Page 14 of Caught in the Crossfire

He kissed her palm. “Riva called during lunch and asked me to meet her at her home to repair a leaking faucet in the master bathroom. I arrived at 2:00.”

“She called you specifically?”

A nod.

“Why not call Elliott Construction to request a repairman?”

“I remodeled her kitchen last year with Brian. From that point on, if she needed repairs completed around the house, she called me.”

“Did Brian know you did repairs off the books for her?” Rod asked.

His blood ran hot. “They were billed through Elliott Construction. Brian knew I planned to stop at her house.”

“Brian will confirm you were at Riva’s on company business when we ask?”

When, not if. He sighed. “Yes, sir.”

“What did you do when you arrived at Riva’s?” Ethan asked.

“Texted Brian to let him know that I was on site and knocked on her door. When she answered, Riva sent me to the master bath while she finished a phone call on her cell.”

“Do you know who she was talking to?”

“I don’t know, but it sounded personal. She seemed unhappy with the conversation. I went upstairs. Brian called a couple minutes later to request I check on another job when I left Riva’s.”

Ethan motioned for him to continue.

“The sink in the master bath was an easy fix. I used my pipe wrench to tighten a nut. While I was there, I checked the rest of the pipe and the faucet and found them in working order.”

“When did you leave?”

“Thirty minutes after I arrived.”

Ethan and Rod stared. Yeah, he knew how that sounded.

“You spent that long tightening a nut?” Rod’s disbelief rang loud and clear in his voice.

“Riva had other quick maintenance projects.” Mason hated that he sounded defensive. He’d bet the detective would as well if someone questioned his integrity. “She’s a repeat customer of Elliott Construction. I was already there and the repairs didn’t take long. Once I finished her list, I drove to the Willow Run construction site and was there an hour before going to PSI to work on a sink in the kitchen. Nate will vouch for me.”

“I want a list of people you talk to at the Willow Run site,” Rod said.

“You’re out of luck. The crews were at other sites today. I was alone.”

“So, we only have your word that you visited Willow Run for an hour before heading to PSI.”

Ethan held up his hand to forestall his detective from saying more. “Where did you go once you left PSI?”

“To Linc Creed’s home. He had a leak under his kitchen sink, too.” His lip curled. “This was a day for plumbing problems.”

Rod scowled. “How did you fix the leak at Linc’s if you left your pipe wrench at Riva’s?”

“I have more than one wrench.” Rod needed to finish the questions soon. Nicole’s face was too pale. He prayed the patch would kick in soon.

“How was Riva when you left her home?”

Mason’s hand tightened around Nicole’s. In his mind, he heard the prison doors clang shut behind him. “Alive and well. Why are you interested in my wrench?”

“Evidence points to your wrench as the murder weapon.”

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