Lily Sprayberry Realtor Box Set

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

He crossed over to his side of the desk and sat down. “I know Matt told Belle some of the details. Has she filled you in?”

  “Actually, that was me texting him because she was driving.”

  “Okay, then I’ll go from there. I don’t have to remind you that this is confidential, and that we—”

  I held up my hand. “I got it.”

  He nodded and continued. “Mrs. Armstrong said trouble’d been brewing between Savannah and Austin for over six months. He hadn’t tried to come there in that time, but if he had, neither she nor her husband would have allowed him inside.”

  “Ouch.”

  “According to her, Savannah made Austin out to be a monster, and Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong encouraged her to leave him. When she finally did, they asked her to come home and help with the house. It was their way of getting her out of that environment.”

  “He may have been a monster, but his parents are rich. They’ll get him a big name attorney from Atlanta who’ll poke all kinds of holes in your case. Do you really think those fingerprints are enough to cover reasonable doubt?”

  He opened his drawer and pulled out a jump drive. “When our district attorney shows them this, yes.” He popped the little drive into his laptop, pressed a few buttons and flipped the computer my direction.

  A scene from what I thought was a very inappropriate movie I would never watch filled the screen, and I immediately threw my hands over my eyes. “Ew, no. Shut that off. I don’t need to see—” I peeked through my fingers. “Oh, ick. That’s Austin isn’t it?” I pressed the balls of my palms into each eye. “Okay, you can turn it off now, really. I’ve seen enough.”

  He flipped the lid of his laptop.

  “Validates what Savannah told you and what she told her parents. It also discredits Austin saying he didn’t cheat on his wife. The video is from a private investigator, and the woman is a known prostitute. As Matthew said, we now know he lied to us about not being inside the Armstrong’s house the night Savannah was murdered.”

  “But you already knew he was there that night.”

  “We knew he was there, not inside the home. Now we know he was, and we’ve connected him to the trunk itself. That’s big Lily. We even have a receipt from when the trunk was purchased, and we’ve verified that with the seller. The timeline fits with the Armstrong’s story. We’ve got him, Lily. He’s our guy.”

  It sure sounded like it, but something still just didn’t sit right with me. “What about the font on the notes? Have you heard anything about that yet?”

  He shook his head. “We’re still researching. All we know is it’s not a standard font found on any word processing software. I’ve got people checking, but there are thousands of fonts online, and it’s taking time to go through them all.”

  I imagined it would. “When’s his bail hearing?”

  “Judge will see him late today or first thing tomorrow, but it won’t matter. He’s not getting bail.”

  “Why not?”

  “Out of towner. Wealthy family. No ties to the area. Too much of a flight risk. Judge won’t let him see the light of day until the trial, and he probably won’t even see it then.”

  Chapter 7

  “Do you think I can see him?”

  He drummed his fingers on his desk. “Why did I know you were going to ask that?”

  I wanted to say because he knew me so well, but I settled for, “Because I’m predictable.”

  “Or something.” He picked up the receiver on his desk and made arrangements. “Fifteen minutes, but that’s it.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  He led me to the jail, cleared me through the electronic security door and set me in the waiting area behind the glass window. I sat on the stiff metal chair and waited until Austin Emmerson came through the door on the other side.

  When he saw me, his hardened face softened, and relief washed over him. “Oh, thank God. Someone that believes me.”

  His expression switched from relief to worry when he saw my stiff posture and reddening face.

  “You do still believe me, don’t you?”

  My momma taught me to always be kind, but at that moment my thoughts weren’t kind at all, and I struggled to keep them to myself. “I don’t take kindly to liars.”

  He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes as he exhaled, blowing the air up toward the gray, sterile ceiling. “I deserved that.”

  I kept my eyes glued to him, waiting to see if he’d continue.

  “It’s not what you think. I promise.”

  “Which part? The part where you said you didn’t cheat on Savannah, or the part where you said you didn’t kill her?”

  “Both.” He scooted his chair closer to the table and leaned toward the glass window. “Yes, I had sex with a hooker, but it was after Savannah left me. The…the tape was edited or something to leave out the timestamp.” He sat back again and dragged his thumb and forefinger down the sides of his face. “I don’t know. She didn’t show anyone the timestamp on the video though, because if she did, it wouldn’t even be an issue. My parents are getting the original, and you’ll see. It’s after she had the fight with my parents and left for Bramblett.”

  I didn’t support any kind of infidelity, and in my book, even if Savannah had already left, they were still legally married, and that was still infidelity. I knew I thought differently than most people in their twenties, so I tried not to judge. I did however, judge his prints on the trunk. “Your fingerprints were all over the trunk, Austin. The trunk I saw your wife’s body in. The trunk you wouldn’t have had access to, so care to explain that?”

  “I already did, to your boyfriend, but he doesn’t believe me.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, why don’t you give me a try?”

  “You already know I was at my in-laws the night Savannah was killed.”

  “I know now. What I knew before was that you were outside the home. Two entirely different things.”

  “I went there to talk to Savannah. I wanted to work things out. That’s the whole reason I came to town.” He gripped the edges of the table and shook his head. “I knocked on the door, but she didn’t answer. I tried a few times because I knew she was home and figured she was ignoring me. You know, maybe she saw my car or something, so I went around back, checked the windows on the side of the house and stuff. I saw the lights were on, and I knocked on the back door too, but she still wouldn’t let me in.”

  “What time was this?”

  He shrugged. “I’d had a few at Willy’s. Maybe eleven?”

  I’d been long gone by then. I motioned for him to continue.

  “A few years ago, we came back to town to surprise her parents. You know, just a quick in and out. They weren’t home, so Savannah went around back and got the key under the brown planter on the back porch.”

  I knew exactly what planter he meant. I’d been with Savannah at least a hundred times when she’d done that very same thing.

  “So, I checked to see if the key was still there, and it was.”

  “And you used it to let yourself in.”

  He nodded.

  “Go on.”

  “Then I called out for her, but she didn’t answer, so I checked the house. I thought maybe she was hiding from me or something.” He paused and gazed at the gray wall above my head. “I knew what you and Savannah had done, and the place looked great. I saw the sticky notes everywhere, and I read a few of them, mostly the ones on the bookshelves and in the kitchen. I knew about the trunk because she got the same one a month ago. It was a big deal to her.”

  He paused again and shook his head as if he was replaying something in his mind. “I tried to open it. Unlatched the bolts and everything, but the key wasn’t in the lock.”

  Little alarms buzzed in my head. “Was there a note on the trunk?”

  He nodded.

  “Was there red paint on it?”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Paint? I don’t think so. Why?”

  I s
hook my head. “Nothing, forget it.”

  He continued. “Lily, I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am, and that’s what I told your boyfriend. I think the trunk in my in-laws’ house is ours.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because when she bought ours, the only one left was the floor model, and it was slightly damaged. Savannah doesn’t do scratch and dents. She wants everything to be perfect, so I wouldn’t put it past her to switch it out without her parent’s knowledge.”

  I wouldn’t either, actually. “Do you have the receipt to prove she bought the last one?”

  He laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Savannah never saved receipts. Why would she? She never returned anything. That took too much time. She’d just throw it out and buy a replacement.”

  Wow. I wish I had that life luxury. “Is the other one still at your house?”

  “It was when I left to come here. If she’s had someone there to move her stuff out since then, I can’t say.”

  “Did she know you were coming to town?”

  “No, and I did that on purpose. Savannah is—or was manipulative. If she’d known I was coming here, she’d have moved everything but my clothes out of the house five minutes after I left.”

  He definitely knew his wife. I had to give him that. “Austin, was the envelope on the door when you got to the house that night?”

  “What envelope?”

  “The one Savannah left for me.”

  “There wasn’t a note on the door.”

  “Did you tell all of this to Dylan?”

  He nodded and then leaned back in his chair. “But he still thinks I killed her.” He swiped a hand through his short hair. “There’s no way I’ll make bail. Not in this podunk town.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”

  I brushed it off. “You’re right. Dylan’s already said there’s no way the judge will let you out.”

  He rubbed his palms on his pants. “And it doesn’t matter that I’m innocent.” His eyes pleaded with mine. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  I breathed heavily. “If you didn’t kill her, then who did?”

  He stood and paced the small room. “I don’t know. It could be any one of the UGA group. Billy. Heather. Caroline. If I had to pick one, it would be Heather. She never got over what happened. I mean, I get it. I didn’t do right by her, and neither did Savannah, but it was a long time ago, and she should have moved on by now. When she threatened her like that at the brunch though, I knew she wasn’t right in the head.”

  “At the brunch? You mean the sorority brunch last month?” Every quarter our sorority pledge class had a brunch get together for the girls in the area. It usually took place in Atlanta, and anyone that could make it, went, except me and Belle. I’d stopped going a few years ago, and Belle rarely went. Neither of us were the typical sorority girls anyway, and the brunches were just a throwback to our college days. Too much make up, too much gossip and way too much food. Been there, done that, and I had no intention of a do over, especially not every quarter.

  He nodded. “Heather showed up and it got heated. Told Savannah she stole her life and lit into her big time. Said she’d make her pay for what she did. The rest of the girls had to separate them. Savannah said they told Heather she wasn’t allowed back.”

  “I had no idea any of that happened.”

  “The thing is, Savannah wasn’t the one that started our relationship. I did. I came onto her. She was still with Billy at the time.”

  I wondered what else I didn’t know.

  “Yeah, there’s a lot about Heather Barrington that your boyfriend doesn’t know, but my parents have an attorney on the way, and reasonable doubt is all I need, and I’m pretty sure my attorney will be able to establish that. The three of them all had a reason to want Savannah dead, don’t you think?” He nodded. “Yeah, they all did. It’s going to be okay. I’ll get out of this.”

  He’d already convinced himself, and he’d also kind of convinced me, too.

  * * *

  Belle was gone when I finished talking with Austin, so Dylan offered to drive me home. Since Uber wasn’t popular in Bramblett, and I’d have a better chance of seeing the Easter Bunny than a cab, I accepted. I didn’t mind the one on one time in my house or in public, but in his car, it felt a bit claustrophobic and a little too close for comfort. I had nowhere to go if the urge to run took over, and that made my fingers tingle and my heart race.

  I sat quietly, tapping my left foot while he drove. My quietness didn’t go unnoticed. When your ex-boyfriend was a law enforcement officer, those things never did. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Just thinking about some things Austin said.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  I took the invite and went to town with it. “About the two trunks. I can see Savannah swapping them, and that would explain Austin’s fingerprints on the one here.”

  “That’s true.”

  “And he said the event with the other woman was after Savannah left him, but that the timestamp is missing on the video.”

  “He told me that also.”

  “His parents are getting the original video.”

  “I know.”

  “And Savannah was already here when he was with that woman.”

  “Can he prove that?”

  I wasn’t quite sure. “Well, I met with her the day she got in town. And besides, can’t you verify it through her cell phone records or something?”

  “There are things we can do, yes.” He glanced at me while at the red light. “You’re getting pretty good at this, Little Bean.”

  My heart skipped a beat, and I had to look away. “It’s all that crime TV I watch.”

  “Must be.”

  Once I’d got my heart rate back to normal, and my house in my line of sight, I faced him again. “Did he tell you about the sorority brunch?

  Dylan’s eyes shifted from the road to me and back to the road again. “No. What about it?”

  “I guess Heather went off on Savannah and blamed her for everything wrong in her life.” I filled him in on the rest of the details.

  He tapped his forefinger on the steering wheel. “Do you know who was at this brunch?”

  “Not off hand, but there’s a Facebook group for the pledge class, so I’m sure I can find out.”

  “Would you mind doing that for me?”

  I perked up and straightened my shoulders. “Oh, like be your assistant detective or something?”

  “Or something, yes.”

  “I’m not sure you get what I mean by or something.”

  He laughed. “We can discuss that later. How’s that sound?”

  “I’ll stick with assistant detective for now.” I wasn’t sure I was up for any kind of later when it came to Dylan. Not at that moment. I pushed a blond curl behind my ear. “I really don’t think he did it.”

  I watched his chest go up and down. “The evidence says otherwise, Lily.”

  “Maybe on the surface the fingerprints do, and maybe Austin’s dishonesty makes him look bad, but when you dig deeper, the pieces don’t fit.”

  “According to Austin. If he can prove that, we’ll see. Until then, we use what we’ve got.”

  “What if something else can show even more reasonable doubt? Then what happens?”

  He pulled into my driveway. “How about we cross that bridge if we come to it?”

  “I think we’re there now.”

  He put his car in park and angled his body toward mine. “Okay. Tell me what you’ve got.”

  “I saw Heather with William again this morning, and I called her out on seeing them together.”

  “I’m not sure how that has anything to do with Austin’s part in Savannah’s murder.”

  It didn’t exactly have anything to do with Savannah per say. It just wasn’t right in my book, and when something wasn’t right, that meant it was wrong. “It just shows bad behavior, and this is William, who we no
w know is a cheater, and Heather, who basically threatened me, so, there’s that.” I opened the car door.

  “Threatened you? Wait. What do you mean she threatened you?”

  I explained the conversation I’d had with Heather earlier that day.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

  “I don’t know. The day’s just kind of been a big blur, and honestly, it didn’t seem all that big of a deal at first. Not until just now, really.” I considered everything swirling around in my head at that moment. “Given that I just reported feeling threatened, and you have the note from my door, isn’t that cause to check out Heather’s computer?”

  “I’d need a subpoena to do that.”

  “Oh. I thought that might create reasonable doubt.”

  “It’s definitely something Austin’s attorney could try to use.”

  “So, what does that mean for your case?”

  “It means I’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m not sure when I’ll be done tonight, but I’d like to come by after work and check on you. Is that okay?”

  My heart begged me to say yes. It wanted me to shout it at the top of my lungs, but I knew if I did it would send us down a rabbit hole that could leave me feeling more claustrophobic than any car ever could. “No, Dylan. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He pressed the issue. “I won’t stop trying, Lily.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.” I got out of the car and walked toward my front door. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to turn around and run back to him before I got inside, and when I did, I sat at my kitchen table and cried like a baby. When I finally stopped sobbing, I called my mom and cried all over again.

  Chapter 8

  My mother chided me for not realizing my real problem with Dylan. She figured it out as soon as I told her I’d wanted him to come by later, but it had made me feel closed in like I had in his car.

  “Oh sweetie, bless your sweet little heart. Dylan isn’t your problem, baby girl. You are. You’re just afraid of being dependent on a man again, but you’ve got to let that go. You don’t need a man, and you know that, but it’s okay to want him. Those two things are different. When are you going to figure that out?”