Page 10 of What Happened Last Night

“I didn’t know her enough to make any real judgement,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “But she was stalking William, so there’s no way we would have invited her into our home.”

“She was stalking your husband? Did either of you report it to the police?”

“No. The ironic thing is William was going to contact his lawyer today and get a restraining order against Candy,” I said with a bitter laugh.

“He thought she was dangerous?” Detective Del Rey asked, raising his eyebrow again.

“More of a nuisance, really,” I said carefully. “But surely, someone who is stalking a person is at least a little unhinged.”

“Why did your husband think this girl was stalking him?”

“My husband is rich and powerful. Girls like Candy, interns with ambition, tend to be drawn to someone like my husband, thinking that if they can get their claws into them then they’ll advance up the career ladder more quickly. Candy isn’t the first intern to attempt to use this strategy, and no doubt, she won’t be the last. But she is the only one I know of who turned up at our home. Is it such a stretch to think her next move was to break in?”

Detective Del Rey ignored my question, just like I knew he would.

“Do you and your husband have a happy marriage, Carlotta?” he asked.

The question threw me for a moment, and I paused for a moment too long before I answered it.

“On the whole, yes. We have our ups and downs, but what couple doesn’t? If you’re asking me if I thought Candy was a threat to our marriage, then I would have to say no, Detective.”

“So you had no reason to hurt the girl?” he asked.

I shook my head firmly. “No Detective, I did not. If anything, I pitied her. It’s pretty pathetic when you think about it, isn’t it? To continue to try to push your way into someone’s life when they’ve made it quite clear that they don’t want you in it. Even to the point where you go to their house to see their wife. It’s a shame it came to this. Someone in her family or one of her friends should have been looking out for her better and got her the help she so clearly needed.”

“So tell me, Carlotta. If you didn’t kill Candy, and there were only you and your husband present at the time, what do you think happened? Do you think your husband is capable of murder?”

“No,” I replied instantly. “I don’t. Not unless it was life or death.”

“So, what do you think happened?” he asked again.

I wanted to say I’m not the detective here, that it’s his job to answer that question, not mine. Something told me that wouldn’t be a good move, though. I thought for a moment and then shrugged my shoulders and sighed.

“Honestly, Detective, I have no idea,” I said. “My best guess is that Candy broke into our home and came into our bedroom for whatever twisted reason she had for it. Upon seeing that my husband would never be hers, maybe she jumped out the window on purpose, intending to kill herself.”

“That’s rather far-fetched, don’t you think?” Officer Dumont said.

It was the first time he had spoken since they had come into the room with me, and I turned my focus onto him to answer him.

“Maybe. But it’s certainly no more far-fetched than thinking either William or I, a professional couple with no criminal record, randomly decided to murder someone, is it? Although I agree it sounds rather bizarre, I would be quicker to believe that the deranged girl killed herself than to believe your version of events.”

“Thank you, Carlotta,” Detective Del Rey said.

His charming smile that didn’t reach his eyes was back, and he stood up abruptly as he spoke. He glanced down at Officer Dumont and nodded to him. Officer Dumont stood up too and they both headed for the door.

“Detective Del Rey, wait,” I called as they reached the door.

Officer Dumont stepped out into the hallway and Detective Del Rey turned back to me.

“When can I get out of here?” I asked. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

He turned away and stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him without answering my question.

All I could do now was wait. Wait and hope I had said enough to give the police another possible scenario, one where the focus wasn’t on William and me. Because while I was determined to prove my innocence, there were only William and me there last night, and if I proved I wasn’t guilty, it would be as good as telling them he was guilty. I had to find a way to answer their questions in a way that would protect both of us.

Chapter Six

William

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