“And you said she'd be returning soon?” Tessa pleaded with Willie with her gaze. Please let the sheriff be almost back. If she wasn't freed from the station soon, she might actually earn a night in the cell.
“Should be. Sit tight, okay? I can’t imagine you’ll be here much longer.”
As much as she wanted out, Tess wasn’t looking forward to seeing Sheriff De Angelis again. The woman had been thorough and exhaustive with her questions. By the time she was done, Tess’s head was so muddled and confused, she was seriously beginning to wonder if she was the one who strangled Jack.
The only thing she knew for sure was that her husband was dead and someone was responsible. It was obvious that the sheriff wanted her to be guilty. After three hours of intense questioning, she would’ve confessed to anything for just a moment’s peace.
Hearing Judy Garland croon Over the Rainbow had calmed her enough that she was fairly certain she couldn’t have killed her husband while she was locked in the holding cells overnight. That was now. If Sheriff De Angelis started to interrogate her again, she might crumble.
She needed to get the hell out of there.
Mason returned a few minutes later, rubbing the back of his neck as he clipped his communicator on his belt. He was frowning, though he tried not to let Tess see.
After exchanging a pointed look with Wilhelmina, he announced, “Sheriff is on her way in. Wil, she says she’s taking over for you. Once she’s back, you can go home to your kids.”
“Thanks, sugar. Bev is watching her younger brothers but I’d like to have supper with them if I can.”
“Five minute warning buzz. She’s almost here.” Turning to look at Tess, she could see the slight strain on his face. “We’ll have to save our game for later, miss. Come on out of the cell. She wants to talk to you again.”
Tessa’s stomach dropped. She knew this was coming. At least, once the sheriff was done, she would be able to go. She wasn’t quite sure where she would be going to—and she didn’t care as long as it was far away from the Hamlet Inn.
All she had to do was get through another round of questioning. If the sheriff didn’t charge her, she’d have to let her leave. Right?
After gathering the scattered cards together, she handed the deck to Wilhelmina. Mason stayed by the open cell, his back resting up against the bars, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were narrowed on the door at the other end of the station house.
When the sheriff finally stormed into the station a few minutes later, she wasn’t alone. And Tessa understood Mason’s sudden shift in mood.
Tall, dark and lean, the man with the sheriff was beautiful. Not how she would normally describe a man, it was the first word that popped in her head. With chiseled features, long, dark eyelashes and a pair of lush lips, his good looks positively stunned her. He had coal-black hair, cut short on the side, longer in the front. Having parted it precisely on the left side, each strand looked like it was perfectly in place.
His eyes were like diamonds, as cold and as hard as ice. Already a pale blue color, his olive skin tone made them seem unnaturally light. She was captivated by his gaze. Tess knew she was staring. Everyone in the station could tell that she was entranced by his unexpected appearance. Who was this man? What was he doing here?
And then she remembered.
The eyes—she would never forget icy eyes like those. The man, the dark-haired man who stood with the sheriff over Jack’s dead body. The doctor.
It was like there was no one else in the room except for Lucas and Tessa. He headed straight for her, his hand outstretched. Caitlin trailed behind him, though she didn’t try to stop him as he ignored the two deputies, all of his attention entirely on the outsider.
“Hello.” His voice was pleasant, with only the faintest hint of some exotic accent that she couldn’t quite place. “We weren’t properly introduced before. My name is Lucas.”
She took his hand. “Tessa Sullivan.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Sullivan. I very much regret that we’re all meeting under such circumstances.”
While Wilhelmina murmured her sympathies softly and Mason hovered protectively right behind Tessa, Caitlin scowled at the point where Lucas still held her hand. Envy flashed in her glassy green eyes, her thin lips twisted in the ugly expression she didn’t bother to hide.
Her voice, however, was cordial and professional. “Mrs. Sullivan, would you mind stepping outside with me?”
Tessa’s shoulders slumped. She let her hand slip out of Lucas’s, holding it to her chest as if it could protect her. “More questions.” It was a flat statement.
“Of a more delicate matter,” the sheriff confirmed. “The doctor’s finished his work for the evening. I wanted to talk to you about that.”
His work. On Jack. Using the same hand she just shook in greeting, this man had tended to her husband. She felt like she was going to throw up. “Okay. Yeah. Sure.”
With a wide-eyed stare, she glanced at Wilhelmina and Mason. She felt much safer with them then she did with Sheriff De Angelis.
Except De Angelis didn’t seem to want to have this conversation with an audience. It was possible she was trying to keep this as painless as she could; despite the relentlessness of her questions earlier, Tess got the impression that the sheriff, for all her barking, really only wanted to do the best job possible. It would be an insult to Hamlet if she didn’t.
Once they were out of sight, Wilhelmina sighed. “Poor kid. I can’t imagine how hard this has gotta be for her. Stop off for a visit and end up a widow. I know I’ll sleep better when our Caity figures this whole mess out. I can hardly believe it myself. A murder in Hamlet.” She shook her head. “Never in all my years.”