Celeste Files: Unlocked

by Kristine Mason

  Brandon’s forehead creased. “Tuesday? Sandra committed suicide Wednesday.”

  “But the daughter she gave up for adoption was murdered either late Tuesday or Wednesday morning.”

  Brandon leaned back in the chair and wiped a hand down his face. “Oh, my God. Sandra had another daughter? Do my wife and her sister know?”

  “If they don’t, they will shortly.”

  “So how about it?” Mathews asked. “Where were you on those days?”

  “Tuesday I worked late, then came home and ended up working in my office until close to midnight. Lea can verify this.”

  “And Wednesday?”

  Brandon drummed his fingers along the desk. “I didn’t kill Sandra or this other woman.”

  “Tracy Saunders,” Clay said. “If you didn’t kill them, then you won’t mind telling us where you were. Work?”

  “All morning,” Brandon answered. “After lunch I had to go to court. You can verify court records. I was there until Lea called with the news about Sandra.”

  “We’ll need the contact info for your law firm and what case you were working while you were in court.” Clay placed a blank sheet of paper and a pen in front of Brandon. “Do you or your wife own a gun?”

  “No guns,” Brandon said while he wrote. “Can I tell Lea about Tracy Saunders?”

  “We’ll handle it, Mr. Westfield.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Sandra’s death has been hard on my wife. They were very close. Finding out about a half-sister who was also murdered?” He shook his head. “This is going to devastate her. I think she’ll always wonder what other secrets Sandra kept from her.”

  “How is your wife’s relationship with her sister?”

  “My brother-in-law can be difficult. Dale and Lea argue whenever they’re in the same room together.” He shrugged. “Lea’s told Kelly how she feels about Dale, which only made Kelly defensive. Now Lea and Kelly aren’t as tight as they used to be.”

  “How do you get along with Dale?”

  Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t stand him or the way he treats Lea.”

  Clay stood. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Westfield. You’ll be able to see your wife shortly.”

  After Brandon was escorted from the room, Celeste looked to Jamie. “It sounds like Brandon has a solid alibi, too.”

  Jamie tapped at the computer keyboard near the audio and visual equipment. “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to lie about being in court.”

  Before Celeste had the chance to fully process both Brandon and Dale’s interviews, Kelly was brought into the interrogation room.

  Her face was pale, her eyes glassy and bloodshot. As she took a seat, she pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her raw red nose. “I can’t believe you think my mom was murdered,” she said to the detectives. “Who would want to kill a dying woman?”

  “Maybe someone who felt their inheritance might be threatened,” Detective Mathews said.

  “According to my mom’s attorney, there were three people in her will who would inherit from her estate. Me, Lea and, I’m assuming, our father.”

  “Wrong. Your dad wasn’t mentioned.” Clay took a seat opposite Kelly. “But your half-sister was.”

  Kelly balled the tissue in her fist. “There must be some mistake. It’s just Lea and me. My mom was only married to my dad and—”

  “Mrs. Graney, Sandra gave birth to a girl when she was about sixteen. Her parents forced her to put the child up for adoption. Her name was Tracy Saunders.”

  “Was?” she asked, tears filling her eyes.

  “Tracy was murdered this week,” Clay said. “According to the medical examiner, the time of death was between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Can you tell us where you were during those times?”

  “I had a half-sister?” Kelly shook her head. “How old was she? Where did she live? Did she and my mom know each other? Did—”

  “Mrs. Graney, please answer the question.”

  Kelly ran a hand across her forehead. “Of course. Um, Tuesday night I was home with my husband. Wednesday morning, I dropped my daughter off at the daycare, then I stopped at my mom’s. Ann, my mom’s friend and nurse, can confirm this. She was there.”

  “Why didn’t you go into work?”

  “I actually worked from home Wednesday. My boss, he’s an attorney, had his niece at the office. She’s a law student at Northwestern. During the summer she interns for him, but she had a project that required her to be at his office. I don’t care for the girl. This is no secret to my boss. So he let me work from home. You can check my computer,” she quickly added. “I was logged in to the network my boss uses.”

  “What time did you pick up your daughter from daycare?” Clay asked.

  “Around four. Then I went home to start dinner, only a few minutes later I got the call about my mom’s death.” She sucked in a harsh breath and wiped her nose again. “Do you have a picture of Tracy? I…I’d like to know what she looked like.”

  Detective Mathews pulled a photograph from the file. “This is from her driver’s license,” he said, and handed it to her.

  Kelly touched the picture. “People always said Lea and I have our mom’s eyes. Tracy did, too.” She gave the photo back to the detective. “Do you know who her father is? Did my mom…love him?”

  “We’re working on that,” Clay said. “Mrs. Graney, do you or your husband own a gun?”

  “God, no. I wouldn’t keep a weapon in the house. Not with a baby around.”

  “Who handled you mom’s medication?”

  “Ann. I never had to do anything with that.”

  “How are your finances?”

  Kelly’s jaw slackened with shock. “If you think that my husband or I killed my mother for her inheritance, that’s beyond ridiculous. She was dying. There was no need to speed along the process,” she said with bitter sarcasm.

  “But how do you feel about Sandra leaving Tracy some of her estate?”

  “I’m still trying to digest that Tracy even existed.”

  “Of course.” Clay nodded. “Again, how are your finances?”

  “We have debt that we’re trying to pay down.”

  “According to your husband, you two are doing just fine.”

  “That’s because he doesn’t pay the bills.” She wiped her nose, then sighed. “Look, we’re keeping our heads above water, but there never seems to be enough money. Even with both of us working. Daycare is expensive. Living in Chicago is expensive.” She shook her head. “I’ll admit the inheritance from my mom will help with our debt, but honestly, I’d rather keep the debt if that meant I could spend one more day with my mom.”

  “What about your sister and her husband?”

  “I don’t know about their finances. My sister is very private when it comes to money.”

  Mathews nodded. “Many people are, but she doesn’t have a problem showing it off.” He thumbed at his chest. “Even this old geezer knows a name brand when he sees it. I have a feeling the clothes your sister and brother-in-law are wearing tonight are equal to my weekly paycheck.”

  “They like nice things and can afford it. I don’t begrudge Lea for that. I’m happy for her.”

  “Your husband doesn’t seem happy for them,” Mathews said. “He seems to think they’re credit cards are maxed and that your sister’s car is going to be repossessed. Know anything about that?”

  Oh, no. Celeste’s chest tightened with unease. Dale had never said anything to the detectives about Lea’s maxed-out credit cards or repossessed car. But she had. Celeste had told both George and Clay what Dale had said the day she had gone to Kelly’s to pick up the girls for daycare. Kelly had been in the room when her husband and sister had argued. Would she remember the argument or that Celeste had witnessed it?

  “It doesn’t surprise me that Dale would tell you those things about my sister and brother-in-law. It’s no secret Lea and Dale hate each other. He makes nasty remarks about her or to her face whenever he has the c
hance. It’s embarrassing.”

  Clay slid the notepad and pen toward Kelly. “Can you give us the name and number of your boss? We’ll need to verify that you were working from home. We’ll also need your computer so our tech guys can confirm you were logged into your boss’s network.”

  “Whatever you need, my husband and I will cooperate,” she said, then quickly wrote on the notepad. When she was finished, she pushed it back to Clay. “Will we still be able to have my mom’s memorial service tomorrow?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Once the medical examiner is finished with his findings, we’ll let you and the funeral home director know.” Clay stood, then opened the door. “Thank you for your cooperation. I’m sorry for your loss. An officer will take you to your husband. You two are free to go.”

  As Kelly left the room, Celeste noticed fresh tears streaming down her friend’s face. Her throat tightened and she had to look away. She couldn’t imagine the thoughts running through Kelly’s head.

  “Here.” Jamie offered her a box of tissue. “Hang in there. We only have one more interview left.”

  A few minutes later, Jamie looked away from her computer and toward the mirror. “Here we go.”

  Celeste glanced to the mirror and noticed Lea was already seated at the table. Her face was unusually pale and dark smudges underscored her eyes. “I need to get home to my daughter. Will this take long?” she asked the two detectives.

  “Not if you cooperate,” Clay said, then proceeded to ask her questions similar to what they’d asked the others. “So you and your husband don’t own a gun and you can confirm he was home with you Tuesday night.”

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “Where were you Wednesday?”

  “I dropped my daughter at the daycare around eight to make my eight-thirty, one-hour massage. From there I had a manicure and pedicure.” Her chin wobbled slightly. “Then I stopped by my mom’s for a short visit.” Lea pressed the back of her hand to her mouth as if trying to compose herself. Moments later, she said, “After I left my mom’s, I did a little shopping before meeting a friend for lunch at Del Frisco’s.”

  She pulled a thick Gucci wallet that matched her purse, then began pulling out receipts. “Fortunately I haven’t cleaned this thing out in a while,” she said, sorting through the receipts. “Here’s one for the massage, another from Nordstrom, and the restaurant.” She set a bright red paper on the desk. “This is the parking ticket I got while I was having lunch.”

  Detective Mathew’s picked up the receipts and ticket. “The parking ticket is time-stamped at two forty-five.”

  “Yes, the restaurant closes for lunch at three.” Lea put her wallet away. “After I left, I picked up Zoe from her daycare, then went home. Belle Enfant is the daycare I use. They can tell you exactly what time I picked up my daughter.”

  “This is very helpful and we appreciate your cooperation.” Clay opened the file in front of him. “Just a few more questions and you’ll be on your way. Do you know this woman?” he asked, and gave her the driver’s license photo of Tracy.

  She studied the picture. “No. Do you think she had something to do with my mom’s death?”

  “Not unless her ghost did it,” Mathews said.

  She looked between the detectives. “She’s dead? How is she connected to my mom?”

  Detective Mathews pointed to the picture. “Tracy Saunders is your mother’s daughter.”

  Lea quickly looked back to the photograph. “Impossible.”

  “I can assure you it’s true. DNA tests from nine months ago confirmed it.”

  “Nine months? How can this be? Why wouldn’t my mom tell us?” She set the picture down and rubbed her temple. “Never mind. What happened to this woman?”

  “Tracy was murdered, which is why we want to autopsy Sandra. It’s just a little too coincidental that both women died within hours of each other.”

  Lea picked up the photo again. “I agree one-hundred percent. But I can’t imagine who would want my mom or this woman dead.”

  “Three people stand to gain a lot of money, once your mother’s will is read. One of them is dead.”

  “My mom included this stranger in her will?”

  “How do you feel about that, Mrs. Westfield?” Clay asked.

  “Honestly? Angry, betrayed. It was her money to do with as she pleased, but to keep this secret from us? I don’t understand why she wouldn’t have told my sister and me. Wait, does my father know? Kelly and I haven’t been able to get in touch with him and he didn’t show up at the funeral home.”

  “That’s because he and his girlfriend are currently on a cruise in the Caribbean.”

  “Nice of him to tell us he was leaving the country.” She gave the photograph back to Clay. “I’ll give you anything you need to help find out who did this. I’m sorry someone murdered my…half-sister, but I hope you’re wrong about my mom. Dying from cancer was hard enough to swallow, suicide was even worse. But murder?” A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly swiped it away. “My mom suffered so much during the past few years. She didn’t deserve to have someone take her life.”

  As the detectives wrapped up the interview, then ushered Lea from the room, Celeste leaned into the chair. “I was wrong.”

  “Not necessarily,” Jamie said, as she saved the video recording.

  “They all had an alibi and each one of them was willing to cooperate.” Celeste jumped when the door opened, then quickly stood as Clay and Detective Mathews entered the room. “I’m sorry. I really thought—”

  Clay held up a hand. “Nothing to be sorry for. Did you pick up on anything during the interviews?”

  “Nothing.” She pressed a fist to her queasy stomach. “I feel horrible I just put those people through all of this.”

  “Don’t,” Detective Mathews said. “We know for sure Tracy Saunders was murdered. Even if the ME finds that Sandra had indeed committed suicide, Milwaukee PD would have interviewed the four of them anyway. Again, the timing of both deaths are just too coincidental.”

  Although the detective had a point, it still didn’t alleviate the guilt. Or the confusion. She’d been so certain that Lea, or maybe her husband, had everything to do with Tracy and Sandra’s death. She hadn’t wanted to be right, but she’d also selfishly hoped that once their killer was found, she could gain control of the trances.

  Now she was left with self-doubt, regret and more unanswered questions. The people who stood to gain the most from Tracy and Sandra’s deaths had legitimate alibis. Who else could have wanted them dead? And would they kill again?

  Chapter 13

  EXHAUSTED FROM TOSSING and turning throughout the night, Celeste smothered a yawn, then poured coffee into her favorite gnome mug. When the timer dinged, signaling Olivia’s pancakes were finished, she opened the microwave and pulled out the plate. John came into the kitchen, gave Olivia a kiss on the head, then wrapped an arm around Celeste’s waist. She stopped cutting up the pancakes long enough to give him a kiss, then swatted his hand when he stole a piece of Olivia’s pancake.

  “I’m starving and Livy doesn’t mind sharing with her daddy. Isn’t that right?”

  “Dada,” Olivia replied, and smacked her tray.

  He chuckled and leaned against the counter, then nudged her. “Doing any better today?”

  “I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well.”

  “I know.”

  She looked at him. “I’m sorry if I kept you awake.”

  “No biggie. I know you have a lot on your mind. Like I told you last night, listen to the detectives. This isn’t over. The autopsy isn’t finished, alibis haven’t been checked…”

  “I know. But I can’t stop thinking about it and what I put Kelly and her family through.”

  “Are you going to the memorial service?”

  She nodded, then placed the plate of pancakes on Olivia’s tray. Her daughter immediately picked up the plate, then dumped the contents. “Looks like she has your manners.”

  He chuck
led. “Right. Because I always eat off the table.”

  “Barbarian,” she said with a grin, and picked up her coffee mug. “The service is at noon. I’m taking Olivia to the church with me, then heading into work to take care of a few things.” She took a sip of coffee, then set the mug on the counter. “I feel so unattached to the bakery right now. I can’t believe I wasn’t in there once this weekend.”

  “And yet the place survived without you.” He bent and let Olivia feed him a piece of her pancake. “Maybe this is a good indicator that you don’t need to spend every weekend there.”

  “True,” she said, and watched as Olivia gave John another piece. “You do realize she just discovered she has nostrils, right?”

  He slowly chewed, then swallowed. “She picks her nose?”

  Celeste grinned. “I told you she has your manners.”

  John made a face at Olivia, who giggled, then he turned to Celeste. “I was going to see if you’d make me something to eat, but I’ve lost my appetite.” He stepped into the hall, then returned with his coat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to watch Olivia today? Ian said I could work from home if I need to.”

  “No, that’s okay. Livy likes going to the bakery and knows exactly where to find the chocolate chip cookies. If she’s bad at the church, we’ll leave.” She approached him and twined her arms around his neck. “I thought I’d make us a nice dinner, since you’ll be dining on takeout for the next few days.”

  “Don’t remind me. I’m not looking forward to leaving again.” He placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. “Since you’re concerned about what I’m eating, I’m assuming you’re also concerned about what neither of us will be getting while I’m gone.” He slid his hand over her rear. “I think tonight calls for going out of town sex.”

  “Going out of town sex? I think we could schedule that in,” she said with a smile.

  After he kissed Olivia good-bye, then gave Celeste another kiss—this one holding promise for what was to come later—he left. Celeste locked the door behind him, then checked the kitchen clock. She had over three hours before she needed to leave. Plenty of time to shower and tackle a little paperwork.