy just rubbed Amanda wrong. Of course, the fact that he was making Joanne field Eve’s calls didn’t help her impression of him from the get-go. “Have you heard of the drug pentobarbital?”

“Yeah. Wish I didn’t. Just had my retriever put down last week.”

Dogs were family, but he seemed more upset about his canine passing than he was Eve’s death. “Sorry to hear that, Mr. Field. Do you have any access to that drug?”

“No.” Bob scrunched up his face. “Why ever would I? Wait—is that what killed her?”

“It’s looking that way,” she said.

Bob rubbed his forehead, dropped his hand. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“What are your feelings toward Alicia Gordon?” she asked, though his earlier tirade made it clear.

“She was a businesswoman. A touch ruthless. I’m behind Eve—or I was behind Eve—for filing the lawsuit against New Belle on Friday. Now, that was a wise decision.”

“Then you’re aware Alicia Gordon is dead as well?” Trent asked.

“Ah… yeah.” Bob put it out there almost like he was unsure how he should answer.

“Alicia Gordon was also killed with pentobarbital,” Amanda said. “Seems like more than a coincidence. Do you know of anyone who might have wanted both women dead?” And possibly two other bidders on New Belle?

Bob, for the first time since they’d entered his office, was speechless.

“Mr. Field,” she prompted.

“No, I have no idea. I mean, I can see how Alicia Gordon would have her enemies, especially if she ripped off others the way she had Eve. What would make that person also want to kill Eve? I don’t know.”

If she ripped off others…Yet another angle to explore, though the investigation hadn’t yet led them there. And how would that serve as motive to murder Eve Kelley? Were they making a mistake to assume that both women had the same killer? But she dismissed that as fast as the thought struck. They couldn’t ignore that the other bidders had received threats, or the unique killing method that was utilized.

“Eve Kelley received various threats,” Trent put out there.

“Oh, I’m sure she did. A person doesn’t get to the top of the mountain without them.”

“Anyone specific come to mind?” Amanda asked.

Bob shook his head. “No one that jumps out at me, at this moment.”

She might as well have been hitting her head against the wall with this investigation. All the cracks and fissures, the misdirection, the lies, the omissions. Tony Bishop. They still hadn’t been back to him since learning of the nanny or the fact that he’d held back about Alicia’s tumultuous relationship with her ex. But we’re building a case… Though right now she was quite near her breaking point. They’d spoken to the two people in the building that would have known the most about Eve Kelley’s movements, and they were nowhere. Now she was thinking about elevators, stairwells, hallways. If only there was a way to watch Eve’s every step. “Does Pixie Winks have any security cameras set up—either inside the building, in the parking lot, both?”