Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele)

Amanda and Trent hadn’t even had a chance to take a seat in the lobby area before Scarlett was heading their way.

“Ms. Dixon, is there somewhere we could speak privately, perhaps your office area?” Amanda wanted to get closer to Tony’s office, and they would get inside before they left.

“Sure. You probably remember it’s not much, but I can grab a couple of chairs for you. Follow me.” Scarlett took them to her desk. It was positioned between the offices for Alicia Gordon and Tony Bishop, something they knew from their first visit here.

Both offices had their doors shut at the moment. Amanda wondered if they were locked when unattended. She didn’t remember Harold or Scarlett unlocking Alicia’s office when they’d first looked at it.

“Let me get those chairs.” Scarlett went to Tony’s office and had the handle twisted and the door cracked before Amanda could stop her.

“We’re fine to stand,” she told the assistant.

Scarlett turned to face them. “As long you’re sure…?”

Amanda glanced at Trent, who nodded. “We’re sure,” she said.

“All right, then.” Scarlett took a seat at her desk. “What can I help you with?”

“We just have a few questions,” Amanda began. “Let’s start with who has access to Tony’s office.”

“Who? Let’s see. Me—obviously—and well, there’s probably quite a few who have been in there. Is there a specific time or day you’re interested in?”

There was no way of knowing exactly when the threat had been left in Tony’s drawer, though it could be assumed since Eve’s murder. “Let’s say this week.”

“Huh. Okay…” Scarlett’s forehead pinched, forming a straight line between her eyebrows. “Me, Tony, Leo, and Brad came by… One of the models from the marketing campaign. The janitors come in at night.”

“When was the model here?” Trent asked.

“Monday morning.”

Amanda didn’t think the model was in on any of the murders. Did she believe things were platonic between Tony and the model—who knew? He was already sleeping with the nanny. What’s to say he drew the line there? “I noticed when you opened his door a minute ago that it wasn’t locked. Is that always the case?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then really anyone could get into his office?” Amanda pressed.

“Yes.”

That opened the suspect pool, but it could be narrowed down easily enough. “Mr. Bishop told us that he had approvals to make, due by tomorrow, for some ads?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And he normally signs off by hand on those or…?” Amanda was guilty of leading the woman, but she wasn’t sure how else to get the answer she was after—namely, did Scarlett Dixon know about the stamp and leave the threat? And for what purpose?

“Heavens, no. He uses a stamp. Saves him a lot of time.”

“And where does he keep that?” Trent interjected.

“His top drawer on the left.”

“How many people know about his stamp and where he keeps it?” she asked.

“Lots would know about the stamp but not where he keeps it.”

“And who would know he’d be in need of it this week?”

“Me. Not sure who else.”

“What about Harold Armstrong?” Trent interjected.

“Yeah, he probably did.”

Probably wasn’t exactly a confidence booster. “Did you know that Alicia Gordon was planning to sell New Belle?” Amanda figured time was running out before they’d be joined by Harold Armstrong, and she wanted to get what she could from Scarlett before that happened.

“You know about that?”

Amanda gave her a pressed-lip smile. “Not much is missed during the course of a murder investigation.”

“No, I suppose not, and yes, I knew. But I was sworn to confidentiality on the matter, both by Alicia and Mr. Bishop.”

Amanda noted the difference in address, which suggested Scarlett had a more relaxed relationship with Alicia and a rather formal one with Tony. “What was your relationship like with Ms. Gordon?”

“She was brilliant.” Scarlett’s eyes glistened with admiration. “I learned so much from her. Did you know she started New Belle when she was in college? Oh, yeah, I guess you probably do.”

Amanda would say that Scarlett’s enthusiasm for Alicia was genuine, and she’d admitted to knowing that Alicia was shopping New Belle around. As she had thought before, nothing indicated Scarlett would have motive to kill Alicia Gordon, let alone Eve Kelley. Amanda also didn’t sense any ill will about the prospect of the company being sold. Still, Amanda would ask. “What did you think about Ms. Gordon wanting to sell the business?”

“I thought it was a great thing, actually.” Scarlett was grinning. “She wanted to spend more time with her son. That’s a good thing, right?”

“You weren’t worried about your job?” Amanda asked.