Prince Charming is a Liar (Your Every Day Hero Book 1)

by Higgins, Marie

  The perp shook his head. “You have to believe me, Brittany. I didn’t kill Hillary. I’m just an artifact collector, not a murderer.”

  Kurt grasped Reeder’s wrists, pulling them behind his back and hooking on the handcuffs. “Let’s go, Reeder. We need to ask you some questions about the murder of Hillary Banks.”

  Hanging his head, Reeder allowed Kurt to lead him out of the room. Finally, Kurt would get to see his stepbrother humiliated—and get what he deserved. Kurt couldn’t believe the happiness that flowed through him right now. How many years had he waited for this moment? How many times had he seen rich guys pay their way out of crimes? Well, Kurt would personally see to it that Reeder couldn’t use his money for this bail out.

  ~*~*~*~

  You are a professional. You can do this! Brittany fought the emotions twisting inside of her as she willed herself not to cry again. Martinez could see she’d become too involved with Austin to handle the questioning. Even the captain wouldn’t allow Kurt into the interrogation room, either, since they knew each other growing up.

  As she paced back and forth in the observation room, she listened closely to every question Gibbs and Tyrone were asking Austin. So far, she’d known these answers. Austin knew Hillary…she tried to get him as one of her clients, but he refused…he was in a board meeting that morning she was killed…blah, blah, blah.

  Her heart broke with each question the detectives threw at Austin. Sometimes his lawyer would cut in and tell Austin he didn’t have to answer that, but Austin always answered. He kept repeating that he didn’t kill Hillary. Deep inside of her, she believed him. But why did he have the murder weapon?

  The fingerprint results came back on the weapon, and there were many prints that were smudged, and some were overlapping, but the one good print they found was Austin’s. He didn’t deny handling the weapon, because, obviously, he purchased it and set it upon the shelf.

  “Mr. Reeder, who do you go through to do your banking?”

  Brittany paused and looked into the window. Austin’s forehead creased and his gaze narrowed. Where was Tyrone going with this?

  “Chase Bank. Why? That’s no secret.”

  Tyrone and Gibbs exchanged grins. Brittany’s heart dropped.

  “Mr. Reeder, we found something interesting on Hillary Banks’ bank statement. She doesn’t go through Chase Bank, however, earlier this year, Chase Bank was depositing one thousand dollars in her account every month for three months.” Tyrone cocked his head, staring at Austin. “By chance, was that money coming from you?”

  Brittany growled and swung around. She looked at Kurt first, and then switched her attention to Martinez. “Seriously? What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I’m sure we’ll find out.” Martinez pointed to the window.

  Austin remained silent, even when his lawyer leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Nodding, Austin cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.

  “Yes. I had sent her one-thousand dollars for three months.”

  Brittany’s knees weakened and she fell against the wall. Kurt rushed to her side, but she shooed him away. This all had to be a nightmare. Hadn’t Austin been honest with her at all during their few short dates? Apparently not, or she would have known all of this.

  “Why, Mr. Reeder? Was she blackmailing you?” Gibbs probed. “Did she know one of your deep, dark secrets and was going to expose it to the community?”

  “No. That’s not what happened.” Austin didn’t take his stare off Gibbs.

  The pound in Brittany’s head grew stronger. She was going to be sick, she just knew it.

  “It wasn’t? So you’re telling me she wasn’t your mistress? Tell us, Reeder.” Tyrone asked, moving closer. “What did she have on you that would make you want to kill her?”

  “I did not kill her,” Austin said in a loud voice. “How many times do I have to tell you that? I was with a few board members that morning. Why isn’t this sinking inside your head yet?”

  Tyrone leaned on the table, putting his face right in front of Austin. “Then tell us why you were paying her.”

  Austin’s gaze shifted toward the window. Brittany knew he couldn’t see her, but he certainly knew she was watching. He looked back at the other detectives, and then sighed heavily.

  “Hillary was my cousin.”

  Brittany released a high-pitched gasp, and then quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Cousins? That couldn’t be right. He made her believe Hillary had been a lover at one time, that had turned into friendship later on. Why didn’t he tell her? What was so important to keep that a secret?

  “Her mother and my father were siblings,” Austin continued. “Hillary came to me one day a few years ago, explaining how she’d gotten involved with Belle’s Escort Service, and she needed help getting out. I gave her some money. I even talked to the owner and paid them to let her go. Then a few months ago, she told me she had gotten into another scrape and needed help. Once again, I dished out money to help her. It lasted for three months, and then I stopped the payment. When she came to see me and ask why, I told her I wasn’t going to help her any longer. We argued, and she left. End…of…story!”

  Gibbs shook his head. “No, Reeder. There has to be more to the story. Why were you on her list?”

  Austin’s face turned red. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?”

  “Oh, really funny, Reeder.” Tyrone snickered.

  “Listen,” Austin continued, “one of the things she told me the day we argued was that she was trying to get money from other men, but they weren’t helping her.”

  Gibbs and Tyrone glanced at each other and then moved their attention back to Austin. “What men?”

  “She didn’t tell me their names. But if she played the oh, pity me, card on them, I’m sure they were giving her money, too. So why aren’t they here? Why are you wasting your time with me instead of finding the real killer?”

  “Because none of those other men had the murder weapon in their house,” Tyrone said loudly.

  “I’m going to ask you one last time,” Gibbs said, moving back around the table toward Austin. “Did you kill Hillary Banks?”

  “And I’m going to repeat my answer…again. No! I did not kill my cousin. I had no reason to kill her.”

  When Gibbs and Tyrone started grilling Austin about his collection of medieval weapons, Brittany wanted to scream. Hadn’t they already asked him those questions? She knew the process of interrogating a perp, but why were they asking him the same thing?

  What bothered her was that Austin hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her about his relationship with Hillary. Why? What could be embarrassing about a wayward cousin?

  Kurt moved beside her and nudged her with his elbow. “We need to talk,” he whispered.

  “No, we don’t.” She didn’t take her eyes off the men in the other room.

  “I’ve been your partner for a year, and you’re not going to give me a chance to explain?”

  Anger rose higher inside of her, making her head pound harder. Yet, at the same time, her heart was shattering slowly, the more lies she heard from Austin, and definitely Kurt. She didn’t know whether to yell or cry.

  She turned and glared at Kurt. “Why would you want to explain? I’m not going to believe you.” She shook her head, not caring if the captain overheard. “You know, it hurts,” she placed her fist to her heart, “when someone you thought was a friend lies to you, but when someone you’ve known for so long, who is with you practically every day for a year, outright lies to your face, that’s when the world tumbles and crashes all around. I’m sorry, Kurt, but I can’t let you explain.” She took a deep breath. “You aren’t the person that I thought you were.”

  She pushed past him and darted out of the room, running down the hall. She couldn’t get away from here fast enough, now.

  SIXTEEN

  For three days, Brittany couldn’t bring herself to leave her apartment. She told Captain Martinez, she n
eeded personal leave. Remarkably enough, he granted it to her. Now she wished Kurt would leave her alone. He came to see her several times, but she texted him to go away. He tried calling, tried texting, but she wouldn’t respond. The fact that he’d withheld that tidbit about Austin and Kurt being stepbrothers was just too much for her to handle.

  And then there was Austin… The only thing he’d lied about was his relationship to Hillary. Yet, that was a very important part of their investigation. Why hadn’t he told her? She knew why. Because it made him look guilty, especially after Hillary was killed. The least he could have done was let Brittany know that he hadn’t paid for Hillary’s services!

  Kurt had texted her to let her know that because of Austin’s solid alibi, they had released him. Obviously, his ancient artifact had been used as the murder weapon, but according to the members of his board that were interviewed, Austin had been with them around the time of day when Hillary was murdered.

  Brittany really didn’t know how to feel, anymore. She’d never cried so much in her life as she’d done these past three days. And all because of a man…two men, to be precise. Both men could have been the Prince Charming she’d been waiting for all of her twenty-five years. But in one night, she discovered that Prince Charming was a liar! Frowning, she shook her head. Talk about ruining someone’s life…and this one just happened to be a doozy. Not only had it ruined her trust with both men, but now she’d thought about putting in for a transfer. She couldn’t work with Kurt Hamill now.

  The buzzing of her phone brought her out of her thoughts. Before answering, she checked the caller ID. It was her brother, Rick. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she cleared her throat. “Hello.” Inwardly, she grimaced. She still sounded like a frog with laryngitis.

  “Britt? Is that you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sick?”

  She sighed. Only sick in the heart… “No.”

  “Are you still coming to the family dinner tonight? Dad wanted me to call you and remind you that you can’t miss out on this one.”

  She groaned. She had forgotten about it. Hopefully, she’d be able to get rid of her puffy eyes by tonight. “Yes, I’m coming.”

  “Great. Dad will be happy to hear. Do you want me to pick you up?”

  Out of her three brothers, she was closer to Rick since he was only two years older than her. Her other brothers wouldn’t have even thought of picking her up. She smiled. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you at six forty-five tonight.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  She glanced at the clock on the dvd player. It was only ten o’clock? What was she going to do to pass the time? She couldn’t get a good night’s rest, because every time she closed her eyes, Austin’s face was there. He wouldn’t leave her memory. She’d recalled every moment they were together, and every word…

  Why was his door opened that first day?

  Curling on the couch, she hugged the large pillow. This was where she and Austin had cuddled and had a make-out session…

  Had someone broken into his suite that morning?

  She shook her head, trying to stop herself from thinking. She wasn’t on the case anymore. Martinez took her and Kurt off immediately after learning how close she’d become with Austin, and especially because of Kurt’s relationship with the suspect.

  Austin hadn’t been surprised that she had entered his suite…

  “Augh!” She took the pillow and placed it over her head. Perhaps she needed a shrink. She couldn’t get these voices out of her head. From now on, she didn’t want anything to do with Hillary Banks’ case.

  The killer had returned the murder weapon to Austin’s house to make him look guilty.

  Slowly, she lowered the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Her mind started working the way it did when she was a police detective, and suddenly, she had left her own pity party. Somebody had set Austin up. But who?

  She put aside her dislike for him, and the fact that he broke her heart, because now she was in detective mode. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? The reason Austin’s door was open that first day was because someone else had been in there to return the weapon. He didn’t know why his door was opened, either. The doorknob hadn’t appeared as if someone forced the door open. Nothing in his penthouse suite appeared to have been taken, so it wasn’t a robbery.

  Energy shot through her, and she jumped up to a sitting position. Whoever had returned the weapon must have a key. Could it be someone who worked in the hotel? For some reason, she didn’t think so. Was it his maid? Then again, the ancient artifact was heavy, so she doubted the maid would be able to carry it. Whoever carried it must have been spotted by someone…

  Security cameras!

  Brittany grabbed her cell and started to punch in Kurt’s number, but then stalled. He wanted to see his stepbrother put behind bars. Even if the proof smacked him in the face, he wouldn’t believe it. No, she had to be the one to solve this puzzle. She would be the one who would find the real killer.

  She hurried into the bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror. Ugh! She stuck out her tongue. Considering she hadn’t showered for two days—which meant she hadn’t washed her hair—was it any wonder she looked so terrible?

  Without another thought, she turned on the shower, shucked her clothes, and quickly bathed. A half hour later, she was out the door to go and see Austin. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and didn’t even bother to wear makeup. She wasn’t going to see Austin to impress him. For once since meeting him, she was going to do her job and act like a professional detective and not a love-struck schoolgirl!

  When she arrived at the hotel, it surprised her that she didn’t have that giddy feeling that made her palms sweat and her heartbeat hammer like an out-of-control cheetah…on steroids. Had her feelings for him disappeared so quickly? She hoped so. Being hung up on him would certainly put a damper on her life if she decided to start dating again.

  She didn’t know if he’d be home, but she had to take the chance that he would. On the elevator ride up to the penthouse suite, she rehearsed the words she’d say. No matter what, she couldn’t allow him to sweet-talk her, or charm her the way he’d done before.

  When the elevator reached the floor and the door opened, right away she heard voices. As she cautiously stepped out into the hallway, she noticed a man talking with Austin. From what she could see, it appeared as if the man was just leaving.

  Austin’s gaze met hers, and he stopped talking. The expression on his face was unreadable, but she did notice he wasn’t smiling as he’d been doing a moment ago.

  The man glanced at her, and then muttered, “I’ll see ya later.” With his head down, he hurried past Brittany and entered the elevator. She really only got a glimpse of him as he rushed by her, mainly because she couldn’t stop looking at Austin. He wore a gray suit with a lavender shirt—minus the tie. He stood still as she walked toward him, and for some odd reason, her heart decided to pick up rhythm this time. Dang! Why couldn’t she stay in control for once?

  Something in the back of her head tugged at a memory. In an instant, the face of the man who’d been visiting with Austin flashed through her head, meeting with another memory of the same face. The Original Pancake House! That’s where she’d seen him…and he’d been with a blonde bombshell…the same woman who was the ditzy receptionist at Isabella’s Escort Service.

  Gasping, she stopped and swung around toward the elevator. The doors were closed, and the machine was already taking the man downstairs. She snapped around back to Austin and pointed toward the elevator. “Who was that man?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen him once before. Who is he?”

  “That’s my friend, Derek.”

  Finally, puzzle pieces started fitting together. Excitement shot through her, the same way it had always done when she was about ready to solve a crime. “Austin, forgive me for coming without letting you kn
ow first, but…I think I might have just found the man who is trying to make you look like a killer.”

  His forehead creased, and then seconds later, his eyes widened. His gaze moved toward the elevator.

  “Derek? You think my friend is trying to set me up?”

  “I know it sounds strange, but…” She sighed deeply and shifted her feet. “Austin, tell me something. Have you ever given your penthouse key to anyone?”

  “No.”

  “Not even Derek?”

  “No. The only other person who has my key is my maid.”

  Brittany paused in thought, still trying to fit all the pieces together. “Tell me, Austin, how did you meet your maid?”

  “She’s friends with—” His voice trailed off as color seeped from his face.

  “With Derek?” Brittany finished for him.

  He nodded. “But Derek has no reason to want to set me up. He didn’t even know Hillary that well.” Austin turned back into his suite and walked to the liquor bar. He quickly grabbed a glass and the bottle of bourbon. “Do you want a drink?”

  “No, I don’t drink.”

  He threw her a scowl over his shoulder. “Those few times I poured you a glass, you didn’t drink it?”

  She shook her head.

  He rolled his eyes and turned back to pouring his drink. “And yet you accuse me of lying to you,” he muttered before tossing back the drink and swallowing hard.

  How rude! And yet, he was accurate. Apparently, they’d both been hiding things from each other.

  He cleared his throat. “Where did you see Derek before?”

  “Kurt and I discovered that Hillary had breakfast with someone at The Original Pancake House the morning before she was killed. We’d gone there to ask questions. I noticed a man and woman seated, but it was the way the man kept trying to keep his face hidden from me that made me curious. When he and his woman friend left, they both looked like they didn’t want us looking at them. And,” she stepped closer to him, “you’ll never guess where I just remember seeing the woman.”