Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele)

“I’m sure you saw her as a friend at some point along the way,” Trent said.

“She’d be nothing without me.”

“Oh.” Amanda glanced at Trent.

Harold added, “I don’t mean that the way you’re taking it.”

“It sounds like you’re saying her success was because of you, and if you wished, you could bring her down. Did you kill her?” Amanda said.

“Not what I meant.”

“Maybe you should start saying what you mean,” Amanda said. “And you never told us why you were at the cabin with Ms. Gordon.”

“I wanted to talk her out of selling. Is that what you want to hear?”

Amanda shrugged. “We just want to hear the truth.”

“Well, that’s the truth. And, no, I wasn’t thrilled when she told me she was entertaining offers, but at least she had the guts to come to me directly. And she did tell me that she’d make sure I’d walk away with a generous severance package.” When he said that last part, his voice deflated, as if he didn’t believe it.

“You didn’t think that would happen,” Amanda surmised.

“Even if she gave me the numbers she was talking about, I’d be in hock. That doesn’t mean I killed her, as you seem intent on implying.”

“Run us through the night you were at the cabin with her,” Amanda requested.

“We just spoke, drank some wine. She seemed adamant about selling. I wasn’t going to change her mind. She then told me about this arrangement she’d made with Eve Kelley. Ludicrous. And I told Alicia as much. At least I was able to twist her thinking on that. Pixie Winks couldn’t afford to outbid or even match the highest offer. I told Alicia she had to be smart about the company that she and I had worked hard to build. She couldn’t just give it away to Eve Kelley because she felt bad for her.”

Amanda realized it was more about Harold being concerned with his own affairs than Eve Kelley’s. Also given the timing it sounded as if Alicia was having second thoughts about breaking her deal with Eve. Alicia had told Eve earlier in the day she was going back on her word, yet Harold made it sound like Alicia was struggling with that decision. “Why would Alicia feel bad for Eve?” She was testing just how much Harold knew.

“Eve alleged that Alicia stole the formula for Reborn, but it’s all lies.”

So he had known that too. “The lawsuit against New Belle, served last Friday, must not have come as a surprise to you, then.”

“You bet it was a surprise,” he countered, then grimaced. “Alicia’s not even cold in the ground, and Eve was circling like a damn vulture. I detest that woman.”

“Enough to kill her?” Trent tossed out.

“No, of course not.”

“Eve Kelley was murdered on Monday morning,” Amanda said. “Not sure if you’ve heard that news yet or not.”

“No, I…” Harold went all pasty-mouthed and pale. “I’ve been working long hours. I never saw it on the news or read about it.”

“She was given an overdose of pentobarbital, like Alicia.” A running assumption, as toxicology for Eve still hadn’t come back.

“Alicia died of pentobarbital?”

“Surprised we figured that out?” Amanda tried to read his eyes.

“What does it have to do with me? I don’t know where to get that drug.”

“But you know what it is,” she countered.

“Yes.”

Amanda had to admit knowledge of the drug alone certainly wasn’t damning. It seemed everyone had heard of it. “Did you know that Tony was in this week? That he had deadlines on some marketing ads he needed to approve?” she asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“And he’d sign off on these by hand…?”

“He used an approval stamp. It saved time.”

“And you know where he kept it?”

“In his desk drawer.”

“Which one?”

“Top left. Why are you asking me this?”

“Mr. Bishop received a threat,” Amanda said.

“Oh.”

“Uh-huh. It was found where his stamp goes, so whoever placed it there presumably knew he’d be needing his stamp soon.”

Harold’s expression was one of shock, mouth hanging partially open. “There’s only a handful of people who would know that,” he said.

Amanda would refrain from pointing out that Harold was one of them. “Where did you print the hate mail that you handed over to us?”

“The printer in my office.”

Which Amanda had suspected. “And who has access to it?”

“Just me.”